Conservatism as the last fashionable refuge – Weekend – Kommersant

Autumn collections of a number of Italian luxury brands are beginning to appear in Moscow. Absolutely ordinary before, now this message sounds like breaking news. Among other things, this news has another meaning: the Russian world of luxury begins to exist almost exclusively within the conservative taste – that is, everything “classical” and assimilated in this capacity in the late 90s. In this situation, it is quite appropriate to clarify what modern conservative taste is, no matter how oxymoron this phrase may sound.

Text: Elena Stafieva

Let’s start with the fact that the set of brands that will nevertheless make their way to Moscow this autumn has been formed quite by accident: we are talking about those brands that are not included in the main luxury conglomerates, about family or more or less independent brands that have space for a variety of maneuvers. The picture of this autumn has developed in such a way, and not otherwise, simply because these brands have so far been able to bypass European sanctions. First of all, these are Italian brands, for which the local market is commercially important, and for some it is simply critically important.

As a result, we got a phenomenon that can be called “conservative stability” – it is the conservative taste that unexpectedly turned out to be the main preserving factor for the Russian luxury market in a situation where it could practically disappear.

So, what is the modern Russian conservative taste?

First of all, this is not something unique and unlike anything: traditionalism in clothing has its own national specifics, and English differs from American, and Italian from French, but these differences are quite cosmetic, the essence is the same.

If this very taste had to be described in one word, then this word would be “cashmere”. Any description of “expensive and noble” style in any European language, including Russian, will include the word “cashmere”; in general, expensive natural fibers – wool, alpaca, silk, linen and cotton, and above all Italian, and fabulously expensive natural fibers – some kind of vicuña, for example. But above all, of course, cashmere. Conservative luxury cannot be made of viscose or high-tech nylon, it cannot be made of “synthetics” at all – this is the destiny of fashion, designer clothes, although high-tech processing of natural fibers and fabrics has long been part of its practice. Cashmere is very much loved in Russia – and therefore the success here of brands such as Brunello Cucinell and Loro Piana is extraordinary. Nothing consoling can be said about Loro Piana, owned by LVMH (although their corner in TSUM is still open), but the Brunello Cucinelli of the new season will be – and in the same TSUM, in particular. And of course, the family Neapolitan brand Kiton has first-class natural fabrics, both in men’s and women’s collections. And the Tuscan brand from Fiesole Stefano Ricci – now it is also sold in TSUM, and its appearance in the pool of TSUM brands successfully closes the gaps that have arisen.

The conservative color scheme is by no means limited to gray and beige – yes, they are necessary, white is enough (for example, in the Brunello Cucinelli women’s collection), as well as blue, khaki and various shades of brown. And there is always something that stands out against their background, you definitely need a bright spot: orange and ocher, berry shades – all of them are clearly visible in Kiton, Brunello Cucinelli and the same Stefano Ricci, especially in knitwear. In the female version, these are different shades of blue – for Kiton and Brunello Cucinelli, yellow – for Max Mara, red for them and for Etro. The essence of conservatism is not in the choice of certain colors by themselves, but in their combinations, in drawing up color combinations – they are always quite understandable and respond to all the previous color experience of the consumer, and do not confuse him with their unexpectedness. For example, red and brown or red and gray is quite a conservative combination, but red and orange is still fashionable.

However, there is no impenetrable barrier between fashion, fashion, and conservatism – and the way certain silhouettes, certain forms and individual items of clothing migrate back and forth, moving from one category to another, is precisely the most interesting thing. For example, wide straight pants with tucks at the waist: if we talk about men, they are a sign of fashion, and traditionalist brands, especially Italian ones, have a very moderate width of men’s trousers. But in women’s fashion, this silhouette has long become conservative, and all of the above brands have wide straight trousers with deep tucks at the waist and floor length. Some kind of loose knitwear is certainly added to them from above – but not free in the sense of a deliberate oversize, namely, not an adjacent long cardigan or a wide cropped sweater with a collar-collar. The most conservative silhouette ever – and extremely popular in Russia. The same story happened with aviator jackets and thick quilted vests: they were fashionable, and then traditionalists mastered them, removing the deliberate volume and rigidity of the silhouette. Because moderation is the core value of conservatism.

There are individual brands that, having a strong reputation for being conservative, support it in the commercial part of their collections, but in the podium they try in every possible way to move away from it. For example, Max Mara: their FW22 show consisted almost entirely of some complex volumes, something wrapped in layers on top of each other, long puffy skirts made of faux fur made from wool. But, of course, for everyone, Max Mara is, first of all, a brand of classic wide coats, including those made of this very fur, which the mass market copies with one degree or another. The story is similar with Etro: a brand that is trying to part with its signature cucumber print and shows collections where it is not at all, but there are fashion trends, is firmly associated with Turkish cucumbers. Strict jackets with bright lining, shawls, silk blouses and dresses – all in cucumbers.

It seems that Dolce & Gabbana are breaking out of the conservative space – especially with their latest collections that look extremely eccentric. But in fact, Dolce & Gabbana is part of the conservative canon, and an important part of it, and it is called “traditional femininity.” The main hits of Dolce & Gabbana are lace sheath dresses, painted sundresses with puffy skirts, large formal dresses in roses and trains and, of course, suits, neatly fitted suits, which, by the way, Dolce & Gabbana once became famous for— made according to the canon chest-waist-hips, there are no gender games in them, conservative taste does not tolerate this. And of course, sexuality is quite pronounced and also quite traditional, which, of course, is part of the conservative taste. Yes, at Dolce & Gabbana, all this is embodied in a rather camp form, sometimes it’s literally frescoed outfits or stucco outfits, but camping is successfully absorbed, leveled and, like everything else at Dolce & Gabbana – sex, gender, decorativeness, absolutely straightforward and definite. And the absence of ambiguity, play, displacement, formal and substantive is an essential property of conservative taste.

Actually, the same can be said about other Italian brands of traditional femininity that still remain in the Petrovsky Passage and GUM – Alberta Ferretti and Ermanno Scervino. The first is primarily flowing silk dresses, the second is lace, embroideries and other conventional decorations. In this capacity, they have long been loved by Russian clients.

How the opposite of traditionalism will be presented in Russia — fashion non-conformism and fashion underground — it’s hard to say now, because the picture has not yet formed in this segment: some brands have left, others have not yet arrived, and the geographical focus is clearly shifting from Europe to Asia. But if something becomes clear here, we will certainly consider it and describe it.

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