After establishing the footwear brand Judari almost a decade ago, Julia Voitenko decided it was time to take a further step in womanswear. She founder Esme Vie, her personal brand aiming to revive traditional 50s and 60s couture silhouettes and the magical aura that surrounded the golden era of French couture. Her up-and-coming company is proof that all you need is a great vision and everything else will just follow. Launched in 2013, Esme Vie has since been selected by Vogue Italy to be inserted into Vogue Talents, declared winner of the 2013 edition of “Who Is On Next” held by Vogue Italia, and showcased her collections in exclusive Fashion Shows and Presentations at Italian Couture Week Alta Roma, and Milan and Paris Fashion Weeks.
The Milan-based designer is inspired by her own views of beauty and elegance in clothing, traced in the mid-20th century fashion and its feminine and elegant fashions. The label’s lineup of dreamy dresses and separates includes is made of luxurious fabrics – Italian silk, duchesse satin and faille among others – shaped into timeless yet innovative forms enhanced by exquisite tailoring. The original outcome results from an authentic merge of traditional styles from Russian culture (where the designer comes from) and Italian quality and innovative technology. The items of the collection are entirely handcrafted in Italy following age-old traditions of Italian craftsmanship; using a stitching method invented in the 60s by Mila Schön, which employs double fabrics so that both the exterior and interior of the clothing look the same.
Esme Vie Spring/Summer 2015 includes pieces that work for every occasion: trapeze dresses and elegant tops, paired with column and full skirts that embrace mini, midi and maxi length. The tones spring from the signature spring palette: baby blue, milky white, pastel pink, marine blue and passionate burgundy. Among pleats and embellishments, the peony flower appliqués are ever-present as round-the-neck or shoulder decorations.
Julia Voitenko has based her entire line on her “new wardrobe” theory, according to which today women need only few key pieces that can be mixed and matched to serve multiple purposes and work for multiple occasions. She aspires to dress the modern woman with her fit-for-a-princess ensembles in polished, timeless looks; an almost-forgotten ladylike style established by the likes of Grace Kelly and Jackie Kennedy Onassis decades back.
For more information, visit Esme Vie online.
Images via vogue.co.uk
Header image via
A.
