The cold war might be heating up again but that didn’t stop designers taking their inspiration from traditional Russian embellishment for one of this winter’s prettiest looks. Detailed, colourful, floral embroidery sprinkled the collections from Gucci, Valentino, Naeem Khan and Alice and Olivia while Tadashi Shoji and Tory Burch adapted the trend in opulent monochrome and Erdem went for intricate detailing on sleeves and neckline coupled with stunning rich print colours.
This trend is awesome news for our part of the world because it can look heavy and over-warm while actually staying pretty light. When we think of this type of embellishment we generally envision thick woollen fabrics or even fur and leather, all of them infinitely sensible in the cold Russian climate. But the good news for us is that the latest also come in light, airy materials, ideally suited to our more forgiving weather.
The Russian doll look is one of the easiest to wear. Rock out serious fashion credentials with all-over embroidery such as on this dress from Weill or the gorgeous Tadashi Shoji coat. Or team these stunning Libertine boots (be still my beating heart) with skinny jeans and this fun fur from Zadig and Voltaire. This skirt from Alice and Olivia would be perfect with heels and a plain black top for a night on the tiles or, for an everyday Matryoshka fix, head to Desigual, where the trend is very much in evidence across the range.
