For a decade Ulyana Sergeenko’s designs have captivated women and fashion enthusiasts. Her signature aesthetic is a touch of old Hollywood. Her Couture Spring and Summer ’21 collection pays homage to the marriage of fashion and film with inspiration from Vera Kholodnaya, the most famous Russian actress during the silent film era.
In the collection, Sergeenko’s sketches and mood influence are, of course, Kholodnaya, but also; Demetre Chiparus and his dancing sculptures, artist Roman Tyrtov whose pseudonym was Erté and, whose artworks graced the pages of Vogue and Harper’s BAZAAR, and Vera Mukhina’s sculpture “The Worker and the Kolkhoz Woman,” and Moscow’s Aeroport metro station.
The art-deco influence in the SS21 couture collection
This collection has strong influences of women’s fashion during the Art Deco movement as seen in the tailoring of skirts, suits, and the detailing in the Yelets lace blouses. “The collection was created in collaboration with a record number of ateliers, who specialize in the ancient traditions of lace-making from Yelets and Kadom, the production of crystals – at Gus Khrustalny – and the art of painted enamels at Rostovskaya Finift,” notes the house in a statement.
The Yelets lace detail in Ulyana Sergeenko’s SS21 couture collection
The techniques used for the lace and crystal details, painted enamels and stitching were sent from Moscow to Russian artisans across the country. The craftsmanship is then sent to the Ulyana Sergeenko atelier and processed to make the various looks for the collection.
Kholodnaya was the Charlie Chaplin of her day, called the “the queen of the screen,” she charmed Russian filmgoers with her beauty and the strong gaze of her bottomless eyes. Her leading role in Evgeny Bauer’s Song of Triumphant Love brought Kholodnaya heightening success at the snap of a finger. Though her career was short she was a film legend in her own right and Sergeenko, and her team sought to draw out Kholodnaya’s style and the era surrounding the actress throughout the collection.
Ulyana Sergeenko has created looks of history, film, art, and culture mixed into one collection. From the hundreds of hours of embroidery and artisanal craftsmanship in collaboration with the collection, she has created couture pieces at the highest level of fashion.
Watch the presentation for the collection: