Katya Leonovich – Spring 2012 Review – First Class Flights of Fancy

View the full collection in our Photo Gallery.

story by Lo Gray
photos by Adrianna Favero

Football and ballet: two seemingly unrelated things. Yet, what would light be without dark, tough without tender? Such was the case in Katya Leonovich‘s Spring 2012 collection, that not only begged to differ, but did so with a grace that proves difficult to recall a time when cleats and pointe shoes weren’t directly correlated.

Sunday morning’s presentation showcased Leonovich’s expertise of transforming the hard into soft, eloquent, and effortlessly beautiful. Known in previous seasons for bridal couture, the only marriage present here was the union of her painterly background and her execution of rendering the two-dimensional into truly stunning three-dimensional creations. Leonovich literally breathed life into the paintings that helped create the world into which she ultimately transcended her audience.

A venture from a typical use of mixed media in her designs, the focus of this collection is simply chiffon and denim. Inspired by her own paintings of football players that were on display between staged models, Leonovich spoke passionately of her muses. “My own paintings. . . American football. I really like the outfit. It’s between an astronaut and ballet dancer. Also denim; very American for me.” Her nod to classic American fashion was also illustrated in her use of leather, both in lazer-cut and fringed pieces.

Notables from the collection include a white lazer-cut leather one-shouldered fringed dress, a patched and dyed fitted denim blazer paired with a colorful ruched chiffon pant, and a golden pleat-and-fold high-collared dress. The best-in-show was a magically executed chiffon dress, seemingly weightless, snipped and gathered to the equivalence of a fresh spring bouquet.

With her incredible understanding of movement, the audience experienced a watercolor world of kinetics and whimsy. “I like movement, energetic movement, so when you make construction, it should be movement, proportions and details. That’s why it looks alive.” And alive it was, from the flow of the gowns to the wind-sculpted hair. Strategic, even down to the placement of a fan to orchestrate the flowing of chiffon, set against an ethereal Portishead soundtrack, helped to perpetuate the tranquility in the movement as if being transported into the eye of the hurricane; grounded, yet maintaining a sense of flight. Beautifully rendered, Leonovich’s collection soars.