Tragedies and Fates: How the Life of 10 Famous Soviet Fashion Models Was

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Today, the profession of a model is considered prestigious and highly paid, and in Soviet times, models received a salary at the level of a low-skilled worker. It was almost indecent to be a fashion model or a clothing demonstrator, and it never occurred to anyone to be proud of their fame in the West. The fate of Soviet models was often difficult, even tragic. Although there were, of course, those to whom fortune gave a lucky ticket.

Regina Zbarskaya

She was called the Soviet Sophia Loren and the most beautiful weapon in the Kremlin. But she never became happy. The model's husband, Lev Zbarsky, was categorically against the birth of a child and forced her husband to have an abortion. After that, Regina climbed out of depression for a long time and painfully. Meanwhile, her husband left her, married Lyudmila Maksakova, in marriage with whom he had a son, Maxim. Upon learning of this, Regina tried to commit suicide, but she was saved.

The affair with a Yugoslav journalist ended with another disappointment: the ardent lover published a book in which he described Zbarskaya's carnal pleasures with the highest party officials of the USSR. Regina tried to commit suicide for the second time, after which she was treated in a psychiatric clinic. In 1987, another suicide attempt was successful. After the death of the supermodel, many secrets and mysteries remained. Her diary, in which one could find answers to many questions, disappeared without a trace.

Mila Romanovskaya

Mila Romanovskaya in the west was called the birch and the Snow Maiden. She became famous thanks to her participation in the show with a demonstration of the dress "Russia", which was originally sewn for Regina Zbarskaya, but Mila looked in it more organically and more accurately conveyed the true image of a Russian beauty.

Mila's fate was quite successful. She was married to artist Yuri Kuperman, who emigrated to Israel, then moved to England. Mila was allowed to reunite with her husband, asking only not to take part in anti-Soviet actions. In the west, she collaborated with fashion houses for some time. Later, after parting with her first husband, Mila married twice more and was able to build her own business.

Galina Milovskaya

Russian Twiggy rose as a bright star in the modeling horizon, however, her modeling career was filled with ideological scandals. After participating in the filming for Vogue magazine, she was accused of anti-Soviet propaganda for photographing in Red Square in a frivolous pose, then she was expelled from the Shchukin school for showing in a swimsuit. After the appearance of a picture of Galina with a drawing of a butterfly and a flower on her face and shoulders in the Italian magazine "Expresso" with the simultaneous publication of Tvardovsky's poem "Terkin in the Next World", a new flurry of accusations fell on Milovskaya.

She emigrated in 1974, pursuing a career in the West, where she gained fame as "Solzhenitsyn of Fashion." After her marriage to Jean-Paul Dessertino, she left the catwalk, graduated from the film directing department at the Sorbonne, and became a documentary filmmaker.

Leka Mironova

Leka (Leonidia) Mironova, the Russian Audrey Hepburn, has always been restricted to travel abroad because of her noble origin and because of statements of harassment by high-ranking men. She categorically refused to join an escort for party members, for which she paid with her own career.

Personal life has developed very dramatically. After her divorce from her husband, she had a touching affair with the photographer Antanis from Lithuania. However, threats from the nationalists forced them to leave. But Leka did not let a single man come near her. Antanis never married again.

Elena Metelkina

Perhaps the name of this fashion model would have remained unknown if it had not been for the shooting in the films "Through Thorns to the Stars" and "Guest from the Future." Later, Elena Metelkina worked as an assistant to a prominent businessman Ivan Kivelidi, who was killed.

The personal life of the model did not work out, the husband turned out to be a marriage swindler and left her with her son. Currently, Elena turned to faith, sings in the church choir.

Tatiana Chapygina

Tatiana was one of the most beautiful models in the Soviet Union. Her photographs were adorned with magazines, she constantly took part in fashion shows and photo shoots. However, at the peak of her career, the fashion model got married and devoted herself entirely to her family. She is happily married to her Austrian husband, only sometimes with nostalgia she recalls her modeling past.

Tatiana Solovyova (Mikhalkova)

Colleagues called her an institute for her higher education, and Vyacheslav Zaitsev called her only as a Botticellian girl. Tatyana did not work as a model for too long, the affair with Nikita Mikhalkov ended in a happy marriage and her husband insisted on her leaving the profession. And for a long time he hid his wife's modeling past. Today Tatyana is not only a happy wife and mother, but also the head of the Russian Silhouette Foundation.

Valentina Yashina

Russian Greta Garbo was successful as a model and happy in her personal life. However, after the death of her husband, director of the Artist's House Nikolai Malakhov, who left her about $ 5 million, she ended her life in complete loneliness and poverty. Friends blame the model's son and grandson for this.

Rumiya Rumi Rei

She was often called Shahiney not only for her amazing appearance, but also for her tough disposition. Ardent Rumia could make a scandal out of the blue. But at the same time she remained one of Vyacheslav Zaitsev's favorite models, she still maintains a relationship with him. Now the former model is organizing festive events.

Evgeniya Kurakina

Another example of the lucky fate of the model. At one time, she starred a lot for Western magazines, although she herself did not even see her photographs. She was called a "sad teenager" and was loved for her cold beauty. Later, the model got married and emigrated to Germany.

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