Folk motifs, embroidery and kokoshniks in Ulyana's Haute Couture collections

Today the most significant Russian fashion house, Ulyana Sergeenko, celebrates its 12th birthday with the release of its 21st couture collection.

I confess my love for Ulyana! No one knows how to present folk elements so artfully that evening gowns look not like historical costumes from a ball of 1903, but live a genuine couture life, worthy of both the fashion museum and the red carpet.

The 21st Haute Couture collection is especially delightful for its floral embroidery, lavish lace and rich inlay work. Consider only the number of native headdresses, from the povoynik and the kichka to the kokoshnik, which Ulyana not merely returns to the fashion context but with which she revives the long-forgotten tradition of the festive covering of the head and the adornment of the hair. It is a great pity that menswear has so far appeared in only one collection; I hope there is more to come

ps photographs by Aset Geroyeva (1, 3, 4, 5, 6) and Nikolai Sushkevich (2)

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Folk motifs, embroidery and kokoshniks in Ulyana's Haute Couture collections

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