I am not a fashionista. Though I enjoy looking at pictures of pretty clothing on the Internet, trying on a fancy dress on the rare occasion that I go shopping with friends, or even splurging on some sparkly gold shoes in a moment of weakness, no one in their right mind would really ask me for fashion advice. I grew up in California, and though some may disagree, San Francisco is not a place where dressing up is a necessity. I would challenge someone to live a day in San Francisco without seeing a considerable amount hoodies, flip-flops, running shorts, and sweatpants. In terms of fashion, let’s just say that my childhood in California had not really prepared me for my move to the east coast for college, let alone my study abroad here in Russia.
In the last two years at Georgetown, with considerable help from my couture obsessed roommate, my wardrobe has expanded from my traditional California wear. In my opinion, it is getting quite respectable. I now own a business suit, some vintage sweaters, and even *gasp* some swanky leather books. Though I still can be seen in campus in the dead of winter sporting my flip-flops, generally speaking, I look considerably more like a Georgetown student than when I originally arrived on campus.
Now, you may be asking yourself, what does this have to do with Russia? This is a study abroad blog after all! I assure you, this preface is necessary. See, when I arrived in Russia, I was feeling quite confident that I knew at least a little about clothing having survived Georgetown. Little did I know that I was walking into a place where stilettos are as common in lectures as they are in Gossip Girl or some other TV show about fashion conscious high schoolers. The people here seriously dress up. For everything. Whether leaving the house to go to school or to buy groceries or to go out to the theater, figuring out what to wear is exceedingly important. It simply has to be difficult to navigate buses bursting with people while wearing 10 inch platform heels and a mini skirt during an hour long commute every morning. Or walking on ice for that matter. Though I have not yet witnessed it firsthand, I have been told that when it snows, you can see little stiletto holes in the snow where people have walked.
I mainly find the shoes a little overkill, but in general, the clothing people wear here daily would be something that I would wear to opening night at the ballet or maybe a really fancy party. Also, make up. Personally, I don’t know what to do with make up.Though I am fan of nail polish, I am afraid of stabbing myself in the eye with the mascara or ending up looking like a multicolored mutant panda, but I know my host mother spends about 45 minutes every morning pouring over a mirror in the kitchen putting on a blanket of make up.
There are so many rules with clothing too. Sometimes it is hard to keep up, but I am sure to remember the important ones.
- Always wear tights if your legs are showing at all. First of all, tights are warm, so it is advisable. Second of all, if you don’t wear tights, people will think you are a prostitute. I thought this was merely a joke in orientation; however it has been corroborated by a few acquaintances who publicly dared to travel outside without leg coverings.
- Short skirts are okay. There is no skirt too short.
- Coats here are beautiful, but they never, ever should be worn inside. I have been working at the Hermitage Art Museum and most of my job is yelling at people (mostly non-Russian tourists) to put away their coats since they are simply NOT allowed inside. Thus, coat rooms are provided free of cost in venues ranging from museums to theaters to even the occasional grocery store.
- No gloves or warm hats can be worn prior to November. I have already broken this rule several times. If I hadn’t I think I might have gotten frostbite on my hands; however I also have to endure the smirks and scoffs of passing Russians.
- Regardless of how clean you think your clothing is, when you get home, you must immediately change into pajamas and slippers. Everyone is fancy outside the doors of their apartment, but five minutes after they get home, I guarantee that even the most fashionable person will be dressed in the Russian equivalent of a muumuu.
Obviously, I am still learning about Russians. My host family helps out significantly, and in strange ways, but I don’t mind! For example, my host mom will not let me leave for school in the morning until she makes sure I am dressed warm enough and wearing appropriate clothes that will not result in the other host mothers judge her for allowing her student to go out in something incorrect. Regardless of what she says, there is one guarantee: you will never see me wearing heels here in Petersburg. I think I would shatter my ankle in a matter of minutes. I will leave that privilege to Russian women.
