It was a time-travel moment as vintage chemise dresses from the 1920s, once worn by the Parisian remnants of Russian royalty, went on display alongside models grouped on an Art Deco staircase and wearing designs for today. This Parisian event marked the renaissance of the house of Irfe, founded as the first Russian couture house in 1924 with the initials of the royally connected Irina and Felix Youssoupoff. The project has been taken on by Xenia Sfiris, a Romanov/Youssoupoff descendant. This fashion revival has, as its creative director, Olga Sorokina, an ice-blonde former model from Belarus, whose slender silhouettes and rich embellishment produced a collection with a spirit of the past in pleated dresses but the glamour of Moscow now in fur trimmings and rich color. Coming projects include the re-launch of the original Irfe fragrances created for blondes, brunettes and redheads and fine jewelry in the spirit of the fabulous Romanov heritage. — Suzy Menke