Today Alexander Vasiliev is known as a fashion historian, TV presenter and author of dozens of books, but it all started quite differently. He grew up in an artistic family, from childhood saw the backstage of the theater and with his own hands sewed costumes for home performances. Gradually, his passion for the stage and costumes turned into a profession: the young set designer made his first steps in Moscow theaters, and then went international.
How the family instilled a love for art and fashion
Alexander was born on December 8, 1958 in Moscow. His father, theater artist Alexander Pavlovich Vasiliev, designed hundreds of performances, and his mother, actress Tatiana Vasilieva-Gulevich, taught at the School-Studio of the Moscow Art Theatre.
The house was full of scenery, fabrics and rehearsals, so the theater was a natural environment for the boy. He sewed costumes for home productions, at the age of twelve put his own "The Wizard of Emerald City" and often appeared in children's TV programs. After school, he graduated from the Moscow Art Theater's production department and began working as a costume designer at the Malaya Bronnaya Theater, learning from his father.
Emigration to France and education
After graduating from the production department of the Moscow Art Theater Studio School, in 1982 Alexander Vasilyev decided to make a change and moved to France. First he went to Paris at the invitation of theater friends and quickly joined the cultural environment. At the Sorbonne, Vasilyev studied art history and European culture while working as a production designer and set designer. His designs decorated the stages of the Théâtre du Rond-Point on the Champs-Élysées, the Royal Opera House of Versailles, the Avignon Festival and leading theaters in Geneva and London.
In Paris he created costumes and interiors for opera and ballet productions, designed exhibition spaces and collaborated with young French fashion designers. This period became in Alexander Vasilyev's biography not only a time of professional growth, but also a time of personal discovery of Europe: he expanded his famous collection of period costume and strengthened his reputation as a fashion connoisseur far beyond the borders of Russia.
Alexander Vasilyev's Creative Universe
It is difficult to find a field of art where Vasilyev would not leave his mark. He combines work as an art historian, collector, theater artist and popularizer of fashion history. His work has long gone beyond the stage or academic lectures, becoming part of the cultural dialog between countries and generations.
Fashion historian: lectures, books and a unique collection
Alexander Vasiliev is known as one of the greatest experts on the history of costume. His private collection includes more than 60,000 items - from rare 19th century dresses to Art Deco accessories and haute couture masterpieces of the 17th-20th centuries.
The collection, which he has been adding to for more than three decades, is kept in France and regularly travels the world: exhibitions have been held in Australia, Europe, Asia and America. The collection includes not only outfits and shoes, but also old photographs, paintings and graphics reflecting the fashion of different eras, including the history of the Russian abroad.
Things with personal history are of special interest. Among them are costumes belonging to Princess Maria Scherbatova, Baroness Galina Delvig, Countess Jacqueline de Bogurdon and Countess Olga von Kreutz. Russian theater and cinema stars such as Lyudmila Gurchenko, Lyubov Orlova, Galina Ulanova, Klara Luchko, Natalia Fateyeva and others also donated outfits to Vasiliev. This unique collection has been the basis for dozens of exhibitions and lectures, including in Germany.
Alexander Vasiliev's books have become desktop publications for designers, historians and anyone interested in fashion. As the author of more than thirty books, he has made the history of costume accessible to the general public: his editions have been translated into many languages and are used as textbooks in universities and design schools around the world.
Book title
Year of publication
Main subject
Russian fashion
2000
Evolution of style in Russia from XVIII to XX century
Elegance for all times
2005
History of European fashion and its iconic images
Fashion in the mirror of history
2010
Costume and culture of different countries
Beauty in exile
2014
Russian emigration and its influence on world fashion
Ladies of the era
2018
Female images in art and fashion
In his articles and television programs, art historian Alexander Vasiliev shows how the evolution of clothing reflects cultural and social change. Each of his books is not only a guide to the history of fashion, but also a fascinating story about people, times and taste.
The most high-profile theater productions around the world
Alexander Vasiliev's career as a theater artist spans more than one hundred productions on five continents. His sets and costumes are always distinguished by their historical accuracy and sophisticated style. Below are key projects that vividly demonstrate the scope of his work.
International projects:
Royal Opera of Versailles (France) - creating sets and costumes for classical ballets;
Avignon Festival - decoration of performances within the framework of the largest theatrical forum in Europe;
London National Theatre and Scottish Ballet in Glasgow - scenography for ballet and drama productions;
Geneva, Paris, London - work at leading theaters including Théâtre du Rond-Point and Lucernaire;
Japan, USA, Chile - design of performances for national ballet companies.
Russian stage:
Moscow Operetta Theater and the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Academic Musical Theater;
opera theaters of Novosibirsk, Samara, Rostov-on-Don;
in 2012 - the revival of the one-act ballet "Armida's Pavilion" at the Samara Academic Opera and Ballet Theater.
Landmark performances:
ballets "Romeo and Juliet", "Swan Lake", "Anna Karenina";
the performance "And suddenly..." for the Pushkin Theater in Moscow.
For a full list of the tour and playbill see the section Touring theaters.
Thanks to these works, Alexander Vasiliev has earned a reputation as an artist who combines a deep knowledge of fashion history with an impeccable sense of style, turning each scene into a pictorial canvas.
Vasilyev's museums, exhibitions and fashion school
Alexander Vasiliev has donated part of his collection to his own museum fund. His exhibitions devoted to the history of fashion of the XIX-XX centuries are regularly held in the largest cultural centers of Europe. In addition, he founded the Vasiliev School of Fashion, where he conducts master classes and training courses on the history of costume, style and scenography, helping young designers and fashion historians to master their profession.
Personal life of Alexander Vasilyev
Despite his fame and openness in his work, the fashion historian rarely shares details of his personal life. Stories about Alexander Vasilyev's family sound more like memories of loved ones and spiritual values than a secular chronicle.
First love and marriage
As a young man, Alexander Vasilyev was married to a Frenchwoman, Maria. This union helped him to move to France and start the European stage of his career, but soon the marriage broke up. After that, he had no official family relations, and for many years he has been living alone.
Views on family and life
Vasilyev himself says that his "family" is friends, students and colleagues with whom he constantly communicates. He values independence and the opportunity to devote himself fully to lectures, books and museum projects. The fashion historian spends his free time traveling and in his garden, calling caring for plants "the best meditation."
Children and legacy
Alexander Vasilyev officially has no children of his own. But he has three goddaughters, and a particularly warm relationship with Marfa Milovidova - the daughter of his school friend. According to Marfa, the godfather often gives her fashionable clothes and taught her to dress feminine. Vasilyev admits that he is proud of such a spiritual connection and considers godchildren as part of his family.
The historian has already made a will: part of the property will go to his museum fund, and among the heirs named and goddaughter Marfa. The press discussed rumors about a child born out of wedlock, but Alexander himself prefers not to disclose details, answering: "You will learn everything from my memoirs - not everything can be told publicly".
So Vasilyev emphasizes: the main "offspring" for him remains his creative legacy - collections, exhibitions and books, which will live longer than any secular history.
Alexander Vasilyev in "Fashion Verdict".
Since 2009, Alexander Vasiliev has been the permanent host and chief expert of the TV project "Fashion Verdict" on Channel One. Thanks to his charisma and sense of style, he has become one of the most recognizable TV presenters in Russia, and the program itself has become a real fashion school for millions of viewers.
But Vasiliev's television career began earlier: back in 2002, he was the author and host of the program "Blow of the Century" on the channel "Culture". Later on, the fashion historian developed an educational direction - from 2009 to 2012 he worked as a scientific director of the Moscow Fashion Academy at the institute "Ostankino", held master classes and led courses on the design and history of costume.
Vasiliev also cooperates with Radio Mayak, where he hosted a series of programs "Portraits of Great Fashionistas", and creates his own lecture projects for MODA.RU SCHOOL. His speeches, master classes and participation in TV programs are characterized by erudition and artistry, thanks to which each public appearance becomes an event for lovers of fashion and costume history.
Alexander Vasiliev today
Alexander Vasiliev now lives between Paris, Moscow and Vilnius, and continues to perform as a lecturer and curator of exhibitions. He organizes cultural tours, collaborates with world museums, and conducts master classes.
Vasiliev regularly prepares new expositions from his collection of period costume that travel to major museums in Europe and Asia. His lectures attract full houses in Germany, France, Switzerland and the Baltic States, and his tour schedule is scheduled for months in advance. The nearest dates for meetings with the fashion historian are available in the Essen playbill.
In addition to his exhibition and educational work, the art historian is an active writer: his latest books are devoted to 20th century fashion and interior trends. Vasiliev remains a sought-after TV presenter and media figure, continuing to appear in programs about fashion and culture, as well as leading author courses for designers and historians of costume.
Interesting facts about the fashion historian
How old is Alexander Vasilyev? In December 2025 he will be 67 years old.
The main hobbies of the fashion historian are directly related to his profession. He has been collecting a unique collection of vintage clothes and accessories for more than thirty years, which he regularly replenishes at antique auctions and flea markets in Europe.
Vasiliev travels a lot, calling Rome "the most beautiful city on Earth". He is often in Paris, Istanbul and Buenos Aires, where he looks for rare finds for his exhibitions and enjoys the architecture of old neighborhoods.
Even on vacation, he continues to study the history of costume: he works with archives, prepares new books and lectures, believing that work and hobby are inseparable.
Sometimes he is confused with Alexander Vasiliev, the leader of the group Splin, but the only thing they have in common is their surname.
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