Valentin Yudashkin just published a book of photos showcasing his earlier work—there was a cocktail party celebrating its release tonight. Many would be surprised to know that the Russian designer has been showing his collection in Paris since the early nineties. Yudashkin can t claim to enjoy the same kind of visibility that Russian talents of a younger generation, like Vika Gazinskaya and Ulyana Sergeenko, have been experiencing lately, even if he s doing a bang-up business at home. His niche is superflashy evening gowns. This season s showpiece—in gold with arabesques of three-dimensional embroideries—looked like it walked off the hood of a vintage Cadillac and onto the runway. For Spring, in addition to those extravagant long dresses, Yudashkin feels passionate about eighties-style shoulder pads, repeat prints in the mold of old Versace (they were modeled on Scythian jewelry), and eye-searing shades of yellow and blue. The eighties rematerialized on Saint Laurent s runway last night, it s true, but Hedi Slimane took a much grittier view of the era. If Yudashkin is as keen to expand into Europe and the United States as he claims to be, he d be smart to study the ways in which the major labels are leaning and figure out how he can participate in that story. For the time being, he remains an outlier.
