Think back for a second..
When was the last time you’ve actually seen a Woman making clothes?
Or even doing minor repairs with them.
Now I’m sure some of you may know someone who is a skilled tailor but on the whole is this something that you really feel is common with the Women around you?
I’m willing to bet that this is exceedingly rare with most Modern Women and if that’s the case..
Then the ability for Women to make their own clothes is a dying art form is the West.
From my own perspective this is something that I have known ever since I was young as I started noticing old Singer sewing machines being tossed out in the garbage or pawned off as antiques in some garage sale..
Ok.. So maybe somewhere in the Modern Woman’s mind there is a belief which says that making your own clothes can never be as good as buying them at the local department store and racking up huge credit card charges in the process.
Maybe they actually BELIEVE that they look better, sexier, classier, or even more hip as long as they can spend endless hours of window shopping in some mega-mall to find the magic outfit that will turn them into the next hot modeling talent waiting to be discovered by some guy in Paris named Pierre’.
But then again..
Isn’t it going to be kind of hard to pull this off especially if sweats, t-shirts and tennis shoes seem like the constant IN thing for them?
So I scratched my head and started to think..
“Maybe there are more women who actually want to be the next MTV hip hop VJ then I thought..”
So with this in mind imagine my absolute delight when I finally arrived in Russia and actually witnessed for myself the various rumors that I had heard about this place.
Rumors that quietly found their way to me like a top secret message being whispered in my ear.
An urgent request from HQ asking me to confirm if the reported mysterious sightings were true..
Reported Sightings of an endless parade of fashion model quality girls walking around in fashion model quality clothes..
My Response?
TOP SECRET…
URGENT MESSAGE FROM RW_MAN TO HQ..
AFFIRMATIVE
Now this alone would be enough to blow any Man’s mind as if he was walking on another planet..
But as I began to take in more “data” about this environment I realized something interesting..
If the average salary in Russia was between $150 to $300 dollars a month..
Then how in the world could these women afford to buy such incredible and hot looking fashions?
The answer?
Many of these girls could design and make their own clothes from scratch.
And Guys we are not talking about shabby looking or poorly made stuff.
We are talking the REAL Deal..
Because what I see here would be akin to all of you having the same skill level as the guys on “American Chopper” if you were to build our own custom motorcycles from scratch in some grungy machine shop.
And on TOP of That.
There is just simply NO WAY any of you guys would suspect that a significant percentage of the clothes that you see adorning these beautiful women were SELF MADE.
No.. The only way you could ever find out is if you caught yourself admiring how incredible one of these girls looks with something she’s wearing and you actually compliment her for it…
Western Man: (with his jaw hitting the ground)
“Wow… You look INCREDIBLE in that beautiful tight mini-cut dress you are wearing..”
Russian Woman: (shyly smiling and turning red)
“Why thank you, (giggle giggle) I made it myself.. ”
Western Man: (in complete disbelief)
“Say What ?!?!”
Now in case you Guys think that I’m exaggerating the above scenario..
Think again..
Because this is TOTALLY common and you can certainly test this for yourself when you arrive here.
Now there are PLENTY of moments where I’ve caught myself just glaring at these girls during the summer time…
(and yes I was GLARING because it’s pretty damn hard not to do that here.. and also most of the girls actually feel quite proud when they receive this kind of attention from a Man in the first place.)
And as my eyes and brain started going into a Nuclear Melt Down..
I would just shake my head and say..
“There is NO WAY that this sexy looking Russian Goddess in front of me could’ve ever have made the outfit (aka daytime lingerie) that I’m seeing now..”
Because to me the patterns and the cuts are too complex to put together along with all of the sophisticated combination of buttons, zippers, mini pockets, stitches and labels that complimented it..
So how in the world would any woman ever be able dig all of this stuff up let alone know how to put it together with such artistry, class and sex appeal?
Well I finally found the answer to this question the other day as I was walking through the “fabric and clothes district” part of town.
In a solid row of large competing fabric shops were warehouses filled with every imaginable fabric and component you could ever think of for making any type of clothes.
I began to realize that these type of stores were really no different from a giant electronics and computer components warehouse that your average computer savy guy uses to custom build his own super computer or killer gaming machine.
So obviously in order for these fabric stores to thrive in this environment there had to be seriously large numbers of customers to support them with.
And as I looked at the large number of ladies browsing through the store and picking out the various pieces they were going to use for their next masterpiece I thought to myself..
There is..
There certainly is..
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Well, when I get there I might have to tug on the seams and examine the workmanship VERY closely to make sure you’re not pulling my leg!
LMAO
Well Craig I hope you get that chance.. and you owe me a scotch if I’m telling the truth!
Tell you what, I’ll give you some of my homemade vodka instead. It’s better than Stoli and that’s no lie!
You got it buddy
Time was, almost everyone made their own clothes, unless you were a king or some other important government or church official. Those people has full-time tailors and shoemakers working for them. My grandmother made her own clothes, and my mother learned how to do some sewing. All I ever did was sew buttons back on. I never knew Russian women often make their own clothes, but that explains why each one seems to have her own look. I bet they make blouses and other clothing as gifts for friends and family too.
Taras
I know this to be a fact, I’ve seen it happening! I’ve met several hot young RW who make their own clothes and have proven it to me.
This just in from the Russian front – a beautiful lady from Ukraine writes:
“In fact I know that almost all of American women don’t like to dress up at all. They prefer to wear jeans of huge size and running shoes. I’ll be honest with you and say that I don’t like American women at all as to my mind almost all have forgotten how to be a real woman. I used to see world news and I always wonder why they don’t use make up and why they don’t look after themselves. For some reason I think that men in your country look after themselves more than women!”
What more can be said?
Great Reporting Craig..
Don’t think it can get any more honest then that..
That last line..
“For some reason I think that men in your country look after themselves more than women!”
Was a complete bulls eye as far as I’m concerned.
I think we are dealing with one of those examples where the Truth hurts like hell.. and in this case it can also be very ugly..
Taras..
Great observation in noticing that many Russian Women tend to have their own unique look because of this wide spread ability for them to be able to design and create their own fashions.
Greenlander..
Thanks for the visual confirmation.. HQ appreciates it greatly
My FSU lady friend, dresses in style though she doesn’t make her own clothes.
But she did create a birthday card for me (she has little money). She may have copied it from a store card, but I like to think of it as original, and sincere in thought and care. It means the most to me, more than any birthday gift. Though she married another, she is still important to me, and she expressed her appreciation that I allowed her to be herself, make her own choices.
Beauty, style, grace, feminine, intelligent, grateful. I can be addicted to this.
Guys, I got my first bombthrower.
And they are a really bad bombthrower, too.
Now I know I said some really bad things on my site which are probably indefensible, but could some of you please try to defend the parts of my blog that the bombthrower attacked which are defensible? I really need you to help in any way that you can.
I want you all to know that I really really try and have tried to be good in everything that I have done on both this blog and on my blog.
I know I have written wrong things on both blogs, and I am deeply sorry for any wrong thing that I have written. I really am. I would keep writing but I’m getting showered with bombs as we speak. Please send help immediately.
“For some reason I think that men in your country look after themselves more than women!”
Or maybe it’s just that it doesn’t take much more than a shower, shave, nice haircut, and nice shirt to bring out our natural rugged good looks!
Now I’m waiting for a new blast from the sisterhood about how ignorant and unenlightened this lady must be. (Come on, we all know you’re lurking in the shadows). In fact, she’s highly educated, and probably has even more degrees than the mongoose – if that’s possible!
Again, Im getting absolutely showered. Please send help. I know that not everything on my blog has been perfect, and a lot of it has been just plain bad. Guys, I’ll admit that I still have a lot to learn in life and I should have made my arguments more rational like you guys. I’ll be good and make my arguments really rational from now on. But please, this bombthrower is throwing bombs at an almost constant rate. Somebody’s gotta do something.
And again, I havent been perfect and I promise to make VAST improvements in the future.
But you guys gotta get me out of this one because this bombthrower goes to my college and may be sending a dozen more bombthrowers over as I speak since Marxism is so popular at my school. My blog may soon be inundated with bombs.
–Luke Skywalker
All right, things have calmed down and I have the bombthrower under control. They are still throwing bombs, but I am getting better and better at repelling said bombs.
My last two posts were a little panicky because I was spooked to get my first bombthrower. I am basically sticking to principle, logic, and reason and I have taken a lot from the way that you guys repel bombthrowers.
What has helped me a lot is seeing the way that the feminists and socialists come onto your website and they use the same old arguments, and after awhile it isn’t as scary anymore because its just the same old thing.
So as I said before, I’m not nearly as panicked now as when I first got the bombthrower a couple hours ago, even though they are continuing to throw bombs and just threw bombs 5 minutes ago.
But I would still appreciate all of your help..
–Luke Skywalker
PS: Sorry for posting three times about this issue. I just think that it is a really big moment for me that I got my first major bombthrower.
Luke!
If you are under attack, that means you must be doing something right! You have nothing to apologize for. That’s lesson #1.
It’s late where I am, but I’ll take a look and see what I can do tomorrow.
In the meantime.. Take off the goggles.. and use the Force!!
Yeah and men here in america do dress proper.
So goes the saying “A Man wears the pants”
I would add further for women “A Woman wears the skirts and thigh highs”.
Yeah I’m serious. I enjoy looking my best as RW_Man has described before witha nice shirt and dark slacks a nice haircut, it promotes a confident, humble and respectful man.
That is great for those women who still can repair/mend and create clothing, now that is a useful task that men look for when choosing a woman, just one of many mind you.
And another thing that makes men happy is a woman that can receive a genuine comment properly. With humility and gracefullness.
It is dead over here in america when it comes to comments to women because I see women that are not deserving of comments, they are not dressed as a woman should. They are rude and selfish and angry at men for no reasons at all.
It is a great story to read for the men here in america who are sick of ameriskanks.
So Thank You RW_Man.
From C.
Yes, the man wears the pants in the family.
And sometimes, his wife even lets him wear his favorite ones…
Luke, just a quick look at the comments on your site tells me that you’re making the classic mistake of feeding these attackers’ energy by getting all riled up and engaging with them. You have to learn to detach from them emotionally and not fall into the trap of thinking that you can reason with them or convince them of anything. Otherwise, they have you by the tail and you’ve lost before you even begin.
Siberianow, you have to have a skin of titanium alloy and ceramic armor plate to run a blog like that. You’re just like a tank in a narrow city street, a target for these malcontents and bombthrowers, but unlike the tank, the bombs they throw cannot hurt you. They only expose the other side’s weakness and desperation, and the fact you’re doing something right. Don’t take it personally, and the best counter-attack is laughing at them. That can steal their thunder like water on a fire.
Taras
OK Luke,
I put my two cents in.. have fun..
http://siberianow.wordpress.com/2007/02/01/the-socialist-and-feminist-arms-of-my-college/#comment-101
GL and Guys: Patriot just wrote what is practically an entire dissertation in response to what GL, Kara, and Craig just said. I have too much work for classes today to deal with Patriot.
I would appreciate some more help.
–Luke Skywalker
This may also shock a few people…
It’s also not unusual for a Russian woman to make her own wedding dress, and again, to an extremely high standard.
They do it not just to save money, but also to have something very individual, personal, and unique in style. Just imagine how proud she is when she stuns everyone with her own personal creation on her wedding day…
Hey GL;
How could we doubt the words of a man so wise, as past experience has shown. The independence these ladies have is a good ideal for all involed.
Canajun
Yes Shaun you are right.. and I’ve been to a wedding where the bride actually did that..
Needless to say it blew my mind… but was treated as a normal tradition in these circumstances.
Lots of pride and love..
And that obviously reflects in their general attitudes towards their marriages as well..
Hi Canajun,
Thanks for the compliment.. meeting any girl here that has done a great job of making her own clothes is just an incredible turn on. When you see how beautiful these girls are and how awesome their clothes are you just can’t help but visualize the time and love they put into their projects.
Again… as with all things this action projects itself out in some very positive ways into a relationship and with motherhood as well.
GL
“Many of these girls could design and make their own clothes from scratch”.
I think it’s very charming and feminine women who can express themselves with clothing.
With your style, the clothes you choose and wear you’re communicating who you are…
Those girls are demonstrating creativeness, style and skill.
Love it!
Au plaisir
Up until the time I was about 13, my mom and grandma made about 75% of my clothing for me. It usually fits a lot better than the bought stuff.
My ex Russian gf used to make a lot of her own clothes. She would send me photos of her newest creations on almost a weekly basis. I heard that she was a really good cook too.
As a side note, my grandma is going to teach me to cook. Which will be nice as I haven’t had time to spend with her for the last year, and she’s a really, really good cook. When she was younger, she was a cook for the lieutenant governor of Manitoba.
“Those girls are demonstrating creativeness, style and skill.”
Akhand.. you have no idea my friend.. and they have a host of other characteristics that will blow your mind as well once you see it in real life..
Makes interesting reading, as usual.
I thought I’d chip in with my own experience on the topic.
When we were preparing to get married, my wife and I looked at some of the typical western wedding dress stuff in the shops – all immensely overpriced and in some cases really quite plain. It seems that where weddings are concerned, product and service cost gets multiplied by some arbitrary value which is in the region of 2-10x.
My wife could NOT comprehend spending so much cash on something she was sure that either she herself, or her mum could make with good material, a sewing machine and a bit of imagination. We didn’t really have a problem with finding the cash – it was a principles thing. To her, it was a shocking waste of money and easily avoided. And she wasn’t that impressed with the fit anyway.
Oh, and we do have a sewing machine in our house. I bought it as scrap, repaired it and it’s been used in a number of ‘projects’ already
The main problem was the time the dress would take to finish. In the end we decided on a compromise. The dress was brought from Russia and was made to fit by people she knew. The result was phenomenal! I’m really glad we didn’t by the shop version.
To close this point, I will say that some of her most amazing looking dresses are ones that she made herself, or were made for her by her mum. It really makes a difference when a dress is made _specifically_ for a woman, rather than being just a generic fit.
On a more general note, her (related) skills include knitting, sewing & clothes repair, toymaking and all kinds of crafts.
Some skills, such as knitting, seem to be ‘deep’ knowledge which gets activated automatically as winter approaches.
Bits of scarves and other things start appearing in the lounge. We have no shortage of these items, but they get produced anyway. In one sense, it is amusing and I do sometimes tease her about it, but it is also very comforting to see and I encourage her to keep doing it.
I was particularly amazed to find that she had been teaching children some of this stuff at her work, and they seemed to like it. They had no previous exposure to it so it was a completely new experience for them.
Anyway I just wanted to confirm that the kind of skills mentioned in the leading text have been important to Russian Women (perhaps not all, but certainly a large number), and although not by any means critical for life in the west, does add something very valuable to the experience.
Hi Visitor,
After reading your comment I wanted to say that you are one LUCKY Man for having a woman like that in your life.
I hope she stops in to say hello sometime.
Cheers! GL
You know, Gentlemen, in the times of Soviet and Post-Soviet Deficit, and transition economic wartimelike crises, sewing / knitting were survival skills. Women sold souls for “Burda Moden” pattern magazines, and crowded sewing courses. Mom has finished them, to reassert her creative feminine splendor, and yours-truly has struggled through the University in self-knit pullovers and two pairs of hard-earned Authentic Wranglers.
Now our markets are replete with poor-workmanship but complicated and flashy Turkish and Chinese constructions, pirated from loud brands or just speculating over trends / scattering labels all over. These are mass-produced for the starved-for-beauty Post-Soviet “Natashas”, and sold at markets or boutiques at every price. For a lady of high-standard taste, it’s hard to find an *elegant*, *unique* and *quality* garment. So, here we go again: want something done properly – do it yourself!
I don’t know about the Russian domestic clothes industry, but Ukraine can boast big factories and small family enterprises that produce fine wears for women and men, as fine as to be outsourced by European brands. What is not exported, is quite affordable.
Also, individual tailors thrive. Even more affordable, leaving all the freedom for the customer’s creative thought, and – what is head and shoulders above all important – allowing air-tight fitting. The reason that makes sewing-by-yourself essential even if you just have been lucky to find a ready-made proper outfit.
(domestic industry – meaning national production)
And to top the aforesaid, what would you say to the fact that, along with these essential clothes making / mending / matching / design skills (why only clothes – even shoes and bags can be self-mended sometimes!), many our women can also boast skills and taste for interior decorations! ) And it’s not only men and married couples that attend DIY stores…
Well Natalia, you’ll freak out at what you can find in DIY stores here. There’s a lot to choose from, from paint and wall paper to flooring and everything else in between. Even computer programs so you can try things out in your computer beforehand to make sure things are what you really want. I am learning how to do woodworking, which I hope to put to use in the future to build my own home, with wooden floors.
Taras
Oh, art / design and book shops are where man can leave Natalie Orloff for timeless storage, but not with a credit card. ))
Taras, you are sure to know that Russian / Ukrainian women highly praise homecraft skills in Men!
Sincerely, comrade N.
I’m sure they do Natalia….:-) I enjoy woodworking and making useful items for my family and myself.
Taras
I’ve seen a good number of women on Russian/Ukrainian dating websites who said their hobbies include sewing, knitting, designing clothes, etc. I wondered if the agencies had prompted the girls to put that in their profiles just to appear more “traditional”. But I guess not.
I guess there is some truth to it. That’s why this blog is so important…
Thanks for the compliment JM..
Yes much truth to those profiles and much of it is understated..
Cheers GL
That’s a very valid point by JM.
Often the profiles do look unreal due to those constant and emphasised attributes. You see interests listed like “sewing, designing/making clothes, nature, growing flowers, creating home coziness, family, children…” and to many men it sounds beautiful, yet unbelievable.
Compare that to profiles of women in the West where you’ll see “I love to party and live life to the fullest!” as a common theme. I believe most of them write such things because they see everyone else does, and they think they need to project some sort of exciting image to attract an “exciting” guy. They then wonder why they never find what they truly seek.
Russian women on the other hand are more honest in their profiles, and proud to be feminine. They are also often surprised that we men find it so refreshing.
Not that our brides don’t at all play up to expectations
… but they definitely share a strife for stability, and emphasize their homemaking side with a clear indication of their creative & emotional needs, not to be confused with “slavedom”.
In the national dating milieu, such a profile is “not fashionable”, either; there’s even a joke about the “dull and desperate” disco brides who, when asked “if you dance” (meaning “if you want to have a dance with me”) answer “I dance, sew, knit, embroider…” Fortunately, our “home couturieres” can as well burn the night in those dresses. )
But what really moved me to comment on is that “full living” came to stand for “one-dimensional fake highs” in our days. What profanation of meanings – what decline of civilization. ))) Now in which words can one embrace [sports + arts + friends + family + nature + travel + spiritual pursuit + doer’s work + serene tolerance + enjoying the world and your time in it]?..
Crabbed old Aunt Natalia )
(…waiting for the evening to shake bones with the once-in-a month-dance))
to Crabbed old Aunt Natalia
you are too young to shake bones. I’m sure you are fun to dance with and strut your stuff. Have fun on your Valentine nite.
Thanks. It was a great prevention of osteochondrosis, and a great show of prospective brides ))
Did any of you ever watch Newlyweds?? I remember watching Newlyweds with Jessica and Nick, and remembered that Jessica could not do laundry, clean, cook, fold clothes, or even make a bed. She just sat there all day wondering what to do. I know how to do more of that stuff than she did. She couldn’t even make macaronni and cheese from a box with directions!!!!!! She probably needs a recipe to boil water without burning it!!!!! It’s very sad.
On the other hand (you have more fingers!!) it was refreshing to see on youtube.com the girls of Via Gra making beaded jewlery and clothing fashion accessories. I wasa wondering if such konwledge and behavior is common among female stars and divas in the FSU?? I would go a step further and ask, “Is it a requirement for the stars and divas of the FSU to be able to do such crafts and homemaking skills??”
Aunt Natalia, Woul dyou maybe post a foto of yourself, as I would be curious to see if you look like the imagined picture in my head. Even if you don’t, I’m sure ti krasivaya.
I have imagined a girl with long dark hair, happy mischvious eyes, and a warm kind smile. Am I close??
“Did any of you ever watch Newlyweds?? I remember watching Newlyweds with Jessica and Nick, and remembered that Jessica could not do laundry, clean, cook, fold clothes, or even make a bed. She just sat there all day wondering what to do.”
Not since “I Love Lucy” have I seen a more ditzy housewife.
Lucy was acting.
wolverine
Via Gra….wow! very glamorous. Thanks
Ceiver Says:
“Lucy was acting.”
It’s hard to believe that Jessica wasn’t!
Wolverine,
of course it’s no “requirement” for our showbiz stars to make their accessories by themselves. They shop abroad, and are catered for by an army of great domestic designers. It’s an industry.
On the other hand, it’s a rather popular hobby. Despite the abundance of fancy goods, Mom occasionally makes unique necklaces to her outfits, and I’ve embroidered me two evening handbags made of the cloth left from the dresses tailored. Crafts are fun when you have time and a strike of moods for this.
Back to the stars, you know, creative people are creative in many things. Some women issue design lines under their names, and often it’s them who invent most designs.
Unfortunately I couldn’t cope with uploading photos to my blog, other than the avatar, and below this post there is the comment to address your personal question.
http://russianwomenspeak.wordpress.com/2006/11/03/fast-find-the-right-one-russian-bride-know-how-procedure/
Sure guys I’ll present myself when the agency site is ready. I guess my lockheap grows yet farther beyond mid-shoulderblade… yes naturally dark, but to an extent I feel like a redhead by spirit. )
You have hit on an important point. I am a young American woman, I love to knit and I can also sew. But I don’t make my own clothes for a reason you might have noticed. You describe the vast stores Russian women have for these materials, even an entire district devoted to it. You can’t make beautiful clothes without beautiful fabric. Where can American women buy this fabric? They can’t, there is only Walmart. Walmart-grade fabric yields Walmart-grade clothes even if they are handmade.
Hi Woman,
Thanks for your feedback.. I don’t know where you live but where I’m originally from in the Bay Area there are some large fabric stores that I’ve seen.. In anycase good luck with the clothes making and thanks again.. GL
Craig, I know that the home made vodka post is quite old, but man I would love to learn how to make vodka. Any instruction is greatly appreciated.
T.
T, I can post a link or google search term here, for a site that will tell you more than you ever wanted to know about it, if it’s OK with GL.
Otherwise maybe he can forward my email address to you and I can send it to you directly.
But keep in mind that unless you live in NZ, it probably ain’t strictly legal.
Thank you, you can ask him to forward my email adress.
Already send you guys an email with your addresses on it..
Thanks, GL, for going off topic and encouraging us in our vices … I guess
But hey, samogan is a grand Russian tradition, right?
Samogan is a truly lethal brew but yes it’s a tradition.. be careful with that stuff..