Famous Soviet model of the 60s. How was the fate of the brightest Soviet fashion models. Being a beautiful and bright woman, if you are not an actress, was generally considered indecent.

What then, what now, the work of the model is one of the most mythologized professions. They bathe in luxury, the most enviable suitors lay their hearts and wallets at their feet. They lead a dissolute life and end up in luxury or oblivion. In reality, things are much more complicated.

Working conditions

The Soviet fashion model was an absolutely anonymous podium employee. “They were known only by sight” - this is about fashion models. In order to write about you in the press with the mention of your name, you had to get on the cover of a foreign publication, no less. Only then did the woman have a name.

The model's rate was from 65 to 90 rubles per month, depending on the category. A five-day working week on my feet, with constant fittings and in terrible quality cosmetics, almost in theatrical make-up.

The dresses that were shown by the models, in real life, they did not get, of course. Therefore, if you wanted to look good not only on the podium, you had to get out as best you can. You will agree that you don’t want to put on a chintz of a “curtain” color if you know what decent clothes are.

Shooting for a fashion magazine could bring a fee as much as 100 rubles, but not everyone got to the shooting. And so among the models there has always been fierce competition.

Competition

About what kind of relationship reigned among the fashion models of the USSR, their memories are best told. “Women's friendship?” - No, they haven’t heard. Intrigues, denunciations of colleagues in the KGB, stalking each other and arrogance towards less successful colleagues. The girls who got into the modeling business had to grow thick skin and nerves of steel, otherwise it was simply impossible to survive. And don't get out. The attitude of society to the profession of a model, as to the profession of a prostitute, only contributed to this.

Society attitude

Yes, you could have the most beautiful and charming admirer, husband, boyfriend. But at the same time, this did not protect you in any way from the neglect of relatives, neighbors or your husband himself. Lucky with husbands, by the way, not everyone, regardless of beauty and popularity.

Being a beautiful and bright woman, if you are not an actress, was generally considered indecent.

The fashion world itself as a whole was officially associated with something vicious, remember at least the "Diamond Arm", where the main villain performed by Mironov is a scoundrel, a smuggler and a fashion model. Or “The meeting place cannot be changed”, where every first fashion model was in ties with bandits, and Verka, a milliner, a tailor, kept the loot.

Regina Zbarskaya

Retelling the fate of Regina, about which, in fact, the Red Queen series was filmed is a thankless task. Everything is shown in the film: the path to glory, and at what cost this glory was gained, and a life full of betrayal, with its tragic decline. What was not included in the film are the memories of Regina's colleagues. 30 years have passed since her death, but you will not find a single kind word about Zbarskaya in the memoirs of other models. This speaks not so much about the “Soviet Sophia Loren” herself, but about the people who surrounded her then.

Mila Romanovskaya

The main competitor of Zbarskaya. Romanovskaya, a bony blonde, was considered abroad in the late 60s as the "embodied Slavic beauty", she was called "Birch". She broke the applause when she stepped on the podium in the dress "Russia".

The dress "Russia" was originally sewn on Zbarskaya - in it Regina looked like a Byzantine princess, luxurious and arrogant. But when "Russia" was tried on by Romanovskaya, the artists decided that this was a more accurate hit in the image. In addition, unlike the "capricious" Regina, Mila turned out to be accommodating and calm - she withstood many hours of fitting.

After the foreign fame that Mila inherited, in 1972 she emigrated with her husband from the USSR. But it seems that she was only interesting as a curiosity from the country of bears, because after that no mention of her modeling career is found. Although some talk about her successful career and collaboration with famous fashion houses.

Galina Milovskaya

Galina Milovskaya was sometimes called the Russian "Twiggy" - because of the thinness, uncharacteristic for fashion models of that time: with a height of 170 cm, she weighed 42 kg. In the 1970s, Galina conquered not only the Moscow podium, but also foreign ones. She was invited to shoot in Vogue.

For the "blasphemous" posing on Red Square with her back to the Mausoleum, she received many complaints and problems in her native USSR.

In 1974 Galina emigrated and stayed in London. She married a French banker, left her modeling career, graduated from the faculty of film directing at the Sorbonne and took her place as a documentary filmmaker.

Tatyana Chapygina

Tatyana Chapygina, one of the most beautiful fashion models of the 1970s, according to her, never dreamed of a career as a "clothes demonstrator." After school, she received the profession of a health worker and worked modestly in the sanitary and epidemiological station. Chapygina entered the All-Union House of Models on Kuznetsky Most only at the age of 23.

Vyacheslav Zaitsev himself hired her, and two years later the girl was abroad for the first time, in the GDR. Then there were America, Mexico, Japan. She left her professional career, having married her beloved man, with whom she has been happily married for more than 20 years.

Tatyana still looks great and even now she is photographed for fashion magazines from time to time.

Elena Metelkina

We know her better from her roles in the films Through Hardships to the Stars and The Guest from the Future, but before success in the cinema, Galina was a fashion model and worked as a model in GUM.

Metelkina's work in "Thorns" was highly appreciated by professionals - in 1982, at the international film festival of science fiction films in Trieste, the fashion model was awarded the Silver Asteroid Special Jury Prize for Best Actress.

Four years later, Elena starred in the children's fantasy film "Guest from the Future", where she played a cameo, but memorable role of a woman from the future - Polina.

The personal life of an unearthly beauty, unfortunately, was sad - the only husband turned out to be a marriage swindler, leaving her with her son.

Tatyana Solovieva (Mikhalkova)

Models were not prepared for the profession in the USSR. The recruitment announcement sounded like "models and cleaners are required."

Solovyova was one of the few among her colleagues who had a higher education, for which she received the nickname "institute". But Vyacheslav Zaitsev called her the Botticelli girl.

Her life was quite successful - marriage to Nikita Mikhalkov, the birth of children, social life. In 1997, Tatyana created and headed the Russian Silhouette Charitable Foundation, established to support Russian designers and domestic fashion manufacturers.

Although, if we return to the question of the prestige of the profession, Nikita Mikhalkov, until the beginning of the 90s, hid from friends and relatives that his wife was a model, calling Tatyana simply a “translator”.

In the West, Soviet models were called the most beautiful weapons of the Kremlin, they were admired and offered serious contracts. And in the Soviet Union they received 76 rubles a month and could fly out of work because of one photo. We tell how the life of the most famous fashion models of the Land of Soviets developed.

Valentina Yashina

The first real Soviet star fashion model. Yashina became, as it were, the forerunner of the modeling boom that began in the 60s. She started her career back in the 50s, when some people thought that being beautiful was not Soviet. On the podium came up to 65 years. So model grandmothers are not a modern invention at all.
Yashina came to the profession from the operetta. After graduating from the Glazunov School, she left with her first husband for Riga, but a high-profile romance with a partner in Silva put an end to the stage and marriage. In order not to sit on the neck of her parents, she decided to try herself as a model. And almost immediately I realized that this was her calling. A natural blonde with Swedish roots became one of the prima models of the House of Models for two decades.

After the arrival of the younger generation, she did not become depressed, but continued to work, albeit not in the first roles. I also had a successful personal life. She was always surrounded by fans, the most famous of them were Joseph Kobzon and Nikolai Malakhov. She ended up marrying the latter.
In 1991, Malakhov died and left her an apartment on Tverskaya, a dacha, two cars, but she did not manage to enjoy a secure old age. The son and grandson quickly squandered the fortune, and she died alone and in poverty.

Regina Zbarskaya

Mysterious and one of the most famous Soviet models in the world. Her career began in the Khrushchev thaw, and her highest achievement was participation in the famous first foreign show of the Fashion House on Kuznetsky. Then the collection of Vera Aralova made a splash, but no less admiration was given to fashion models, which the Soviet delegation brought with them.
Zbarskaya attracted the famous fashion designer with Western and completely non-Soviet beauty. She very quickly became the first fashion model of the House of Models and got on the list for the first business trip to the stronghold of Western fashion - to Paris. There, fame, general delight, acquaintance with the stars awaited her.


In the press, it was called "the most beautiful weapon of the Kremlin" and the Soviet leadership skillfully used it for a long time. She actively traveled around the world, starred with famous photographers. But behind all these business trips, she lost her husband, who went to another beauty.
After experiencing depression and treatment in a psychiatric hospital after that, she returned to the podium again, but she was already 35 years old and other models reigned. The former glory melted away, but she continued to work until she fell in love with a Yugoslav journalist. Alas, this novel turned out to be disastrous for her. The journalist published a book in which he said that Zbarskaya works for the KGB and was the mistress of almost the entire Central Committee.
After that, she was able to work only as a cleaner in the very House of Models, in which she once shone. But the persecution of a former admirer, dissatisfaction with life and an unstable mental state led to suicide.

Mila Romanovskaya

The image of a bright blonde in a dress "Russia" in the late 60s for many in the world became a symbol of the USSR. Initially, the outfit was prepared for Zbarskaya, but it was on Romanovskaya that he made the most stunning impression on the audience. At the main event of the Soviet fashion world during the stagnation - the World Festival held in Luzhniki - she became the unofficial "Miss USSR" according to foreign guests. And she was the first to make a successful breakthrough to the West.
Romanovskaya got on the podium by accident: once she was simply asked to replace her friend, and she turned out to be so harmonious in this role that she immediately received an offer for a permanent job. First in Leningrad, and then in Moscow, she quickly came to the fore, even displacing the recognized prima - Zbarskaya. That's just for this success had to pay a ruined first marriage.


Romanovskaya did not remain alone for long, she soon married the artist Yuri Kuper and unexpectedly in 1972 emigrated to Israel with him. She didn't stay there long. Very soon she ended up in London, where she worked a lot. She didn’t become a top model, yet her age made it known, but she was in demand. For five years, her work schedule was so busy that there was no “window” even to meet her husband, whom she also divorced as a result.
However, Romanovskaya found her personal happiness almost immediately. Returning from a farewell dinner in England, she met a charming London businessman on the plane. Now she runs a business and travels a lot.

Galina Milovskaya

Soviet "Twiggy" and the most scandalous model of the USSR. Her star also rose in 1967, when a young fashion model VIALEGPROM (All-Union Institute of Light Industry Range and Clothing Culture) was noticed by foreign photographers.
It happened at the World Fashion Festival, where the best collections and models were brought for visiting European fashion designers. Arnaud de Ronet immediately offered to hold a special photo shoot with Milovskaya for Vogue magazine. Milovskaya had previously treated the work of the model as just an interesting side job while she was studying at the Shchukin Theater School. The offer of a famous photographer opened up a completely different world for her.

It's not about finances: for filming, permission for which was given almost by the Central Committee, she received a standard rate, a fee in foreign currency settled in bottomless state bins. In theory, the interest of foreigners was supposed to open the way to business trips abroad, to bring it to a new level.
Unfortunately for Milovskaya, Arnaud de Rhone's photography turned out to be a disaster. The picture, in which the model sits on Red Square with her legs wide apart, was considered by many to be extremely vulgar. The girl was expelled from the podium and the school.
The most surprising thing about this story is that the scandalous photo was noticed only after it was reprinted in the Kommunist magazine. Being ostracized, the model took part in a very frank photo shoot: she was practically the first in the Soviet Union to open body art. Immediately after that, in 1974, she emigrated from the USSR.
Milovskaya's career in the West did not work out, although she continued to be filmed for a long time, but she did not break into the top models. But she successfully married a banker, graduated from the Sorbonne and became a fairly well-known documentary filmmaker.

Tatiana Mikhalkova (Soloviev)

The past of Mikhalkova (Soloviev) in the House of Models was thoroughly forgotten by everyone. Actually, in the USSR, the profession was considered so unprestigious that her famous husband Nikita Mikhalkov preferred to present her as a translator for a long time. Meanwhile, although her career on the podium was short - only five years - she managed to become one of Zaitsev's brightest models.
The main Soviet couturier of the second half of the twentieth century was attracted primarily by her classic Slavic type. Thanks to the latter, she got many outfits in which it was necessary to emphasize the national roots of Soviet fashion. It should be noted that the leadership of the House of Models specially selected diverse types for the main field demonstrators of clothing. But it is obvious that there was no shortage of "Russian faces". Therefore, the fact that Mikhalkova got into the first stars speaks volumes.

It is difficult to say how her career would have developed, but she met her prince. In 1972, she met the aspiring film director Mikhalkov. She did not immediately leave work. Even being pregnant with her first child, she participated in shows. But when it became known that there would be a second, she finally left the podium. The model herself once admitted that her husband gave her a choice: either he or work as a fashion model. And even packed a suitcase.
PS. She was better off without a bow.))

Leokadiya Mironova

The Soviet model, which, due to its amazing resemblance, was immediately dubbed "Audrey Hepburn". Well-known in Europe, she was one of the first to be offered solid contracts, but Mironova herself was not allowed to travel abroad for a long time because of her repressed father. But it was she who most often took Zaitsev with him when he presented the products of the House of Models within the country.
Today, Mironova is better known for being the first to talk about the unpleasant moments of the fashion world: low salaries, unfair treatment and big bosses who could require closeness. She had to face the latter personally and even suffer because of the refusal. The unlucky lover immediately took revenge: the model was suspended from work. For a year and a half, she could not get a job at all. Zaitsev's favorite model was starving not at all to save her figure, until she was taken to the Model House in Khimki.


Now Mironova has been retired for a long time, she has never been married, she lives in Khrushchev, but still occasionally takes part in shows. Her every appearance on the podium is always accompanied by applause.

Elena Metelkina

The real fame came to Metelkina after the release of the cult science fiction film Through Hardships to the Stars. Its creators, Richard Viktorov and Kir Bulychev, still could not find a girl for the role of an alien, and then they came across a fashion magazine with a model with an unusual, unearthly appearance. After the release, everyone fell in love with Niya, and Metelkina became a megastar.
I must say that before that her career was not very successful. She did not enter the Shchukin School and VGIK, she went to get a job as a fashion model. Oddly enough, she was not taken to the House of Models - the main forge of Soviet top models - then she easily got a job as a clothes demonstrator at GUM, the country's second most important podium.

Metelkina worked and starred a lot. On the pages of Soviet fashion magazines, she flashed regularly. But then Viktorov appeared and invited her to act. In the Soviet Union, actresses were quoted much higher than models. Naturally, she immediately agreed, left GUM, and even shaved her head. It seemed like her childhood dream had come true. She even met her future husband, went to the Model House to Zaitsev ... Alas, this was the end of the white streak.
The husband turned out to be a swindler, because of whose intrigues Metelkina almost lost her apartment, her mother fell ill, and her father committed suicide. Roles didn’t fall on her, her cosmic appearance did not fit into film standards, and troubles squeezed her out of the podium. To survive, she worked as a secretary, a teacher in a correctional boarding school, a saleswoman in a shoe store, and a manager in foreign language courses.

Tatyana Chapygina

It was believed that it was Chapygina who had the ideal appearance for a Soviet woman from the point of view of the authorities. As a result, she could be seen in almost all fashion magazines, she regularly flashed on the pages of "Worker" and "Peasant Woman". Perhaps, crowds of photographers from the West did not revolve around her, but in the USSR it was she who was the most sought-after model.
Like many Soviet fashion models, Chapygina did not even think about a career on the podium. She graduated from medical school, but did not want to work as a doctor and tripled in the sanitary and epidemiological station. Out of pure curiosity, she went to audition at the Model House and there Zaitsev saw her. For two years she worked only within the country, then she made her way into the “prime”, which represented the USSR in the world. Then her career developed calmly and without scandals, which is probably why she is now rarely remembered on talk shows.


She left the House of Models at the age of 37 almost immediately after the wedding. The future husband first saw her at the show, waited for it to end and invited her to a cafe. Now she is a housewife, occasionally gives interviews and still walks the catwalk during Fashion Week in Moscow.

Today, almost every second girl dreams of becoming a model. In Soviet times, the profession of a fashion model was not only not prestigious, but was considered almost indecent and at the same time paid poorly. Clothing demonstrators received a maximum of 76 rubles at a rate - as workers of the fifth category.

At the same time, the most famous Russian beauties were known and appreciated in the West, but at home, work in the “modeling” business (although there was no such thing then) often created problems for them. From this issue you will learn about the fate of the brightest fashion models of the Soviet Union.

Regina Zbarskaya

Her name became synonymous with the concept of "Soviet fashion model", although for a long time only people close to her knew about the tragic fate of Regina. Everything was changed by a series of publications that appeared in the press after the collapse of the USSR. They started talking about Zbarskaya, but so far her name is more shrouded in myths than fanned by real facts.

It is not known exactly the place of her birth - either Leningrad or Vologda, there is no exact data about her parents. It was rumored that Zbarskaya was connected with the KGB, she was credited with affairs with influential men and almost espionage activities. But those who really knew Regina say unequivocally: all this is not true.

The only husband of the sultry beauty was the artist Lev Zbarsky, but the relationship did not work out: the husband left Regina, first to the actress Marianna Vertinskaya, then to Lyudmila Maksakova. Regina, after his departure, was never able to recover: in 1987, she committed suicide by drinking sleeping pills.

Regina Zbarskaya was called the "Russian Sophia Loren": the image of a sultry Italian woman with a lush "page" haircut was invented for her by Vyacheslav Zaitsev. The southern beauty of Regina was popular in the Soviet Union: dark-haired and dark-eyed girls seemed exotic against the background of a standard Slavic appearance. But foreigners treated Regina with restraint, preferring to invite for filming - if, of course, they managed to get permission from the authorities - blue-eyed blondes.

Mila Romanovskaya

The complete antipode and longtime rival of Zbarskaya is Mila Romanovskaya. Delicate sophisticated blonde, Mila looked like Twiggy. It was with this famous British woman that she was compared more than once, even a photo of Romanovskaya a la Twiggy, with lush false eyelashes, round glasses, and combed back hair, has been preserved.

Romanovskaya's career began in Leningrad, then she transferred to the Moscow Fashion House. It was here that a dispute arose about who is the first beauty of a large country - she or Regina. Mila won: it was she who was entrusted with demonstrating the dress "Russia" by fashion designer Tatyana Osmerkina at the international exhibition of light industry in Montreal. The scarlet outfit, embroidered with golden sequins around the neck, was remembered for a long time and even entered the fashion history textbooks.

Her photos were willingly published in the West, for example in Life magazine, calling Romanovskaya Snegurochka. The fate of Mila was generally happy. She managed to give birth to a daughter, Nastya, from her first husband, whom she met while studying at VGIK. Then she divorced, had a vivid romance with Andrei Mironov, remarried the artist Yuri Kuper. With him, she emigrated first to Israel, then to Europe. The third husband of Romanovskaya was the British businessman Douglas Edwards.

She was also called the "Russian Twiggy" - the skinny tomboy type was extremely popular. Milovskaya became the first model in the history of the USSR who was allowed to pose for foreign photographers. Shooting for Vogue magazine was organized by the Frenchman Arnaud de Rhone. The documents were signed personally by the Chairman of the Council of Ministers Kosygin, and any gloss producer could envy the list of locations and the level of organization of this photoset: Galina Milovskaya demonstrated clothes not only on Red Square, but also in the Armory and the Diamond Fund. The accessories for that shooting were the scepter of Catherine II and the legendary Shah diamond.

However, a scandal soon erupted: one of the pictures, in which Milovskaya sits on the paving stones of the country's main square with her back to the Mausoleum, was recognized in the USSR as immoral, the girl began to hint at leaving the country. At first, emigration seemed to Gala a tragedy, but in fact it turned out to be a great success: in the West, Milovskaya collaborated with the Ford agency, went to shows and starred for gloss, and then completely changed her profession, becoming a documentary filmmaker. The personal life of Galina Milovskaya was successful: she lived for 30 years in marriage with the French banker Jean-Paul Dessertino.

Leka (short for Leokadiy) Mironova is a model of Vyacheslav Zaitsev, who is still filming in various photo shoots and takes part in television programs. Leka has something to tell and show: she looks great at her age, and her work-related memories are enough for a thick book of memoirs. Mironova shares unpleasant details: she admits that her friends and colleagues were often forced to succumb to the harassment of the powerful, while she found the courage to refuse a high-ranking boyfriend and paid dearly for it.

In her youth, Leka was compared to Audrey Hepburn for her slimness, chiseled profile and impeccable style. She kept it until old age and now willingly shares her beauty secrets: this is the usual children's cream for moisturizing the skin, red wine instead of tonic and a hair mask with egg yolk. And of course - always keep your back straight and do not slouch!

They used to see the wife of the famous director Nikita Mikhalkov as a worthy mother of a large family, and few people remember her as a slender young girl. Meanwhile, in her youth, Tatyana walked the catwalk for more than five years and starred for Soviet fashion magazines. She was also compared with the fragile Twiggy, and Slava Zaitsev dubbed Tatyana a Botticelli girl.

It was whispered that a bold mini helped the girl to get a job as a fashion model - the artistic council unanimously admired the beauty of the applicant's legs. Friends jokingly called Tatyana "Institute" - she, unlike other fashion models, had a prestigious higher education received at the Institute. Maurice Thorez.

True, having changed her surname from Solovyov's maiden name to Mikhalkova, Tatyana was forced to give up her profession: Nikita Sergeevich rather sharply told her that her mother should raise children and he would not tolerate any nannies. The last time Tatyana appeared on the podium at the seventh month of pregnancy, carrying her eldest daughter Anna under her heart, and then completely plunged into the life and upbringing of the heirs. When the children grew up a little, Tatyana Mikhalkova created and headed the Russian Silhouette charity foundation, which helps aspiring fashion designers.

She is known for her roles in the films "Guest from the Future" and "Through Hardships to the Stars." The role of Metelkina is a woman of the future, an alien. Huge unearthly eyes, a fragile figure and a completely atypical appearance for that time attracted attention to Elena. Her filmography includes six films, the last one dated 2011, although Elena has no acting education, she is a librarian by profession.

The rise of Metelkina belongs to the era when the popularity of the fashion model profession had already begun to decline and a new generation was about to appear - already professional models tailored according to the Western model. Elena worked mainly in the GUM showroom, shooting for Soviet fashion magazines with patterns and knitting tips. After the collapse of the Union, she left the profession and, like many, was forced to adapt to the new reality.

There are many sharp turns in her biography, including a criminal story with the murder of businessman Ivan Kivelidi, whose secretary she was. Metelkina was not injured by chance, her replacement secretary died along with her boss. Now Elena occasionally appears on television and gives interviews, but devotes most of her time to singing in the church choir in one of the churches in Moscow.

This girl of ideal classical appearance in the USSR was known by sight, probably, by every housewife. Chapygina was a very sought-after model and, in addition to participating in shows, she starred a lot for magazines, demonstrating the trends of the next season in publications that offered Soviet women to sew or knit fashionable clothes on their own. Then the names of the models were not mentioned in the press: only the author of the next dress and the photographer who captured it were signed, and information about the girls who presented stylish images remained closed. Nevertheless, Tatyana Chapygina's career was developing successfully: she managed to avoid scandals, rivalry with colleagues and other negative things. She left the profession on takeoff, getting married.

She was called only by her first name or by the nickname once given by her friends - Shahinya. Rumia's appearance was very bright and immediately attracted the eye. Vyacheslav Zaitsev offered to hire her - at one of the views, he fell for the bright beauty of Rumia and soon made her his favorite model.

Her type was called the “woman of the future”, and Rumia herself became famous not only for her beauty, but also for her character. He, by her own admission, was not sugar, the girl often argued with colleagues, violated the accepted rules, but there was something attractive in her rebelliousness. In her mature years, Rumia retained a slender figure and bright appearance. She still maintains friendly relations with Vyacheslav Zaitsev and looks, as they say, one hundred percent.

Evgenia Kurakina, an employee of the Leningrad Fashion House, a girl with an aristocratic surname, acted as a “sad teenager”. Evgenia was photographed a lot by foreign photographers, and to work with the girl they specially came to the Northern capital to capture the beauty of Zhenya against the backdrop of local attractions. The fashion model later complained that she never saw most of these pictures, because they were intended for publication abroad. True, in the archive of Evgenia herself there are many different photos taken in the 60s and 70s of the last century, which she sometimes provides for thematic exhibitions. The fate of Evgenia was happy - she got married and went to live in Germany.

To have an army of admirers in the west and live in constant fear at home - how was the fate of Zbarskaya, Romanovskaya and Milovskaya.

Their beauty was admired in the West, but in their homeland they were in no hurry to praise. There were legends about their novels, but lucky women were rare among them. It was considered a great honor to be in their company, but the attention of the special services to their persons did not weaken. No, it's not about rock stars. This is a story about "the most beautiful weapon of the Kremlin" - Soviet fashion models. An art critic, founder of the Op_Pop_Art School of Popular Art project and author of an online game tells how the fate of the brightest trio on the catwalks of the thaw era turned out

Regina Zbarskaya

Talking about Soviet fashion without mentioning the phenomenon of Regina Zbarskaya is like throwing half the letters out of the alphabet. Her fate is like a legend, and her biography is full of mysteries even for the most attentive biographers. For example, the origin of Zbarskaya still remains a mystery. She herself said that she was born in a family of circus performers, and she inherited her bright appearance from her Italian father. We know for sure that in the year of Stalin's death, 17-year-old Zbarskaya (then still Kolesnikova) entered the Faculty of Economics at VGIK. But the charming provincial preferred parties in the company of "golden youth" to hard work in the library. There, Kolesnikova met her first husband, the successful artist Lev Zbarsky. Amorous Zbarsky gave the girl a beautiful surname and several years of family happiness. But Zbarskaya wanted children, but the artist did not. The marriage broke up after an abortion, a long treatment for depression and Zbarsky's romance with Marianna Vertinskaya.

Zbarskaya's star on the catwalk was lit by the artist Vera Aralova - it was she who brought the girl to the legendary House of Models on Kuznetsky Most. Zbarskaya's career quickly went uphill, but there were difficulties. Imagine, the most popular fashion model in the country, the “Soviet Sophia Loren”, has crooked legs! Zbarskaya's imperfect legs have long been the subject of gossip, but the resourceful girl managed to turn this minus into a plus - she simply invented a signature gait. With this gait, Zbarskaya ascended to the top of Soviet fashion.

In the Soviet Union, the profession of a fashion model was not at all prestigious. It is today that top models receive huge fees, and viewers follow the Victoria's Secret show like an Oscar ceremony. In the years when the fashion industry was just beginning to develop in the country, models were perceived exclusively as “clothes demonstrators”, like mannequins from the window that came to life. Zbarskaya's case became exceptional - and thanks to the love that came from the West. Once Aralova noticed Zbarskaya precisely because of her beauty - atypical for Soviet girls. Later, Zbarskaya's appearance delighted Pierre Cardin and Yves Montana, and the memories of her kept Jean-Paul Belmondo himself from falling asleep.

Over time, Zbarskaya became the face of Soviet fashion, representing the USSR at all foreign shows. Around her person, gossip began to hover worse than discussions of imperfect legs. It was said that Lev and Regina Zbarsky specially invited dissidents to their house in order to then report them to the special services. She was credited with novels with Western fashion designers in the interests of the KGB. It was assumed that Zbarskaya was a secret agent of the Lubyanka at all. Today it is difficult to say which of this was true. After breaking up with her husband, Zbarskaya never recovered. The model was constantly on antidepressants, although she continued to work hard. In 1987, she committed suicide without leaving a note. The circumstances of the death of the first Soviet top model, as well as some of the circumstances of her life, still remain a mystery.

Mila Romanovskaya

Zbarskaya was a superstar in the fashion world of the 60s, but queens also have rivals. So Mila Romanovskaya appeared in the life of the “Soviet Sophia Loren”. And if Zbarskaya was valued for the face of a European southerner, then Romanovskaya in the West was known as the ideal of Slavic beauty.

Romanovskaya entered the history of Soviet fashion in a bright red dress from fashion designer Tatyana Osmyorkina. In fact, the dress, which later became known as "Russia", was sewn all for the same Regina Zbarskaya. But when Romanovskaya tried on the dress, everyone gasped - the hit was so successful. Osmyorkina came up with this dress, looking at the icons, and she was inspired by the ancient Russian ritual clothing. The result was an evening dress made of woolen boucle, embroidered on the chest and collar with gold sequins, reminiscent of chain mail. They say that when Milanovskaya went to the catwalk in Montreal in this dress, the Russian emigrants in the audience wept. And the Western press even gave the fashion model a nickname - berezka.

Mila Romanovskaya, like Zbarskaya, was married to an artist. The graphic artist Yuri Kuperman became the chosen one of the model. Following him, Romanovskaya emigrated from the USSR in 1972. After the move, the couple broke up, and the modeling career for Romanovskaya ended. Now the Russian berezka lives in the UK.

Galina Milovskaya

Although Zbarskaya and Romanovskaya were the faces of Soviet fashion in the 60s, the first for Vogue - the dream of fashion models from all over the planet - was Galina Milovskaya. There was absolutely nothing Soviet about her appearance. Very slender, tall (170 cm and 42 kg!), with big eyes and pointed features - a sort of Soviet version of Twiggy.

After performing at the International Fashion Festival in Moscow, a real hunt began for Milovskaya. For two years, representatives of Vogue sought the right to shoot with the "Russian Twiggy" - and they did. Soviet model in the most important fashion magazine in the world! This is a success more abruptly than the “Russia” dress and the romance with Yves Montand. But for any success in the Land of the Soviets had to pay. For Vogue, Milovskaya was shot by photographer Arnaud de Ronet, and the shooting was very pretentious even by today's standards. The girl was photographed in the Kremlin Armory, Galina was holding the scepter of Catherine the Great and the Shah diamond - an Iranian gift to Russia after the death of Alexander Griboyedov.

But problems arose because of the simpler picture. Vogue in the USSR could not be bought at a newsstand, and the broad masses of the people did not see the entire photo shoot of Milovskaya. But they saw a photo reprinted in the Soviet magazine "America" ​​where Galina in a trouser suit is sitting on the paving stones on Red Square. But they began to attack Milovskaya. According to critics, the model spread her legs too wide - what a vulgarity! Moreover, she sat down with her back to the Mausoleum - it is clearly visible how she does not respect Lenin and all the leaders! In a word, after this scandal, Soviet fashion models could only dream of cooperating with Western magazines.

After this incident, scandals involving Milovskaya became a common occurrence. At one of the shows of the swimwear collection, Galina was seen by the teachers of the Shchukin school, where Milovskaya received a profession. When the girl came to class, she was shown the door. The apogee was a picture published in the Italian magazine Espresso. Photographer Caio Mario Garrubba captured Galina with a pattern on her face and shoulders - an image of a flower and a butterfly. Innocent? Quite. It was only in the same issue that Tvardovsky's poem "Terkin in the Other World" was published under the heading "On the ashes of Stalin." Milovskaya was again pointed to the door - only now they were advised to leave the country.

Emigration in 1974 was a tragedy for Galina. But the West affectionately accepted the “Soviet Twiggy”, quickly renaming it “Solzhenitsyn Fashion”. Milovskaya continued to shoot for Vogue, and the founder of the Ford modeling agency, Eileen Ford, became her good fairy godmother. But the fashion had to be abandoned, as her husband, the French banker Jean-Paul Dessertino, wanted. Milovskaya became a documentary filmmaker, and not the worst: the film “This is the madness of the Russians” about Russian avant-garde artists, who, like the “Soviet Twiggy”, left their homeland forever, brought her popularity.

Today, almost every second girl dreams of becoming a model. In Soviet times, the profession of a fashion model was not only not prestigious, but was considered almost indecent and at the same time poorly paid. Clothing demonstrators received a maximum of 76 rubles at a rate - as workers of the fifth category. At the same time, the most famous Russian beauties were known and appreciated in the West, but at home, work in the “modeling” business (although there was no such thing then) often created problems for them. From this issue you will learn about the fate of the brightest fashion models of the Soviet Union.

Regina Zbarskaya

Her name became synonymous with the concept of "Soviet fashion model", although for a long time only people close to her knew about the tragic fate of Regina. Everything was changed by a series of publications that appeared in the press after the collapse of the USSR. They started talking about Zbarskaya, but so far her name is more shrouded in myths than fanned by real facts. The exact place of her birth is not known - either Leningrad, or Vologda, there is no exact data about her parents. It was rumored that Zbarskaya was connected with the KGB, she was credited with novels with influential men and almost espionage activities, but those who really knew Regina say unequivocally: all this is not true. The only husband of the sultry beauty was the artist Lev Zbarsky, but the relationship did not work out: the husband left Regina, first to the actress Marianna Vertinskaya, then to Lyudmila Maksakova. Zbarsky died in 2016 in America, and Regina, after his departure, could not recover: in 1987, she committed suicide by drinking sleeping pills.
Regina Zbarskaya was called the "Russian Sophia Loren": the image of a sultry Italian woman with a lush "page" haircut was invented for her by Vyacheslav Zaitsev. The southern beauty of Regina was popular in the Soviet Union: dark-haired and dark-eyed girls seemed exotic against the background of a standard Slavic appearance. But foreigners treated Regina with restraint, preferring to invite for filming - if, of course, they managed to get permission from the authorities - blue-eyed blondes.


Mila Romanovskaya

The complete antipode and longtime rival of Zbarskaya is Mila Romanovskaya. Delicate sophisticated blonde, Mila looked like Twiggy. It was with this famous British woman that she was compared more than once, even a photo of Romanovskaya a la Twiggy, with lush false eyelashes, round glasses, and combed back hair, has been preserved. Romanovskaya's career began in Leningrad, then she transferred to the Moscow Fashion House. It was here that a dispute arose about who is the first beauty of a large country - she or Regina. Mila won: it was she who was entrusted with demonstrating the dress "Russia" by fashion designer Tatyana Osmerkina at the international exhibition of light industry in Montreal. The scarlet outfit, embroidered with golden sequins around the neck, was remembered for a long time and even entered the fashion history textbooks. Her photos were willingly published in the West, for example, in Life! magazine, calling Romanovskaya Snegurochka. The fate of Mila was generally happy. She managed to give birth to a daughter, Nastya, from her first husband, whom she met while studying at VGIK. Then she divorced, had a vivid romance with Andrei Mironov, remarried the artist Yuri Kuper. With him, she emigrated first to Israel, then to Europe. The third husband of Romanovskaya was the British businessman Douglas Edwards.


Galina Milovskaya

She was also called the "Russian Twiggy" - the skinny tomboy type was extremely popular. Milovskaya became the first model in the history of the USSR who was allowed to pose for foreign photographers. Shooting for Vogue magazine was organized by the Frenchman Arnaud de Rhone. The documents were signed personally by the Chairman of the Council of Ministers Kosygin, and any gloss producer could envy the list of locations and the level of organization of this photoset: Galina Milovskaya demonstrated clothes not only on Red Square, but also in the Armory and the Diamond Fund. The accessories for that shooting were the scepter of Catherine II and the legendary Shah diamond. However, a scandal soon erupted: one of the pictures, in which Milovskaya sits on the paving stones of the country's main square with her back to the Mausoleum, was recognized in the USSR as immoral, the girl began to hint at leaving the country. At first, emigration seemed to Gala a tragedy, but in fact it turned out to be a great success: in the West, Milovskaya collaborated with the Ford agency, went to shows and starred for gloss, and then completely changed her profession, becoming a documentary filmmaker. The personal life of Galina Milovskaya was successful: she lived for 30 years in marriage with the French banker Jean-Paul Dessertino.

Leka Mironova

Leka (short for Leokadiy) Mironova is the model of Vyacheslav Zaitsev, who still continues to act in various photo shoots and takes part in television programs. Leka has something to tell and show: she looks great at her age, and her work-related memories are enough for a thick book of memoirs. Mironova shares unpleasant details: she admits that her friends and colleagues were often forced to succumb to the harassment of the powerful, while she found the courage to refuse a high-ranking boyfriend and paid dearly for it. In her youth, Leka was compared to Audrey Hepburn for her slimness, chiseled profile and impeccable style. She kept it until old age and now willingly shares her beauty secrets: this is the usual children's cream for moisturizing the skin, red wine instead of tonic and a hair mask with egg yolk. And of course - always keep your back straight and do not slouch!


Tatiana Mikhalkova (Soloviev)

They used to see the wife of the famous director Nikita Mikhalkov as a worthy mother of a large family, and few people remember her as a slender young girl. Meanwhile, in her youth, Tatyana walked the catwalk for more than five years and starred for Soviet fashion magazines. She was also compared with the fragile Twiggy, and Slava Zaitsev dubbed Tatyana a Botcheliev girl. It was whispered that a bold mini helped the girl to get a job as a fashion model - the artistic council unanimously admired the beauty of the applicant's legs. Friends jokingly called Tatyana "Institute" - unlike other fashion models, she had a prestigious higher education received at the Institute. Maurice Teresa. True, having changed her surname from Solovyov's maiden name to Mikhalkova, Tatyana was forced to give up her profession: Nikita Sergeevich rather sharply told her that her mother should raise children, and he would not tolerate any nannies. The last time Tatyana appeared on the podium at the seventh month of pregnancy, carrying her eldest daughter Anna under her heart, and then completely plunged into the life and upbringing of the heirs. When the children grew up a little, Tatyana Mikhalkova created and headed the Russian Silhouette charity foundation, which helps aspiring fashion designers.


Elena Metelkina

She is known for her roles in the films "Guest from the Future" and "Through Hardships to the Stars." The role of Metelkina is a woman of the future, an alien. Huge unearthly eyes, a fragile figure and a completely atypical appearance for that time attracted attention to Elena. There are six films in her filmography, the last one is dated 2011, although Elena has no acting education, she is a librarian by profession. The rise of Metelkina dates back to an era when the popularity of the fashion model profession had already begun to decline, and a new generation was about to appear - already professional models tailored according to the Western model. Elena worked mainly in the GUM showroom, shooting for Soviet fashion magazines with patterns and knitting tips. After the collapse of the Union, she left the profession and, like many, was forced to adapt to the new reality. There are many sharp turns in her biography, including a criminal story with the murder of businessman Ivan Kivelidi, whose secretary she was. Metelkina was not injured by chance, her replacement secretary died along with her boss. Now Elena appears on television from time to time and gives interviews, but devotes most of her time to singing in the church choir in one of the churches in Moscow.


Tatyana Chapygina

Probably every housewife knew this girl of ideal classical appearance in the USSR. Chapygina was a very sought-after model and, in addition to participating in shows, she starred a lot for magazines, demonstrating the trends of the next season in publications that offered Soviet women to sew or knit fashionable clothes on their own. Then the names of the models were not mentioned in the press: only the author of the next dress and the photographer who captured it were signed, and information about the girls who presented stylish images remained closed. Nevertheless, Tatyana Chapygina's career was developing successfully: she managed to avoid scandals, rivalry with colleagues and other negative things. She left the profession on takeoff, getting married.


Rumia Rumi Rey

She was called only by her first name, or by the nickname once given by her friends - Shahinya. Rumia's appearance was very bright and immediately attracted the eye. Vyacheslav Zaitsev offered to hire her - at one of the views, he, as they say, fell for the bright beauty of Rumia and soon made her his favorite model. Her type was called the "woman of the future", and Rumia herself became famous not only for her beauty, but also for her character. He, by her own admission, was not sugar, the girl often argued with colleagues, violated the accepted rules, but there was something attractive in her rebelliousness. In her mature years, Rumia retained a slender figure and bright appearance. She still maintains friendly relations with Vyacheslav Zaitsev looks, as they say, one hundred percent.


Evgenia Kurakina

Evgenia Kurakina - an employee of the Leningrad Fashion House, a girl with an aristocratic surname acted as a "sad teenager". Evgenia was photographed a lot by foreign photographers, and to work with the girl they specially came to the Northern capital to capture the beauty of Zhenya against the backdrop of local attractions. The fashion model later complained that she never saw most of these pictures, because they were intended for publication abroad. True, in the archive of Evgenia herself there are many different photos taken in the 60s and 70s of the last century, which she sometimes provides for thematic exhibitions. The fate of Evgenia herself was happy - she got married and went to live in Germany.