Prominent Russian fashion designer Alexei Grekoff's recipe for success this season mixes Italian spice with youthful notes.


Aware of Russians' love affair with brand names and designer labels, especially if they're Italian, Grekoff has created a collection that echoes Italian style in its luxuriousness. In addition to his "Lux" line, which includes velvet evening dresses with touches of bare allure, Grekoff this winter is launching a "democratic line" for the younger clotheshorse.


For the older set who suffered through decades of style deficit, Grekoff sees a need to teach good taste. "We must help them decide aesthetic questions," he said.


Grekoff has taken it upon himself to do just that -- and at the same time show the new rich, young and old, that Russian-designed fashions can be just as beautiful (and pricey) as any Italian creation. His designs indeed look like something out of an upscale Italian showroom -- perhaps partly because all of his perfectly cut blazers, pleated trousers, and every other piece of clothing that bears his label was manufactured in Italy.


The younger customer can buy into what Grekoff calls the A.G. Project, featuring blue jeans, soft suede shirts in banana and beige, leather coats, and leg warmers to be worn with shorts or miniskirts.


The Grekoff Fashion Gallery is located at 1 Malaya Kaluzhskaya. Tel. 955-1133.