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GUEST POST: Ulyana Seergenko Haute Couture: Is The Red Queen a “Designer?”

Donald Joseph of Très Charmant talks about Ulyana Seergenko and the controversy surrounding commercial versus couture fashion.

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ULYANA SEERGENKO just presented her third couture show in Paris.

Her previous collections focused heavily on Russian fairy tales – which I love -  but this collection made a transition. Still being close to her ethnic roots, I see the advances of her designs that could possibly turn her into a noted couturier.

Although her collection left the Russian fairy tale theme a bit, it is still adheres to her voice. Deep pleats, fur, and heavy wool succumbed the collection and looks like something a Russian oligarch’s wife would wear.

Seergenko knows that her collections all have Russian and Orthodox inspiration and she sees it as her strength. Creating mood boards of clippings and artifacts from her own culture she certainly is keeping everything fashion forward while still being modern and pretty wearable.

Drama is what she is all about and I love it! If you were to wear one of her dresses to an event you definitely will be talked about; whether good or bad would depend on how you pull it off.

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To many her clothes only look like costumes and are aren’t meant for “real world” wear. I would have to disagree with this statement.

Yes, many of her pieces aren’t commercial (which couture piece really is) but they can be altered to look any way the customer wants and people with huge personalities who have an edgy, more dramatic fashion sense would find this an advantage.

During couture fashion week in Paris many of the world’s famous designers presented there. From Karl Lagerfeld of Chanel to Donatella Versace of the Versace brand – but there seems to be someone who has been getting a lot of chiding and that person is Ulyana Sergeenko.

She is a Russian couturier and street style star that is referred to as “The Red Queen” but what sets her apart from the rest of her couturier friends is her lack of training.

Ulyana probably has never sewn a piece or sketched a drawing of one of her gowns. But honestly, would you if your husband was a billionaire and could kick start your label with an exuberant amount of financing?

Think about designers such as Victoria Beckham or Rachel Zoe. Neither one of them has been to design school nor have they received such scathing reviews.

Maybe not Rachel because she has been a stylist for many years and has earned her rightful spot, but Victoria was umm… a Spice Girl. Which is not a qualifying check on her fashion designer resume.

I am a huge fan of both Rachel and Victoria but they seem to have been avoiding this criticism that Ulyana has been picking up.

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This is my favorite look from the collection. It is very wearable and wouldn’t need much altering besides a fitting. It resembles something I would see gracing a Valentino collection and that is a huge compliment seeing that I adore Valentino.

The lace detailing is impeccable especially in black and the suede material looks very rich and not cumbersome like it could’ve been if not executed properly.

Overall I would give this collection an A-, impeccable tailoring for dramatic pieces and unique designs pushed this collection to the top of some of my favorites list.

Do you think Ulyana is a “real” designer?

Would you wear any of these pieces from the collection?

Photos courtesy of style.com

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Donald Joseph is the writer of Très Charmant a fashion, beauty & lifestyle blog. He is also the owner of Shop Charmant an online jewelry boutique which ships globally.

Tags: Donald Joseph, guest post, Shop Charmant, Très Charmant, Ulyana Seergenko. Bookmark the permalink.

One thought on “GUEST POST: Ulyana Seergenko Haute Couture: Is The Red Queen a “Designer?”

  1. Moi Contre Le Vie says:

    Great post! I adore Ulyana – As a street style star and as a designer.

    Reply

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