seventies – AmeliasMagazine

Ekaterina Kukhareva by S/S 2013 by Sheilagh Tighe aka Shy Illustrations.

Ukranian born Ekaterina Kukhareva is a Central Saint Martins knitwear graduate, about whom I knew nothing before this show, staged on Sunday at Freemasons’ Hall. Her psychedelic take on St Tropez high style was inspired by Brigitte Bardot, with geometric patterns gleaned from Egyptian hieroglyphs and applied to complex woven jacquards and intarsias in a range of light weight resortwear.

Ekaterina Kukhareva by S/S 2013 photography by Amelia Gregory

The designs took on a retro 60s feel in sugary shades of pink and lilac teamed with a lovely denim indigo blue. Acidic purple and orange made for a particularly eye catching combination when used for a trouser set, worn with swinging beaded earrings and contrasting blue and orange platform sandals. Somehow the briefcase that the model swung at her side seemed out of place: I can’t imagine many people wearing this to the office. Even more stunning was the knitted maxi dress that featured a huge intarsia pattern: a bright fuchsia cross across the bodice and a bold zig zag design down the centre of the skirt. The American stars and stripes appeared to have influenced the pattern on a cutout pink white and blue swimsuit and the matching beach cardigan that it was worn with. It’s not often that you see an entire range of outfits created from scratch using home spun fabrics: there were some stunning designs to be found within this aspirational collection.