Who Is Vika?

Vika Gazinskaya is a designer, a streetstyle star, and a fashion chameleon. Whether she’s mesmerizing the fashion week photographers or hanging with her best friend and fellow Russian, Miroslava Duma, Vika can only be described as spectacular. She mixes high and low, color blocks like a female Haider Ackermann, and changes her hairstyles more than Lady Gaga.

Vika Gazinskaya is who you would get if you mixed Anna Wintour with Tegan and Sara. She is casual while wearing the finest of couture. She is ironic (did she really pair that Led Zeppelin tee shirt with that jungle print skirt suit?). She is enchanting. Example: the cardinal print halter dress she designed herself. She is traditional and among the most innovative of designers. Her digital prints include glittering jewelry screen printed onto garments.

Source: http://www.all-theprettybirds.com/2012/12/vika-gazinskaya-on-looking-forward-to.html

Source: http://wearinla.com/2012/10/03/miroslava-duma-international-style-icon/aba_5141-vika-gazinskaya-by-hanneli-mustaparta/

Source: http://easyfashion.blogspot.com/2012/09/vika-gazinskaia-fw-paris.html

Source: Tommy Ton for Style.com

Vika’s designers are inspired by a holistic approach to life and beauty. With no single concept in mind, Vika develops each collection as an extension and visualization of her aesthetic. These include clean lines, slightly exaggerated but complimentary silhouettes, and an abundance of digital prints. Vika’s influential presence at New York and Paris Fashion Weeks has coincided with the popular reception of her fashion line. Her clothes have been famously worn by Miroslava Duma, Anya Ziourova, and Hanneli Mustaparta.

Source: http://www.poisepolish.com/2011/10/russian-girl-crush-vika-gazinskaya.html

Source: http://www.all-theprettybirds.com/2012/12/vika-gazinskaya-on-looking-forward-to.html

Source: http://vanessajackman.blogspot.com/2012/01/paris-fashion-week-ss-2012hanneli_12.html

Vika Gazinskaya’s designers are mentioned in the same sentences as the likes of Viktor & Rolf and Mary Katrantzou. Her SS13 designs are currently featured in the windows of Colette, a store in Paris that is just this year celebrating its 16^th anniversary. These designs are also now available through Net-A-Porter and Moda Operandi, and future seasons will continue to be sold through Net-a-Porter. Vika’s expansion into the European market as well as the Middle Eastern market is important for her namesake brand to grow, since Russia does not have a concentrated or established fashion industry. Vika’s designers are also available in boutiques in Dubai, Kuwait, Hong Kong, London, Milan, Seoul, New York City, and Charlotte, North Carolina.

Vika Gazinskaya SS13

Vika Gazinskaya SS12

Vika Gazinskaya SS12
Source: http://vikagazinskaya.com/

So who is Vika Gazinskaya, you ask? She’s the blonde with the bangs and the enchanting blue eyes. She’s the one in the asymmetrical dresses with scarves wrapped around her head. She’s one who can pull off both an undercut and a chef’s coat. She's the one who's designs the fashions everyone is wearing to the shows. She’s the one you’ll remember when fashion week is over.

Anonymous Costume Design

The first resource to jump to when trying to find out the designer of your favorite character’s clothing pieces is the costume designer. Is there an interview or video clip where they might mention said mysterious designer? If not, do not fear, there may be fashion credits at the end of the film or online. Still no luck? You may have to figure it out yourself.

What kind of piece is it? What stands out the most? Who was it made for? Was it within the character’s budget? Here are some examples of educated guesses of designer movie garments.

Source: http://www.imdb.com/media/rm2910492928/tt0263757

We already know from the movie Uptown Girls that the character had a lot of money to spend on clothing, so we can assume that this dress is an expensive designer item. Then we have to narrow it down to designers that this character would most likely wear. This cancels out any Armani, Versace, or Balmain. These designers do not fit that character’s profile. Next, we look at the style. What designer would be able to sell “cute” dresses with doll-like embroidery to a target market with enough disposable income to afford it? My first guess is Moschino.

Source: http://www.kinopoisk.ru/film/6387/

Next we have this lovely sequin embellished dress with flower appliques from the same movie, Uptown Girls. Assuming this dress wasn't custom made for the film by the costume designer, we can think of several options for possible designers. Our first clues are the colors. A delicate palette of natural hues indicates a designer with a more girly clientele. Secondly, we have the embellishments. This dress is clearly not made for grocery shopping or a day at the office. With this, we can select some designers who would likely cater to an optimistic consumer with a weakness for pretty things. The conclusion: Blumarine.

Source: http://www.disneydreaming.com/2013/03/07/jennifer-lawrence-the-hunger-games-catching-fire-movie-poster/

If we didn't already know the designer of this wedding dress in Hunger Games: Catching Fire, we could likely derive clues from the picture. First of all, the dress is incredibly exotic and otherworldly. Maybe the designer is not well known and has a smaller client base. Also, learning how to construct wedding gown fabrics takes a lot of practice, so we can assume the designer has done other gowns similar in style. And if we didn't already know it, we can figure out that the designer is Tex Saverio.

Source: http://www.spfw.net/blog/?p=125

The designer of this dress in 13 Going on 30 obviously has a thirst for color. Also, we know they do not shy away from a body-con silhouette, even though it may call for a specific target market. The hemline is high and the neck is low. Who would be our most likely candidate for designing this dress? None other than Versace.

Figuring out who made a garment in a movie can be a lot of fun and give you a more in-depth look into a character, but the process can also help you figure out any piece of clothing, ever. Once you know about the designers: their aesthetics, the color palettes they gravitate toward, their target market, and their style; you can figure out who designed a piece without ever having to pour over mountains of runway shows. Unless you want to, of course. ;)