katie likes...russia.

RUSSIA!

the cold land of mystery and intrigue (or, at least, that's how i think of it), has enchanted me since i learned about anastasia and the last russian imperial family when i was fairly young. it's always seemed like this mystifying place where it is always snowing (yes, i know that russia does in fact experience summer, contrary to my personal belief), where people seem very harsh and family-oriented, which has such depth and history.

maybe it's the fact that the country is SO huge. maybe it's the multiple cultural influences from being both a part of europe and asia. maybe it's because of it's war-torn history. i don't know why, but i've always had an intense fascination with russia.

it seems like a magical place where fairy tales could have occurred. a wolf lurking in the dense forests to deceive a red hooded girl. an evil, old witch in her candy cottage catching and devouring children. a beautiful, young girl with hair as long as the tallest tower that can be used as a rope. they all seem dark yet fantastic to me, like russia, which is probably why i associate the two.

i've even found myself associating great fashion collections to russia through influence, despite the fact that i know very little about russian fashion. i imagine there's quite a bit of layering and fur, a lot of interesting, traditional patterns, and a somewhat ethnic feel; therefore, when i come across any show with some/any of these features, my first thought is, "russian."

even their metro systems, which often can be renowned for looking ugly and gross, are beautiful! check this out, it's the metro in moscow, and it's nicer than i could ever expect my home to look like, let alone my public transportation.

 

but who can blame me for accrediting so much greatness to this vast nation? after all, they've given us a lot to appreciate. my number one appreciation at the moment, however (which is also what sparked this post), is ballet:

in order of appearance, we have irina baronova, anna pavlova, & olga spessiva. all images from wikipedia.

while i'll admit that i've never been ballet's most avid fan, i've always been obsessed with the ballerinas themselves. the way they move their legs with such ease and their immaculate posture and balance, not to mention their incredible self-discipline, make me wish that my parents had enrolled me in ballet classes rather than a softball team when i was 6. i have to say that, not only do the russians have a good name in the world of ballet, they have the talent. here's a clip of the sugar plum fairy in the nutcracker done by the kirov, st. petersburg's ballet:

magnificent, no? i bet you wish you could move around like that now.

and if you haven't yet been moved to agree with me that russia is a beautiful land of mystery and intrigue that should be much more deeply appreciated than it seems to be, take this one last factor into account. without russia, we would never have been given the lovely/beautiful/goddess-like/angelic natalia 

vodianova...

you know, just a little something to consider.

kr.