11 October, 2009, 16:25
The history of Russian fashion is to be unveiled as the brand new Fashion Museum is being prepared for opening in 2010, as part of the All-Russian Museum of Decorative and Applied Arts.
As the director of the new museum, Margarita Barzhanova, says, it has already collected over 40,000 costumes, from 15th Century dresses to modern clothing, fabric and embroidery samples, as well as sketches and photographs dated from the 19th and 20th Centuries. The museum has been collecting all these priceless pieces of fashion history since its foundation 125 years ago.
However there is a slight lack of contemporary fashion in the collection – it was last updated in 1987. The museum’s administration can only rely on “the free will of the fashion designers”.
“Now we are refilling the collection as fashion forges ahead. But we can only do it with the help of fashion designers. The artist is our main donor,”Barzhanova says.
The presentation of a special museum’s “Black and white” project, dedicated to the history of city costume, will open on October 16 to mark the official start of the Russian Fashion Week, which will pass through the capital from October 17 to October 23.
Curiosity is one thing; wisdom is another. Maybe neither can fully cover the territory. Maybe one is meant to drive us, the other meant to beckon us.
Sidney Poitier, from his book The Measure of a Man
The youthful exuberance of curiosity partnered with a wisdom that can only come from experience guides me out of my comfort zone to take on a new project or learn a new skill. As I learn what I am and am not capable of I grow as a person. My desire is to always possess a healthy dose of human curiosity balanced out by heavenly wisdom.
Wednesday I was interviewed by Russian tv correspondant Marina from HTK. Marina is a 20-something who spent a month in California & Ohio, & is fascinated with all things American. When she heard from a mutual friend that friendly Americans were in Krasnodar teaching topics to help Russians grow emotionally & spiritually, she decided to check us out.
The focus of her interview had to do with stereotypes of people - where the stereotypes come from & do they help or hinder communication & multi-national understanding? Some of the old US stereotypes of Russia are that, ‘all of Russia is covered with snow, there are live bears that walk the streets, the KGB follows you everywhere & every Russian drinks lots of vodka.’ She asked me the stereotypical question, ‘why do all Americans smile so much?’ I replied, ‘many Americans smile because of the freedoms we have in life.’ Unfortunately, I don’t know that I provided her with any controversial or newsworthy quotes, as I love the Russian people & very much enjoy living here. I want to keep it that way!
Tom
