Magic Forest Attire

>> In lieu of rekindling my love for fabrics and colours that look that touch bit magical and in the process, annoying you all with my inner Manic Pixie Dream Girl tendencies, I thought I’d follow up with an update from a fellow MPDG, albeit with far more talent and skills than my manic pixie self.  Lesia Paramonova first wooed me with her heady ways with floral prints and tulle and then she took us into the woods for a fairytale laced with school uniforms.  For her latest capsule LES’ collection, she once again goes into her own imagine magical forest (the word “les” loosely translates into forest in Russian) but this time, she has a partner-in-crime in the shape of Taiwanese illustrator Hsiao Ron Cheng (not quite manic, but definitely a dreamer girl when you look at her beautiful illustrations of pink haired pensive girls).  This is a collaboration of the sort that only the internetz could have brought about with Paramonova based in Moscow and Cheng in Taipei.  When mutually admired aesthetics meet online though, pretty things can happen and this capsule collection filled with trapeze frocks, LES’ signature printed bodysuits and leggings is the fruit of that like-minded Tumblr/Pinterest mash-up.  Paramanova has accessorised the capsule collection with her own toadstool speckled red double layered bucket hats and lace-up shoes with canvas tie backs just in case the the odd hybrid animals and coral reef formations dancing across your chest aren’t quite whimsical enough for you.  The only question remains is the blindingly obvious – when will Paramonova get it together like any other internetz-borne 21st century designer and get herself an Etsy or a Bigcartel.  The MPDG girls out there at large demand it goddamnit!  To my knowledge, LES’ is currently only available in selected stockists in Russia but has also been looking to expand internationally as she went to market with her collection as part of the Pitti Super tradeshow in Milan a few weeks ago.  Hopefully that will yield a few more avenues so that we might get our hands on Paramonova’s forest delights.

 

And just to send you off on your merry way to wherever this drizzly Tuesday takes you, here are more of Cheng’s pretty-pretty illustrations.  She’s been working as a freelance illustrator since 2012 and has also participated in quite a few group exhibitions with her delicately balanced and precise pastel-washed portraits and still lifes.