BUCHAREST 365 – ROMANIAN COUTURE

The approach to the term “couture” in a different manner, expressing personal ethos, reflects various types of architecture that have left their mark throughout Bucharest and its history and aesthetics.

OUTFIT 1 – NEO-ROMANIAN
Neo-Romanian was among the first innovative Romanian movements presented and embraced abroad, in exhibitions in Paris and in the international press. Combining Romanian tradition with modern aesthetics from the late 20th Century, Neo-Romanian is a style that primarily represents Bucharest as a city. Initiated by architect Ion Mincu, it quickly became the “couture” of that moment, inspiring future generations of architects and local artists.

OUTFIT 2 – MODERNISM
Emerging during the reconstruction after the two World Wars, Romanian Modernism, represented by figures such as Horia Creanga and Marcel Iancu, was the first gesture of re-establishing the city at a European aesthetic level. In the full context of cabarets, clothing with minimal decorations, and the influence of Western celebrities, Modernism provides a conducive framework for a cosmopolitan European life. Long, curvy lines, corner windows, and minimalist decorations that mark the intersections of streets are defining and recognizable elements. A “couture” shaped by a lifestyle and artistic freedom of architects that managed to mold the city into what we know today.

OUTFIT 3 – COMMUNISM
Amid the waves of standardization and industrialization, rationing, and a harsh economy, fashion in communism became a taboo element, a branch of fear, an improvisation under a safety pin. Architecture imported Soviet models, once inspired by “Ville Radieuse,” but implemented without consideration for people. Beneath the prefabricated boxes, any sense of rebellion, any different idea was swept under the rug and covered up. Nevertheless, a certain kind of modernity took root in the city from an aesthetic and functional perspective. The resulting city is a repetitive story whose facade is attempted to be saved.

OUTFIT 4 – CONTEMPORARY
Contemporary Romanian architecture has diverse representatives and far more than ever before, with greater freedom of expression and just as many aesthetics. Bold minimalism is one of them, which resonates with me the most and is reflected in both my outfits and architecture. Timelessness with a touch of the future, adaptable, adjustable, and sustainable.

Photos by Diana Budacu

IN MEMORIAM – CAVALLI

Cavalli loved the concept of woman. I will honor the work of the master with a collection that presents the metamorphosis of the woman during her life, referencing the wild nature, the 70s, so loved by the designer, Italian urban elegance but also the process as a metaphor.

Thus, the 4 acts present the path from the Serpent of the Jungle to the Own Identity, through the Transformative Demon and the Healing Madonna. A sudden transformation is impossible, especially since women gracefully carry the burden of their past and their families.

Snake alignes herself to the rules of the Family, hiding her own personality from herself and from the world. The Jungle has its bible, easy to follow, hard to leave.

Daemon has just exploded her outer snake, tremendously raising in her cocoon. The young woman leaves behind the family and starts her life right away.

Madonna, the grace, is the purest and kindest shape of a woman. A baby butterfly, freshly healed in her cocoon during the winter of the soul. She is life. She gives life, she brings kindness to Mother Earth.

She, the one who has seen them all and lived through them all, gracefully living her beautiful life by her own rules. She values inner and outer beauty and silently celebrates every second.

90 YEARS OF ARMANI

Last month, I was invited to participate with a capsule collection at the “Soirée de la Mode”. Naturally, I made outfits specifically for this. I didn’t bring anything “from home,” since my style doesn’t really match the theme we had to adhere to for the event – 90 years of Armani, and I thought it appropriate to respect the invitation, myself, and my first public appearance.

The girls looked stunning. The backstage experience gave me wings; I didn’t feel the pain from the sprain I suffered that evening, nor the nerves. I just know that I couldn’t fall asleep afterward, out of excitement. You will find more photos on the Instagram page.

The collection was inspired by the Privé shows from 2009-2011, the most daring in the classic style of the great designer but the closest to a minimalist, sexy, and futuristic avant-garde. The future Armani, as I like to call the capsule, includes premium deadstock such as water-resistant waxed cotton, linen with cotton blend, and also taffeta or natural lining. A subtle manifesto that hasn’t been discussed before, but which I want to mention to those interested. The defining lines of the proposed pieces create a gesture that volumizes their contour, characteristic of the idea of teleportation.