"Paging Dr. Zhivago..."
From the press release:
"Shabayeva's Fall collection is a delicate balance between the ethereal and the industrial while incorporating materials from Tupperware® – one of America's most beloved brands and the winner of numerous design awards, including several prestigious Red Dot Awards. This unusual collaboration inspired Shabayeva to create looks that manipulate plastic into modern day ready to wear. She will debut five pieces using Tupperware® materials, in addition to many accessories on the runway.
Inspired by the evolution of flight, the Fall collection will pay homage to The Da Vinci Glider, Amelia Earhart, and wings from our most natural fliers – exotic birds from around the world.
"This collection is about the fantasy of flight and liberation," said Shabayeva. "It's about finding what liberates you." "When we saw Irina on Project Runway, we were simply in awe of her of talent and vision," said Tupperware Brands' Chairman and CEO Rick Goings. "As a company that has long been focused on innovative design, we're thrilled to work with someone who is so forward-thinking and whose work is inspiring and empowering."
Highlights from the Fall collection include intricate hand-painted prints, feather dresses and custom made hats. One of Shabayeva's signatures is mixing exotics with clean silhouettes, so look for luxurious fabrications with flawless tailoring. Hand-knit sweater coats will be paired with cut-out leathers, wool and elegant fur trims. The finale will be a flutter of feathers, hand-beaded embellishments and embroidery."
So much springs to mind upon viewing this gorgeous collection.
First, to those who might sniff at the Tupperware connection we say this: you try and mount a show during Fashion Week without any form of corporate sponsorship. We'll wait. Sure, it's easy to crack jokes about Tupperware clothes, but you've got to play the corporate game at all levels of the fashion industry. For people at the top, it's American Express and Moet Chandon. For those trying to make a name for themselves, it's Tupperware and Payless. We see no need to be snotty about it.
Second, we're not sure from looking at the pictures if the fur is of the real or fake variety. We're not pro-fur by any means, but if it is real fur, we can somewhat withhold judgment on that because for now, Irina is clearly pulling from her Russian heritage in her designs and fur is a huge part of that. If this is real fur, we hope she's gotten it out of her system going forward.
Third, her season of Project Runway was roundly (and rightly) criticized, which, in our opinion, cast an unfortunate pall over her win. With this collection, we feel she's shut up her critics. This is a stunningly beautiful collection all around and to our way of thinking answers the question as to whether or not she deserved to win. Kittens, that is a fucking designer.
And finally, we LOVE her for sending a coded "fuck you" by slipping in another t-shirt with writing on it in response to the controversy over her quote, unquote "plagiarized" t-shirts from her finale collection.
[Photos: WireImage]
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