Roman graduated from Donetsk National University. In 2005 He moved to St. Petersburg, and in 2007. to Moscow. He began collaborating with L'Officiel and Afisha magazines, and in the late 2000s he began actively consulting and providing proper shopping services. Since 2011 conducts traveling coaching seminars and master classes speaking in major cities of Russia and neighboring countries.
Roman Medny: in my lessons I will share professional secrets and help you choose stylish looks for every day and find your own unique style.
The main difference between Roman Medny and most other stylists is that first of all he looks at a person and tries to understand his desires, bring him closer to perfection, and does not just see him as a mannequin. This approach attracted attention and attracted the first “big” clients.
Roman Medny knows absolutely everything about creating a fashionable look for every day
He has an innate perfect taste. He can accurately select colors and shades, play on the contrast in body types and, most importantly, explain to the client and students why they need to create just such an image. If you want to look perfect every day, change your wardrobe and always be aware of new trendy models, then Roman Medny’s courses are what you need.
Let's! But Kirkorov is such obvious trash that it’s not even interesting to talk about him, besides, why bother grandma! And not at all a useless grandmother. For example, today’s heroine, when she was about to conquer Russian show business, turned to Philip for advice and he, despite all his love for real money, replied that he did not see Kamalia as a Russian star, it would be cramped for her here, let her immediately focus on the Western market. Considering Kirkorov’s previous experiences in conquering the West, consider him screwed. Kamaliya took the advice literally and is now going on a tour of the pubs in Britain. I suspect that this is how the UK authorities plan to fight drunkenness. I would also advise Putin to use Kamalia to disperse the protesters. So you, my lovers of cookies in the cold, wouldn’t you be afraid of this?
This is the latest image. She will go with him to the British. And not just with him - but also with two “hits”. This video was filmed in Miami, but Kamaliya definitely has talent! With her presence, she turns any picture into a Ukrainian TV show (television, if anyone hasn’t figured it out).
But this, another hit, was filmed, I bet, in Kyiv. Because nowhere else on the planet can they split the budget in such a way that it seems like all the money is in the frame, but at the same time the gag reflex does not leave.
Wikipedia writes that Kamalia has a coloratura soprano and a range of four octaves. Did you hear? Apparently, like her, she sings into the table.
But this is all window dressing and commercialism, let’s look at our star in the home interior. I think the interior would also cause a lot of envy among other style icons, but for sure!
Once, under a similar photo on her Facebook page, Kamalia wrote “Me and me again.” But I think you’ve already assessed her level of English from the clip. It’s a mystery to me: what language do she and her husband communicate in? Although, looking at the latex trousers in the bedroom interior, it becomes clear that there is no time for communication there.
Looking at this luxury, you want to attribute all the star’s success to her Pakistani husband, but Kamalia is not like that! Do you think that if she had at least once contributed to his billions, her musical career would have been at the same level of the plinth? Once in a while she would become a superstar, but she would do it all herself, little by little, either sing a duet with Kirkorov, or take a photo with Thomas Anders in the image of a transvestite seducer.
My husband is already trying to help in this way and that. He even organized a music award in Ukraine so that his wife would definitely not be left without an award, but Kamaliya was used to achieving everything herself and came to the award with her bare bottom, so that there would be no doubt about the objectivity of the award!
Well, now we have no doubt. Once the decoy has been uncovered, it means there is already a claim to the star.
In general, Kamalia’s decoy is the engine of her career. She apparently sincerely believes that if she rubs it against the wall of the studio, good luck will come. Or, for example, this trick. Here is Kamalia in the form of a hermit crab, which fixes its backside in an empty shell and leaves it only when it finds a new one.
A few years of hard work with a microphone and you can change the sink to a more spacious one.
Here the decoy attracted a ticket to the resort. First line, sea view.
A little more and the decoy is already on the yacht!
Under this photo, Kamaliya wrote that they were relaxing during breaks between filming. Judging by the costumes, hair and makeup, they were filming porn. It remains a mystery to me how my Pakistani husband encourages all this. For example, this is how they go out together.
He is not afraid that, from old memory, she, looking at her watch, will ask - will you extend it? Although she may be keeping him at bay. There is something. Even if I didn’t have a gun in my hands, I would have huddled in a corner just by looking at it, shedding tears, take everything, just leave it alone!
Although maybe they have a big white shapeless wife - that's cool! And if she is also such a miracle of nature, like a blonde with black eyebrows, then voila!
Kamalia regularly appears in gossip columns. This is how she draped herself for the Person of the Year Award.
It seems that the housekeeper simply decided to put the cloth in the most visible place, so as not to forget to clean it, and then, as usual, she forgot. But in this form Kamalia went to Germany for a music award.
A perch on your stomach, a guitar neck on your neck... clacking! Kamalia also represented Ukraine at the Mrs. World competition. The fundamental difference from the Missok competition is that they know where their homeland is located on the map.
She eventually won the competition and her triumphant march along the red carpets of Europe continued.
And here she is at Cher's benefit. Judging by the face of the woman on the right, Kamaliya has the ability to evoke sorrow with her appearance.
A classic of the genre - a photo on a private plane.
And here she is in an Orange Revolution costume. As meaningless as her dress...
Somehow we completely forgot that she is still a singer. And quite productive. She posted about 600 (!) photos on Facebook from her December concert! If there’s a like for every photo, Justin Bieber never even dreamed of it!
Look at the girl's face on the right. Apparently, not all the nuances of talent are conveyed by photography; there is something that we do not feel. And I am immensely happy about this!
Okay, let’s not say any more nasty things, otherwise the trolls will come running, telling us what a good person Kamalia is, who has helped everyone, saved a lot of lives and is bringing light. For example, he loves animals.
“Look at the career that awaits you!” - she says to the dog, pressing him to her fur coat.
And here is this dog again, but in a different capacity.
And the hand, out of habit, wants to press someone to its chest. Maybe you?
08.03.2011
For the wonderful but controversial holiday of March 8, I prepared an unusual issue of the “Men Speak” column - an interview.
Today, stylist, makeup artist, shopping guide and just an interesting person, Roman Medny, will talk about women. And within the scope of my blog, he is also very valuable as the founder of the LiveJournal community about men's cosmetics all_tested. In a word, you have already realized that this is not the kind of person who doesn’t care how a woman dresses and makes up.
We talked to him about women's conservatism and bad taste, about blue nails and eyelashes and the fact that a woman is obliged to cook. Well, and much more, of course.
Roma, you are a stylist and makeup artist. Who is more interesting to dress - men or women? As a child, it seemed to me that you could come up with a bunch of outfits for a girl doll, and for boy dolls - well, just pants and a shirt. Now, of course, my idea of a men's wardrobe a little bit has expanded, but I still think that women's clothing in general is more interesting and varied. Is this true or am I mistaken?
Yes, clothes for women are indeed more diverse. And not only in colors and styles, but also in prices. When I have to dress a married couple, I always spend less on women's looks than on men's ones, because... Women's clothing is always cheaper in the same brand. But this does not mean that it is more interesting to work with women - it is, in fact, much easier to work with women. And I love challenges, I’m Aquarius, so it’s more interesting for me to work with men
Why are women's clothing cheaper? This is quite unexpected.
Well, it's just really cheaper. If normal women's trousers can be bought for one and a half thousand rubles, then you won't find men's trousers for less than four thousand. The same goes for shirts, jackets, and outerwear. A man's fur coat costs much more than a woman's.
What does this have to do with? Does this have anything to do with cost or does the manufacturer just know that a woman will still buy about five of these trousers?
Sometimes it seems to me that now the price of clothes is in no way tied to its real value. It’s just that a man buys less clothes and at the same time he is morally ready to spend more on them than a woman. So it turns out that girls rush around the shops, trying to find something cheap and beautiful, and end up with a bunch of junk worth 20 thousand, and the guys come in and buy one suit for 20, which they will wear for several months. Women have a lot of clothes that are worn 2-3 times, but a man wears all his clothes to the fullest. Literally to the holes
It’s clear, that is, we get a kind of discount for wholesale and as a “regular customer.”
Yeah, something like that. There is more competition for women's brands. And women switch from brand to brand more easily. Therefore, every manufacturer is interested in creating a cute T-shirt for 300 rubles. Men, on the contrary, stick to the same thing for a long time. If a suit fits him once, then he will go to the same store until retirement
And, as I understand it, when choosing a bow, it’s easier for you to satisfy a woman because of her openness to change?
But this is a myth. It’s only a woman who thinks that she’s all “wanting to change.” In fact, women can simply fight to the death for some of their cockroaches from the “it doesn’t suit me” series. You can explain to men that this is good, but this is bad, and a woman listens to you, nods, and then says “this doesn’t suit me” / “I won’t wear this.” And all women’s passions for change usually do not go beyond the limits of the next bad haircut.Women are much more conservative, snobby and purist than men.
It’s just that for just you, they still have a dozen friends as stylist-advisers, and not always with ideal taste. And then, as they say, “I’m seeing this cat for the first time, but I’ve known you for ten years.”
Yes, every woman considers herself a style expert. Clients often ask how to get rid of bad taste from a friend - it’s impossible.
Wow, but this is already interesting. Are there such orders?
Orders for girlfriends to dress up? Not often, but they do. As a rule, I refuse if I see even the slightest resistance on the part of my friend. Because “it is impossible to prove to a fool that she is a fool.”
Do these statements about your friend’s bad taste always turn out to be justified?
A man sees much less than a woman thinks. And if a man talks about bad taste, then the case is usually egregious...
Fashion history is your specialty and your hobby. What are your favorite fashion looks from the past? Let me explain what I mean: for example, the fashion of the 50s, if I’m not mistaken, the 20th century, seems incredibly chic and elegant to me: a heavy bell skirt, a tight-fitting bodice and the obligatory short gloves. I really don’t understand how such a fashion could have happened. What are your favorite styles?
I really love the Soviet 70s. An abundance of tweed, smoky dragonfly glasses, a masculine silhouette for men and always fitted for women. And how carefully they knew how to introduce furs back then—neither before nor since have furs been so elegant in Russia.
Although I watched and, frankly, was very impressed by your videos about men’s makeup, in honor of the Eighth of March I’ll ask about women’s makeup. What are your least favorite street, everyday women's makeup "trends"? I'm talking about both common makeup mistakes and some generally annoying style.
I am amazed at the persistence with which women try to paint over their lower eyelashes. For daytime makeup, it’s better not to touch them at all, and girls try to mold them into spider legs. In general, the lower eyelashes are very soft and thin, so they are treated with mascara at most once and then combed with a clean brush so that they do not stick together. But here, many girls like to paint them in several layers, like the top ones, and mold them into 5-6 lashes. Few, but thick and crooked. In general, the main evil is sticky eyelashes.
Don't bright blue ones scare you? I have often encountered rejection of colored mascara from men.
From an art point of view, they are not scary. But if you want to please a man, you need to push art further away, the emphasis is on naturalness
What about black and blue nails? Are you, as a man (and not as a stylist), attracted to them?
Yes, there is something about it, unlike black lips. By the way, many girls believe that green or turquoise polishes are evil. And today I just watched in fascination my hands with a marsh-colored manicure - it combined so well with the image as a whole. Nails are like jewelry, like gemstones. There is no talk of naturalness here. Everyone is already tired of French. Besides, it always looks terrible on nails that are not perfect. Unlike dark varnish, if the nail is properly decorated and the shape is well chosen.
By the way, what nail shape do you prefer - oval, square, stiletto or something else?
Oval, of course.
Why "of course"? I myself love the oval, and this causes confusion among most of my friends who wear a square. And even manicurists are surprised by the order “not to make it square.”
Because with an oval, the fingers seem longer, neater and the bend of the plate is more harmonious. After all, not everyone can boast of parallel sides of the nail. As a rule, this is a trapezoid. The oval balances this trapezoid, and the nail looks complete and whole from any angle.
Everyone knows that girls are not above stealing cosmetics from their boyfriends (usually personal care cosmetics, of course). Occasionally, young people stretch out their raking hands to our treasures, although in 90% of cases they limit themselves to shower gels with delicious smells. You are the creator of a community about men's cosmetics, and you probably have at home an arsenal of creams, masks, shampoos, balms and other things that any girl would envy. I'd probably rob your lockers at night! How do you behave when you live with a girl? Are you picking at anything from her or is it the other way around?
The bullshit is that the lines of men's cosmetics that are produced are very incomplete. Just catastrophically incomplete. And we constantly have to borrow certain products from women’s lines. As for dragging me away, it happens all the time, sometimes to the point of irritation. Moreover, what irritates me is not the fact that she uses my cream, but the fact that when I kiss her, I smell myself. This just smacks of some kind of shiziness, because in erotica people rely on smell no less than on touch, and certainly more than on trusting their sight. Therefore, an attractive partner should smell different and, preferably, unfamiliar.
And who ends up expropriating someone else’s property more often—you or she?
More often she. Women are more curious creatures than men.
But I also wanted to talk about mops and rags. I remember that on your blog many copies were broken on the topic of whether a girl should cook. I agree that if a girl offers to eat only in restaurants, then it would be quite appropriate to offer her to spend the night in hotels. But if we face reality, now girls who are ready to wash, iron, cook, clean, sew and knit are left only in villages, and the average working lady has neither the time nor the desire for this entire package of services. For example, I love to cook and do it all the time, but I hate dusting. There are probably mirror opposite examples. So, the question is: which of the household responsibilities are fundamentally feminine for you? And which of them are you ready to divide between you, by agreement?
I am a very strange man in the sense that I don’t want to share any household responsibilities at all. For cleaning, there is a housekeeper who can be called once a week and it is not as expensive as many people think. I love to cook and sometimes I do it with pleasure, so I don’t understand girls who refuse to cook on principle. I cannot consider this anything other than stupidity. It's so simple! And I am only happy with those girls who know how to cook. Those who refuse to do this on principle do not stay longer than one night, as a rule. Why keep a woman just for sex, if you can find a new one every day for this - and it will be much more interesting.
What if she agrees to cook, but the result is that... “it would be better to drink and smoke,” as Vasiliev sang?
I’ll stand next to you and teach you so that the result is good.
You're just a dream!
Yesterday I was told that I am the ideal man. Just when I was frying pancakes at the stove. Although there was a strange set of “positive qualities” - a DJ, handsome and a cook. Although who of them, women, will understand what they need?!
You've talked quite a bit about how to dress business men. But if we touch on the topic of business women... I recently took one look at the trailer for the new “Office Romance” and asked myself this question: who is the current business woman more like? On Mymra or on the image glorified by magazines: impeccable taste, stilettos, sleek hair, sternness in her gaze - in general, the Snow Queen, inaccessible, but magnificent?
It should be noted that modern business women have learned to look like the Snow Queen, and “myr” can be found extremely rarely among women under 35. Moreover, many manage to achieve this look even better than a seductive evening and affordable casual look. Inaccessibility - it suits everyone.
Well, okay, let's leave the business ladies alone and move on to the opposite aspect. A stylist is an artist, and since you also started producing your own clothes, you are even more of an artist. Are you inspired by images of motherhood and pregnancy, or are such concepts outside of your design interests? By the way, have you ever been a shopping guide for pregnant women?
First of all, a stylist must be a psychologist. The artist is the tenth thing. You need to think about the person - his character, his way of life. And only then realize your fantasies. About pregnant women - this is a very interesting topic, but I have not had to work with pregnant women, because... For some reason, in this state, a woman thinks about herself last. More precisely, about your appearance. There are even a number of signs: don’t dye your hair, don’t cut your hair, don’t wear new clothes, etc. and so on.
What about young mothers? After all, they choose clothes for the baby with inspiration, but doesn’t anyone really want to think about themselves?
But I had to carry out young mothers in buckets. Usually a year or two after giving birth, when you manage to return to more or less “your” size. It turns out that mom hasn’t bought normal stylish clothes for two years now and, of course, she has to improve the situation. These are some of the most grateful clients. As a rule, they require an integrated approach, because I need to make up for lost time in two years in hairstyles, makeup, and clothes. And, as a rule, skincare products change too.
What kind of look do they usually want? Something soft and gentle, or vice versa - to shake yourself up again and feel desired and chic?
They want to be feminine, status, elegant and at the same time flirty. At the same time, without aggressive sexuality, but with piquant details.
Surely you have some, if not idols, then icons of style/beauty/intelligence among female celebrities? And if so, why exactly do you love them?
If we talk about great women, then most often I am fascinated by their character and life path. Somehow it turns out that strong people, in any case, leave their imprint on aesthetics, regardless of how they dressed. Just remember Edith Piaf - an ugly, hunchbacked woman without a distinct style, but for some reason these epithets come to mind last when you start talking about her. And so with anyone. Bette Midler, Meryl Streep, etc. — everyone dresses, to put it mildly, not very well, but it’s the personalities that attract me. And stylish dummies like Victoria Beckham get boring very quickly. I don’t understand how you can admire only the ability to wear clothes - after all, they are just clothes.
Well, what about Audrey?
We know Audrey from two dozen classic photographs. I once watched all her films and there are also enough horrors that will not fit anyone’s mind. For example, the earrings in Breakfast at Tiffany's. Therefore, there is no need to absolutize and erect idols on clothes.
An idol is not an idol, but in some ways she was perfect, like a figurine.
A matter of taste. To some, Dietrich seems such perfection, to others to Garbo, to others to Hayworth, and to others even Charlize Theron. You won’t believe it, but in 50 years, if humanity is still alive, Gaga’s most stylish images will be filtered out and someone will also consider her a statuette.
Giving women flowers on March 8th is vulgar and banal, although inevitable. But you hardly like banality, I guess. What options for creative “flower” gifts could you offer? So that until the amazed “ah!” from the mouth of the recipient?
I started giving flowers on the 4th and the “ah” was because I was the first one to do it this year. And it was nice. It is generally difficult to surprise with flowers. Both quality and quantity always turn out banal for some reason. Therefore, it is better to give original gifts, in my opinion. I once gave a girl wallpaper - she dreamed about it and still couldn’t buy it. She says she was happy then.
Another gift that has held the top spot for vulgarity for many years is perfume. We women know well that giving perfume without “trying it on” is a terrible mistake, but nevertheless we love to read about what scents will suit our color type/zodiac sign/name/foot size. My question is from the same opera. Imagine that a man runs up to you in a store with tears in his eyes and begs you to help him choose a perfume as a gift for his mother-in-law, wife, sister, lover, old school friend and daughter. What scents would you recommend?
In this case, I advise everyone to give sets of miniatures of one brand or another. At least something will do. Although I had a client who thought of disassembling this set and giving it to different women. And what about the smells - but now they are all within three or four bouquets with minor variations. If a young man tells you what his girlfriend has been using lately, finding a similar “new” scent is not difficult. For example, you can find dozens of variations of Nina Ritchie (I call it “fruit compote”), with minor improvements.
We must assume that you, unlike most men, would be sympathetic to a woman’s desire to set aside a couple of rooms for a dressing room or make a room for shoes, like Carrie from Sex and the City. What purely feminine everyday moments can you not come to terms with or do you find it difficult to come to terms with? Chatting with your girlfriends on the phone for hours? “Darling, you should start your morning with oatmeal, don’t walk around without a scarf, don’t read lying down” and other attempts to improve the health of the man living nearby and make it absolutely right? Invasion of your personal space - “who is the text from, who are you chatting with on ICQ, why can’t I read your mail,” etc.? Or something different?
Yes, I can understand what mechanisms work in a woman’s head when she wants a new dress or shoes, but invasion of personal space is evil. I never allow myself to pry into other people’s phones and I don’t let anyone into mine. It's the same with mail. But oatmeal is good. And for some reason I can’t stand it when someone helps me pack my suitcase for the trip.
By the way, have you ever had to act as a stylist or even a shopping guide for your girls? What about doing makeup?
Constantly.
And they always agreed with your vision of the image?
Of course not. We argue constantly.
Whose initiative is it - do you want to improve something, or does your other half ask for help with fresh ideas?
Yes, somehow everything crystallizes harmoniously on both sides - we just go shopping together or get together to a party
And you yourself paint a girl for a party?
Never completely. I like to make eyes
Well, I was already envious - you sit, relax, and no one runs around the room shouting: “How can you put on makeup for an hour and a half?!” By the way, how do you feel about the notorious long preparations for girls?
With restrained irritation. But this is all for show - you just have to go out without it at least once and the next time everything happens much faster.
Finally, as a gift to your readers, give us some interesting idea to use in the image. Makeup, hairstyle, clothes, shoes - it doesn’t matter.
Can I just have some practical advice?
Of course, it’s even necessary!
Bright shadows are in fashion this season, but those who have tried it know that it is almost impossible to achieve such a bright color in life as on the catwalk, and shading turns out to be garbage. My advice is to use a white eyeliner instead of an eyeshadow base. It will make it possible to achieve a bright color, like on the catwalk, and carefully shaded along the edges it will also make the shading of the shadows more accurate. On holiday, you can experiment with brightness, so go for it!
*photos from the personal archive of Roman Medny are used in the article
Straightforward and honest - these are the words that come to mind first when you study the blog of the famous stylist and columnist Roman Medny. Roman dresses famous women of Russia and Ukraine, and also runs a daring blog, medny.ru, where he examines the sociology of fashion in a manner unique to him.
Today Roman Medny talks to styled.asia about women's fashion, the work of a stylist and what mistakes should be avoided in creating an image.
Roman, why do you think your blog, among a wide variety of blogs, has become so popular? Did the so-called provocative materials, in which you evaluate the wardrobe of celebrities from young to old, play a role?
On the one hand, yes, it attracted and continues to attract attention, but on the other hand, not only I do this, but for some reason it is my blog that attracts thousands of readers every day. In addition to laughing, people also want to learn something useful, and here I am probably the most humane of fashion bloggers, because I try to write about what is applicable to real life, and not just about fashionable must-haves for the soft European climate. In fact, this combination of humor and practical use is the secret of my popularity. I now use this approach, tested on the blog, on television and in my video courses.
- How do you cultivate taste? Do you often experiment with style?
Taste is the experience of aesthetic experiences. Moreover, these experiences should concern not only clothes - this is a special way of thinking. Aesthetics is in everything - in the art you perceive, in the books you read, even in what you eat. I hone my taste in art - it is the most striking illustration of the spirit of the times. Fashion follows art, and everything here is quite predictable. Art teaches you not to think in stereotypes: “a pencil skirt goes with both jackets and cardigans,” but to see shape, color, and boldly handle them, without being attached to clichés.
Regarding experiments with my own style, I have periods here. Sometimes I’m a fan of clothes and just buy everything I see, and sometimes I’m just imbued with a slight antipathy towards the object and can go for several months in the same sneakers. I never suck anything out of my fingers, I don’t force myself to look for it - somehow it’s all there on its own. There are just things and people that inspire, and again you can’t help yourself - you open the closet and think about combining the incongruous.
How do you assess the development of fashion in the territory of the former USSR? Why do we continue to cultivate all kinds of clichés, while in 90% of cases you can always recognize our citizens in a crowd abroad?
We started dressing quite recently and haven’t “gone full” yet. At the same time, we do not have an aesthetic tradition - all of us had parents who dressed moderately poorly, even if it seemed good at the time. And now we must go through certain stages. To eliminate total illiteracy - to show men that a suit can be worn not only for weddings and funerals, but because it is beautiful and comfortable, for women to learn that a down jacket is clothing for very extreme conditions and the cold is not a reason to look bad. Then we will gradually begin to look more adequately at ourselves, at our strengths and weaknesses, and emphasize one while hiding the other. Now they don’t emphasize it, but stick it out all at once. Over time, we will become saturated with brands and realize that if it doesn’t suit you, no matter how branded it is, it will not add beauty. All this takes time and effort, because nothing happens on its own. But the effort that women are willing to put into looking good suggests that it won't take us that long.
Some people believe that going to a stylist means you have no personal taste - how can you comment on this? Why, by the way, can’t your beloved friend cope with this role?
In our country people go to the dentist with acute pain, they go to the surgeon when they can no longer bear it, to the hairdresser when they are completely overgrown. And for some reason it is believed that you need to go to a stylist if everything is really bad. But that's not true. A stylist is a person who can impartially look at you from the outside and give objective advice. He is not afraid to offend you, and does not think about how you will look together, he does not feel hidden envy towards you, which often guides a friend’s advice, because, as we all remember, a woman’s happiness is a bald friend. A stylist's advice is needed not only for those who realized that they haven't dressed for 30 years and just hung some rags on themselves. Women with good taste and an established style regularly come to me to get a boost of new ideas, some fashionable solutions that can make this style more interesting. Some people are willing to spend several hours every day collecting and analyzing this information, while for others it’s easier to set aside a couple of hours every six months to meet with a stylist who has already collected and analyzed everything. This means going to the dentist every six months to check the condition of your teeth, and, if necessary, carry out gentle procedures in order to please everyone with your smile for six months.
There is an opinion that several very recognizable and trendy things in one set make a look boring, do you agree? Do you think it’s worth getting rid of the habit of “I’ll wear all the best at once” or is it still a special style?
There are three main methods of working as a stylist - harmonic, iconic and silhouette. A trendy item is definitely iconic. This method involves creating a neutral background for a bright accent. Moreover, this emphasis is not placed at the last moment, when the image seems grayish, but the entire image should “grow” out of this emphasis. If you think with this logic, then there is no way to insert a second celine bag, because there must be one center. Trying to cover up a lack of taste with fashionable mastekhevs is like pouring mayonnaise on a failed dish.
- What to do with obvious logos?
There is no more effective way to sign the lack of personal taste than to dress in a branded total look. I consider any attempt by a brand to promote itself at the expense of the buyer as unacceptable impudence. And I will never understand who buys Chanel terry slippers with a logo for 500 bucks. Even if you cover them all with logos, they still look like free hotel slippers!
Have you, as a stylist, ever reconsidered your view of this or that thing that was previously considered unacceptable?
I generally have very few things that I consider unacceptable. You can find a context for almost everything, even rhinestone boots. The exception is the outright trash described above.
Recently, the topic of eliminating the use of fur in clothing has been especially actively discussed, what is your position? Do you accept fur in accessories - on bags (like Fendi this winter, for example)?
I am extremely calm about this topic. I understand the position of vegetarians on this matter, but when meat-eaters begin to speak on the same topic, it smacks of hypocrisy. So, you can’t gas hamsters, but you can gas cows? It only hurts when I see the mediocre use of fur and realize that 300 chipmunks died in vain. The cemetery must be worn with dignity.
Is it worth looking for decent options from local designers or is it preferable to have more global “names” in your wardrobe?
The main problem of domestic designers is inadequacy of pricing. Yes, we do not have a developed infrastructure, but designers are not trying to develop it in any way, quite calmly setting a price tag comparable to the price tag of European fashion houses with a history. At the same time, without offering fundamentally excellent quality. And then these same designers cry about how they are not understood. Our designers lack technological thinking - it is simply impossible to collaborate with them. They either offer you an item that has been worn out from shows and filming, or it is stupidly custom made. Attempts to order something from a lookbook end with the item being performed in a completely different material and everyone pretending that this is how it should be. I don’t collaborate with domestic designers; it’s easier for me to go to Europe for a couple of days than to waste my nerves trying to achieve the desired result.
- Your wishes to the readers.
If you're reading this, it means you're already concerned about your appearance. But don’t forget that style is not just clothes, it’s a way of life. Therefore, I wish you more pleasant travels, interesting books and delicious food.
When I first saw Alexander Vasiliev live, it seemed to me that now, like Faina Ranevskaya in the famous film, he would begin to take off all these scarves and vests and offer them for sale! Talking about how wonderful the works of French tailors are and what an irreplaceable thing in every lady's wardrobe - a scarf.
And later, when I met Vasiliev at various events, I could not get rid of the allusion to the accessories rack in the clothing store. And this despite the fact that San Sanych promotes a sense of proportion and ridicules the love of excess in Russian taste. If this is not an excess in his understanding, then I can’t imagine what kind of provincial beauties he talks about in numerous interviews!
For some fashion figures, taste sometimes betrays them. All living people. In the case of Vasiliev, I tried to find his young photographs, where they were still in good taste, but the most adequate ones concern the infancy period.
Already from adolescence, absolute hell begins.
In principle, one can understand - the young man escaped from Soviet grayness to brilliant Paris. At the same time, he was freed from parental care. I, too, when I broke out into glamorous Moscow, suffered through such garbage that now it’s not only shameful to remember, it’s just funny. But with time it had to pass. The case with Vasiliev is complex - it only got worse. Except that a Louis Vuittone handbag was added.
And if Vasiliev had some kind of relationship with Good Taste, then it was more like a fictitious marriage. They certainly never slept in the same room!
One can argue for a long time about the fact that he is a public figure and creates a recognizable image, but such reasoning would be appropriate if we were not talking about banal minor screw-ups like wrinkled pants and incorrectly chosen shoes.
I like to say, “When a look fails, the stylist adds a scarf.” Try removing the scarf from the next look and pay attention to warm socks combined with velvet shoes and jeans.
All this together takes Alexander Vasiliev far beyond the limits of good taste. He cannot even be considered a trendsetter, because only crazy old women and Tatyana Mikhalkova can copy this.
If we consider Vasiliev’s style, then only in the context of the style of Alexander Peskov and Sergei Penkin. They also consider themselves irresistible, elevating bad taste and vulgarity to the rank of extravagance. Well, what good taste is there in a little fat man wearing a lady's hat?!
There are, of course, glimpses of Vasiliev, but these are those cases when other people dressed him. At the same time, tracing the image of Alber Elbaz. Compare.
The initial data is similar, but Elbaz, unlike Vasiliev, has absolute taste. He feels beauty regardless. His collections are beautiful, and he himself does not allow any mistakes in his costume.
But Vasiliev, when he begins to add something of his own to this image, turns into a flowerbed on legs.
To summarize. Where delusions of grandeur come, good taste does not live. Vasiliev’s first books were wonderful, then he worked hard, later, when fame came, he began churning out books about fashion one after another, and the editing was so bad that fragments were repeated even within the same book. Anyone who has read one book by modern Alexander Vasiliev has read them all. And Vasiliev is lying when he says that he is the only such researcher of Russian fashion. Among recent examples, there is at least the enormous work of Christine Ruane, “The New Dress of the Empire,” published in Russia last year. Unlike Vasiliev, who simply lists 20 names in a row, she gives interesting and detailed explanations, making reading fascinating. Vasilva’s “Beauty in Exile” is watched more than read. And Vasiliev talks more than he appears.
And to still be true to the genre, a couple of epic fails.
“I’m husking seeds with Plisetskaya.” If the photo were modern, it would have a place in the School of Freaks for its senseless and merciless photoshop. Some mold themselves to Putin, others to Plisetskaya. Everyone has their own Putin.
“Making utu”
And once Vasiliev and Slava Zaitsev came to an event wearing the same costume jewelry from Prague duty free. There was a scandal all over Moscow!
Alexander Vasiliev with his students in 1990. Judging by the photo, he taught me poorly.
Nothing human is alien to him, and Alexander Vasiliev can put on rapper pants. True, when everyone had already taken them, well, how could it be otherwise if you dress in a Parisian second-hand store! But even if he is wearing jeans, his hand reaches out to decorate himself with at least something. Without a brooch I feel just naked!
The dog is clearly scared. She remembers that before this house there lived a monitor lizard at Alexander’s house...
Let's wish the bulldog good luck and not turn into another maestro's boa!
P.S. You can say that Roma has completely lost his sense of smell, but I’ll admit to a terrible thing. I wanted to write about Vasiliev in the first issue, but I wasn’t sure that it would be adequately perceived. Now, when I see how popular this column has become, I can hope that you will be able to look at Vasiliev with fresh eyes and the column, which now seems not very funny to you, will make you smile more than once :)
