Russians have long had a special love for furs. For centuries, fur garments have been highly esteemed as gifts as well as symbols of the wearer's status. Fur's significance can be attributed as much to the severe Russian climate as to the beauty of the fur itself.
But these days, there's more to the Russian fur scene than the stereotypical thick, floor-length shuba; furs are sheared, dyed, knitted and even imprinted with designs with lasers. As a result, Moscow's fur boutiques are stocked with more interesting new styles of coats and accessories than ever.
For fur from a top name in Russian fashion, try Helen Yarmak. A former mathematician, Yarmak has made a name for Russian fur designs on the world stage; in addition to her Moscow shops, she has a salon on New York's Fifth Avenue and her clients include Hollywood celebrities as well as Russian luminaries.
The chocolate-colored walls of her Berlin House boutique form a backdrop for racks of furs (priced from $1,200 to $60,000), and Yarmak's creations of miniver, sable, chinchilla, fox, rabbit, lynx and mink call out to be tried on.
Many models are reversible, perfect for rainy days when you can turn the soft fur in and wear the leather finish out. Yarmak's nonreversible coats have a full silk lining, sometimes hand-embroidered. One particularly beautiful model is a traditional floor-length Russian sable coat with turned-back cuffs ($35,000). Or for something a little more modern, try a fringed sheepskin coat with pearl buttons ($3,200).
Fur stoles make an especially nice accessory on a chilly winter evening. An attention-grabbing accessory is a brown mink stole with a silk lining adorned with embroidered paisley designs ($5,000). An exquisitely light knitted fox stole with fringes and two pockets ($5,200) pairs equally well with a pair of jeans or an evening gown. (Knitted fur is a technique whereby very, very thin strips of fur are attached to a thread and then knitted, almost like a sweater. The resulting garment is very soft, nearly seamless and weighs a fraction of regular fur.)
Designer furs are also available from Irina Tantsurina. Tantsurina opened two boutiques in St. Petersburg before expanding to Moscow last year. Each model in this year's winter collection is one-of-a-kind, and the boutique offers a wide range of furs, from durable beaver ($2,600 for a more modest coat) to soft, fluffy lynx ($15,000 for a full-length coat) to luxurious sable (coats range from $15,000 to $50,000, depending on style).
A light-colored marten bomber jacket with leather inserts and a Chinese-type collar ($5,100) will work well with a pair of pants or a long skirt. A warm marten muff ($500) that can double as a handbag, thanks to a hidden pocket, and a matching fur and leather headpiece ($350) that can be transformed into a collar complete the ensemble.
Tantsurina's spectacular fur stoles might have been expressly designed to steal the show at a gala concert. Priced from $400 to $2,500, they are made from mink, fox or marten and decorated with either fur tassels or white and black chiffon. Some of the stoles feature a muff at one end to keep the stole from slipping; just put one hand in the muff and throw the other end of the stole over your shoulder.
In addition to fur coats, the store offers evening gowns and suits decorated with fur, belts, handbags as well as leather and fur hats. There is also a wide selection of muffs, priced from $100, most of which have a small zip-up or snap-up pocket on the inside for valuables.
Russkiye Mekhoviye Traditsii (Russian Fur Traditions) offers a selection of coats sewn in Russia from Russian and Scandinavian furs. Mink coats of varying lengths and shade of brown, starting at 50,000 rubles ($1,570), and durable astrakhan jackets, starting at 35,000 rubles, dominate the brightly lit showroom.
A selection of hats (3,000 to 5,000 rubles) provides a funky modern touch -- these mink toppers are dyed pink, green, blue and any other color of the rainbow.
Two of the largest fur retailers, Snezhnaya Koroleva (Snow Queen) and Mir Kozhi v Sokolnikah (World of Leather at Sokolniki) require less of a financial commitment. These large complexes feature Italian, Turkish, Greek, Canadian, Scandinavian and Russian fur and leather coats of various colors, lengths and designs from mink, raccoon, fox, sable, marten, beaver and muskrat, as well as a selection of fur hats and stoles. Prices on fur coats start at about $1,000, and both stores offer credit plans.
Helen Yarmak boutiques are located at 22/1 Kadashevskaya Naberezhnaya. Metro Tretyakovskaya. Tel. 951-9809; on the 2nd floor of the Berlin House business center, 5 Ulitsa Petrovka. Metro Teatralnaya. Tel. 775-1968; 16 Tverskaya Ulitsa. Metro Pushkinskaya. Tel. 935-8953.
Irina Tantsurina's boutique is located at 24/1 Bolshaya Nikitskaya Ulitsa. Metro Pushkinskaya, Arbatskaya. Tel. 203-2021.
Russkiye Mekhovyie Traditsii is located at 5 Orlikov Pereulok. Metro Krasniye Vorota. Tel. 975-8272/1.
Snezhnaya Koroleva is located at 16/1 Leningradskoye Shosse. Metro Voikovskaya. Tel. 785-4282/3/4.
Mir Kozhi v Sokolnikah is located at 4 Sokolnicheskaya Ploshchad. Metro Sokolniki. Tel. 268-0404.
But these days, there's more to the Russian fur scene than the stereotypical thick, floor-length shuba; furs are sheared, dyed, knitted and even imprinted with designs with lasers. As a result, Moscow's fur boutiques are stocked with more interesting new styles of coats and accessories than ever.
For fur from a top name in Russian fashion, try Helen Yarmak. A former mathematician, Yarmak has made a name for Russian fur designs on the world stage; in addition to her Moscow shops, she has a salon on New York's Fifth Avenue and her clients include Hollywood celebrities as well as Russian luminaries.
The chocolate-colored walls of her Berlin House boutique form a backdrop for racks of furs (priced from $1,200 to $60,000), and Yarmak's creations of miniver, sable, chinchilla, fox, rabbit, lynx and mink call out to be tried on.
Many models are reversible, perfect for rainy days when you can turn the soft fur in and wear the leather finish out. Yarmak's nonreversible coats have a full silk lining, sometimes hand-embroidered. One particularly beautiful model is a traditional floor-length Russian sable coat with turned-back cuffs ($35,000). Or for something a little more modern, try a fringed sheepskin coat with pearl buttons ($3,200).
Fur stoles make an especially nice accessory on a chilly winter evening. An attention-grabbing accessory is a brown mink stole with a silk lining adorned with embroidered paisley designs ($5,000). An exquisitely light knitted fox stole with fringes and two pockets ($5,200) pairs equally well with a pair of jeans or an evening gown. (Knitted fur is a technique whereby very, very thin strips of fur are attached to a thread and then knitted, almost like a sweater. The resulting garment is very soft, nearly seamless and weighs a fraction of regular fur.)
Designer furs are also available from Irina Tantsurina. Tantsurina opened two boutiques in St. Petersburg before expanding to Moscow last year. Each model in this year's winter collection is one-of-a-kind, and the boutique offers a wide range of furs, from durable beaver ($2,600 for a more modest coat) to soft, fluffy lynx ($15,000 for a full-length coat) to luxurious sable (coats range from $15,000 to $50,000, depending on style).
A light-colored marten bomber jacket with leather inserts and a Chinese-type collar ($5,100) will work well with a pair of pants or a long skirt. A warm marten muff ($500) that can double as a handbag, thanks to a hidden pocket, and a matching fur and leather headpiece ($350) that can be transformed into a collar complete the ensemble.
Tantsurina's spectacular fur stoles might have been expressly designed to steal the show at a gala concert. Priced from $400 to $2,500, they are made from mink, fox or marten and decorated with either fur tassels or white and black chiffon. Some of the stoles feature a muff at one end to keep the stole from slipping; just put one hand in the muff and throw the other end of the stole over your shoulder.
In addition to fur coats, the store offers evening gowns and suits decorated with fur, belts, handbags as well as leather and fur hats. There is also a wide selection of muffs, priced from $100, most of which have a small zip-up or snap-up pocket on the inside for valuables.
Russkiye Mekhoviye Traditsii (Russian Fur Traditions) offers a selection of coats sewn in Russia from Russian and Scandinavian furs. Mink coats of varying lengths and shade of brown, starting at 50,000 rubles ($1,570), and durable astrakhan jackets, starting at 35,000 rubles, dominate the brightly lit showroom.
A selection of hats (3,000 to 5,000 rubles) provides a funky modern touch -- these mink toppers are dyed pink, green, blue and any other color of the rainbow.
Two of the largest fur retailers, Snezhnaya Koroleva (Snow Queen) and Mir Kozhi v Sokolnikah (World of Leather at Sokolniki) require less of a financial commitment. These large complexes feature Italian, Turkish, Greek, Canadian, Scandinavian and Russian fur and leather coats of various colors, lengths and designs from mink, raccoon, fox, sable, marten, beaver and muskrat, as well as a selection of fur hats and stoles. Prices on fur coats start at about $1,000, and both stores offer credit plans.
Helen Yarmak boutiques are located at 22/1 Kadashevskaya Naberezhnaya. Metro Tretyakovskaya. Tel. 951-9809; on the 2nd floor of the Berlin House business center, 5 Ulitsa Petrovka. Metro Teatralnaya. Tel. 775-1968; 16 Tverskaya Ulitsa. Metro Pushkinskaya. Tel. 935-8953.
Irina Tantsurina's boutique is located at 24/1 Bolshaya Nikitskaya Ulitsa. Metro Pushkinskaya, Arbatskaya. Tel. 203-2021.
Russkiye Mekhovyie Traditsii is located at 5 Orlikov Pereulok. Metro Krasniye Vorota. Tel. 975-8272/1.
Snezhnaya Koroleva is located at 16/1 Leningradskoye Shosse. Metro Voikovskaya. Tel. 785-4282/3/4.
Mir Kozhi v Sokolnikah is located at 4 Sokolnicheskaya Ploshchad. Metro Sokolniki. Tel. 268-0404.
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