WHAT DO NOT SPEAK AND A NEW YEAR'S Eve IS AN AMAZING TIME. YOU CAN BELIEVE OR DO NOT BELIEVE IN MIRACLES AND INCREDIBLE MATTERS, BUT THEY HAPPEN IN REAL ACT. IN ALL CASES, FOR ME ALMOST ALONE THE ONE TELEPHONE CALL Sounded IN DECEMBER AND, FINALLY, LEADING ME TO A PERSONAL FROM A PERSONAL AND SEPARATE TO EVERYONE AND ENDLESS SELF-IRONY. A WORD, BY MY INTERIOR, TO THE MEETING WHICH, FROM THE PERMISSION OF THE MOST METR, I INVITED ITS CLOSE, FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES, BECOME AN OPEN, OPEN, OPEN , ALEXANDER VASILIEV.
Good evening, Alexander. We are pleased to welcome you to the ESMOD Fashion Institute in Dubai, where you gave students a course of lectures on the history of fashion. If it’s not a secret, what was the most interesting thing in your lectures?
Break (laughs). No, well, you understand that when I give lectures in another country for the public of a different culture, different upbringing, other views, it is very difficult for her to readjust and understand what European women's fashion is. Especially for women, this is not always clear, because when they constantly wear abaya, they should look and feel completely different. And making these women see and understand what I am showing — corsets or underwear — is very difficult. Sometimes it can be higher than their spiritual capabilities. Some girls were very worried, I saw this, but many were very interested in what I was talking about.
In principle, there was a very good attendance of lectures, based on the total number of students at ESMOD School in Dubai. And, of course, the boys and girls were interested in learning a lot. I read the history of fashion of the XVIII-XIX centuries, and they are completely unfamiliar with this culture, terms, forms and even fabrics of that era. Such lectures are very informative, but they need to be read for people who have at least some basic education. Here, most students have only the desire to become fashion designers and stylists according to the ESMOD School system, they themselves do not know who they will become. And therefore, for them, my lectures became a very important event, since many had to go through a cultural shock, in some way. Because, you know who I am, and for them I am just a foreigner who came to teach them a course in English. This was very pleasing to many.
After all, girls, and most of them in ESMOD, are always pleased when a young man, just a man or not a very young man, gives lectures. This is natural, women are always more interested in listening to representatives of the opposite sex. But to learn the subtleties of the world of European fashion in a country with other traditions is very difficult.
The audience in France, where I often teach, or in England, Belgium and even in Russia, the Baltic countries and Ukraine, usually listens better. You name them some name, for example, Marie Antoinette, Napoleon or Josephine, and this is not unknown to the audience. And when people have never heard of either one, or the other, or the third, it is difficult for them to take the whole course. But when you show something with an oriental flavor, they applaud. That's when the turban is good, when some shawl is beautiful and something wide, or it comes to Persia or India, they really like it. So this region, of course, is interesting and new to me. Before that, I taught, if we take the Muslim countries, only in Morocco and in Turkey.
If so, what are your first impressions of Dubai?
I am delighted! I was stopped in the streets by all Russian-speaking residents and guests of Dubai - from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and other countries. They talked to me everywhere - in shopping centers, in a restaurant, and even in a nightclub where "night butterflies" reign, among which there are Russians, by the way, too. I was in the club of the Atlantis Hotel, and there were only girls in mini-dresses, one better than the other. But they are all for the money. And even they rushed to me, started talking, took autographs. Apparently, they also watch the Fashionable Sentence program on Channel One. And in the eastern bazaar, where painted shawls and turbans are sold, a woman came up to me, completely draped in local black clothes, abaya and sheila, and asked: "Do you understand Russian? Do you - Vasiliev? I watch you every day!" . And I ask her: "Does religion allow you?" To which she replies to me: "What are you, I just recently became such!". It surprised me so much! That is, I understand that literally all walks of life are watching the Fashion Sentence program here - from paid "priestesses of love" to religious girls! Absolutely everything is in the know. And in this sense, Dubai for me has become a kind of slice of these classes. I saw, in the cake, all the layers. I was of course very pleased and flattered that they are watching and know our program.
With your arrival, the Fashionable Sentence has changed a little ...
I think that everyone brings something of their own to finished projects, and I am no exception.
Alexander, both you and Evelina know everything about fashion. How do you manage to work in one program?
We are very friends with Evelina Khromtchenko. Maybe the first month of my work in the program was, in some way, grinding against each other. In some ways it was difficult for us to find a common denominator, but over time, when we already saw the depth of each other's knowledge and experienced mutual respect, and this is very important, it became easier. At first, it seems to me that Evelina tested me how well I know the subject. Because she has the slogan that she "knows everything about fashion and even more." And, of course, another person cannot sit next to her, who also knows everything about fashion and even more.
But in fact, I want to tell you that no one knows about fashion all or more. This is an absolute heresy. Just like there is not a single astronomer who knows all the stars in the sky. Because there are so many of them. Just like there is not a single doctor who can cure all diseases. Or a zoologist who would know about all the animals that inhabit the planet. You agree with me?
We can know a lot, something even in-depth, but every specialist every day discovers something new. So, when I arrived at ESMOD Dubai, I discovered new students, new shows, and a new character. And, of course, neither I nor Evelina knew anything about this before, and this would be a discovery for us, which means it is also a new page, also some kind of contact with world fashion. Therefore, we both cannot say that we all suddenly suddenly knew thoroughly and perfectly understood what was being discussed.
You mentioned that you visited the eastern bazaar, and I cannot help asking how your collection of scarves and shawls has expanded?
Of course, the choice here is simply huge. I must say that now I understand why there are so many oriental scarves and stoles on sale and here. Here, after all, in fact, every woman should cover her head, and depending on the degree of religiosity, scarves can be of different textures, colors and sizes. I always buy interesting scarves and scarves when I travel. But the main thing for me is not that it should be a collection, but that scarves or scarves suit me both in color and in character. I always buy things that fit my shirt or my jewelry, because after all, when shooting the Fashion Sentence program, I have to change clothes eight times a day.
So often?
Well yes. We shoot four programs a day. In the morning - four beginnings, and then, after a break, four ends. Because during the break girls our stylists change clothes and repaint. You understand that this cannot be done during a three-minute pause, so it usually takes several hours for all this reincarnation. And during this break, while stylists work with one heroine from the first program, we gradually remove the “beginning” of the remaining programs, then, in the same order, we finish the end of each program. We start working in the studio at 11.00, and finish around midnight. The audience sitting in the hall has been there for all this time and, by the way, for very little money.
Basically, these are pensioners, as well as young people and girls living in neighboring houses, since after 12 nights in Moscow it is quite difficult to get to remote areas. Someone does this for the sake of fame and the opportunity to be shown on television, for grandmothers - this is a small increase in retirement. For the whole day of work at the Fashionable Sentence, viewers get their legitimate 400 rubles. Incidentally, it’s much harder for them than for us, the presenters. After all, during the break I can get a cup of cappuccino or a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice.
We have a very short break between programs - only fifteen minutes, during which we need to change our clothes, Nadezhda Babkina and Evelina Khromchenko should comb their hair again if they appear in new hairstyles in each of the four programs. I pity them, because I don’t have such hairstyles, and Nadezhda Babkina needs to create new images on her head every time. Then they need to make up, and then all three of us to listen to the story of a woman who came to the program. We must be aware that in the frame we don’t look stupid: “Ah? You are a lawyer, yes? U? You are from the Crimea, right?” So, to prevent this, we must listen to every case. Moreover, each of us is told all four stories. Because, as a judge, lawyer or prosecutor, we must know exactly what the matter is there: her husband drank or beat her, whether she traveled or broke her leg, if she has money or she’s a ruined housekeeper ... We have 15 for everything minutes, and a lunch break - only 45 minutes, during which another Good Morning program is filmed in parallel, which often takes a piece of the break from me in order to film some piece from our announcement program. As a result, you don’t want anything. Sometimes they ask me: "Why do not you want to go to the theater?". What theater, if I only finished shooting at 12 am? "Would you go to a nightclub?" What club?! To get home, because the next morning you have to get up at seven o’clock, put yourself in order, “make a face”, moreover, to my girls - more than to me, because everyone comes to the program with ready-made makeup.
Evelina, for example, goes to the hairdresser every day! Because she does not trust make-up artists in Ostankino, and goes to the salon "Jacques Dessange". There she does a pile or styling, this is also work, I think. In general, I want to say that all this is very hard work. For the audience, our program is a great pleasure, for us it is just an injection. Of course, we do it from the heart, as far as we can, but this is a completely difficult task. Therefore, not everyone was able to run this program.
Who else but you tried for the role of the leading "Fashion sentence"?
The producers tried to lead the leader Valentin Yudashkin, who did not pass the rating - he had difficulties with speaking, great difficulties with questions. This is often the case. There is a lot of improvisation in our work. The program does not have to be boring. We cannot always say something instructive in a mentor tone. Everyone will yawn!
It is necessary that everything be fervent and agile, that people are savvy, and that it is not offensive. Because sometimes women are so controversial. Yes, yes, it is precisely contradictory that you absolutely do not know what advice to give them. For example, she may say that, they say, she was married ten times and she did not like any of the husbands. I want to say in response: "Where did you look?" Or when there were six husbands and now the lady is looking for the seventh, this is a diagnosis. There is nothing to be done. And you can’t offend in the frame.
And there are many different incidents on the transfer?
Of course. Recently, we had a heroine who said that she has everything in her life and is happy with everything, only she can’t dress beautifully. And now she needed it, because she met a man of her life, while she was 57 years old, and he was 22 years old. He is an electrician, he came from somewhere in Central Asia, repaired the lady's electricity, and she left it with her. Here, everything seems to be clear too, and she and he are happy with everything. Not only his relatives are not happy, because when they found out where and with whom he lives, and saw a photograph of a lady in whom she was wearing a miniskirt and huge heels, they were horrified. Here, too, I do not want to offend either the heroine or her chosen one.
Thus, the transfer provides an opportunity for a huge variety of stories and overall popularity. Both Evelina and Nadezhda Babkina, too, cannot calmly walk along the street, they are stopped by passers-by. But there are people who give autographs with pleasure, and there are those who do not like increased attention to themselves. For example, Evelina loves to wear a big hat, like Greta Garbo’s, walks in such wide jeans and generally don’t dress like Evelina Khromtchenko so that no one would recognize her. I, on the contrary, dress very much like Alexander Vasiliev (laughs).
Alexander, you are a condescending judge, but you are quite sarcastic towards some heroines, and this is striking. Are they annoying you with something?
My causticity is natural. Sometimes our heroines bring not only me, we have a director, editors, and my co-hosts. The program is the same collective creativity. And then, none of the viewers saw these young ladies near, none of you know how they smell, but we know. Sometimes people who have not been in the shower for more than a week come. There are things that roll out to us in the studio on hangers, that it’s scary to touch them. This is unsanitary! And Evelina should shoot them one by one and give her comments. You do not think that these clothes are from the store? Of course not, it's already worn clothes. But there are used things that are washed and stroked, and there are outfits that no one has ever washed or ironed. And of course, much of what was said in the final version of the program is cut out. Some women do not always adequately respond to our comments or suggestions, and I have to answer a little more sharply than I would like.
Talking about the fact that Evelina loves to wear wide jeans, you came up with a question about this element of a woman’s wardrobe. It is known that Vyacheslav Zaitsev does not accept jeans on women and always advises replacing them with classic-cut trousers. How do you feel about jeans in your wardrobe and in the toilets of modern women?
I wear jeans on the road and in the garden. When traveling, it is very comfortable clothing. It all depends on the purpose and place where the woman in these jeans goes. You can’t forbid people to wear these clothes, there are just place limits. If you are invited to a cocktail, then in ripped jeans it will not be very right to appear there, if it is a theater, then jeans are also inappropriate. And there are places where jeans are needed - for example, in an airplane, train or car, it is very convenient. Therefore, there is nothing reprehensible in jeans. And with all due respect and my long-standing friendship with Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Zaitsev, whom I have known, no less since 1976, I’m ready to argue about jeans in a modern wardrobe, including women’s. By the way, I also came to the “Fashionable Sentence” at the request of Vyacheslav Mikhailovich, who asked me to replace him as the host when he became ill. Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Zaitsev is 73 years old, so it was difficult for him to star in the program. He shot only three programs a day, and television has its own strict laws and schedules, because it pays for the pavilion, for lighting and for all those people who work “for us”. Do you know that about a hundred people work on the transmission?
Lot. And how many of them are stylists?
Five stylists plus two hairdressers, because there are a lot of people on the program. And they work with us in groups, because every day you need to prepare four heroines for the broadcast, which means that you need to go to the store with each of them.And if it is at the same time, then the editors send two stylists with one heroine, two from the other, one from the third. Do you understand? This is a stream method. If you want to watch the program daily, then it should be on professional rails.
Why are there so few men in Fashion Sentence who want to look good?
Because in Russia there are very few men, about 38% versus 62% of women. And if you subtract all alcoholics and drug addicts, all non-traditional orientation and military personnel, all pensioners and adolescents from these percentages, women have very little choice. Russian women do not even complain about men, they do not care. If only he would not run away, or if he runs away, so that he comes home.
Today, women in Russia are so hard that they are happy with absolutely everything. Whether he is dirty, drunk or sick, it does not matter, she will treat him, wash, cut his hair, the main thing is that he be. Therefore, in our country, unfortunately, there are a lot of single women, that's why sexturism is so developed when our women of any age go to Turkey, Egypt and other countries in search of happiness and love. I understand them. You know, in this situation you’ll conquer the beluga in general! Everyone wants attention, warmth and happiness. And nowhere to take.
Our women have already tried everything - they put on both mini and maxi, and in a net, and in high heels, and in the neckline ... and nothing. Zero attention! Men are apathetic. They are not interested in anything. Vodka completely destroyed the nation. On our streets, after all, not only are there a lot of people who are completely drunk, but just drinkers, moreover, in the morning. Men are not the focus. Do you disagree with me?
I agree, just amazed once again ...
I tell you the truth. Moreover, in Moscow the situation is slightly better, because it is a big city, a metropolis, where all this is not so noticeable. And in the province? And in the village? Where, in general, some women have remained, and if there are men, there are three of them in the whole village, and they are always drunk. Do you understand?
I am truly sorry for Russian women, and to be honest, I don’t know how to help them. After all, the saddest thing is the knowledge that no matter how we change clothes, paint, or make up, how beautiful we would make them, success will not be. There are no men and nowhere to take. The woman hopes that her loneliness is caused by the fact that she looks bad. But now we will dress and comb her, we will make her super-fashionable, glamorous and beautiful, and here ... That's all. There is no one to rate. Men must be educated so that they can figure out which of the women is elegant, and which is vulgar, which is fashionable, and which is not. Our men do not look at it. Forgive me, they look at something completely different: large breasts - small breasts, large hips - small hips, crooked legs - straight legs, and so on. Everything is a figure or not. And how it is “packed”, men cannot even understand, because for this you need to have at least some elementary education in this area. They did not go to the ESMOD school in Dubai and did not study here, understand?
Have you met our compatriots at ESMOD in Dubai? What was the meeting with you for them?
Yes, you know, I met here several of our students and one student. Some of them were not even familiar until I introduced them, because they study in different groups and did not intersect before my lectures. In my opinion, we liked each other. Yes, last year there was a wonderful graduate - Olga Nurek, I also met her. She is on top today, she received the first jury prize with her graduation collection haute couture. This school, it is generally on top. I really like her, because for me she is, to some extent, dear.
I studied at the ESMOD school in Paris, and then taught at it: from 1983 to 1988, I was their main teacher in fashion history. And I started my career in this area in Paris and in ESMOD school. Later, much later, I had other contracts - I worked in Japan, Australia, Hong Kong, Belgium, London, South America and the USA. Of course, I traveled all the cities of Russia - from Murmansk to Kaliningrad.
You know, it’s like in the expression “from Kamchatka to Nakhodka, ours are the best tights ...”. That is, I traveled with lectures all the cities that I could. Then there were the Baltic countries, cities of Ukraine - Kiev, Kharkov, Odessa, Dnepropetrovsk. Then - Tbilisi, Yerevan, other cities and other countries. Everywhere I read my lecture courses. But ESMODs are the origins. Therefore, when Christoph Bufai, who is the art director of ESMOD in Dubai today (he was my student at La Camr school in Brussels, and I was his teacher for five years), I invited me here, of course, I agreed. Christophe found me through Facebook, because for many years we lost sight of each other, and invited me to Dubai for a week. I cut this week out of my schedule now, but most of all Christoph liked that I plan to come here again with lectures in March to give a course on twentieth-century fashion. And it would be very good if our compatriots living here and speaking English, as I conduct lectures in English, took a seminar and attended this special weekly course, because many in the world dream of listening to me. I know how many people say about me: “Oh, we love him so much!” Tell everyone through your journal - there is no love, there is only its proof. Love, let them prove - they will buy a subscription and will come to my lectures at ESMOD school in Dubai. These are my immediate plans. I will definitely come to Dubai in the spring, and before that I also have a lot to do - I will be teaching in Paris for three weeks, because I have a private school that conducts field courses in different cities of the world. Most likely, I will meet there Christmas and New Year ...
In one of your interviews, I read how you compared Coco Chanel to another Parisian no less famous in the 1920s, who had even more influence on the fashion world than the legendary Gabrielle. Will this news during your lectures on twentieth-century fashion be another “cultural shock” for local students, because here Coco Chanel is an unshakable idol that hardly anyone dares to shake ...
Maybe… . But it will be very informative. Here, at my lectures, students were interested in everything, and moreover, they wrote down everything that I told them. Because in Arabic, the history of European fashion has not yet been published. They simply do not have books, though there are books in English, a huge number of them and in good quality. I saw them at Dubai's largest bookstore in Dubai Mall. However, not all of my students know English well enough to read it, but I am glad that they have an interest in fashion books.
Alexander, how many languages are in your arsenal?
I speak seven, but I teach in four languages - Russian, French, English and, of course, Spanish. Because at one time I lived in South America and taught a lot in Spanish. It was in Chile in the Pinochet era, where I read fashion history at the university, and the daughter of the dictator Pinochet was one of my students. I must say that this was at the end of Pinochet’s reign, in the early 1990s. But I still found this person in power in the country.
It seems that girls of all countries, despite revolutions and wars, are always interested in fashion ...
Oh yeah! And all because they want to attract attention.
You begin each episode of Fashion Sentence with the phrase: “Following fashion is ridiculous, not following is silly.” What does the concept of mod mean to you?
Fashion is a collective craziness, but very interesting. This is such a unique sociological concept. I am pleased that there are so many boutiques in Dubai, and the degree of interest in fashion is increased. I was in Dubai Mall and saw kilometers of fashion stores, the huge Galleries Lafayette department store. Of course, I understand that it is probably unrealistic to sell all these clothes, especially warm ones. Probably a lot of Russians come here for shopping?
Yes many. And not only Russians, Europeans and Americans are also missing.
Tell me, nevertheless, why did you decide to devote your life to fashion and the study of its history?
I think everything is from the parents. I am the son of a theater artist and actress. My mother was the most beautiful and fashionable woman, I grew up surrounded by incredibly beautiful, as it seemed then, imported things. Indeed, behind the Iron Curtain, every pair of boots brought by the pope from Japan or Germany seemed to be something unattainable. So in this sense, of course, everything I saw astounded me, and then I was very interested in theatrical costume and mediated by history, because theatrical costumes of my childhood were often historical. I collected a lot of things. But all this is written in my book "I am in Fashion Today". Be sure to read, you will learn a lot about me.
Thank you, Alexander, for an interesting conversation and your time. Happy New Year and Merry Christmas and do not say goodbye for long. See you next spring.
