September 19, 2023 |
Upon taking our seats at Masha Popova’s LFW show early Sunday morning (which combined AW23 with SS24), we were met with a gritty, glossy petrolhead themed Popovazine. Fitted with kitschy stickers, a fold-out poster and photos of the electrifying ensembles – in Y2K teen mag’ style – as soon as models started their stomp down the runway, we had to do a double take – what walked before us, matched the pages we held in our well-manicured hands. The whole thing was quite meta, actually, but at the same time, visceral and set to sell-out.
To the sound of engines revving, Masha Popova muses – with their dip-dyed emo hair-do’s – stormed the runway, full force, full throttle, sporting skin-skimming cropped tees, spiralling halter neck tops and belly baring ‘Grim Reaper’ hoodies. Jeans featured Popova’s signature ‘close and reveal’ technique or gathered and spliced star motifs. Isko denims were overdyed, flocked, patchworked, scratched and frayed – totally rough and tumble – giving the distressed look a whole new definition. Adding silk and velvet into her design lexicon, the Ukrainian-born designer demonstrated several developments since last season – most notably, her anatomically tweaked menswear.
It was monstrous, but not the grotesque kind; the kind that revs its engine and puts the pedal to the metal. As if they’d been run over by Monster Trucks, muddy tire tracks and wheel splatters became patterns on trouser hems and tops. Even recollections of rusting paintwork became decrepit dye patterns of ‘Grave Digger Green’, ‘Max-D Silver’ (a nod to Maximum Destruction – a monster truck team that runs as part of the Monster Jam circuit) and ‘Bigfoot Blue’. With tire necklaces – often worn backwards – and matching earrings, rusty chain chokers, subversive belts, oversized heart lockets and piles of interconnected stars, jewellery was crafted in collaboration with Rebkah Kosonen Bide.
Photography courtesy of Masha Popova.
