Frolov AW24

I had to just try my luck one last time. I waited for years to return to London Fashion Week and I was going to give it my all. I was there to do ONE thing! The day before the Frolov show I reached out (again) to see if I can somehow see the show and to my pleasant surprise, they (finally) said yes! Standing room only but I'll take it! I have been wanting to see a Frolov show for some time because I loved the seemingly ostentatious but somehow still coquettish vibe of the label. Frolov has gained quite the celebrity following with Beyoncé, Doja Cat, Dua Lipa, Rita Ora... the list goes on. I was determined and I was not disappointed!

Designer Ivan Frolov remembers his childhood from Crimea in the AW24 season. This collection was an ode to his eclectic and personal childhood memories. He spent every summer on the peninsula until Crimea was annexed in 2014. He reminisced about the pleasant scent of the salty water, pine needles and dust. It all smelled of mysticism and romance to him. In this somewhat fantastical collection, you can see the influences of childhood imagination and the realities of bringing these to market. It's like watching imagination grow up. I absolutely loved the white feathered tulle ensemble, as did everybody at the show, but it was also wonderful to see the much more prêt à porter gradient black to nude corseted looks. The signature shade of burgundy in the dresses were borrowed from the leather seats in the Kiev-Sevastopol trains. The green colors and its gradients were evocative of the pine needles in the rays of sun. The color scheme of the collection reflected the beach fashion of those times.

The designer had many inspirations for this collection; from Crimean discotheques to the legend of a 16th century Ukrainian girl sold as a slave to a Turkish sultan. (Don't worry, she ends up ruling the Ottoman Empire.) There were so many pieces that were based in fantasy but brought into reality. The romance never left the collection and each look delved into the exploration of, can I really wear this or should it just stay in my fantasies? All I know is, as an observer I was so excited when each one of the looks came out. That is not for nothing, because for one to be excited about something they have to be able to see themselves in it and also desire it. This collection was full of desire. The beauty of Ivan Frolov's creations are that they translate so well from fantasy to reality.

For more about Frolov, click HERE