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Beauty in Exile: The Artists, Models, and Nobility who Fled the Russian Revolution and Influenced the World of Fashion
Russians fleeing from the chaos that followed the revolution of 1917 brought with them styles in fashion that led to a craze for Oriental and exotic clothing, decorated with pearls, silks, and embroidery, which influenced Western culture, not only in popular couture, but the costumes worn by performers at the ballet, modern dance and theater, all illustrated here in copious b&w reproductions. Fashion historian and costume and set designer Vasilliev narrates the history of the Russian emigration in Istanbul, Paris, Berlin, and the eastern Russian port of Harbin, before detailing, chapter by chapter, the fashion houses set up by TmigrTs, various cloth designers, Russian handicrafts, and Russian models from WWI into the 1950s. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
480 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 28, 2012
For me this book was more for flicking through and ogling, although I ended up reading plenty If one wanted to do some reading, then it is dense with text, but that is not at the expense of images for they are there in abundance.
If you are not interested in the stories of these Russians, then the book has ample to keep you occupied in the way of early 20th century fashion. In fact, that is one the reasons I was so impressed with it.
If you are not interested in the stories of these Russians, then the book has ample to keep you occupied in the way of early 20th century fashion. In fact, that is one the reasons I was so impressed with it.
January 30, 2023
Followed after Felix Yusupov’s memoir on my reading journey, this particular almanac reminded me of outdated yellow pages. As much as I appreciate the level of research required to document original angle on Russian immigration in 1920s the book left me overwhelmed with never ending list of models, ateliers, seamstress and street names I would not imagine remembering. Certainly, there is a value in documentation of fashion history in this way, but I would have appreciated less rigid text made for curious reader, not a historian.
August 24, 2018
Elegantly presented photographs of Russian historical fashion. Beautiful design. Text should have been larger and more concise.
January 15, 2015
Masterfully researched and beautifully illustrated, Beauty in Exile by Alexandre Vassiliev is no ordinary book. It is a true testament to the spirt of thousands and thousands of Russian emigres that, having fled the horrors of Revolution and Civil War in their homeland, managed to reinvent their lives and conquer the world of art and fashion.
Written by world renown historian, theatre and set designer and fashion collector, Alexandre Vassiliev, Beauty in Exile opens with the traces the Russian influence in fashion, the origins of the mode a la russe and the influence of Diaghilev’s famous ballet shows. Vassiliev then takes us to Berlin, Harbin and Paris, retracing the steps of countesses, ladies-in-waiting, sons and daughters of provincial officials and many others that have shaped the world of fashion in the early 20s-40s.
What is remarkable about is the sheer breadth and scope of research. Undoubtedly, it can be called the definitive book on not only the Russian influence in fashion, but the men and women that began the conquest of the podiums nearly a century ago.
Erte Blossom UmbrellaAs Vassiliev noted in one interview, he travelled the world, tracing some of the still-living Russian nobles and the relatives, and spent countless hours in fashion archives around the world. Some of the aristocratic families were hesitant to talk with the man from USSR, some refused to do so altogether. Vassiliev had to ask for recommendations through mutual connections and coax some of his interviewees into believing that the book will be published in Paris, and not in Moscow, the capital of the Soviet country that has brought many of them so much pain. The result? Volumes of hand-written manuscripts, some of which are yet to be published.
Lud' by Horst Vassiliev paints a by-gone world that is not only fascinating, but also deeply moving and real. The author reconstructs the stories of hardships and triumph with great care, giving a vivid account of the lives of women that wore Chanel, graced the pages of Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar and inspired legendary photographers like Cecil Beaton and Horst P. Horst. Beauty in Exile truly is a marvelous introduction into the world of Russian fashion and the history of the White immigrant community in the 20s-40s.
Written by world renown historian, theatre and set designer and fashion collector, Alexandre Vassiliev, Beauty in Exile opens with the traces the Russian influence in fashion, the origins of the mode a la russe and the influence of Diaghilev’s famous ballet shows. Vassiliev then takes us to Berlin, Harbin and Paris, retracing the steps of countesses, ladies-in-waiting, sons and daughters of provincial officials and many others that have shaped the world of fashion in the early 20s-40s.
What is remarkable about is the sheer breadth and scope of research. Undoubtedly, it can be called the definitive book on not only the Russian influence in fashion, but the men and women that began the conquest of the podiums nearly a century ago.
Erte Blossom UmbrellaAs Vassiliev noted in one interview, he travelled the world, tracing some of the still-living Russian nobles and the relatives, and spent countless hours in fashion archives around the world. Some of the aristocratic families were hesitant to talk with the man from USSR, some refused to do so altogether. Vassiliev had to ask for recommendations through mutual connections and coax some of his interviewees into believing that the book will be published in Paris, and not in Moscow, the capital of the Soviet country that has brought many of them so much pain. The result? Volumes of hand-written manuscripts, some of which are yet to be published.
Lud' by Horst Vassiliev paints a by-gone world that is not only fascinating, but also deeply moving and real. The author reconstructs the stories of hardships and triumph with great care, giving a vivid account of the lives of women that wore Chanel, graced the pages of Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar and inspired legendary photographers like Cecil Beaton and Horst P. Horst. Beauty in Exile truly is a marvelous introduction into the world of Russian fashion and the history of the White immigrant community in the 20s-40s.
February 1, 2021
The history, the pictures, the strength of these women to rise gracefully amid horrible circumstances was intriguing and inspiring. Thoroughly researched and documented, I imagine this book serves a reference to this part of history. Not being a student of Russian history or fashion, it was a bit much for me at times, but I enjoyed learning something new!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews