Though her name isn’t red-carpet-recognizable yet, among the style bloggerati, Ulyana Sergeenko is a veritable star. Porcelain-skinned and with a pinup figure, the 32-year-old wife of the Russian insurance billionaire Danil Khachaturov is both adored and imitated for her glamorous 1950s babushka style (think full skirts, fitted mohair sweaters, and a head scarf tied à la Grace Kelly). Sergeenko has parlayed that sartorial acclaim into an eponymous couture label, which she presented in Paris this past summer. Her debut collection featured clingy knit tops, quilted skirts, floor-sweeping greatcoats, and enough sable to swaddle the Russian army. “They’re clothes I love to wear,” she says. “But they’re also for every woman who wants to be beautiful.” Here, a few of Sergeenko’s flights of fancy.
Cameo Earrings
“I bought them (below)
at a vintage shop in Sicily when I was there in July for Dolce &
Gabbana’s first couture show. They remind me of that beautiful
place and that amazing event.”
A New Earth, by Eckhart Tolle
“This
book made me try to live in the moment more, and I strongly recommend
that everybody read it.”
Rocco And His Brothers, by Luchino Visconti
“It’s a film about a poor Italian family from the
countryside that moves to Milan in search of a better life. It features
Alain Delon in one of the best roles of his life.”
Tuscany
“I often vacation in a small
village there, near Capalbio, which reminds me of the town in Kazakhstan
where I spent so much time during my childhood. Even the tomatoes have
the same taste.”
The Quilted Coat from my Debut Collection
“It was inspired by 19th-century military uniforms (above),
but it has some unusual details, such as the peplum and the
hand-embroidered shoulder straps—and it comes with a flask
decorated with berries. It represents the collection perfectly.”
“The World We Knew,” by Frank
Sinatra
“This song is so nostalgic, and
bittersweet, and beautiful. It moves me very much.”
MAC rouge noir Lipstick
“I love it, but
they stopped producing it a while ago, and I’m running out of my
stock. So if you have it, please send it to me—I would be very
grateful!”
