Who such Nadezhda Lamanova is a favourite fashion designer of the last Russian empress

Surprisingly, but of the history of the Russian fashion we sometimes know much less, than of world. At the same time we can brag of names which left the mark — and not only in a local context too, but also in global. One of such persons — Nadezhda Petrovna Lamanova. Her life and career developed wonderfully: before revolution she managed to become the supplier of the imperial yard and the costume designer of key Moscow theaters, and after 1917 developed clothes for a general population and created experimental things which submitted foreign public at world exhibitions.


Fem-ikona

Today Nadezhda Petrovna would be called by a feminism icon. Long before women's emancipation she could construct successful career and scare together a fortune, without having support of rich parents or successful marriage. She was born in family of the nobleman from an impoverished sort in the Nizhny Novgorod province and in 16 years was forced to move independently to Moscow to go for work and to help family. She quickly was taught at school of dressmaking, found the first work, and in only several years made up the mind to a cardinal step — opened own Fashion house in the center of Moscow. It quickly won arrangement of rich merchants, the upper class of the aristocracy and Moscow bohemia. Lamanova dressed all — from tradeswomen (joked that they adore beating out discounts) to actresses of theaters.

The chain of acquaintances and happy clients at some point brought it to the empress Aleksandra Fiodorovna. Their relations, however, as a result were not set: The hope was quite rigid, rested and basic in communication — and did not do indulgences even for monarchical persons. Nevertheless, it was awarded an honourable title of the Supplier of the yard of its Imperial Majesty. At the same time Lamanova not only tried to obtain success itself, but also helped with it to others. She did a big charity work and even organized free school of dressmaking where everyone could study this skill at the Fashion house.


Contemporaries called the fashion designer "Stanislavsky in the field of a suit" (by the way, they were on friendly terms with the legendary director and worked hard together), many outstanding cultural figures considered her the ingenious artist. It is known that she several times a year went to Paris to buy fabrics and to improve the skill, communicating with the European colleagues: there she got acquainted with Paul Poiret. But revolution rushed into the prompt current of her life. After the October revolution she was arrested as brought closer to imperial family: she could be released only thanks to Maxim Gorky's patronage.

Artist

Despite such dramatic changes, it with former eagerness undertook new work, at all, appear, without missing to still high position. Nadezhda Petrovna began to develop clothes based on the Russian national suit for a general population and also continued to work in Vakhtangov Theatre, creating suits for all key statements. In 1922 Lamanova became the member of the State Academy of Art sciences — it became confirmation of its status of the true artist. A bit later she cooperated with Vera Mukhina and created experimental models of clothes for the international exhibitions where they steadily delighted foreign public. Lamanova managed to be marked out also at cinema, working with Eisenstein, Protazanov and Alexandrov (suits in Aelita, "Alexander the Nevsky" and "Circus" — her hands business).


Perfektsionistka

In Lamanov's work was real perfectionistic. It tormented clients with infinite long fittings, was not convinced yet that the thing sits faultlessly. She did not suffer compromises and always tried to obtain that its vision was realized in the smallest details. For this reason Nadezhda ignored wishes of customers — even the richest and notable. Thanks to faultless taste and tailor's talent she knew better that she will suit this or that person — and then and did not want to hear about tailoring of things based on illustrations in fashionable magazines. By the way, she did not do sketches too: the fashion designer was not able to draw and practiced a headdress method when fabric is draped and pinned up by pins directly on a figure therefore there is the necessary form and a silhouette. Despite straightforwardness and rigid character, clients adored Lamanova — many sewed all the clothes only at her, the result steadily was faultless. Nadezhda Petrovna ideally felt a figure of the person and knew how to emphasize advantages and to hide shortcomings — therefore its vision was frequent more precisely and komplimentarny, than a view of customers of itself.