“Have you ever been to a brothel? I have!” – Fashionable Alexander Vasilyev opened the “Boudoir” in Riga 0 51

In Two Parts

The opening took place in two parts - first a press preview, then a reception for an exclusive social audience. Everything was quite elevated - to the immortal music from Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake", as well as melodies from the waltz king Johann Strauss and nocturnes by Frédéric Chopin.

"In Riga, there has been a Fashion Museum for nine consecutive years, organized with my direct participation," said Alexander Alexandrovich in a confidential conversation with the newspaper "SEGDNYA". "Its owner, my friend from my youth, Natalia Muzychkina, constantly organizes new, wonderful exhibitions featuring items from the collection of the Riga museum and my Foundation, which is located in Lithuania, in the city of Visaginas. Our joint new exhibition is dedicated to 'The Secrets of the Boudoir', the history of women's underwear, which is quite enticing, isn't it?

Before you are corsets, crinolines, tulle skirts, stockings, garters, bonnets, combinations, nightgowns, bras, belts, peignoirs, and dresses to match. All of them make up the essence of this exhibition! And the sugar of it consists of fans, perfume bottles, jars of powder and puffs, polisuars, hair brushes, combs, and pins. There are many people, photographers, and journalists - and my joy from working in such a wonderful private museum is immense. Have you ever been to a brothel? I have! And as a result, there are also various accessories related to intimate cosmetics. Items that span at least 250 years of history. And that is why I think this topic will always be of interest. Especially since we have never touched on it in Riga. And Riga is a city of style; they love this kind of thing here."

Signs of Civilization

According to the fashion master, there has not been a single civilized human life without underwear! Neither male, nor female, nor children's. And it varies by climate, age, and... moral standards.

"Because the underwear worn in Islamic countries is not the same as the underwear worn in brothels in Paris or New York. These are completely different things.

There is underwear for seduction, for breastfeeding, for skiing, for ice skating, there is underwear for sitting in the office. There is shaping, corrective underwear, because for many even today, the question of figure is the most important question in history. Many women want to look younger and slimmer. And why not?

Times change and we change with them - women's fashion has been forever altered by emancipation, wars, education, and contraception. And the appearance of women's underwear, among other things, has been greatly influenced by the invention of knitwear and washing machines. And before, all this was washed by laundresses; delicate silk transformed in gentle women's hands!".

Boundaries of Decency

Underwear (some exhibits are 150 years old!) is impressive! These are not just modern panties and bras; here are entire wardrobes! Because, as the fashion expert says, in the old sacred times, it was impossible to undress a woman in a hurry!

"The association of underwear with eroticism emerged relatively late, around the 17th century," says museum director Natalia Muzychkina. "Fashion changed, and along with it, the boundaries of decency changed, and not in a linear fashion towards greater moral freedom, but in a rather whimsical way. You will be able to see this for yourself at the exhibition, where these changes are very well illustrated by the examples of the 19th and 20th centuries."

The exhibition is aptly named "boudoir" (fr. Boudoir). In the mid-18th century, under the influence of the playful Rococo style and Enlightenment ideas, the first room without specific practical functions, intended solely for a woman, her solitude, and comfort, appeared. The boudoir was usually located next to the bedroom and was most often a private salon for wealthy ladies, where they received their closest guests, as well as rested, engaged in needlework, read, or wrote letters.

Here, too, is a small niche dedicated to clothing and eroticism - it is recommended only for visitors aged 16 and older. At the exhibition, visitors will be able to try on replicas of historical home clothing and corsets.

The Ashes of Maya Plisetskaya are Missing

In a couple of days of visiting Riga, Mr. Vasilyev managed to visit a couple of antique shops to select props for the updated version of the ballet "The Nutcracker" at the Latvian National Opera. The thing is, the scenography, once created by Vasilyev, was seriously damaged during a recent fire at the theater's new warehouses. But fortunately, everything was insured, and everything will be restored!

Moreover, the fashionable guest took the time to remember his acquaintance, the great ballerina Maya Plisetskaya, who would have turned one hundred during this fashionista's latest visit to Riga.

"And the ashes of Maya and her husband, composer Rodion Shchedrin, which were in Munich... have disappeared," Mr. Vasilyev revealed. "The reason for the disappearance is disagreements in the Messerer and Plisetskaya families, a lack of mutual understanding and support. According to the latest rumors, if both ashes are found, they will be scattered over Zvenigorod, where the ashes of Plisetskaya's friend, actress Lily Brick, have already been scattered, who gave Maya the idea of cremation and scattering the ashes. By the way, I inherited most of Maya Plisetskaya's dresses and costumes for the Foundation in Lithuania and for the Museum named after Maya in Moscow on Tverskaya Street."

Do We Need This?

With these words, the fashion classic flew off to give a lecture in Essen and Stuttgart, and then performed in Vilnius in a hall where 800 tickets were sold.

"Thank God, people continue to be interested in fashion and its history. After Germany and Lithuania, I still have performances waiting for me in Helsinki and the opening of a new exhibition for the centenary of Art Deco at the Fal Castle in Estonia, and then a tour in The Hague. I am very glad for such unprecedented busyness; I regularly take tests and ECGs, everything is normal! And I wish you to continue living, creating, traveling, falling in love, eating, doing everything you like...

And if you philosophize too much, read sad news on the internet, watch television endlessly, and count the number of corpses that died in various disasters, you might end up with a stomach ulcer or perhaps even rectal cancer. Do we need this?" said Vasilyev in farewell.