[Kseniya]

thanks for those pictures. if you have more I will greatly appreciate it
and I knew about the running/tennis shoes. I was actually born in St. Petersburg but haven't been back since 1993 so I have no clue what people dress like now.

[Kseniya]

I have one more question...

I live in southern United States in a small town so I've grown accustomed to very casual style: jeans, tshirt, and flip flops. I have a lot of funky and fun clothes as well as several dozen pairs of heels. The problem is that I can't handle spending a whole day in heels or walking long distances in them so I was wondering if it's ok to wear flip flops, etc. Not all the time, of course, but on some days.

[DressageChick]

I used to live in Moscow, but the clothes should be pretty much the same. Women like to get dressed up a lot, its better to over dress than under dress. A lot of people look tacky, but I think that thats due more to the clothes available to them than to their fashion style really. Try to stay away from sneakers, if you can't manage walking around in heels wear shoes without heels, like flats or something, a lot of people there do that. Stay away from flip flops and heels, you will get weird looks. And if you're wearing a short skirt, you'll probably get harassed by some guys, so I would stay away from that too. Bring a stylish raincoat or light jacket, since it will probably colder than you think. Also, people have much smaller wardrobes thank most Americans and its not that uncommon for someone to wear the same thing two days in a row, so don't bother bringing a ton of clothes with you.

[DressageChick]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kseniya I have one more question... I live in southern United States in a small town so I've grown accustomed to very casual style: jeans, tshirt, and flip flops. I have a lot of funky and fun clothes as well as several dozen pairs of heels. The problem is that I can't handle spending a whole day in heels or walking long distances in them so I was wondering if it's ok to wear flip flops, etc. Not all the time, of course, but on some days.

Flip flops would get you weird looks. Try to get some nice-looking pointy flats or something or at least one of those jeweled/elaborately decorated flats that you see everywhere these days. Since you're not that old, you could wear a pair of sneakers, but not running sneakers. Try to get a pair that's unique and stylish-looking.

[Diorling]

Im really surprised how nicely they're dressed. I pictured heavy brocade jackets and boots and shearling. It is a tad tacky, maybe it's thier way of making up for the cold, electrobright outfits.

It's actually rather springy, how warm does it get in Russia? They're wearing mini dresses and shorts and stuff.

[faust]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Diorling Im really surprised how nicely they're dressed. I pictured heavy brocade jackets and boots and shearling. It is a tad tacky, maybe it's thier way of making up for the cold, electrobright outfits. It's actually rather springy, how warm does it get in Russia? They're wearing mini dresses and shorts and stuff.

it's warm in the summer.

DressageChick is absolutely right, many Russians have an excellent sense of style - it's the options that they don't have. Of course like with any new country entering capitalism one will see a lot of tacky and overdone, but that's a learning curve which I think Russians are zooming through quite quickly.

Actually, come to think of it, I would take Moscow Dolce and Gabanna kitsch over New Jersey Juicy Couture/Louis Vuitton kitsch any day.

I miss St.Petersburg, enjoy it Kseniya.

[Kseniya]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DressageChick Flip flops would get you weird looks. Try to get some nice-looking pointy flats or something or at least one of those jeweled/elaborately decorated flats that you see everywhere these days. Since you're not that old, you could wear a pair of sneakers, but not running sneakers. Try to get a pair that's unique and stylish-looking.

thanks for the advice. I have a dozen pairs of flats to choose from and a pair of Steven by Steve Madden "sneakers" that are light pink and pointy toed that I can bring with me. I think I can hande 16 days without my flippies.

[utopia]

yeah my friend has just moved back from russia after living there several months, and he told me that the clothes people wore were one of the biggest culture shocks to him. he said russian women dressed up a lot and were very into high glamour. and apparently he says they "...always wear pointy shoes". he also commented on a lot of very bright neon colour.

[DressageChick]

Quote:

Originally Posted by utopia yeah my friend has just moved back from russia after living there several months, and he told me that the clothes people wore were one of the biggest culture shocks to him. he said russian women dressed up a lot and were very into high glamour. and apparently he says they "...always wear pointy shoes". he also commented on a lot of very bright neon colour.

Yeah they're obsessed with pointy shoes. When I was there a couple years ago at least 19 out of 20 women in heels would have the pointy shoes.

[Melisande]

Hi! I see many many Russian girls here in Tokyo. Being that these tall gorgeous leggy blondes in bright colors tend to stand out among millions of petite goths in Yohji , I've made a few observations. Correct me if what I'm seeing is just expat Russian fashion, but the photos and comments above do seem to corroborate my list:

bright colors
skintight tops
skintight, embellished feminine jeans/pants
logo-ed bags
long manicured nails
big sunglasses
pointy heels
shiny, glittery jewelry
...most interesting are the ubiquitous big hair clips and other hair "ornaments" with rhinestones and logos

I would love to visit St. Petersburg Kseniya...Have a wonderful trip!

[czilla]

I love the pictures, FIFA! The floppy sunhat is an especially nice touch, but I agree that most of the looks come off as slightly tacky.

A friend of mine just returned from summer study split between Moscow and St Petersburg. She told story about her host family calling her to the television to watch a very popular late night TV host and was surprised to find a drag queen who puts Boy George to shame. She didn't come across a lot of gay pride in Russia so she was initially taken aback by his popularity. Between that and their 15 year old White rapper who thugs it up as much as he can but is most famous for his cutesy hit "Drink Beer!", she playfully postulated that Russians just lack the cheese factor. Everything is done seriously and to the utmost -- if you're going to wear logos, wear as many of them as possible. If you're going to dress as a woman, do it as convincingly and shockingly as possible. And apparently if you're going to dress to impress, do it constantly and look as put together as these ladies do on the streets of St. P. ^^

[Kseniya]

I'm going to go to Best Buy or Wal-Mart later today and buy more batteries and memory for my camera so that I can take some pictures of people on the street (and everything else ) and post them when I come back.

I can't believe that I'm leaving in less than two weeks. I'm beyong excited.

[faust]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kseniya I'm going to go to Best Buy or Wal-Mart later today and buy more batteries and memory for my camera so that I can take some pictures of people on the street (and everything else ) and post them when I come back. I can't believe that I'm leaving in less than two weeks. I'm beyong excited.

you don't need a new battery - just buy a battery charger adaptor for $1 in a hardware store.

[liberty33r1b]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MulletProof wow, these people.....effort appreciated but they look rather tacky.

they look REALLY tacky.....like expected, i'd say.

[Tinuviel]

The girl with the red hairband looks decent enough compared to the others.