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Less than a hundred years ago, wearing fake jewelry was considered as a sign of a bad taste. People in the audience of the Parisian fashion shows smoked cigarettes in front of walking models, and a girl’s short hair automatically marginalized her to a society rebel, if not an outcast.
Times have changed dramatically. ‘Physical’ shows seem to be replaced for good by virtual ones, to wear ‘real’ fur has become a mark of complete has been-ness (the concept of good taste been definitely outdated), girls and boys stopped classifying themselves by gender, reasonably suggesting that anyone can be who or what she wants, and change looks and roles following the mood.
Having brought our habitat (planet Earth) to the threshold of an ecological catastrophe, humans, finally, thought about how long we can last at such a pace. The pandemic, which has covered the entire globe with a tenacious net of fear and despair, hastened the mind-process. Waste sorting has become a routine for most of us. The fashion industry, like many businesses not directly related to the production of essentials, willing r to survive, had to adjust rapidly and reinvent itself. The bacchanalia of top brands’ shows, gathering thousands of VIP guests from all over the world in the most exquisite locations, came to an abrupt end.
Nowadays fashion houses are concentrating their business strategy on reducing the production costs of clothing, most of which ends up in landfills, continuing to pollute the planet. After watching documentaries revealing the miserable working conditions at the Bangladeshi garment factories-suppliers for the fast fashion giants; the unhuman conditions of keeping animals – luxury bags skin givers, and footage of how a maddened crowd of shoppers sweeps away everything in its path during Black Fridays, even the most careless of us started to think of recycling and alternative ways of shopping.
Our story tells about one of such alternatives, probably the coolest and the most creative. Its protagonist name’s Nastya Andreyanova (@blazing_babe). A stylist originally from St. Petersburg, Russia, who now lives and works in the Big Apple (New York, USA).
Nastya has over 47 thousand Instagram followers, whose trust is backed up by her dreamy CV. She signed advertising campaigns with such brands as Nike, Topshop, Guerlain, Bacardi, Calvin Klein, Glo, BUD, ZNY, Queensbee US, Pritch London, Aizel, Badoo. Adriyanova collaborated with print and online versions in the Russian editions of Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Grazia, Glamor, Marie Clare, Cosmopoltan, Buro 24/; the models dressed by her appeared on the cover of Hello Magazine and international Hypebae, Hypebeast, Hightsnobiety. The list of her private star clients includes Kristina Si, Basta, Nastya Ivleeva, Katya Kishnyak, Elena Krygina, Masha Minogarova.
Nastya is an adept of a vintage luxury fashion. What is it, why our future belongs to the second hand [garments’] market and how to change our mind to enable us to enjoy shopping vintage, all these we discussed in our extremely intense WatsUp chat, the result of which is in front of you
Let's start from the beginning. How did you become a fashion stylist?
In fact, I was born into the family of architects, and visual arts have accompanied me since I was born. As a child, I was attending art schools and have been oil painting since five. Academic education in my profession (visual styling) did not exist at that time, so I learned everything at work. I got my first job at the age of 16, at 24 I moved from St. Petersburg to Moscow. At the beginning, I worked as an SMM specialist, then – as a stylist in the street-wear cloth’s brand. I have been always passionate about fashion (and music).
How did the idea of recycling in the domain of vintage clothes come about?
Over time, I realized that I had been fed up with buying low-quality stuff and watch others do the same. I made some researches and came up with a conclusion that, practically, I have been already wearing vintage for a long time. I still remember my dad’s saying: “Anyone can dress up in luxury brands’ [new cloths]. It requires a lot of good taste to be able to dress up in a beautiful vintage. “
Tell us about your private clients: who are they?
My clients are different, very rich and less rich. There are also those who pay in installments since, frankly, the prices for my services as a personal stylist are quite high for the industry. What all my clients have in common is their strong personality and uniqueness.
How do you “accustom” them to buy vintage garments, which, let us say it straight forward, are second hand? Does it bother them to wear clothes worn by someone else before?
Regarding vintage, everything is very simple: nowadays, most of young girls follow someone as an example, as a role model. In the social media Zendaya, sisters Bella and Gigi Hadid, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Kaia Gerber are such models for everyone to follow. What is important to note is that behind every street-look of each of these celebrities ‘hiding’ a personal stylist. These stylists are constantly inspired by the past. However, the passion for shopping and beauty inherent in any girl can be satisfied by searching for the original pieces, instead of their boring modern copies! It can be a certain jacket, a pair of shoes or a handbag from the show of a certain designer, produced in a certain year. The search for such original item can turn into an exciting game, where a whole world of unique cloth, each of which has a fascinating story, will open up to you. Instead of an act of buying another meaningless piece of clothing, I suggest my clients turning shopping into collecting.How can you change the mindset of people regarding second hand? I like to compare vintage clothing to collecting vintage cars. It’s all about a way of thinking. One should also know that vintage items sometimes cost more expensive than the new ones (for example, the price for a vintage lizard skin Hermes 15 bag reaches 30-50 thousand euros). It is a luxury accessible, along with the haute couture outfits, only to the happy few. If you strive to belong to the category of people not only with big money, but also sophisticated taste and excellent knowledge of the history of fashion – welcome to the world of vintage.
There is also a second argument that works well for doubters: here in the West, everyone does it.
To do shopping is not enough if you want to stand out. Nevertheless, when you are looking for a rare item, the value of which can be easily recognized by connoisseurs (and which, moreover, only grows with age), the sensations are completely different. In the west, such ideas have long been rooted, and I believe that, soon people in the east will share the similar concept.
After all, there are special SPA for exclusive vintage pieces, where, if desired, your vintage can be restored to the state of “better than new”.
How do you feel about basics? What is your attitude toward casual pieces and what do you think should be the ratio of new / vintage items in one’s wardrobe?
I advocate a desire for individuality, which implies the absence of basics as such. At the same time, the visual components of a look, while maintaining their uniqueness, can be combined with each other according to mood and whish. If, for example, my client likes seventies, of course, she will not dress from head to toe exclusively in the clothes of that decade. The best example of basics is.. a pair of jeans; everybody sells them! Meanwhile I absolutely don’t advise wearing them new – only vintage ones.
The best jeans of all time were produced by the Levis 501 in the USA and England in the nineties. Why? Because at that time they were made of 100% denim, without stretch and viscose. It was a heavy cotton that did not stretch at all, which gave that unbelievable push-up effect, making any body perfect. Remember the legendary photos of the top models of that era: Cindy Crawford, Claudia Schiffer. In such jeans, as in a corset, it is tough to move, but what they do with your shapes compensates any eventual inconvenience.
I am extremely conscious about buying new cloths: I want to know its origin. In this sense, I trust luxury brands with their policy of strict quality control. Handmade by artisans with decades of experience, a good salary and a nice working environment, a Dior bag can’t sell cheap. At the same time, what really matters is not how high the final price is but the enjoyment of everyone who participates in the process of creating [of this product].
Nowadays, the message which a brand translates, its political and environmental position have also come to the front line. Thus, after the scandal with the Chinese and the shock that this scandal caused on social media (refer to the racism statements of one of the founders of the D&G on Instagram. At the same time, an advertising campaign of the Italian brand featuring a Chinese model trying to take an Italian pastry with a stick usually used for Chinese food, caused a lot of talk about racism as well), none of my clients does not even want to hear about D&G anymore. They instantly became persona non-grata. On the contrary, Prada, with its very expensive recycled nylon stuff, transmits a highly relevant story. They have a great ideology, strive for sustainable [fashion] and inclusivity, and therefore they are very much “in trend”. Let’s be honest: in 2021, it’s a shame not to sort your waste or buy a T-shirt for € 3 at H&M.
What is your own style?
It is difficult for me to judge myself: probably, the way I decide to dress up when I wake up in the morning depends on my current mood. I am an extremely versatile person, and I do not have one particular look that I would constantly exploit. Every 1-2 months I completely change, keeping only my hair color. I have everything in my wardrobe, from fur coats and leather to sensual lace lingerie, dresses with feminine slits and pieces in acid and black colors. But just a couple of sport suits).
I forbade myself to pay attention to the opinions of others. So every morning I choose the role I decide to play today. For me, clothes is an effective way to cheer up, to light yourself up from within even if you feel gloomy inside. Illuminate yourself in any way, showing out all your facets.
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