The Ballets Russes season is launched... The new collection is online!
Hello hello!!!
We put on our pointe shoes, we open the curtains... I am very very happy to launch the Ballets Russes collection! I already had the opportunity to present the collection to you in the previous post when the lookbook was put online, but let me tell you more.
It all started over a year ago, when I reread Anna Karenina. Beyond the tragic and wildly romantic story of Anna, this rereading struck me more by Tolstoy's description of Russia under the empire. And this romantic immersion made me want to delve into the subject: the fall of the empire, the flight of nobles, artists and intellectuals during the revolution. And that led me to the Ballets Russes.
This dance company has been a meeting point for so many artists, it has welcomed legendary dancers, incredible composers, and it has inspired big names in fashion. I then pulled the threads of the ball, and I immersed myself in the fascinating story of Coco Chanel. Gabrielle Chanel will have been very influenced by Russian artists, and her work will have been very impacted. She will explore both the cultural and artisanal heritage of Russia, as well as the work of the Avant-garde artists very present in the textile design of the collections... The circle is complete, my influences are all there, and I will take you throughout the winter to meet this universe and its protagonists through the Fauve Eye. I have planned pretty portraits, tutorials, and also focuses on the history of this epic shooting!
But let's get to sewing and the new collection, and the 4 new patterns:
The TSAR coat
Navy EDIEGRIM wool
After the RAY coat , I wanted to work on a coat with a more pronounced line. Tsar has princess seams in the front and back to cinch it slightly. Its large collar has a marked volume, the bottom of the sleeves are highlighted by buttoned tabs and if the inspiration for the model is a slightly military double-breasted coat, it was necessary to soften all that, and twist the look of the pattern a little...so I worked on the buttoning which gives it an almost frock coat look ;)
And if the model is designed to be sewn in wool, trying on the canvas made me want to try a version in a lighter fabric: I tried it in gabardine and I totally fell in love with this trench coat version! I added a belt, belt loops and that was it.
Pretty Mercerie sand gabardine fabric
EDIEGRIM navy wool
The HUSSARD pants
A new pair of pants has joined the Maison Fauve wardrobe, and sewn in denim, it's a pretty cool jeans pattern! It fits the waist and hips well, the thigh is comfortable and it tightens very slightly on the bottom of the leg. A cutout on the front of the leg for a pocket entrance that has character, I added details of darts and topstitching to recognize it among a thousand.
I wear it a little shortened, rolled up to reveal the ankle. But tucked into a pair of high boots, it has a cavalier look, hence the hussar ;)
METERMETER denim fabric
MONDIALTISSUS organic cotton twill fabric
METERMETER denim fabrics for both models, RASCOL mottled grey ribbed jersey fabric and METERMETER nude ribbed jersey fabric
The MAIA blouse and dress duo
If I didn't want to give the models a costume and folklore look despite the theme, I couldn't deny this strong desire for volumes, the idea of a yoke and cutouts that are a bit reminiscent of Russian sarafans. I worked a lot on Maïa, because I had trouble dosing the volumes, the line, the look, I feared the medieval Damsel effect.
But by refining the initial idea, and keeping the volume of the bottom of the sleeve without overdoing it on the bottom of the garment, I got what I wanted. I added pretty pleats and some cutting work on the waistline so as not to play the ultra-simplicity card (this is not the House's trademark, you know that hihihi). And then I added options: with or without buttons, with the possibility of calming things down with straight sleeves, the pretty Maïa offers you many possibilities. Likewise, depending on whether you sew it in flowing fabric or in a fabric with hold, the result evolves.
PRETTY MERCERIE fabric 
EGLANTINE ET ZOE viscose twill fabric
MEET MILK tencel fabric at METERMETER
COUSETTE viscose twill fabric
EGLANTINE ET ZOE viscose crepe fabric
The LUDMILLA top/dress
Even though I am not a dancer, the appeal of this rigorous discipline and its aesthetics is really strong. The dancer is a figure of great femininity, and the allure of women who practice dance is always sublime: the way they hold their heads, the flexibility and yet the posture with each step. I did not want to offer a voluminous skirt, but on the contrary a piece that calls for revealing the body through the mesh, its softness and comfort.
My imagination takes me to the ribbed knits of the high stockings of the dancers in training, and the work on the neckline was essential on Ludmilla (as a teenager I wore a velvet bodysuit with this famous back neckline...worn with jeans I felt so feminine...at 13 years old hihihi). For Ludmilla there are many combinations: dress/top, front/back neckline, crossed, rounded, with or without a belt, the hardest part will be choosing right?!
grey mottled ribbed jersey fabric RASCOL and nude fabric METERMETER 
Pretty Mercerie bamboo ribbed jersey fabric
Mondial Tissus ribbed jersey fabric
Well there you have it, you know everything about the new patterns and their variations. On the product sheets of TSAR , MAIA , HUSSARD and LUDMILLA you will find the technical diagrams, other detailed views of the models, information on the fabric choices... you will know everything. I can't wait to discover your creations, every season you surprise me and I love that!
And to accompany you from Friday, the video step-by-steps will be there
See you soon!
