A well established Russian fashion house doing a collection dedicated to the character Anna Karenina from the book of the same name by Leo Tolstoy, one of Russia's most famous literary exports?  Give over.... 

Of course, on paper, that all sounds a little trite and well... patriotic... but in reality, nothing could be further from the truth.  Chapurin, designed by Igor Chapurin has been around for over a decade and is well-known in Russia, but only got hold of fashion's centre stage by showing their ready to wear collection in Paris a few years ago.  Without surfing over to Chapurin's site, I would not have guessed that the latest AW08-9 collection was inspired by Anna Karenina.

Supposedly, Chapurin's interpretation of Karenina is meant to smack of Russiah aristocracy, all sophisticated and haute.  She's multifaceted, soft and tough at the same time.  Somehow, I'm not getting Anna Karenina's vulnerability and ultimate tragedy from the clothes and instead, her steely resolve shines through the purposeful folds and shapes created by the repetitive fabric detailing at the front.  Fold after fold after fold after fold done with great precision and a sensitivity to the fabrics used.

Karenina reference aside, it's a polished collection that I hope won't get overlooked in the AW08-9 roundup.