Soviet and Russian Fashion Icon Zaitsev Dies

In this file photo taken on March 29, 2013 Russian fashion designer Vyacheslav "Slava" Zaitsev (C) walks on stage surrounded by models during the Fashion Week in Moscow. (AFP)
In this file photo taken on March 29, 2013 Russian fashion designer Vyacheslav "Slava" Zaitsev (C) walks on stage surrounded by models during the Fashion Week in Moscow. (AFP)
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Soviet and Russian Fashion Icon Zaitsev Dies

In this file photo taken on March 29, 2013 Russian fashion designer Vyacheslav "Slava" Zaitsev (C) walks on stage surrounded by models during the Fashion Week in Moscow. (AFP)
In this file photo taken on March 29, 2013 Russian fashion designer Vyacheslav "Slava" Zaitsev (C) walks on stage surrounded by models during the Fashion Week in Moscow. (AFP)

Vyacheslav "Slava" Zaitsev, the couturier behind world-famous Soviet fashion that was often adorned with colorful Russian folkloric motifs, died on Sunday at age 85, Russian news agencies reported.

Born into a working-class family in 1938, Zaitsev's first international recognition came in 1963 when the French Paris Match magazine wrote about his collection of overalls for female workers, according to a note posted on the website of his fashion house.

The RIA news agency reported that the bright, flowery jackets and skirts of the collection were rejected by the Experimental Clothing Factory for which Zaitsev worked.

The French press nicknamed him "Red Dior" in the 1960s.

In 1965, he began working as the artistic director of the experimental All-Union House of Fashion Models in Moscow, and some of his designs, which often implemented flowery traditional Russian patterns, were displayed in the West.

In 1969, the Museum of Modern Art in New York hosted a show of women's dresses based on sketches by Zaitsev, among others. After the show, Zaitsev received offers to open stores in the West, which the Soviet authorities rejected.

In 1979, Zaitsev left the All-Union House of Models for a small atelier, which by 1982 he turned into the Slava Zaitsev Moscow Fashion House, becoming the first Soviet designer allowed to label his clothing.

Among Zaitsev's Russian clients were music stars, actors, socialites and politicians.

The patronage of Raisa Gorbacheva, the wife of the last Soviet Union leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, elevated his international fame in the 1980s.

He also counted the former wife of President Vladimir Putin, Lyudmila, as his client.

"I was incredibly lucky that at the beginning of my conscious life I decided, thank God, what to strive for, who I should be," Zaitsev wrote in a note on his website. "Thank God, I found the meaning of life in search of Harmony and Perfection through means of the Highest art of clothing, art of painting and graphics, photography ... in life, poetry."



Chloé Collection Goes with the Flow as Kamali Flaunts the Blouse at Paris Fashion Week

 Models present creations by Chloé for the Womenswear Ready-to-wear Fall-Winter 2025/2026 collection as part of the Paris Fashion Week, in Paris on March 6, 2025. (AFP)
Models present creations by Chloé for the Womenswear Ready-to-wear Fall-Winter 2025/2026 collection as part of the Paris Fashion Week, in Paris on March 6, 2025. (AFP)
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Chloé Collection Goes with the Flow as Kamali Flaunts the Blouse at Paris Fashion Week

 Models present creations by Chloé for the Womenswear Ready-to-wear Fall-Winter 2025/2026 collection as part of the Paris Fashion Week, in Paris on March 6, 2025. (AFP)
Models present creations by Chloé for the Womenswear Ready-to-wear Fall-Winter 2025/2026 collection as part of the Paris Fashion Week, in Paris on March 6, 2025. (AFP)

If any one piece defines Chloé under Chemena Kamali, it’s the blouse. Billowy, ruffled, effortless, and deeply romantic, it captured the essence of her third collection for the house at Paris Fashion Week.

Kamali’s Chloé woman moves through time, referencing history but never stuck in it, just like the women who sat in the front row, Jerry Hall and Georgia May Jagger, icons of past and present Chloé cool.

Chloé has long been a house that champions women, both in its design ethos and leadership. While some major womenswear brands continue to be helmed by men, Chloé has laudably remained a platform for female designers, shaping fashion through their perspective. German-born Kamali, now three collections in, continues to refine her vision within that tradition.

This season, blouses weren’t just a focal point, they were the foundation. Cut in ivory and peach silk, some had commanding sleeves and meaty cuffs that gave them the oomph of jackets. Wide-legged, low-slung trousers paired with gold logo belts nodded to a familiar boho ease, while slip dresses—cut on the bias in soft pastels—skirted the line between languid and sensual. Fur-trimmed quilted coats and Victorian-style heirloom jackets layered over plunging Henley knits injected a tougher, more urban edge. Accessories followed suit, with oversized charm-laden handbags and thick logo belts lending an opulent contrast to the collection’s airy silhouettes.

“As I started working on this collection, I felt that moving forward is just as important as honoring the past,” Kamali said. “It is about continuing to explore, to redefine and to evolve the Chloé woman’s state of mind.”

The show setting was simple but expansive, with soft lighting casting a glow over a muted green carpet, keeping the focus on the clothes.

Some may feel the collection flirted with excess, but Kamali sees complexity as intrinsic to the Chloé woman. “She embodies complexity and is not defined by a single identity,” she said. “She is multifaceted, emotionally charged, and rich with nuance.”

The designer continues to push Chloé into the future while staying grounded in its essence.

“Chloé embodies a unique balance of soft strength, blending natural femininity, sensuality, and lightness with independence and freedom,” she explained. “For me, the Chloé woman feels real, and that honesty and connection resonate deeply.”

Maybe it is just the blouse. But for Kamali, it’s also about the woman who wears it.