Creative Director: Bella Alfritovna Photographer: Mary Lebedeva MUA: Maria Kuraeva Style: Bella Alfritovna Models: Debora Adegbie, Kristina Pankova, Justyna Graczyk
It is human nature to fear the unknown. We all tend to live in our little bubble, not thinking about all the death, disease, hunger, and tragedy in the world. And how can we‌
If we try and imagine all the suffering around and all the suffering that we ourselves will have to overcome, suffering that inevitably comes to us at different stages of life. These things are not all in order for everyone, and we cannot predict when they will occur, but what we do know however is that losing anything r anyone we love will cause us suffering. A disease or loss of financial security will be painful. All break ups are painful, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.
It is so easy for us to close off and be unaccepting of other cultures, different types of lifestyles, and different ways of thinking, because those things bring out our fear of the unknown.
It is that fear that we may think is protecting us from the unknown, that ultimately causes us to be racist, sexist, judgmental, angry, mean, and the list goes on.
Unfortunately not only is the fear not protecting us, but it is also hurting other people. Any energy we put out to the world comes back to us, a ripple effect that causes tsunamis.
This is when we must learn to accept change, to welcome the opportunity to learn and be patient.
Accepting others for who they are inside and not the color of their skin, or their sex, or sexual orientation, political, or religious views, is a very difficult task to accomplish.
We must be kind to ourselves, and take pride in our growth, everyday trying to improve just a little more.
The definition of the ‘Russian Soul’ is a religious, philosophical view of the world in which the Soul is the core part of the human being, who must live to suffer. While philosophizing about our place here on Earth may be good for the soul, let’s end the suffering by making love, kindness and understanding our priority. It’s the fashionable choice.
Creative Director: Bella Alfritovna Photographer: Mary Lebedeva
“I sometimes think that never blows so red The Rose as where some buried Caesar bled; That every Hyacinth the Garden wears Dropt in its Lap from some once lovely Head.� Omar Khayyam.
Creative Director: Bella Alfritovna Photographer: Mary Lebedeva MUA: Maria Kuraeva Model: Anastasiya Gordeiko
The beautiful Anastasiya sighs in sorrow as she tightly holds onto her arm, no doubt in an attempt to reassure herself, as she hunches in the middle of what once was a homestead fit for royalty. This is where families of princes and princesses came and went, living out their magical lives, starting in the XVI century and onward. Now the walls of the Grebneva homestead stand bare in places, with peeling scratched up paint and boarded up windows elsewhere. Ruins are all around with just a glimpse of what may have been. The strong architecturally sound walls tell a story, with just a hint of a design element seen on the window panes.
Anastasiya’s face is symmetrical, flawless in its youth and carelessness not unlike the homestead’s architecture, when it was first erected. Out of the main Grebneva mansion, built in XVII, a large stable built in XIX, carriage courtyard, the main courtyard, the West and East wings stretched out to either side, and two churches, the only buildings that remain in tact from the XVII century are the two places of worship.
As she stares out of the long forgotten courtyard, her expression is reminiscent of late Nastasiya (Anastasiya), it seems they also share the same name. Ivan Trybetski’, who is the father of Nastasiya Kantemir, buys the homestead in 1720. Nastasiya, at the time is married to Dmitri’ Kantemir, who is already on his second marriage.
So many emotions must have flown through the walls of that courtyard, as even with a little bit of history we can start to get a sense of how life was back than. Maria Kantemir, the daughter of Dmitri’ Kantemir and his first wife later purchases Ylitkino homestead, right next to the Grebneva mansion. Certainly royalty, especially royal families did not live far from each other back than, but one has to wonder what was it like for the women to live right next to each other.
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A woman by the window generally signifies a longing, missing something or someone. Did Nastasiya miss him, and their happiness? The history books tell us that she remained robust and active in her court dealings following his death, but one cannot always tell what is in a woman’s heart.
Maria Kantemir spent her youth tied in intense love intrigues and suffered terribly. The death of her father brought on so much pain that her illness intensified and she was unable to get better for a long time. While the higher courts decided on the fate of the mansion, which eventually, but only partially went to Nastasiya, Maria was bed-ridden. An attempt to spy on the dealings of Grebneva estate was foiled.
After she gets better, she leaves the court life and continues to live out her days in a Moscow home, where she enjoys a quiet life consuming literature at her leisure. Throughout the 1730s she even hosts literature nights. She does not re-marry, because in part she knows that the men who ask for her hand are largely interested in the costly Grebneva estate.
Nastasiya does remarry to her long time suitor Ludvik Gruno; they travel around Germany, where she visits Homburg, for the first and only time. She never does inherit Homburg, as her husband dies a year before his father. But her life continues to be a whirlwind of sorrow, her highest point of happiness is in 1741 when she becomes the first state lady in the history of Russian Royalty. Empress Elizabeth Petrovna gives her the title.
Despite being widowed twice Nastasiya continues to sparkle at high courts. She is known as one of the most beautiful women with a flawless reputation. Her travels bring her joy, as does her daughter. She seems to prefer the courts of Paris where she lives with her daughter, but the death of her father brings her back home to Russia.
Creative Director: Bella Alfritovna Photographer: Mary Lebedeva
The Kyskovo homestead is a grand sight to behold, the gorgeous architecture most resembling the XVIII century, still stands tall and proud since it was first built in the XVI century. So appropriately chosen this location is just east of Moscow, and is the perfect setting for the depiction of the Alexander Pushkin’s poetry romance, named “Eugene Onegin”.
Pushkin worked on the novel written in verse for over seven years, at this point in his life, his view on love was jaded and he, as he points out ‘only made coldhearted, scientific observations’ with sadness in his heart. Yet, he is still able to portray the women in his poems, with elegance and beauty.
Tatiana Larina is the manifestation of the ideal woman; she possesses all of the best feminine qualities known to men. She is kind, loyal, thoughtful, generous, noble, giving, loving and graceful in her touch as well as in her thoughts. She takes on the idealistic characteristics of the heroes she learned about as a child and she looks for someone who may possess them. Tanya chooses Onegin, because of his unique free-spirited nature he stands out among the drab aristocrats she is surrounded by. Although she does not see Onegin’s soul she gives her heart freely to him because she feels that he is special.
The heroine’s of Russian literature are usually the true heroes of the stories, they have a strong moral compass and stand by their ideals with grace, beauty and feminine strength regardless of the outcome.
The heroines of Russian literature have something in common. While they are all stunning, their beauty is usually more than skin deep. It goes far beyond looks, their character is depicted piece-by-piece until a beautiful soul emerges.and beauty.
Her sister Olga is forever happy and smiling, while Tatiana is quiet and seemingly shy. The two sisters have a striking contrast of beauty. Dualism of the ‘sexy’ and the feminine is explored with the two heroines of the romantic story.