Rudsak - fall/winter 2008
In Rudsak’s fall/winter 2008 collection “La Belle & La Bête”, veteran designer Evik Asatoorian uses the ‘opposites attract’ theory to take a stab at reinvention.
For women, deliciously shiny coats are paired with downplayed matte pants and dresses, creating an easily repeatable visual harmony. The parkas are beautiful for how they delineate a muscled, northern look, while using non-intrusive swaths of leather and rubber as a kind of body armour. This mix-and-match is a successful departure for Rudsak, yet the pairing of opposites doesn’t always work. A cream wool coat is spackled with patchy fur tufts, unnecessarily trading in shape for novelty.
Rudsak has always been on the cutting edge of leather-treatment technology, using ever more lightweight leathers and expanding their applications. For women, this translates into the pistol-grey one-piece dress with short sleeves, an innovative first for a label that has been criticized for rehashing too many past looks.
Cognac and chocolate brown are preferred colours in this collection, and are featured in some of the best men’s wear pieces. Leather jackets have a caramelized finish that makes you want to take a lick, though there are less flashy finishes for the more subdued Rudsak hombre.
Daniel Cox, Fashion Editor
Marek Wlazlo, Photographer
