Vassa fuk@lfw a/w 07

Thursday was a Russian day at LFW with two shows at On|Off by labels with Russian roots. We gave Kisa - showing for the second time during LFW - a miss because we couldn't bear the thought of mink dresses on the catwalk.

Vassa, however, is a Russian designer who offers something a bit different from what you might expect. Forget the kitsch, over-elaborate, tasteless look you might associate with contemporary, nouveau riche, Russian culture. Having worked in New York and travelled extensively in Europe, Vassa has enjoyed considerable success at home where she now has 25 boutiques, but her success she told us is partly due to the fact that most customers don't know she is native. There is, Vassa told us, an enormous prejudice against Russian designers in Russia. Part of the reason for showing in London is to overcome those prejudices.

Vassa doesn't use any fur in her collections and she seeks to re-explore and celebrate a Russian aesthetic which she says has basically been forgotten. This translates for autumn/winter into a muted palette of blacks, greys and creams. She focuses on a column silhouette created into a series of elegant dresses and culotte creations that skim the hips and have interesting details - a huge curved collar with a belted waist in one, cut-out chest panels in another and overstated flouncey short sleeves. Wearability reigns supreme in her beautifully-tailored masculine trouser suits, cream column frocks with side pockets and streamlined woolen coats.

There's a sense of Halston here and Vassa's designs look like they work best on tall, statuesque women. Not everything translates for a UK customer base: I can't see the puritan-style outfits like the floor-sweeping organza skirt with a cream square-collared blouse attracting many British orders, but there are pieces here that are perfectly pitched at next winter. There are references to Ancient Greece in necklines and something of a 60s feel to some pieces with metal details and smock shapes. Vassa could well be back next season showing the fashion world that Russian design isn't all about draping yourself in a skin of a dead animal and looking like a D-List celeb.

Words: Marian Buckley
Photos: Chris Moore