Paris, late ‘60s: inspired by the costumes worn in the film Doctor Zhivago by David Lean, Dior created the “Zhivago look”, with a Russian-themed collection that featured overblouses with a high standing collar closing at the side rather than centre front.
As the years passed Russia became a staple inspiration for many designers: Yves Saint-Laurent produced a Russian collection in 1976-77 that called to mind the exoticism of the most avant-garde dance company in the history of ballet, The Ballets Russes; designer duo Tata Naka anticipated in their Fall-Winter 2002/03 collection - that included dresses featuring early ‘20s Soviet propaganda textile prints - the Russian mania of 2005-06 that appeared on the catwalks with Diane von Furstenberg‘s wrap dresses trussed up with military details, Costume National’s fur-hemmed coats, Hermès’s Bolshevik revolutionary caps and Anna Sui’s Russian print dresses.
I’ve always loved Russia-inspired trends, and I have a few timeless garments inspired by Russian costumes and history that I always get out of my wardrobe when the trend comes back into fashion. In fact it looks like I will be wearing again my Russian clothes very soon as Karl Lagerfeld has just re-launched the trend during his Pre-Fall 09 collection for Chanel.
Entitled “Paris-Moscou”, the collection, presented last week at the Théâtre le Ranelagh, had a precise starting point, Coco Chanel’s love story with the Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich. This theme was explored also in a short film that can now be watched on the Chanel site and that opened the catwalk. Directed by Lagerfeld and inspired by Mack Sennett’s black-and-white silent movies, the 10 minute short features Lithuanian model Edita Vilkeviciute as Chanel, Brad Kroenig as Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich, Amanda Harlech and daughter Tallulah Ormsby-Gore as customer and model and a group of Chanel seamstresses starring as the women working at Chanel’s atelier in 1913. The silent film nicely connects the world of fashion and cinema and it’s an ironical introduction to the collection with Coco portrayed as an indomitable woman with a great irony that she often uses against her rivals such as Paul Poiret.
Though the Chanel Pre-Fall 09 collection has as main inspiration Gabrielle’s love story with Duke Pavlovich, the outfits presented were an explosive mix of different influences: Russian architecture appeared in the onion domes of buildings similar to Moscow’s Saint Basil’s Cathedral embroidered on jackets and coats and in the fantastic gold dome-like heels of the shoes; opulent Byzantine jewellery was referenced in the massive tiaras and headdresses worn by the models but also in the lavish gold and silver embroideries, decorated with pearls and feathers; 
the prints of Russian Constructivism and the colours of Aleksandra Ekster were replicated onto cardigans and dresses; the classic Chanel suit was reinterpreted in bright red, a colour that evokes the opulence of the court in tsarist Russia; men’s jumpers recalled with their asymmetrical fastening the traditional Russian blouse, while militaristic coats, 
fur hats and Cossack-style boots abounded and there was obviously a touch of Orientalism in some designs that echoed Léon Bakst's fabulous costumes for "Thamar" performed by Diaghilev's Ballets Russes in 1912, and Natalia Gontcharova's brilliantly colourful costumes for "Le Coq d'or" (The Golden Cockerel, originally staged in 1914).
Apparently Chanel's Russian influence will not stop with the Pre-Fall 09 collection, but will continue in its make-up line that will soon boast a new nail colour called "Nuit de Russie", a deep blue nail varnish already destined to become one of next year's best selling make-up products.
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Posted by: School Girl Costumes | February 09, 2010 at 04:25 AM