The temptation of Vyacheslav Zaitsev: the great couturier again surprises with his outfits

Costumes and dresses by Vyacheslav Zaitsev and Valentin Yudashkin are on display at the Hermitage Restoration and Storage Center. Hearing about this, I was inspired: “Finally, on the banks of the Neva, I’ll feel nostalgic near the dresses of Vyacheslav Mikhailovich, one of which I probably showed when I was a model …” But it wasn’t there!

As it turned out, the exhibition is being held as part of a tour of the halls of the Restoration and Storage Center of the State Hermitage “Old Village”, which is located in a remote part of St. Petersburg.

At the entrance, I am a little upset to learn that the exposition of Zaitsev’s works can only be seen during a tour of the entire building of the center – I have little time. As part of a group, I go into the storage room and… After a few minutes, disappointment replaces complete delight. The imperial clock fascinates with its chiming and ringing – it was painstakingly restored for the public by 10 master restorers of the Hermitage. The real oriental tent, donated by the Turkish Sultan to Catherine II three years before the end of her reign, staggers the imagination – the guests of the excursion have the opportunity to stay inside this tent for rest.

A striking impression is left by the halls where the wardrobe of the great Russian Tsar Peter I is presented. What is unique about them is that they all look like they were just hung out of the closet – according to etiquette, the tsar wore the same suit from one to three times. But Peter, as a true autocrat, did not care about etiquette, and among others we see his worn Dutch craft suit, hunting cloak, skipper’s caftan. Peter’s luxurious home dressing gowns look huge – after all, as you know, the king had a gigantic height of 2 m 4 cm. The king’s shoes behind the glass of the stand are 40 and a half, not 38, as is often assumed. But still, for such a growth, both of these sizes, of course, are extremely small! It is hard to imagine how Tsar Peter, according to the stories of his contemporaries, moved rapidly in such shoes.

And finally, I am approaching the purpose of my visit – the hall with the works of Zaitsev and Yudashkin. That’s right, because both of them are academicians of the Russian Academy of Arts, People’s Artists of the Russian Federation! Valentine’s dress is presented in one – this is the famous “half-naked” dress-masterpiece made of black transparent lace. A skin-colored petticoat is worn underneath. When putting on such a dress, it is worth considering that the color of the skin under the thin lace fabric should be combined with the color of the fabric of the skirt. Beneath the black lace, this gives the effect of a naked body.

In anticipation, I turn to the Zaitsev stands, and … I am shocked by the words of the guide: “The first costume belongs to the Plague collection, released in the mid-1990s …”! But I worked at the Fashion House and I remember this collection very well – how it contrasted sharply with the rest, its classic collections, glorifying the beauty of a woman! “Plague” is pretentious colors, broken lines, torn edges of dresses, grotesque make-up… The elegant suit seen was more in line with similar ones from the “Temptation” collection, released a year later.

For clarification, I turned to Nina Tarasova, curator of the collections of the State Hermitage Museum and curator of the exhibition of works by our great couturiers. Here is what she said:

— The Plague collection initially aroused interest because of its name. At the exhibition of 2016 from the “Plague” there was only this ensemble, which you saw in the “Old Village”. When I asked Vyacheslav Mikhailovich why the collection was named so, he answered evasively: “Yes, it was the case …”, he did not go into details. Then we had a very complex installation of the exposition, and we had neither the strength nor extra minutes to talk. Now I regret that many questions have remained unanswered …

Everything was done in less than 48 hours. Employees and volunteers of the Hermitage took part in the installation, they were assisted by students and teachers from the University of Industrial Technologies and Design. In the shortest possible time, a huge work was done to place the exposition. In my opinion, only one person did not worry about the outcome of the case during these two days: Vyacheslav Mikhailovich himself. He repeated: “Ninochka, don’t worry, everything will be fine.”

He often sat down in an armchair to rest (even then he did not feel very well), but if people came to the hall who wanted to greet the Maestro or take a picture with him (and these were entire delegations), no one was refused. Moreover, Vyacheslav Mikhailovich got up, drew himself up, categorically removed his cane from the frame and smiled his famous smile. Very bright and sunny person.

Zaitsev and I then agreed that at the end of the exhibition he would donate costumes to the collection of the State Hermitage that best reflect the characteristic features of his work.

The costumes looked especially impressive in the foyer on May 12 at the opening of the exhibition in memory of outstanding fashion designers. But there was no way to leave them there: there was too much light, the inevitable drafts of the entrance area, the absence of the conditions necessary for storing the suit in terms of temperature and humidity. So behind the glass, next to the sculpture and against the backdrop of French tapestries of the 18th century, the dresses of Vyacheslav Mikhailovich and Valentin Abramovich are very comfortable. And I, as the custodian of this collection, feel calm… After all, the heritage of fashion designers must be preserved for the national and world artistic culture.

… And we, former employees of the Fashion House, remembered this: at the very beginning of the “Plague” collection, three “traditional” Zaitsev suits were sewn. And, apparently, just one of them is presented in the Hermitage, the color of cinnamon, with a black satin pattern. And then Vyacheslav Mikhailovich was suddenly inspired by something, and on the go he changed the concept to a grotesque, decadent, outrageous, very uncharacteristic for him. So it seemed to us from the inside. Already the next collection, “Temptation”, returned to the podium the elegance and tenderness of the famous Zaitsev silhouette.

HELP “MK”

In 2016, the exhibition “Vyacheslav Zaitsev in the Hermitage” was held in St. Petersburg with great success. This was the first exhibition of a modern Russian couturier (before that, only works by Nadezhda Lamanova, “the supplier of the court of Her Imperial Majesty,” Nadezhda Lamanova, were exhibited in the Hermitage in 2002).

Published in the newspaper “Moskovsky Komsomolets” No. 29045 dated June 7, 2023

Newspaper headline:
The temptation of Vyacheslav Zaitsev is a crazy mystery