Makeup Guru

As many familiar faces like Carine Roitfeld are boarding planes to Moscow this week to see some of the best designers the city has to offer, they’ll be missing the two of the most prominent. That’s because Alena Akhmadulina and Igor Chapurin triumphantly closed Volvo Fashion Week in Moscow few days ago–and both made serious cases for mainstream respect and relevance. First, artistic St. Petersburg native Akhmadulina (three top looks) charmed the Gostiny Dvor audience with a surreal, equestrian-inspired collection, complete with unforgettable shoes, well-tailored jackets and skirts, and folklore-inspired colorful tops.

The Moscow front row then instructed their chauffeurs to take them to other side of town for Igor Chapurin (three bottom looks), who’s perhaps the city’s answer to Francisco Costa (but the Calvin Klein head doesn’t have a restaurant in his own name and a boutique in the middle of the Red Square). Chapurin turned his showing into a personal club, where the city’s most influential admired his seductive furs, sleek shiny separates, and flattering dresses. Our advice to editors who can’t make it to Moscow: catch Chapurin and Akhmadulina in Paris next season, where both names show.