Founded in 1924 by Irina and Felix Youssoupoff, herself the granddaughter of Tzar Alexandre III, and himself the descendent of a Russian family of standing, the Irfé fashion house, which was resurrected 4 years ago thanks to former Belarussian model Olga Sorokina, decided to “reinterpret the elegance of Russian aristocracy in flamboyant ready-to-wear couture.”

For its spring/summer 2016 collection, to be presented at the House’s showroom on 7 July (12 rue Vivienne, Paris 2nd arrondissement), the house called upon designer Jose Enrique Ona Selfa, formerly of Loewe

A “Ready to Couture” collection – mixing ready-to-wear with couture fabrics – in which the designer pays tribute to silk inspired by the “extraordinary dresses of the 19th century”, the embroidery of feathers and shoulder embellishments with sequins.