There’s a certain immortality about the collection, softened by brazen sexuality.
Svitlana Bevza glowed under the spotlight of New York Fashion Week this season — after debuting a collection produced under the volatile conditions of the Russo-Ukrainian war last year. Things seemed to be a lot calmer this time around and she was happy to be in the bustling city. Bevza continued to remain loyal to her palette of neutrals, mainly black-and-white, and to her slight subversion of what that color pairing tends to imply.
Satin bralettes peeked from the neckline of a gray, floor-grazing dress — something that promised comfort and weightlessness, two elements necessary for the transition into mercurial spring temperatures — and was completely visible through another. In a look that featured a sweeping satin coat, discretion was abandoned; the bralette was exposed, and you got the feeling that such secrets could lie beneath the modest white trench coat and black slacks. Two fishnet tops bared models’ breasts and skirt slits crept up dangerously high. The expected, uniform austerity of Bevza’s black-and-white was softened by the brazen sexuality of her designs.
And would it be a proper Bevza collection without an unexpected pop of color amongst the neutrals? This season's outlier was a bold, unlikely choice for a designer who famously prefers more muted variations of the few colors she includes within her collections. Refreshing bursts of orange appeared sporadically between delicate sheets of white and black, like fresh spring blooms sprouted early enough to catch remnants of the winter’s blizzard (and wilted just before the pre-summer showers came to melt it all away).
Those very blooms — marigolds, to be exact — appeared on a number of sleeveless blouses and slips throughout the collection. Marigolds are very popular all around the world, but in Ukraine, Bevza’s home country, they hold significance beyond their beauty and contribution to the ecosystem. “In Ukraine, it symbolizes love for the motherland and revival,” she told Vogue. “I remembered how my grandfather gave me these seeds and I planted them on my balcony one year. And now, every year, they grow.” Bevza is known for her inclusion of Ukrainian motifs within her collections and the sentiment behind this specific addition gave much-needed heart to the never-ending trend of florals being worn during the springtime.
Bevza’s clothing is an easy choice. There’s a certain immortality about the collection that goes beyond the public’s current obsession with the supposed superior tastes timeless fashion implies — and hones in on the idea that one doesn’t have to confine oneself within an aesthetic box, regardless of how trendy it is to do so these days. The line’s simplicity and adaptability could allow for a wearer to slouch around as much as swan about, to frolic in a field of marigolds and then enjoy an upscale lunch out. It all depends on how you would style it. When vision is scarce within the wearer, the clothing defaults to appealing to the everywoman — the woman who wants the world to know she is capable of being both polished and seductive, and recognizes that one cannot exist without the other. It is this versatility that has given Bevza the ability to avoid the assumed banality of minimalism her palette initially promises — and is one we can only hope to continue to see as she solidifies her place amongst her fellow minimalistic luxury peers this season.
You can view the whole collection here. 🌀