London Fashion Week counts designers of many nationalities, and David Koma, who was born in Tbilisi, Georgia, and trained in Saint Petersburg, chose to explore his roots for the first time in his young career.
He opted to give early 20th-century court dress, the last gasp of the imperial Romanov family, a modernist spin. He etched the theme lightly within the narrow framework of his sharp and sexy aesthetic.
Most of the silhouettes were short and tight, to which he added three main Russian motifs: puffed sleeves; hussar bullion and detailing; and Fabergé embellishments.
The best looks employed the military button-and-loop fasteners of cavalry uniforms to toughen up a slipdress, and give tight pants and sleeves some breathing room, and an extra decorative flourish. The shots of Stabilo green would be as foreign to those times as the sleek Christian Louboutin shoes.