riga fashion week: tiina talumees

(images via rfw)

for her s/s 2011 collection, estonian designer tiina talumees looked back to the era when her grandmother was young, around the time of world war 2.  titled “women of the republic”, the show was meant to celebrate the behaviors of that age, as well as the individuality in dress. 

founded in 1998, the atelier is still quite small—with only 7 employees—and works mainly with couture pieces, although the rtw collection is presented once a year in the fall (what we’re debating today).  each of these pieces are available for purchase at the studio in talllinn, as well the aforementioned bespoke garments and wedding gowns. 

seeing wartime-style designs isn’t particularly rare, but what i find special about the collection is its honesty: yes, these women are glammed-up, but by a method that seems to suit the day, rather than the ridiculous overabundance of colour and bling someone like john galliano at dior is likely to do (you know what i’m talking about; he touches the era often, but usually with 10 cm platforms, billowing cotton candy pink skirts, and shrugs weighted down under the crushing piles of attached crystals). 

in other words, this luxury has a subtlety to it that seems rather to suit the period, when people were more conservative about displays of wealth and didn’t always have a logo attached to each seam.  this helps to give each garment a more authentically vintage feeling that is at once quite modern with the sleeker fabrics.  it’s close to an homage, but never gets to the point of costumery.  

that said, i would have liked her to bring out some lighter pieces, as most of these are quite dressed up; where are the relaxed looks for day?  i’m sure the top two are meant to be for work or day, but they have a glamour most of us don’t always need in today’s especially carefree dress coded society.  that is a sort of shame worth exploring in itself, but no matter how much i like to adhere to ideas of all of us making more effort, there are days all of us need a thoroughly casual outfit. 

riga fashion week: reet aus

(images via rfw)

for her s/s 2011 collection, estonian designer reet aus went a little more shabby chic than what she was doing for fall, though her signature blended/striped/checkerboarded denim remained a stronghold. 

for those of you unfamiliar with her work, the intro: based in tallinn and making all pieces locally, the clothes are assembled using recycled materials (hence, the appearance of many small squares…no matter how bad the denim is, it’s usually easy to find a tiny scrap.  who knows?  maybe you’re even getting a piece from a homeless person!  take that, ke¢ha!) in order to beautify the world with waste. 

fall’s work was a little less “crunchy granola” than what she’s presenting us for spring.  although i do like the attitude, some of the hyper-distressed pieces feel a little more like “wearing one’s good deeds on one’s sleeve” than maybe we all of us want to do; therefore, the pants (second from top) without any ragged lines and the skirt (below) with only a hint of them are some of the standouts for me. 

this isn’t to say some of the rough’n tumble look doesn’t work—i do like both pieces the model in the tan fedora is wearing, but styled together gives the overall effect of a raggamuffin dumpster diving or the like.  who knows?  certainly some of her customers are drawn to that aesthetic; however, so often the eco-friendly lines are necessarily integrated with something screaming “NATURE”.  doesn’t the brand want to be interesting to others not particularly moved by that call, as well?  her fall collection would have suggested so far more than today. 

anyway, regardless of the direction of these pieces, in the end, there were simply too many ragged denim things.  we needed a reprieve from the look; something pretty, something simple, as any line would, in order to mix it up.  that we didn’t get.  maybe she needs to diversify her materials sourcing, but right now, we’re looking at a lot of blue clothes in (largely) a single fabric.  and no matter how much some of us may care about a cause, only the most heavily ‘off the grid’ types i’ve met could make do in life with a wardrobe made up of these pieces. 

so, in the end, she simply needs to mix it up.  she has shown us a talent and i’d like to see her excel with her impressive vision, but most fashionies don’t want to forgo style completely.  after all, there are many eco designers out there making intriguing garments and we can always switch our loyalty.  it’s definitely worth it for her to look into some new fabric options. 

riga fashion week: reet aus

(images via rfw)

reet aus is a young estonian fashion designer who works with organic materials, as well as pieces that have been left over from mass-produced pieces, vintage, and scraps.  her business mission is, essentially, “love for nature has fuelled her to take garbage and turn it into luxury.”

she attended the estonian academy of arts to obtain a degree in fashion design, and a few years after graduation launched her namesake label.  in 2006, she went back to school to pursue a phd & studied “environmentally friendly fashion design”. 

appropriately enough, her collection for f/w 2010 evokes feelings of the great depression (which ralph lauren referenced for his s/s 2010 show), and serves as an apt reminder of both the places where too many indulgences might leave us and the positive things that can come from unpleasant times.  (sometimes in my younger years, i actually enjoyed being poor, as it can encourage one to be creative in ways not necessarily thought of when there’s plenty of cash flowing for new clothes & drinks on the town.)

she worked largely with denim-y fabrics, throwing in the occasional white or eggshell roughish muslin dress, and one show-stopping lingerie piece which didn’t necessarily fit into the whole equation, but looked marvelous just the same.  especially charming were those striped dresses which felt like jean scraps sewn together to make a perfect summery, casual day dress. the models’ bare feet served to reference a bygone era in which shoes were a luxury and children might launch themselves off the farmhouse porch onto the dusty lanes in their reworked hand-me-downs.

none of the pieces were especially elaborate, and this was part of their appeal.  the girls wore little caps, no jewelry, and minimal makeup (a great trend for fall), which, given the over-accessorizing of the past few years, actually gave them a sort of lavishness of their own, a reminder that sometimes a pretty face & sprightly personality is all one needs, and maybe fashion has become a little too much hiding behind our bling and our labels, letting those shine brighter than we do. 

this was a new kind of minimalism for fall, and it worked wonderfully.  we don’t always need to be overshadowed with deluxe everything, and sometimes minimalism can (and should) be about that, rather than austere luxury in the form of restrained cuts on one’s exorbitantly expensive leather skirt.  there’s a hidden glamor in the confidence to eschew it, after all.

riga fashion week: kristina viirpalu

(images via rfw)

kristina viirpalu is an estonian designer who received a choreography degree from the university of talinn and is currently pursing a graduate degree in jewelry.  however, it was her lavish legwear which particularly stood out at her f/w 2010 show.

the collection was dress-and-coat-(which could often double as dresses) heavy and consisted mostly of forties/wartime-esque silhouettes.  sometimes the girls sported cute little hats or headpieces and always had jewel-toned or embellished stockings. 

she used a variety of brights and patterns on the runway, straying into territory some other designers before her have this season; namely, that if the clothes are going to be available for purchase long before the season commences, perhaps we ought have more summery things available.  however, there were warmer clothes, which the palette choices helped to liven up, another thing designers have been experimenting with of late, rather than encouraging us to drape ourselves in funereal garb.

the dresses almost always carved out a neat little waistline on the models, with sweet little collars, sleeve, or neckline detail to draw the eyes upwards and present a flattering figure for most any woman.  whether or not ‘boobs are in!’ as some tritely want to crow, it’s always a relief to see female designers who realize which silhouettes work for the predominant body types seen off the runways.

the collection had a nice vintage-y feel, with enough references toward current trends (such as the fancy stockings) to keep it from looking inappropriately dated.  likely it will appeal to the twenties/thirties girl attracted to a slightly eclectic look, but would work, and suit, a variety of women.  for that, it was a real delight.

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