J’adore: Ulyana Sergeenko
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!”
Photo: Runway: Dan Lucca; all others, courtesy of Ulyana Sergeenko
