Ksenia Schnaider S/S'14: A Woman Left Lonely - The Clothes Maiden Magazine

A collaboration of time, effort and style helped to make this shoot the beautiful success that it is. With the contrasts of work-a-day lifestyles and vibrant clothing, the minds behind this shoot were great, and the clothing that adorn it, amazing.

With photographer Eugenia Pavlenko working with the model and stylist of the shoot, Nastya Bessonova, the Ksenia Schnaider S/S’14 collection is showcased in the most striking and intriguing way.

The story takes place on a baron backdrop, with the only imaginable harsh winter being reflected in the still, icy water. In juxtaposition to the grey sky is the bright and beautiful clothing floating of the un-faced, blonde haired model; walking solely by herself. This takes the focus off the faces of others, and onto the clothing, only being accentuated by the simple monotone nature behind her.

Her simple silhouette is the eye-piece in each photo, with the bold cuts of material and strong block colours decorating the items. In contrary to the maximised nature of clothing and lifestyle currently, this collection defies the normal and displays a time when simplicity was beauty itself.

The long flowing dresses catch the wind, and flow behind her while she walks, showing how rich and heavy the material is, and the amount of labour that would have been put into each piece. As the story goes on, the colours become more muted, matching the background and slowly moving through the colour spectrum.

When the dresses cease to be displayed, the fashion moves onto shorter pieces, showcasing skin. The introduction of other life, having dogs walking alongside her upon a beach is short lived, but still beautiful. The metallic skirt gives a taste of what has been upon the catwalk recently, being paired with a heavy duty black jumper, hanging simply but sensuously off the model.

The story then takes a turn to purity, with a simple flowing white dress paired with heeled black boots to combat the thick dull mud that she is surrounded by. The bright contrast of the black and the white makes the simplicity of the clothing stand out even more.

The final image re-introduces the red dress, with a floor sweeping shot of the of it falling flawlessly to the floor, portraying stamina, power, and unmistakable beauty.

This story doesn’t just showcase the latest collection of Ksenia Schnaider, but fulfils the new modern trend of making clothing, art, and displays the simple contrasts of nature and fashion.

Tamara Massey

To view the story click here, and to see the rest of the collection click here.