story by Rachel Francois and Charles Beckwith
photos by Sandy Ramirez
photo editing by Tatyana Bevs
Put simply, the inspiration for Helen Yarmak’s latest collection was, as the designer said, “happy people.” Known for producing luxury outerwear, Yarmak gives traditional luxury pieces a modern edge by adding cosmetic distractions such as crystal embellishments on a capped sleeve coat or an exaggerated pink zipper on an orange dyed cropped fur coat. The result is a fun cotton candy vibe for otherwise antiquated garments.
For her presentation in The Crown Building on Fifth Avenue, Yarmak also employed some of her personal jewelry to coordinate the looks. Following her Russian roots, she uses a lot of top quality sable, and the fur’s light weight allows the coats to swing with each step.
The collection continues the designer’s use of dyed fabrics ranging from deep greens to mauve. At first glance on some of these pieces you might think “Lady Gaga,” but the divine Lady is a faux-fur proponent and PETA supporter, who would most likely not go anywhere near this line. Yarmak is certainly producing niche market garments, most likely appealing to the Eastern European nouveau riche.
