Moscow's Weird and Whimsical Fashion Show

Camouflage tutus, cardboard accessories and transparent slacks were among the arresting apparel on parade at Moscow's first Avant-Garde Fashion Festival.


The two-day-long carnival of fashion included a retrospective of nontraditional clothes designed by Russian artists in the '90s, and a cavalcade of their latest creations. The designers represented in the Albo-Moda '95 show, held last week at Metelitsa nightclub, included Katya Filipova, Andrei Sharov, Andrei Bartenyev, Sergei Chernov, Larisa Lazareva, Masha Tsigal, Violetta Litvinova, Vladimir Bukhinnik, Konstantin Goncharov and Alexei Meshkov.


"For a number of years, our designers expressed themselves either in the Western countries or in Baltic States. Most of the festivals like this were held in Vilnius, Riga or somewhere else, but not in Moscow or St. Petersburg," said fashion observer Natalya Orlova, who headed the panel of judges. "It's an outstanding event that we finally have our own avant-garde fashion festival, and we hope to turn it into an annual one."


The first day featured a collection by Katya Filipova, a trendy Moscow artist and the most conservative among the competitors. She in fact confessed that she has never considered herself an avant-garde designer, though the title of her collection -- "Evening Dresses for the Next World" -- would seem to place her firmly in the avant-garde firmament.


The designs featured silk chiffon dresses in black, navy and brown with gold and silver ornaments. Her gossamer gowns, decorated with king-sized accessories trumpeted regal notes and played on oriental motifs.


Highlighting Filipova's collection were black velvet dresses with slim silhouettes that were decorated with abundantly pearly necklaces. With this collection, Filipova said she "started to pay more and more attention to the quality of the clothes. I've done a lot of hand work to make dresses look majestic and regal."


Next were the creations of Andrei Bartenyev, who presented his curious "Botanical Ballet," with cumbersome black-and-white cardboard ships and planes round the waist and whimsical hats to match. The designer himself wore a no less extravagant costume: a shapeless cardboard ensemble and skis.


The audience, the majority of whom were local fashion observers, enthusiastically greeted the tasteful collection of Nikolai Polushkin. His violet and deep rose interpretations in silk recalled the romanticism of the postwar years, when fashion combined modest simplicity with chic elegance.


Polushkin's collection, called "Modernists," was followed by a funny presentation of Vladimir Bukhinnik's collection "Megalomania-2" and an absurd theatrical performance, "White Little Cloud," by the eccentric and controversial designer Petlura.


Day 2 of the festival was the competition -- unfortunately, a rather disorganized affair. The green-haired designer Bartenyev presented a new collection called "Awakening of the Sleeping Beauties," which often resembled his offerings the day before, but was executed in a different palette of fuchsia, lime, yellow and orange.


Andrei Sharov's collection, "Punks, Come" was typical of the designer's vision, with outfits combining polyplastic transparent pants or striped leggings with leather and metal accessories and eye-catching bright knit T-shirts.


Masha Tsygal dressed her models in polyethylene, cellophane and foil paper and called the collection "Let's Be Like Heart." Her "garments of the future" harked back to previous fashions called "Let's Be Like Sun."


Larisa Lazareva (aka LaRe) showed off her evening dresses with slim lines and geometric cutouts in the torso. Her collection in black, suggestively titled "Consequences," made for the most feminine and elegant moments of the show. The petite designer, her face draped with a veil, drew a warm reception from the audience.


But it was Vladimir Bukhinnik who claimed the grand prize. His collection showcased velvet costumes with silhouettes, details and accessories reminiscent of medieval times. Bukhinnik, a promising designer from St. Petersburg whose creations tend toward the theatrical, was awarded with $3,000 and crowned with a helmet inscribed with his name. The costumes by the "Avant-Garde King '95" will go to Moscow director Roman Viktyuk for his new production, "Venera in Furs."


Another Petersburg designer, Konstantin Goncharov, exhibited his bizarre collection "Golden Donkey" and became the Best Avant-Garde Artist of the year.


Chosen Best Avant-Garde "Constructor" was Sandra Straukaite, a designer from Vilnius, Lithuania, the only foreign guest at the festival.


Among her creations were camouflage tutus, whimsical outfits with leopard-print green shorts and a black-and-white checkered jacket shaped like a soccer ball. Her collection was highlighted by a parade of slim silver dresses and an outfit mixing a long vinyl jade skirt and an airy rose-colored muslin T-shirt. Straukaite's imaginative line combined all sorts of fabrics and materials. More than any of the competitors, Straukaite illustrated the concept of avant-garde design.


The Albo-Moda contest was named after the general sponsor, a pager company. The avant-garde show represented a bit of a departure for the Metelitsa night club, which usually hosts haute couture fashion parades.