Valentin Yudashkin Fall/Winter 2013 RTW

I know I tend to talk a lot about big name collections on this blog and I make no effort to hide my love for high fashion. However, at the heart of it all, it's talent that I love, and although you may not know it, I really do enjoy scrolling through the collections of lesser known designers and seeing what other amazing talent exists outside the big box names. One of my latest discoveries is Russian designer Valentin Yudashkin, who presented his Fall/Winter 2013 RTW collection during Paris Fashion Week and Moscow Fashion Week. I was elated to find a video of his full show on Youtube, allowing me to write a proper review of the collection. Although Yudashkin is a well known designer in Russia and definitely far past the stage of "up-and-coming", I hope to have enough time over the summer to bring you more posts on relatively unseen talent.

What drew me to the collection was its very icy, but thoroughly sophisticated, demeanor (which makes sense, considering we are dealing with snowy Russia). The collection dealt with the fragility and beauty of snowflakes and their almost otherworldly ability to transform a landscape, one flake at a time. It started off strangely reminiscent of Blumarine Fall/Winter 2012 RTW, a collection I gave one of my most scathing reviews to. The white fuzzy boots and the metallic sheens could have veered on the tacky, but Yudashkin did what Anna Molinari didn't: he kept it classy.

His cuts were clean, with sharp angles around the collars and hems to reflect the slick edges of a snowflake. To keep his shorter dresses from being just another thing at a high school prom, he gave them exquisite flake-like detailing, and updated them with masculine blazers and coats. You could almost envision yourself sipping hot chocolate by the window on a snowy Winter's day, and marveling at how ice crystals manage to wind their way up glass panes.

One thing I loved was how some of the coat collars folded so softly it was as if the models were coated in a sheet of snow. As the show progressed, I also noticed the use of muffs - an accessory I used to have as a child, and one I think could make a great comeback. There were some looks missing from the Paris show that appeared in the Moscow collection, and so I recommend you watch the video to check out Yudashkin's use of prints and 60s silhouettes.

Moving into evening, we once again get sharp cuts, with the most unique being cutouts around the hip that reminded me of the curved hips at Atelier Versace's stunning Spring 2012 collection, but upside down. Not all were hits though; the extreme sheen of some gowns revealed awkward rumpling around the hips, and the skirts of others were just too stiff.  But the last two looks made up for any mishaps, and you can see for yourself why they had some audience members clapping proudly.

In giving us such a clean palette, Yudashkin created a seamlessly connected collection from start to finish. It was a pleasure to break outside the Big Four cities (even though he did present in Paris) and see what other talent is boiling away behind major media lenses. After seeing this collection, I am reminded of Sochi 2014, and think that this sort of atmosphere would make a smashing Opening Ceremony.

Watch the entire show here.

Image Source: Style.com