Star style: Ekaterina Mukhina – the Russians advance and win. Interview: Katya Mukhina, editor-in-chief of Elle magazine How would you describe your style
Another heroine of our joint project with Daniel Boutique is the founder of Daughter-Mother, stylist, former director of the fashion department of Russian Vogue, TV presenter and mother Ekaterina Mukhina. Katya is an expert in fashion with extensive experience, and thanks to “Daughters-Mothers”, she is also a professionally savvy mother who is happy to share her knowledge and thoughts.
Please tell us about your childhood.
I will say this, I didn’t have a childhood as such. I never celebrated my birthday, I was always doing homework or attending training camps. My childhood was training 6 days a week for 4 hours and studying.
Did you have strict parents?
I had a very strict mother, I was allowed to go to the cinema for the first time at the age of 16, and to a concert at 18. There was no question of discos; when I was 12 years old, my mother said: “If I see you with a cigarette, I’ll cut my hair bald.” , - I still don’t smoke (laughs). But for all her severity, my mother did not interfere either in my relationships or in my choice of profession.
What were you interested in?
Sport, sport and once again sport, thanks to which discipline is instilled.
How did your mother dress you?
I looked like a doll. I considered a lot of what is fashionable now as a child - gladiator sandals, denim, lurex...
How do you dress Masha now?
Masha has been dressing herself for a long time. She has a very active lifestyle - drawing, architecture, music... Therefore, she usually wears something that is comfortable and does not mind being damaged by paints, plasticine or oil. As for going out to the theater or for birthdays, Masha tries to be smart.
Do you have the same tastes in clothes?
Not always. We argue often, but we respect each other's opinions and compromise.
How would you describe your style?
When I was 12 years old, bell-bottoms and Dr. boots came into fashion. Martens. Of course, I dreamed about all this, but my mother did not particularly indulge our desires. And at that moment I really wanted these trousers and boots... I remember that one day my mother said: “Kat, don’t worry so much, fashion always comes back, you’ll still have time to wear all this!” And so it happened.
Last year, grunge came back into fashion, and everyone rushed to buy massive boots, and this season, the 70s are in fashion and everyone wears bell-bottoms. I really like this style, but I don't chase fashion anymore. You need your own style, you need to take into account your proportions and remain yourself. If you like the hippie style, then you should follow it, regardless of its relevance in a given season. I've always worn chunky boots, regardless of whether they were in fashion or not, because I like them.
Now there is a tendency to support Russian designers, the Russian fashion industry, and I wear their clothes with pleasure, most often these are dresses. If we talk about what is close to me personally, then these are men's suits, men's shirts, tuxedos, bow ties, ties - internally, this is how I am always ready to dress, a little bit of the 70s, something from the 80s. I love a mischievous and slightly provocative style.
What type of activity do you currently devote the most time and enthusiasm to?
Machine admission to English school and the “Daughters-Mothers” project, but I don’t forget about my main profession - I’m a stylist, so I still collaborate with magazines and go to shows.
Why did you decide to connect your life with fashion? Did it happen by chance or did you dream about it?
Working in the magazine was both accidental and planned for me. As a child, I dreamed of hosting the “News” program, but after entering Moscow State University, I decided to try all areas of journalism and completed an internship on both radio and television, and, with the light hand of my friend, and now the editor-in-chief of Harper’s Bazaar magazine, Dasha Veledeeva, I tried myself as an editor in a magazine. This is where it all began, and I have never regretted it, because it was this area – working in a fashion magazine – that turned out to be the most interesting for me.
I was in my second year when I went to Petrovsky Passage for an event dedicated to the launch of Russian Vogue. I remember very well this evening and the editor-in-chief of the magazine, Alena Doletskaya, at that moment working in this publication seemed like a pipe dream to me. I thought that it was basically impossible to get into this world and achieve anything in it.
Ekaterina wears a Prada suit and shoes, Masha wears a Lanvin dress and coat, Miss Blumarine ballet flats – all from Daniel Boutique.
You managed to work in almost all glossy publications and reached the highest point in your career as a stylist.– position of fashion director at Vogue. Can you say that the world of gloss is reminiscent of the plot of the movie “The Devil Wears Prada”?
A much more realistic film is “September Issue”, which really shows the fashion world from the inside as it is.
Probably in New York (where the main character of “The Devil Wears Prada” lives and works) everything is tougher, the competition is higher. For example, I know that my American colleagues can find themselves in the editorial office or on set as early as the third day after the birth of a child. And this is not an exaggeration. It’s just that behind them there are 100 girls, perhaps even more talented than themselves, who are ready to take their place. In Russia and Europe everything is a little different. Traditions, respect, length of service play a big role here... In Russia, the fashion industry is still quite young, there are not as many specialists here as in America, and there are much more opportunities to realize oneself. You just have to work, so the feeling is that you came, they gave you a bunch of gifts and from morning to evening the champagne they pour into the editorial office is completely wrong. You have to work a lot, and it’s not a fact that you will succeed, but there are much more opportunities to achieve something in Moscow than in New York.
Why did you decide not to work at the magazine anymore?
I decided to leave the magazine because I was tired and spent very little time with my child and my family. As director of the fashion department, I, together with Lena Sotnikova, participated in the relaunch of Marie Claire magazine, then we relaunched Elle magazine, then the main Vogue editor Vika Davydova, believing in my strength, invited me, together with her and a completely new team, to relaunch Vogue magazine... Three relaunches of such magazines in five years is very difficult. Each time we had to start everything from scratch: from the list of photographers to the team. When I left my previous place of work, I always left a super professional team that worked on the rails already installed, many of whom still work there. I'm very proud of this.
Have you ever dreamed of becoming an editor-in-chief?
Of course, I would really like to become editor-in-chief one day, but this requires a reboot and fresh energy, so definitely not now. At the moment, my main task is for Masha to enter school in England. Even now I’m not going to shows in Milan, but with her to London for testing, the results of which are now much more important to me than the fall-winter 2015/2016 trends.
Do you and Masha have common hobbies?
I try to try everything my daughter does so that I can speak “the same language” with her. We make collages, Masha writes a book and I try to help her with this, and together we host the “Rules of Style” program on the Disney Channel.
What is absolutely unacceptable in children's behavior for you?
Whims and spoiling.
You already have an adult daughter, can you easily imagine meeting her boyfriend?
Yes, and I’m already very worried about this, although it seems like I was a teenager myself quite recently.
Do you regret leaving Vogue?
ABOUT the decision taken I don’t regret it, but I really miss the editorial work, my team, the editorial boards... All this gave me an incredible charge of emotions. I gave 15 years of my life to my career, it took a lot of nerves and health, but in return I received self-confidence, material security and incredible pleasure.
On Perminova, Gazinskaya, Sergeenko and Duma, the fashion world still does not converge when we mention spectacular Russian girls who have won the love of fashionistas around the world. There is, for example, also Katerina Mukhina, the former director of the fashion department of VOGUE Russia. What is remarkable about Katya’s style – see below.
We have not yet completely gotten rid of the peculiar “stigma” of bad taste that we are ready to hang on the first fashionista we meet, whose surname goes back to Russia and Ukraine. And yet, with each fashion season there are more and more characters whose origins and refined taste are continuously connected with neighboring Russia. One of these bright characters is Ekaterina Mukhina. Some still won’t get used to putting the prefix “former” before the definition “director of the fashion department of the Russian VOGUE.” And yet it is so - Katya Mukhina moved to London and is now collaborating with VOGUE as a remote fashion editor.
We have not yet gotten rid of the peculiar “stigma” of bad taste, which we are ready to hang on the first fashionista we meet, whose surname goes back to Russia and Ukraine
A certain imposition in the form of “everything is good in the West, but everything is bad here” sometimes really prevents us from objectively perceiving the Russian beauty as a fashionista with delicate taste. But really, cover Katya Mukhina’s face with a photograph or, and no dissonance, however, will arise. Slender legs, long wavy hair, laconic and moderately trendy combinations, no flashy shades or crazy fashion antics. Everything is in order - what more can I say. We are especially pleased when Slavic girls are without special effort they prove that we don’t need to “reach out” to European fashionistas, because we ourselves can pull whoever we want with us.
Slender legs, long wavy hair, laconic and moderately trendy combinations, no flashy shades or crazy fashion antics
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Katya Mukhina, editor-in-chief Elle
QUESTIONS:
Katya Fedorova
Photo:
JULIEN T. HAMON, Kristina Abdeeva
producer:
Liza Kolosova
We decided to talk to the new editor-in-chief of Elle, Katya Mukhina, immediately after her appointment in December last year, and our photographer even managed to catch her at Paris Fashion Week in March. However, Katya lives in such a crazy rhythm, combining the work of editor-in-chief and celebrity stylist with raising her daughter Masha and active social life that we only managed to talk in Moscow at the end of June. But what turned out to be an unusually frank and lively conversation about the secrets of success in social networks, discipline, psychology and endless love for one’s profession.
WE TOOK KATYA IN MARCH DURING PARIS FASHION WEEK.
mukhina
LEFT: KATYA ON THE WAY TO THE CHANEL SHOW.
ON RIGHT:KATYA AND ELLE FASHION DIRECTOR VADIM GALAGANOV.
When I was preparing for our meeting, I hardly found an interview with you, although you have been in the fashion industry for quite a long time and are generally a public person. How so? Is this on purpose?
No, it just happened that way. I have a difficult schedule, and I have never been focused on promoting myself. It was quite late, when I left Vogue, it became clear to me that some tasks and dreams would be realized faster if I began to become a more public and secular person, especially with the development of Facebook and Instagram. I had a main profession, and I didn’t understand why all this, taking pictures of myself, wasting time. And then Bryan Boy and other bloggers appeared out of nowhere, and six months later they were sitting in the front row with such geniuses as Katie Grand, Anna Wintour or Franca Sozzani...
People who worked for 30 years to get there.
Exactly. These are the people who make fashion, but in the past they always remained behind the scenes. Especially on the scale of our country, where it is extremely rare to meet even a very cool makeup artist at a dinner party with seating. So I was behind the scenes and didn’t understand why I needed all this, I didn’t even manage Facebook, and then everything changed. At first I had withdrawal symptoms, but I had to get over myself, change my mind, start running social networks and appearing in some lookbooks. Although I never had any desire to be a model.
I do not believe!
Yes, moreover, when Dasha and I (editor-in-chief of Harper's Bazaar - editor's note) entered Moscow State University, there was a stall with donuts, which, unfortunately, did not pass me by. Donut with custard, donut with coffee - and I gained that normally, despite the fact that since childhood I was accustomed to Soviet sports discipline. I am a professional gymnast, master of sports. For me, discipline is still the only thing that gives real result. Why do so many gymnasts perform miracles in China? Throwing a mace and clearly catching it, tumbling three times, is discipline and unrealistic hard work. You sharpen this stone with a drop, every day a million times.
Interview: Dasha Veledeeva, editor-in-chief of Harper’s Bazaar
How did it happen that you got into sports? Did you have some kind of goal since childhood or did your parents force you to?
My mother put me in sports, but no one forced me. When they asked me: “Katya, do you like gymnastics?” - I understood that not really. But they brought me in, and I had a goal - to get into the Russian national team. My parents said, that means it’s necessary. For a long time I didn’t feel like I could choose. They put a cutlet on the table and she ate it. They gave me a red swimsuit, I put it on and went to perform. I only recently realized that, it turns out, you can make a choice.
We have hell 24/7. If you want a quiet life, leave, this is not here.
How did you decide to move from sports to gloss?
In general, all my life I dreamed of television, and not about some kind of show business, but about a news program. There is such an incredibly beautiful film “Close to the Heart” with Robert Redford about real journalism, honest, about reporting from hot spots. I watched it 55 times, cried and wanted the same. And Dasha, who was my role model in life, said: “Are you crazy? Let’s go to work at a magazine, it’s a normal job, interesting.” She and I have been friends for 20 years, and she has always guided me.
I really don’t like conflicts, it gives me goosebumps right away. If I feel some kind of misunderstanding, I immediately call and ask: “Listen, this information has flown through, are you unhappy, for example, with the support.” I always try to say it quickly. This is also work on yourself. Previously, I could get offended and not talk to a person for six months, but what’s the point? The intensity of passions is only growing. I saw many conflicts from the outside and realized that I didn’t want that in my life. This time. Two - I have a lot of respect for my colleagues. I also have unsuccessful shoots, my colleagues have them, why talk about it? And if someone, on the contrary, has a successful cover or collection, I will be very happy to call and say about it, post it on social networks, and somehow support it. We must support each other, and not drown each other, because we have a small, new industry that is developing. We still have a long way to go before we reach Karl Templer or Katie Grand.
Tell us how you decided to leave the position of fashion director at Vogue. For some reason it’s very scary to leave there, I know from myself. But then there’s nothing to worry about.
It was wild withdrawals, sleepless nights, but in the end I really went nowhere. I left with complete confidence that I was not doing what I should be doing, and for four years I tried to escape from this profession. As a result, I realized that I missed my job so much that I couldn’t live. I had withdrawal symptoms, like a drug addict, as if my arm and leg had been taken away. I cried at night, but now I consciously say that this is mine. I'm incredibly tired, but I enjoy this process. I like that I can teach someone. After me, a lot of girls got good promotion. I am very glad that I can give something to people.
But I’m also grateful for the four years after Condé Nast, because I finally spent quality time with my child. I went with her to trainings and helped her prepare for entering an English school. I’m not an ideal parent, but as best I could, I devoted time to her during this teenage period. Everyone thinks that it starts at age 13, but in fact this is already the icing on the cake. It begins at the age of 7–9. And it was at that moment that I left, because it is impossible to combine Vogue and family.
EDITORS OF RUSSIAN PUBLICATIONS AT THE CHANEL SHOW IN PARIS. FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: EDITOR-CHIEF HARPER'S BAZAAR DARIA VELEDEEVA, EDITOR-CHIEF GRAZIA ALENA PENEVA, EDITOR-CHIEF ELLE KATYA MUKHINA. SECOND ROW: ELLE FASHION DIRECTOR VADIM GALAGANOV, GRAZIA FASHION DIRECTOR ALISA ZHIDKOVA
Yes! Nowadays there is a lot of talk about the importance of life and work balance. What is the balance in the journal? How many editors-in-chief do you know with normal, full-fledged families?
A little. Now Masha is in London, and I sleep peacefully, because she is fed, watered, and her homework is done. She calls me and tells me how much she likes everything, and I’m calm. It is impossible to combine the format in which I live for the four months that I work at Elle with the format of a family. I live on an airplane, I come home, I fall, what energy can I give? What are close people anyway? This is an exchange of energy. You must support, a woman must be the muse in the family. What kind of muse are you? You come home and just fall into bed.
But girls look at your Instagram and imagine the life of the editor-in-chief differently...
This is all fake, an embellishment of everything that happens in real life. I don’t post there how I’m on my knees, tying my shoelaces, although I don’t see anything wrong with that. There's a photo of me standing in evening dress at the Cannes Film Festival, and people think that's my profession. It suits me. I will never show my family again. My personal life should always remain behind the scenes. From time to time I post Mashunya because I’m incredibly proud of her, in general it’s simple beautiful pictures: travel, champagne, dresses, girlfriends. Let this give you a good mood. In the glossy we don’t talk about what’s bad. There is no need for negativity, you should always be positive. Our world is 50% hell, 50% heaven. Always. And we must try to add positivity. To be honest, I’m working on myself, it’s not that simple.
How magazine editors became media themselves
KATYA MUKHINA BEFORE THE CHANEL SHOWWITH THE FOUNDER OF THE STORE “KUZNETSKY MOST 20” OLGA KARPUT
I realized that I miss my job so much that I can’t live
Let's talk about Elle. Did you quickly agree when you were offered to become editor-in-chief?
Straightaway. I have a lot of energy, and at some point I became unbearable because there was too much of me. I have two publishing houses – Condé Nast and Hachette, where I have worked all my life, and I understand them. I was invited to many places, but in the end I never decided to go anywhere. There were always some reasons why, but now I understand that it’s just fear. Here everything is clear to me, I come, everyone knows me: the drivers, the girls at the reception, sometimes people here don’t change for years. I like it, it gives me pleasure to make the magazine better, to raise young people, and, in the end, to see my friends more often. I now have a goal. I want to do a redesign, I want to have certain girls on the cover. I am not currently competing with Vogue or Bazaar. I want to make Elle Elle.
Changing the editor-in-chief is a painful process. How did the team react? How did you interact and get used to each other?
There are people who have remained since the time when I first worked at Elle. Some people left because they realized I was working too hard. We don’t have something that I can’t do, I’m tired, at home and the phone is turned off. I always say: if you have to leave, the child has a matinee, you need to see the doctor - please, just you agree with each other so that it doesn’t happen that I come, and the editorial office is empty and everyone has a matinee at the same time. One or two do their job, the rest are in the wings. I am loyal here, but if someone writes that they urgently need highres, I can send them at night. I always ask you to turn off the sound on your phone, I have insomnia, I start writing ideas and letters to everyone. There are people who work from 10 to 18, and then they need to switch off. If you are like that, it will be difficult for you here, you will go crazy. I'm not deceiving anyone, we have hell 24/7. If you want, work, if you want a quiet, measured life, go away, this is not here. You have to really love your job and go where you are interested. They come to me with the words: “I want to be your assistant.” I ask them all: “What do you even dream about?” So that neither the person nor I waste time. Why would I teach him something that won’t be useful to him at all? It is very important to understand what will really bring you pleasure.
You get tired. It’s really hard, but our task is to make sure that every page of the magazine is such that the reader wants to buy something from it. Same with texts. I open the article and see if I want to read this article about sex, psychology, work, boss. I recently recalled how Shahri (Shakhri Amirkhanov - former editor-in-chief of Harper's Bazaar - editor's note) was scolded for making a magazine for herself and friends, and now I understand that it is right: to make a magazine about what what are you interested in, to be sincere, real. When I went to Elle, they told me: “Be careful, there’s a lot of psychology there, and you’re a stylist,” although I’m an editor by training. And psychology has been very interesting to me for a long time. I go to trainings, I realized that with your positive energy you can change your destiny, make life better for yourself and those around you. And I say: are you laughing, or what? I can say more here than anyone.
At my school, all the walls were covered with pages from magazines. Does anyone still do this?
Yes. At Masha's girls' school, all the walls are covered with glue. By the way, I recently found my dreamboard (a collage of images of what you would like to get from life. - Ed.). I did it once, got terribly angry, and wasted a lot of time. The funny thing is that in the upper left corner, where the career is, I pasted my photo and signed: “ Chief Editor Elle Katya Mukhina.” Then I worked at Elle and for me it was a distant dream. I was stunned when I saw this. Many things from this dreamboard came true. The main thing is to work on yourself 24 hours a day. Everyone tells me: “Kat, calm down, calm down and rest.” And I always think about what else I can correct in myself.
IN THE LOBBY OF THE COSTES HOTEL
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Ekaterina Mukhina Without exaggeration, everyone in the fashion industry knows. First - as director of the fashion department ELLE, Then - Vogue Russia, later - as guest editor Vogue Ukraine, and also as a stylist for the book cover of a famous photographer Patrick Demarchelier (73) Dior New Couture. “When I see this book, of course, I feel joy and pride,” Katya smiles. She talks about this in her new status - editor-in-chief of the magazine. ELLE Russia, and by phone from Paris. Katya is now having a real marathon: fashion weeks, meetings, filming for the season ahead, selecting a new team. But she's no stranger to it. "Even after leaving Vogue When I wanted to relax, I couldn’t change my lifestyle. Although I am obsessed with work, family always comes first for me.” Katya recalls how one day her daughter Masha asked: “Mom, what if they call you to film Kate Moss(43) first of September, who will you choose, me or Kate?” “Of course, you,” answered Katya, who had not missed a single school lesson during all the years of her daughter’s studies. “What if it’s the second of September?” - “Then Kate Moss. Right after the line." And you believe her - once she managed to fly one day from Milan to Thailand for the sake of the cover Condé Nast Traveler, and then return to the Armani show.
Katya's appointment took place in mid-December last year. February issue ELLE became the release with her debut editor's word, but was made entirely by the old team. “It’s better to evaluate the work of our team in September, when the new season", explains Katya.
Katya spoke about modern gloss, the dream team and why not everyone can work with her PEOPLETALK V exclusive interview.
First photo: jumpsuit, Lanvin. This photo: earrings and rings, Roberto Cavalli
Katya, what will ELLE be like with your arrival?
KATYA MUKHINA. ELLE- it's always fun and absolute positive. This magazine is very popular different people: some have a family and children, some are successful in their careers, some have chosen a more relaxed lifestyle - but all of these are interesting and interested people. They want to move on and develop. For them, the magazine was important in the past and will be relevant in the future. Moreover, each brand has its own DNA, and therefore you should not wait for transformation ELLE in Dazed & Confused.
What are your first decisions in your new position?
K.M. It’s not easy with me - I’m a neurasthenic worker: I go to bed at three in the morning, get up at six. I fall asleep thinking about my projects, and wake up with them. (Laughs.) At the same time, I understand perfectly well that balance is important in everything, so I myself can go up to someone in the editorial office to literally kick them out for a walk if I see that the person is simply sewing up. Gloss needs nourishment and inspiration. When I arrived, I warned everyone: we will work a lot, especially at the beginning. As a matter of principle, I don’t want to outbid anyone, but gather people who were already on my team. Perhaps the first purpose - Vadim Galaganov as fashion director ELLE. In the publishing house Conde Nast he worked outside the state, did a hundred wonderful filming for GQ, but decided to move on and get into women's fashion. I also plan to develop young professionals. I love those who have not yet held high positions, because they have drive. But first of all, I understand perfectly well that we are doing business, creating a great product within the strict framework of marketing guidelines. I assure you, it is much more difficult than doing pure art.
Dress, HOUSE OF FAME; earrings, Daniil Antsiferov; ring, Roberto Cavalli
What problems need to be solved in the near future?
K.M. In addition to the current ones - the release of a new issue every month - we will have to re-assemble the pool of photographers and models with whom we will collaborate. Our business is not as simple as some might think. There are unspoken rules by which all glossy media live. No one writes about them, but people in the industry know them. There are photographers Vogue, which, for example, will never be filmed for ELLE, there are models that work only with a certain range of publications. And the main task now is to establish connections, build a process, and hold dozens of meetings.
Are you easy to work with?
K.M. It all depends on the person, because I am very demanding of both myself and people. And also very, very patient, and I give a second chance, and a third, but on the 15th the point of no return comes, and I move on - without clarification and regrets. I am a non-conflict person, but, on the other hand, I am very direct. Not everyone is ready to accept the truth; many are scared by it. I prefer to immediately discuss the problem rather than accumulate negativity, because I adhere to the theory that everything around us is energy. And if you invest in something - a business, a person, a relationship, you need to receive emotions in return. Playing with one goal quickly gets boring.
You worked at Vogue for a long time, but you started your career at ELLE. Whose approach to work is closer to you?
K.M. Vogue And ELLE- my two homes, and there are two people in this industry who have largely defined me as a professional, although they have very different approaches to work. This is the editor-in-chief Vogue Vika Davydova and previous chief editor ELLE Lena Sotnikova. Both taught me an important truth: if you want to make a good magazine, you need to be moved by every picture, every word, every letter, every number. Only when you carefully nurture each page do you get a great product.
Dress, Chapurin haute couture
Katya, fashion shoots are an important part of your professional life, which editors-in-chief usually do not deal with. Will you continue to style them?
K.M. Yes, sure. We are committed to optimization and do not plan to pretend to be stars, saying that I am the editor-in-chief, Vadim is the fashion director, and we will not film all sorts of little things. If at a particular moment there is no one else, I am ready to do whatever the magazine needs. I’m happy that Vadim is next to me. It is very rare for super stylists, very talented, to shoot portraits, culture, actresses, and not just fashion. And Vadim loves working with the characters, he’s just a fan of filming, and we’re on the same wavelength.
Did it take you a long time to decide when you were offered this position?
K.M. Two days.
So there was almost no doubt?
K.M. I spent a long time preparing my daughter (Masha is 13 years old - editor's note) to enter a London school. For me, let’s say, this has been the main project of the last three years. And when she finally arrived, I was simply euphoric for some time. And then I realized that I have enough energy to go to work.
What will happen to your other projects? With the site “Mothers and Daughters”, for example?
K.M. My sister remains the editor-in-chief there. We made this decision at the beginning of 2016. This was a year of travel for me, a period of active internal growth. I have visited many places: Normandy, V Iceland, V Peru. So I abstracted myself from the site a long time ago, and quite consciously. Four years ago I left Vogue to take care of the family, but over time I realized that I shouldn’t give up anything. Even if I had the opportunity to wake up whenever I want and calmly go drink coffee, without having any plans for the day, I would still try to develop and move forward. This is neither good nor bad. The main thing is to understand yourself. We are very fond of labeling people, but I believe that there is no need to break anyone. In 2016, I learned two important lessons: it is useless to change someone - you need to accept the person or situation as they are. And then you decide whether you want to go through life with him (or her) or not.
Dress, Tom Ford; shoes, Roberto Cavalli
Living by such principles is a lot of internal work. How do you deal with this?
K.M. I am a Soviet child, I was raised in a Soviet school, and I had Soviet sports. “No matter what happens, be patient” - that’s what we were taught. So yes, I did not immediately accept the new principles, but somehow in an instant I suddenly realized that, it turns out, you can choose, like from a menu in a restaurant, what you like, and allow others to do it. I teach Masha this too. For example, she says: “Mom, what if I get a tattoo or dye my hair blue?” I answer: “Paint! Let’s go with pink too.” Whatever she offers me, I support. This is her life, I must accept and support her.
What projects are you especially proud of?
K.M. Cooperation with Patrick Demarchelier. Still from our shoot with Marina Linchuk(29) he took on the cover of his book, and works with Diana Vishneva(40) entered Dance in Vogue. I’m also proud of filming for Italian and Japanese Vogue, as, indeed, with all the projects in which she was involved. They believed in me, and for that I am grateful - Karina Dobrotvorskaya, Vika Davydova, Lena Sotnikova, Viktor Mikhailovich Shkulev. They all gave me the opportunity to grow. This may sound naive, but it's true. However, of course, my most important project is still Masha. (Laughs.)
Dress, Izeta; shoes, Roberto Cavalli; earrings, Daniil Antsiferov; bracelets are Catherine's property
What is your main professional principle?
K.M. I always treat my colleagues with respect. We may or may not be friends, but if I see a beautiful photo, I always say: “Wow, what a cool shot!” I will not hesitate to compliment the editor-in-chief of a competing publication. I am unfamiliar with the feeling of professional envy. On the contrary, when I see something amazing, I think: they could do it, so I can do it too. I stopped opening Facebook four years ago, after leaving Vogue, - there is no such amount of negativity, and towards colleagues, anywhere else. I sincerely don’t understand what the joy is in such outbursts on social networks. I live a different life: I go with colleagues (current and former) to lunch or visit each other, and work is far from main topic our conversations.
How do you manage to find time for your personal life when you are busy?
K.M. The fact is that when you love your profession, the question of how to separate work and life is not relevant. I feel, first of all, an accomplished person, and I am confident that I will realize my abilities in the right professional environment. And if work brings pleasure, it always helps to overcome everyday problems and adds joyful colors to the overall picture of personal happiness.
