The Russia Journal

Spring is here – officially. But despite this obvious fact, Moscow boutiques and stores seem to be in no hurry to clear space for the new spring/summer collections, although these very same collections were expected to arrive weeks ago. Some boutiques have only begun receiving pre-collections for a season that is already here. While you’re probably thumbing through this month’s glossy magazines for upcoming fashion trends, it might also be useful to take a brief look at what has already appeared on the city’s shelves.

The spring/summer 2003 menswear collection from Corneliani is now available at the Sedmoi Element and 007 boutiques. The collection gives the impression of smoothness and quietude and, obviously, comfort is paramount. The spring blazers on offer are pure wool, mixed wool-silk or wool-silk-linen. Almost all the jackets feature flowers or striped sections and funky buttons. Since knitwear is in now, Corneliani’s knitted items are all extremely elegant. Their machine-knitted sweaters are good to wear either with or without a jacket. As for colors, the collection is dominated by warm shades of cream, beige, cognac, mocha, deep orange, pumpkin and red. Intense blue – from light pastel to deep azure – is also everywhere.

The women’s collection from Belgian designer Ann Demeulemeester has also arrived at Sedmoi Element. The main trend here is definitely a focus on elegant, tailored lines. This is clearly the case, among other items, with Demeulemeester’s short jackets, which are supposed to be worn with skinny trousers. All in all, the collection is drawing on the positive energy of spring. Words like "Wild" and "Sin" are printed on T-shirts or engraved on metallic plates that are tied to the tops with ribbons. As for colors, Demeulemeester sticks mostly to black and white seasoned with silvery leather swatches and various shades of brown and khaki. And cargo pants with numerous pockets and belts are the hit of the season here.

The Calvin Klein Jeans collection is for the younger set and features a lot of fresh ideas aimed at making denim lighter, sexier and perfect for warm weather. Lightweight denim makes up the main part of the collection, which was inspired by military gear and sportswear. Men’s jeans are fitted and tailored at the waist, while women’s are sexy and accentuate the female assets. A pair of light-colored Calvin Klein classic jeans combined with a striped shirt with a stand-up collar is a great outfit for a guy this season, while a cK denim skirt with a fitted mint-colored top is perfect for a sexy feminine look.

The alternative hip, funky boutique UK Style is also already offering new collections. Worth checking out is the complete collection from Eley Kashimoto’s playful, festive and fresh looks for spring, Buddica items for snooty Moscow clubs, Antony & Alison accessories – from ties and chokers to cloth bracelets, bags and T-shirts – Oceanic belts, Jane Maskrey trinkets and a wide selection of British costume jewelry.

As for accessories, a great collection from Babylone has just arrived at Sedmoi Etazh. As always, they are designed by Christine Laaban. One notable feature of this season is the wide variety of metal and crystal amulets. The necklace B2L17, for example, is styled after Marilyn Monroe’s favorite necklace. The hit of the season here is necklaces featuring charms such as angels, crosses and magic stones. Also very popular are strings of beads made of semiprecious stones: citrine, rosy quartz, turquoise and agate.

A womenswear collection from the Dutch youth label Mexx is now available at Mexx stores in Moscow. The collection is designed for women aged 20 to 40, i.e., for those who have a feel for fashion, are optimistic and progressive. The collection’s main theme is freedom, and its color spectrum is full of fantastic contrasts, with pastel colors represented by tinges of sky blue and rose pink, bringing a feel of freshness and purity. Also very popular in this spring collection are white blouses, both very short and long and made of cotton and silk. The May collection is meant to revive the spirit of the 1970s, with its prevalent folksy, gypsy and ethnic motifs. The main colors are aquamarine, beige and black and are combined with plum, terracotta, light blue and snow white. Mexx’s hot look this season is a mix of their super-feminine items with their rough army-style cargo pants, distressed jeans and safari jackets.

LOCATIONS:

Sedmoi Element

2 Smolenskaya Ploshchad Metro: Smolenskaya Tel: 241-3022

007

2 Okhotny Ryad Metro: Okhotny Ryad Tel: 292-2059

UK Style

17/1 Nikitsky Blvd. Metro: Arbatskaya Tel: 290-2139

Sedmoi Etazh

29 Tverskaya Ul. Metro: Mayakovskaya Tel: 937-9430

Persona Lab

21/5 Kuznetsky Most Metro: Kuznetsky Most Tel: 921-9898

cK Calvin Klein Jeans

1 Manezh Square, Okhotny Ryad shopping complex, 2nd floor Metro: Okhotny Ryad Tel: 737-8450