I just had to share these images from the Spring 2013 Couture show of Ulyana Sergeenko. I fell head over heels at first sight of her debut Fall collection last year. It was my winter dreams realised in the most beautiful, elegant way and I adore her play between her Russian roots and nods to earlier eras.

Ulyana described her recent show as “Gone With the Wind, the Headless Horseman, Huck Finn—it’s our American collection”, and you can see the strong influence of Scarlet O’Hara combined with American and Soviet references to form a fantastically theatrical show. The yellow brick road runway and gigantic childrens book backdrop made the Dorothy in me swoon, as did the tasselled piano-like shawls with homespun needlepoint embroideries, billowing taffeta, pioneer style wide brims and velvet rompers. The best details of all though have to be the porcelain buttons used in the back of the gowns (hand-painted with characters out of Russian nursery rhymes!) and delicate crocheted embroideries that were inset like cameos into the sweet silk blouses.

I may be gushing but, good god, I just ricocheted of the swoon-o-meter!

xx