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Russian excess meets calculated art deco patterns. Tsar blue clashes with techno red. Strictly masculine intervenes with ultra feminine and turns close to androgynous. The Dagmar collection of Autumn/Winter 2010 is as contradictive as its muse: the admired - and despised - dancer and actress Ida Rubinstein.

Seven veils was the brake through performance for Ida, she performed virtually naked under transparent veils and loaded with jewels.

This collection plays with contradiction. The shapes, the colours and even the materials like work against each other, and thus creating a beautiful harmony. At first glance, the items are tailored for the tomboy - la garçonne – who from time to time flourishes in her full femininity. These extremes in style are inspired by the life and person of Ida Rubinstein – who made a breakthrough as a provocative Russian dancer on the Parisian stage, yet still a very down-to-earth woman.

- Silhouettes this season are either voluminous or fit tailored, resembling to a second-skin. Garments are either over-decorated with sequins on the verge to baroque, or very simple. These items go perfectly well together. Like our enthralling muse, many people are in fact double-sided. Ida Rubinstein scandalized society and many people were attracted by her charisma. She was both a glamorous and caring person, she founded a hospital for injured soldiers during the war. She had an enigmatic strength and to me she is an icon and inspiration, says Dagmar’s designer Kristina Tjäder.

Contrasting key items in the collection. This season is either extravagant or simple. But most of all, a little bit of both – simultaneously. A mole velvet dress in ankle-length appears elaborate - Russian in a French version – but is yet simple in its shape. A fortuna cardigan takes the classical shape, but is decorated with sequins covered with tulle. The masculine lines present themselves in garments inspired of an army coat - double breasted, but with puff sleeves and in black trousers with inserts in a contrasting material. There are also plenty of techno details, like black leather trousers with diagonal seams, zippers, graphic patterns or surprisingly intense colours, such as electric red or petroleum blue. Repeatedly, there is a mix of it all; like in the black skirt with pleats and zippers, like in the tailored frock with a cheeky vertical casing on the side, like in the striped cardigans with yarns in earth colours like brown, rust, peach, flesh-colour, black – and a contrasting, popping orange.

This season there is a shift from the jacket – to the bolero, and the kimono shape characterizes many of the cardigans. Print is not prioritized, but for some tops with animal’s skin patterns and, of course, of the leading actress of the collection - Ida Rubinstein.