The KGB and fashion: how the USSR catwalk stars lived and ended up
“Elective. History": Catwalk for spies
How did models live during the Khrushchev Thaw? How did the simple fashion model from the USSR Regina Zbarskaya captivate foreigners? Why was she nicknamed the “Soviet Sophia Loren”? And how were fashion models made into Soviet spies? Read about this in the documentary investigation of the Moscow Trust TV channel.
Soviet Sophia Loren
1961 An international trade and industrial exhibition is taking place in Paris. The USSR Pavilion is a great success among the public. But Parisians are attracted not by combines and trucks, but by the achievements of Soviet light industry. The best clothing demonstrators of the Moscow Model House shine on the catwalk.
The next day, an article appears in the Paris Match magazine, in the center of which is not the leader of the Soviet country Nikita Khrushchev, but Regina Zbarskaya. French journalists call it the Kremlin's most beautiful weapon. Detractors in the USSR immediately accuse the successful fashion model of having connections with the KGB. Until now, the fate of the beauty from Kuznetsky Most is shrouded in mystery.
Federico Fellini calls Regina Zbarskaya the Soviet Sophia Loren. Pierre Cardin, Yves Montand, Fidel Castro admire her beauty. And in 1961, Paris gave her a standing ovation. A model from the USSR appears on the catwalk wearing boots from fashion designer Vera Aralova. In a few years, all of Europe will be wearing these, and Western couturiers will dream of working with Regina.
Regina Zbarskaya
“She was really, really cool. She knew several languages and played the piano superbly. But she had a peculiarity - her legs were crooked. She knew how to place them in such a way that no one ever saw it. She showed it superbly,” says clothing demonstrator Lev Anisimov.
Lev Anisimov came to the All-Union House of Models in the mid-1960s, following an advertisement. And it remains for as long as 30 years. The spectacular blond is not afraid of competition - there are few people who want to walk the catwalk, and the profession of clothing demonstrator in the USSR is one of those condemned. Spectacular fashion models from Kuznetsky Most instantly become the object of rumors and gossip.
“A male model – of course, the idea was that it was easy work, easy money. Moreover, they thought it was a lot of money. For some reason they were considered blackmailers, although there were a huge number of them in Moscow, not fashion models,” says Anisimov.
Anisimov is a member of all Soviet delegations. Among girls, only Regina Zbarskaya can boast of this. They whisper behind her back: she’s some kind of provincial girl, but she goes abroad more often than anyone else, and there she walks around the city alone, unaccompanied.
“Who knows, maybe she was put in a group so that she could provide information on how someone behaves - if a person is connected with the KGB, he doesn’t talk about it,” says Lev Anisimov.
“Naturally, there was a stereotype that the most beautiful models who were models at these exhibitions had a direct connection with espionage,” says intelligence service historian Maxim Tokarev.
Alexander Sheshunov meets Regina at the Vyacheslav Zaitsev Fashion House. Then, in the early 1980s, Zbarskaya no longer appears on the podium, she lives only with memories. And the brightest of them are related to trips abroad.
“Not only that, she was released alone! She flew to Buenos Aires. She had two suitcases of sable fur coats and dresses. No customs, just like personal items. She rode like “a slender messenger of Khrushchev,” as the press called her,” says Alexander Sheshunov.
Catch up and overtake
At the end of the 50s, the “Khrushchev Thaw” was in full swing in the USSR. The Iron Curtain is opening for the West. In 1957, Nikita Sergeevich, at a meeting of agricultural workers, uttered his famous “catch up and overtake!” Khrushchev's call is being echoed by the whole country, including the designers of the Model House on Kuznetsky Most.
“The task of the Model House was not just to create fashionable, beautiful things. It was intellectual and creative work to create the image of a contemporary. But the artists of the Model House did not have the right to their name. There was one name: “The creative team of the Kuznetsky Most Model House,” says artist Nadezhda Belyakova.
Moscow. During a demonstration of clothing models, 1963. Photo: ITAR-TASS
Nadezhda Belyakova grew up in the workshops of the Model House. It was there that her mother, Margarita Belyakova, created her hats. In the 1950s, clothing demonstrators wore them on fashion shows. Frequent guests of the fashion show, representatives of factories, carefully select models for production. But locally, it is not the original style that is valued, but the simplicity of execution. Away with all unnecessary details - the artist’s plan changes beyond recognition.
“They chose models as the artist created them, and then thought about how to save money, how to replace the material, how to remove the finishing. That’s why they had an indecent, but very well-known expression: “Introduce your... model into the factory!” says Belyakova.
Alla Shchipakina, one of the legends of the Soviet catwalk. For 30 years she commented on all the demonstrations of the Model House.
“The strap won’t work - there’s a lot of waste of fabric, the flap too - make a welt pocket” - we were very constrained, so our brains worked very well,” says art critic Alla Shchipakina.
“Very talented artists worked, but their work remained in line with views, in order to represent the USSR throughout the world as a country where intellectuals and beautiful women live (which, in fact, is the purest truth), that is, it was ideological work,” says Nadezhda Belyakova.
The All-Union House of Models does not set any commercial goals. Clothes from the catwalk never go on sale, but the wives and children of the Kremlin elite and members of delegations sent abroad flaunt them.
“Exclusive production, on the verge of creativity, is a little anti-Soviet, and generally closed, elitist, something that is not needed at all for mass production. Unique things were made from expensive materials. But all this was done for the prestige of the country, for demonstration abroad at international industrial exhibitions,” says Alla Shchipakina.
The idea to export Soviet fashion, and with it our beauties, to international exhibitions belongs to Khrushchev. A regular at the closed shows of the Model House, Nikita Sergeevich understands that it will not be difficult for beautiful girls to form a positive image of the country. And it really works - thousands of foreigners come to look at Russian models. Millions dream of meeting them.
“Naturally, along with the catwalk, usually in groups, they also carried another load. If it was an international exhibition, in their free time the girls would be at the stands and participate in protocol events and receptions to attract attention,” says Maxim Tokarev.
“I often saw that at receptions, beautiful women sat in the front row as background. This had an effect on foreigners - girls were invited to sign contracts,” says Lev Anisimov.
Imaginary luxury
For the girls themselves, traveling abroad is perhaps the only plus in their work. Models cannot boast of light bread. They go to the podium three times a day, spend 8-12 hours in fitting rooms, and in terms of their salary of 70 rubles, a clothing demonstrator is equivalent to a fifth-class worker, that is, a tracklayer. In those years, only the cleaning lady received less - 65 rubles.
“When I came in 1967, I received 35 rubles, plus progressive - 13 rubles, plus trips for 3 rubles. In general, I got up to 100 rubles,” recalls Anisimov.
Fashion show in Moscow, 1958. Photo: ITAR-TASS
There is no woman in the Soviet Union who does not dream of French perfume and imported lingerie. This luxury is available only to ballet and film stars and beauties from Kuznetsky Most. They are among the few who travel abroad, but not everyone takes them on these trips.
“We traveled abroad very little, with difficulty, there were several commissions: with the Bolsheviks, in the chamber of commerce, in the Central Committee, in the district committee - 6 or 7 authorities had to go through in order to leave. The models even wrote anonymous letters for each other,” says Alla Shchipakina.
In the late 50s, Regina Kolesnikova (this is her maiden name) did not miss a single audition at Mosfilm. The daughter of a retired officer, she has dreamed of being on stage since childhood. But the girl from Vologda does not dare to go to acting, she enters the Faculty of Economics of VGIK. Her provincial origin haunts her, and she composes a legend for herself.
“She said that her mother was a circus performer, and that she crashed. Regina was indeed an orphan and had a difficult childhood. She was one of those people who are described as “self-made,” says Nadezhda Belyakova.
Regina is noticed by fashion designer Vera Aralova and offers to try herself as a clothing demonstrator at the House of Models on Kuznetsky.
“She saw in her a new image emerging. Regina, indeed, as an actress, tries on an image, and it becomes her essence, so Regina Zbarskaya embodied the image of a woman in the mid-60s,” says Belyakova.
The Soviet government skillfully exploits this image at international shows. Candidates for foreign trips of participants of the Moscow Fashion House are approved by KGB Major Elena Vorobey.
“She was the deputy director of the inspector for international relations. Such a funny lady, with humor, so round and plump. Of course, she was a snitch, she kept an eye on everyone and kept discipline. She reported her arrival very funny: “The sparrow has arrived,” recalls Alla Shchipakina.
The swaying of the iron curtain
On the eve of departure, Elena Stepanovna personally instructs the girls. All selected models are not only good-looking, they speak one or more foreign languages, and can easily carry on any conversation, and upon returning home, retell it verbatim.
“She said: “Foreigners are approaching us, then you must provide me with a detailed dossier of what they said.” I answer: “I don’t know how to do this.” She: “Is it difficult for you to write down what they say, what they ask, what they like, what they don’t like? Nothing difficult, this is creative work,” says Shchipakina.
“Acquaintances that girls could not even make on their own initiative later became the subject of use by special services, simply for the purpose of lobbying for some transactions of foreign trade organizations,” says Maxim Tokarev.
Lev Zbarsky
But there were cases when the security services did everything to prohibit girls from communicating with foreigners. During a trip to the USA, Rockefeller's nephew fell madly in love with fashion model Marina Ievleva. He comes to Moscow twice to woo the beauty. After some time, Marina receives a warning: if you go to the West, your parents will end up in prison. The Soviet government did not want to part with its secret weapon so easily - the most beautiful women in the country.
The fate of Regina Kolesnikova was simpler. “She saw Leva Zbarsky somewhere - they were the Moscow elite, amazing, wonderful artists. And Regina said: “I want to meet Leva,” says Alla Shchipakina.
Lev Zbarsky immediately proposes to Regina. Some admire them, call them the most beautiful couple in Moscow, others envy them.
“There were conversations because she liked her - once, artists sewed a lot of products for her - two, they said that she had an affair with Yves Montand. But at the same time, dating a foreigner was so difficult back then that they started talking about her connections with the KGB,” says Lev Anisimov.
Rumors about Regina's affair with a famous actor and Zbarsky's frequent infidelities gradually destroy their marriage. Soon Lev leaves his wife, and she starts an affair with a Yugoslav journalist. After their short relationship, the book “One Hundred Nights with Regina Zbarskaya” was published. A recent fan quotes the fashion model as saying negative things about Soviet rule.
“No one read the book, but we knew what was in it. Maybe she told him something, but there was no need to write it - he knew Soviet life very well. They began calling her regularly about this. She tried to commit suicide several times, and then mental problems began. She was left alone, Levka left her, went to Maksakova, then left. Everything started spinning like a snowball,” says Alla Shchipakina.
In the 70s, clothing demonstrators retired at 75. Along with skinny women, women of sizes 48 and even 52 walked the catwalk. After a course of treatment, the aged and plump Regina tries to return to Kuznetsky Most, but this is no longer possible. Regina is summoned to the KGB. After another interrogation, she makes a second suicide attempt and ends up in the hospital again.
“They wanted to recruit her, but how? It was double work, it was necessary to give information, but what kind? So that no one gets hurt. It was internal self-destruction,” says Shchipakina.
Nadezhda Zhukova came to the Model House in the late 70s. At that time, new types came into fashion.
“When I first arrived, the girls were almost half a head smaller than me, petite, fragile, with small shoulders, feminine. And it was precisely during that period that they began to select girls who were more athletic, larger, and taller. It was probably preparation for the Olympics,” recalls clothing demonstrator Nadezhda Zhukova.
Nadezhda recalls that in those years, none of the Soviet fashion models became defectors, which cannot be said about the ballet stars. So, in 1961, the soloist of the Leningrad Theater Rudolf Nureyev refused to return from Paris, and in the 70s the theater lost Natalya Makarova and Mikhail Baryshnikov - they also preferred to go abroad.
“Basically, the models were married women, established women, able to behave, and trustworthy. Of course, they did not pursue the goal of emigrating; this allowed them to be nice, smiling, and knowing their worth,” says Zhukova.
Unknown death
Soviet fashion models are officially emigrating. So, in 1972, Regina’s main competitor, Mila Romanovskaya, left her homeland. Once upon a time, at an exhibition of light industry in London, she was entrusted with wearing the famous “Russia” dress. And in the 70s, Berezka (as she is called in the West), following her husband, the famous graphic artist Yuri Kuperman, left for England. Before leaving, the spouses are invited to Lubyanka.
“There was an interest in emigrants there refraining from loud anti-Soviet campaigns. A beautiful woman, if she had given a lecture on the restriction of human rights or the departure of Jews from the USSR, could have caused serious damage to Soviet interests. That is, most likely, they had a conversation with her so that she would not do so much harm,” says Maxim Tokarev.
Another blonde from the House of Models, Russian Twiggy, Galina Milovskaya, ended up in the West not of her own free will. The blond beauty became the first Soviet model whose photograph was published on the pages of Vogue. In one of the photographs, Galina is sitting in trousers on Red Square with her back to the portraits of the leaders. The girl was not forgiven for taking such liberties and was excommunicated from the podium.
Regina Zbarskaya
“After this photo shoot, she was not only fired from the Model House, she was forced to leave the USSR,” says Tokarev.
In 1987, the prima donna of the Soviet catwalk Regina Zbarskaya passed away. According to one version, she died in a psychiatric hospital from a heart attack, according to another, she died at home all alone. In recent years, only her closest friends have been around the former fashion model. Among them is Vyacheslav Zaitsev.
“Vyacheslav Mikhailovich took her to his Model House when she left the psychiatric hospital,” says Lev Anisimov.
It is unknown where and when the queen of the Model House, Regina Zbarskaya, was buried. After death, every fact of her biography becomes a legend.
“She was an ordinary girl, her last name was Kolesnikova, they called her Regina, or maybe she changed it from Katerina. But fantastic beauty! Maybe it was her lot to endure so much suffering for her beauty,” says Alla Shchipakina.
At the end of the 1980s, the Cold War came to an end. To travel abroad, you no longer need to obtain approval from the Party Central Committee and undergo instructions from the KGB. The generation of the first top models is also becoming a thing of the past. It was they who revealed to the West the beauty of Soviet women.
But while they received a standing ovation from Paris, Berlin, and London, in their homeland the girls from Kuznetsky Most were called informers behind their backs. The envy of their colleagues and constant control by the intelligence services - this is the price that each of them had to pay.
Plot: City stories
Early years, childhood and family of Ekaterina Kopanova
Ekaterina Kopanova was born in the city of Donetsk on May 26, 1985, but immediately after birth she moved with her entire family to Sevastopol.
In this place, her parents worked as artists in the musical and choreographic ensemble of the Black Sea Fleet. Therefore, our today’s heroine was familiar with the peculiarities of theatrical life from an early age. As Katya herself recalls, her entire childhood was spent behind the scenes, and therefore the choice of acting profession was not accidental for her. At first, however, Ekaterina Kopanova thought for some time about connecting her life with choreography. However, my complexion did not allow me to enter the ballet school.
Young and promising - actress Ekaterina Kopanova
Thus, already from adolescence, Katya began to prepare for admission to a theater university. She studied in a special theater class for gifted children, and also worked as a waitress to save some money to move to Moscow.
As a result, a young Ukrainian girl ended up in Russia in 2001. Having found suitable housing, she applied to the famous Boris Shchukin Theater Institute and, despite a lot of competition, successfully entered. From that moment on, a completely different life began for the red-haired young actress.
Elena Metelkina
Probably everyone remembers the woman from the future - Polina - who helped everyone’s favorite Alisa Selezneva in the film “Guest from the Future”. Few people know that this role was brilliantly played by fashion model Elena Metelkina. Her unearthly appearance contributed to the fact that she played more than one role in films - in the film “Through Hardships to the Stars,” for example, it was the alien Niya.
