Alexander Vasilyev in Europe

In the fall and winter of 2026, fashion historian, art historian, and television host Alexander Vasilyev will embark on a European tour. The program will feature his lectures on the history of fashion, aesthetics, culture, and social customs across different eras.

Alexander Vasilyev invites audiences to view familiar phenomena through the lens of history and culture, revealing little-known facts, the lives of remarkable individuals, and the connection between fashion and societal change. Different cities will feature different lecture programs—ranging from the history of the Russian diaspora to the themes of sexuality, beauty, and 20th-century fashion.

All lectures are restricted to those 18 and older.

“Sex and Fashion from the Diaghilev Era to the Madonna Era”

Cities: Amsterdam, Milan, Málaga, Valencia.

In this lecture, Alexander Vasilyev explores the interplay between fashion, sexuality, and social mores in the 20th century. How have notions of beauty for men and women changed? What overt and covert techniques does clothing use to attract attention? How have sexual, cultural, and social revolutions influenced the development of fashion?

The lecture touches on themes of eroticism, gender relations, feminism, and traditional notions of masculinity, and also shows how religion, philosophy, and changing gender relations were reflected in clothing.

Alexander Vasilyev invites us to view fashion not only as an aesthetic but also as a unique tool of seduction that reflects the spirit of its time.

Amsterdam — October 25, 2026
Milan — November 13, 2026
Málaga — December 2, 2026
Valencia — December 3, 2026
Barcelona — December 11, 2026

Lecture duration: approximately 3.5 hours. Age restriction: 18+.

“Beauty in Exile”

City: Paris.

This lecture explores the history of Russian emigration and its influence on European fashion in the first half of the 20th century. Alexander Vasilyev will discuss the Russian fashion houses, artists, designers, and socialites who found themselves in various European cities following the revolution.

The focus will be on “Russian” Harbin, Berlin, and Constantinople in the 1920s and 1930s, as well as Paris, which became one of the main centers of Russian cultural and fashion emigration.

Viewers will learn about famous figures of the Russian aristocracy and émigré community, including Irina and Felix Yusupov, Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna Romanova, Princesses Trubetskaya and Obolenskaya, as well as outstanding Russian artists, designers, and models.

The lecture “Beauty in Exile” offers a fresh perspective on the history of the Russian diaspora and the era when Russian culture continued to exert a significant influence on global fashion.

Paris — November 10, 2026. Age restriction: 18+.

Alexander Vasilyev’s European tour will offer the opportunity to hear original lectures by one of the most renowned fashion historians and to immerse oneself in 20th-century history through clothing, beauty, culture, and social change.