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In this material we will talk about the mysterious and complex style a la Russe. On the one hand, everyone probably knows the main stages in the history of this style and its main elements, on the other hand, it is not easy to find a reason to put all this knowledge into practice and not look too provocative. In this material you will find a description of the images with photographs, the history of the movement, as well as tips on how to create an image a la Russe yourself.
How the style a la Russe originated
It so happened that Russia, for a significant part of its historical path (from Peter I to the present day), tried to imitate Europe in almost everything. Especially in clothing: the nobility ordered materials first from Holland and Poland, then from France. The first attempt to form the components of the style a la Russe was made in 1812, when the widespread Francomania due to the war with Napoleon gave way to Russophilia.An attempt, because the Russian nobles, who spoke French and read mostly only French literature, mostly saw peasants only from afar and understood very roughly what a real Russian sundress looks like. So, noble ladies, who even in winter fluttered at balls in light silk dresses (and were sometimes doused with water to emphasize the dignity of their figures, as they did in much less cold Paris), decided to forget about Parisian fashion for two seasons and wear them to dances richly embroidered sundresses, kokoshniks and braided hair. But this outburst of unexpected Russian love for their own history and culture passed almost unnoticed by Europe. “Practically”, because the Russian style reached the Parisians, but not in the form of masquerade dresses of the mummered Russian nobility. The Russian Cossacks and their uniforms who entered Paris in 1814 made a strong impression on the French: wide trousers, fur trim and trimmed beards became fashionable in the French capital. Despite the anecdotal nature of the situation, this case can be considered a starting point in the history of the style a la Russe.
World success of style a la Russe
The real success story of the style a la Russe began in the twentieth century. In 1909, the Russian ballet premiered and costumes in the style a la Russe became a real sensation in Paris, and then throughout the world. The culprit of this triumph was the “great impresario” Sergei Diaghilev, who came to the main French stage with his “Russian Seasons”. The central performances were the ballets “The Rite of Spring”, “The Firebird”, “Petrushka”, “Sadko” and “The Tale of the Buffoon”, where Russian folk costumes adapted for dance were presented, some with hints of the flavor of oriental peoples.The authors of these stylized Russian costumes for ballerinas were: the artist Nicholas Roerich, who designed the entire visual part for the ballet “The Rite of Spring”; Natalya Goncharova and Mikhail Larionov, who worked on the costumes for “Sadko” and “The Tale of a Buffoon”; as well as Diaghilev’s favorite artist Lev Bakst (in his works he relied on surviving drawings from Russian masquerades of 1812). French artists also helped design other ballets: style icon Coco Chanel dressed Maya Plisetskaya, avant-garde queen Sonia Delaunay created Cleopatra’s costume for the ballet of the same name, and Pablo Picasso designed the one-act ballet “Parade.” Despite the fact that not all ballets were associated with Russian history, the collaboration of artists and designers with Diaghilev greatly influenced their style and subsequent work. Russian ballet won the hearts of first Europeans and then Americans.
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Style a la Russe to the masses
In the fashion world, the founder and popularizer of the a la Russe style was Paul Poiret, who saw in the Russian style a logical continuation of the strict eclecticism of Art Deco. In 1910-1914, his outfits showed Russian motifs seen in Diaghilev’s ballets: headdresses, bright fabrics and bold styles. After the success of Poiret, more than 20 fashion houses opened in Paris, producing outfits in the style a la Russe. The reason for the second round of fashion for the style a la Russe, oddly enough, was the revolution of 1917 and the subsequent wave of emigrants, most of whom sought to Paris. Compatriots took advantage of the trend and survived as best they could. In addition to Russian-style clothing, tea houses with antique samovars, restaurants with mummered gypsies and bears are also in fashion.Ladies begin to wear colorful scarves and outerwear trimmed with fur, and young people prefer blouses with straight silhouettes and rhythmic patterns. Fashion houses such as Chanel and Lanvin read the demands of society and release their collections in the style a la Russe. Coco Chanel hired about 20 Russian emigrants who sewed and worked as models. It’s funny, but, thanks in part to Russian models, the profession of fashion model in Europe has become respected and even prestigious: after all, the clothes were demonstrated by noblewomen, deprived of titles and wealth (but who had not lost their intelligence and charm), who fled from the Russian Empire, in particular the granddaughter of Alexander II Natalya Paley , Princess Elizaveta Beloselskaya-Belozerskaya, Smolny Institute graduate Gali Bazhenova and Princess Maria Eristova.
Russian emigrants who had money left over or had patrons also opened their own fashion houses, cultivating the style a la Russe. The most famous such fashion house was IrFe, founded by Irina and Felix Yusupov. The premiere of the collection at the Ritz Hotel and the refined aristocratic models ensured IrFe the title of one of the most successful fashion houses. Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna founded the Kitmir embroidery studio, exchanging family diamonds for a sewing machine and renting a small room. Hard work and sleepless nights helped her get a lucky ticket - meeting Coco Chanel, who began to regularly order embroidery from the princess. As a result, fifty embroiderers worked at Kitmir under the leadership of Maria Pavlovna.
Despite the fact that the initial delight has passed, the love for the a la Russe style continues to return periodically: in 1957, Yves Saint Laurent headed the house of Christian Dior, in 1959 he decided to bring his collection to Moscow, and already in 1976 he released his own series works dedicated to the Russian ballet “Opera-Ballets russes” based on a trip to Russia. According to the designer himself, it was “not the best, but the most beautiful” of his collections.
In 2009, Karl Lagerfeld brought his autumn-winter collection 2009/10 Paris-Moscow to Moscow, the show was stylized as a real Russian ball. The models were dressed in sable furs, gold brocade, and their heads were decorated with tall kokoshniks made of pearls and rhinestones.
Basic elements of style a la Russe
The style a la Russe for life is far from the mesmerizing images from the catwalks. Russian style is reflected rather in individual elements of the costume. This could be rhythmic embroidery in the form of an ethnic ornament on a cardigan, a wide strip of sable fur on a flared coat, headbands stylized as miniature “girl’s” kokoshniks, or an embroidered dress vaguely reminiscent of a peasant’s cape. In more everyday variations, these can be spacious sundresses with embroidery, felt boots, cardigans stylized as zipuns, long red dresses with a flared hem, any long sheepskin coats or fur coats made of natural fur, knitted stoles, tall fur hats.
How to dress today in a la Russe style
In order to come to a themed event a la Russe or look spectacular at a friend’s birthday, you don’t have to wear a dress under Khokhloma or a kokoshnik. Stylized accents, original accessories or even an unusual hairstyle are enough.Almost every flared maxi or super-maxi skirt, when properly combined with a top, can turn your outfit into an a la Russe style look. Most often, the phrase “style a la Russe” is used in the context of stylish items made from natural materials, decorated with embroidery or rather restrained decor. The main accent in the a la Russe style can also be colors: the contrast of black, red and gold in combination with a closed style will be a worthy interpretation of the style. Particular attention should be paid to the fabric: for an a la Russe style look, velvet, satin, linen or wool are ideal - such a democratic choice of materials allows you to adapt the outfit to the event and adjust the degree of elegance. However, the a la Russe style allows you to play around and fool around: you can add a bright shirt with a paisley pattern, like Slava Zaitsev’s, or a large Khokhloma in the style of Denis Simachev. But don’t overdo it, otherwise you’ll end up with a carnival costume—one element a la Russe will be quite enough for the image to be readable. If your budget allows, you can get a fur handbag or even a large muff to match your coat. Well, in addition to everything, don’t forget about red lipstick in the shade Russian red.
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