Russian Style from Evelina Khromtchenko – on fashion choices that are uniquely Russian
Evelina Khromtchenko, the author of a new book that dissects what constitutes Russian style, is the No.1 fashion guru in Russia as voted by many. So, when she published her book defining what Russian style is, many people in Russia and abroad were eager to get a copy.
- Photo by Flickr User Max Chernitsov
Khromtchenko is the editor-in-chief of the Russian edition of a popular fashion magazine L’Officiel. In addition to managing one of the top fashion publications in Russia, Khromtchenko does a myriad of other things – she co-hosts a daily TV fashion show, attends top fashion weeks around the world, and even voices over in movies (she voiced over Meryl Streep’s character in the Russian version of Devil Wears Prada). From all that I have been reading and hearing about Evelina, I came to admire her incredible work ethic and professionalism. And, while I don’t always agree with what she has to say, the way she says it is always very commanding.
So, naturally, when I found out that Khromtchenko’s latest book – Russian Style was available at a local book store, I promised myself to check it out. And, here is what I thought of Khromtchenko’s work - in her book, Khromtchenko is on a mission that is very similar to what I am striving to achieve with this blog – i.e.: making sense of Russia for people who are curious... Evelina’s book is pretty much an encyclopedia of things that define the style that is uniquely Russian. What I thought was cool is that she named chapters in her book – Catherine the Great, Caviar, Maria Sharapova, Baboushka, Leo Tolstoy, Anastasia, Tovarisch, Lolita, etc, covering most of the stylistic, cultural and historic directions in Russian fashion. And, although some of the things she covered might have seemed common sense to me, to most North Americans they might be news. I have to say that the photos in the book are probably the funnest part – which (almost) justified spending $40 on buying this book. To me, the book is a bit overpriced, even though the quality, visuals and content are definitely there (the book is available online for $40, but regular book stores sell it for as much as $60). All in all, this book is quite an entertaining and glamorous read!
