• Choubelle •

Happy Thanksgiving!

choubelle — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 23:08:34 +0000

I hope you get to have cranberry sauce not from the can and watch the Macy’s Day Parade.

xoxo

Choubelle

Russian Fashion Week: why does it not get much press??

choubelle — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 03:59:02 +0000

We all know about New York Fashion Week, Milan Fashion Week, London Fashion Week and Paris Fashion Week, but lets take a look at the map of the world and focus on Russia:

Wow! Look! Its the biggest country in the world. golly gee!

So why haven’t I heard of any Russian fashion designers?????? I’ve heard of Yves, Chanel and Dior in Paris, Versace and Prada in London, Marc and Ralph in NYC and…*cricket sounds* who exactly, In Russia???

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This all started when I saw (British born) John Galliano’s fall ‘09/’10 show with all of the Russian bride inspiration, painted faces and meticulous attention to detail. Then I accidentally downloaded a Russian Fashion Week video podcast, and couldn’t believe my eyes. The Russian designs were lyrical, folkloric and incredibly beautiful.

What I didn’t realize is that I hadn’t stumbled upon just any Russian designer. I had stumbled upon Slava Zaitsev.

“In a 1988 interview, Zaitsev mentioned how he had to use dress mannequins from World War two until only recently because of Soviet Regime restrictions.”

I felt like I’d come across a field of sweet flowers in the middle of the wintertime. Like fashion illustrator/designer Erté, however, Zaitsev leaves no stone unturned when it comes to detail in his designs. The result? An opulence like no other. It is truly greatness!

What is neat about Zaitsev is that more is more, but the “more” isn’t off the mark. For Zaitsev, shapes, silhouettes and pattern harmonize and land right on target!

I wikipedia-ed Mr. Zaitsev, and sadly discovered just how much Soviet Russia had stifled him from sharing his craft with the rest of the world back in the days of Pierre Cardin, Dior, and YSL. Apparently, regime restrictions on Zaitsev were suffocating. The only country which Zaitsev was allowed to work outside of and share his gifts with other than the Soviet Union was Czechoslovakia, and in a 1988 interview with the New York Times, Zaitsev mentioned how he had to use dress mannequins from World War two until only recently because of Soviet Regime restrictions.

Those are my findings of Zaitsev, nicknamed by the media as the “Red Dior.” Here are some images of one of my new favorite designer’s astonishing work!

Images courtesy of russianfashionweek.com, Coutorture and daylife.com

New Post Soon!

choubelle — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:26:14 +0000

verry soon. ex oh.

Poll-tastic: What decade most matches your fashion sense??

choubelle — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:44:51 +0000

Luxe vegan handbags on Etsy?…You bet your socks yes!!

choubelle — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 19:52:29 +0000

British based designer Sacha Knight of Hyde S.K really knows her stuff when it comes to making beautiful bags.

Knight’s colorful handbags immediately caught my eye one day whilst wandering around Etsy, and when I saw how cool the tassels and detail each Hyde S.K bag had I was sold! From moc-croc scales to the adorable wooden charms, this designer’s native inspired collection is a winner through and through.

The phenom deets of Sacha Knight's designs make me want neeeed to put tassels on everything I own. Right now.

Did I mention that all of her designs are environmentally sound? She uses lorica instead of leather, because after working with leather for several seasons, she decided it really conflicted with her vegetarian lifestyle. saweet!

For more about Knight’s handbags, check out this article from Refinery 29, and Knight’s website and of course, the

Hyde S.K Etsy shop.

Now if only I could haul my notes around to class in this bag!