Style Tribes Vol. 3: The Cavalli-Loving Russian Ladies of Brighton Beach
Photo: Dina Litovsky
Take the B or the Q train to Sheepshead Bay, walk toward Avenue X, and the lettering on stores’ signs slowly switches from Spanish to Cyrillic, marking your entry to Brooklyn’s Brighton Beach. Home to émigrés from Moscow, and parts of Moldova and Belarus, “Little Odessa,” as the area is known, achieved recent notoriety as the setting for Lifetime’s reality series Russian Dolls. Though you won’t come across many style statements on the street (foot traffic is minimal in the nearly suburban neighborhood), stop by Rasputin Restaurant and Cabaret on a Saturday after dusk, and you’ll get a taste of Russian dressing Stateside. The tri-level supper club with a commanding marble façade is the community’s go-to for weddings and bar mitzvahs, and its celebrity only increased last year, after co-owner and “Queen Bee” Marina was featured on Dolls.
For The Cut’s third volume of Style Tribes, we sent photographer Dina Litovsky to capture Marina, her entourage, and a handful of other Rasputin patrons in their Roberto Cavalli, Dolce & Gabbana, and Chanel eveningwear. But most of the women don’t hesitate to mix high and low fashions, and admit that they rarely make it beyond their local boutiques to pick up new pieces. Jewelry is the centerpiece of every outfit, with custom-made Italian rings, rare rose-cut diamond earrings, Hermès bracelets, and intricate necklaces by Val Stern — his mother, Nataly, wears a copy of one of Coco Chanel’s dresses created by Karl Lagerfeld in our slideshow. As for beauty, Delacqua Salon on 86th Street is the first stop for many of these women before they mount the steps to Rasputin, participating in what they referred to numerous times as “the procession of red-soled heels.”
Svetlana Minakoff, Alla Veksler, Marina Levitis, and Faina Sherman. "We love shopping. We love good brands. But it's important also to know ...
Svetlana Minakoff, Alla Veksler, Marina Levitis, and Faina Sherman. "We love shopping. We love good brands. But it's important also to know how to balance it. You're not a walking advertisement for one designer." —Marina Levitis
Photo: Dina Litovsky
Comparing jewelry. Photo: Dina Litovsky
Marina Levitis, 35, Co-owner of Rasputin “A lot of people think, Oh, a Russian restaurant means old ladies, gypsy songs, lots of food. Not here. ...
Marina Levitis, 35, Co-owner of Rasputin “A lot of people think, Oh, a Russian restaurant means old ladies, gypsy songs, lots of food. Not here. We have Russian music, American music, Spanish music, and hits from all over the world. Our singers and dancers, they’re from all over. On a Saturday night it starts at 9:30 or 10, but it becomes this elaborate all-night party where every few minutes there’s something new on the stage and it never ends until 4 a.m.”
Roberto Cavalli dress, mink fur, Hublot watch, her engagement ring, Hermès bracelets. Photo: Dina Litovsky
Marina Levitis “To get through the day, I have to be comfortable, but for nighttime, I know when I come here that all eyes are on me. People alwa...
Marina Levitis “To get through the day, I have to be comfortable, but for nighttime, I know when I come here that all eyes are on me. People always see what I am wearing. I’m almost a bit of a celebrity for this area. Even if I’m wearing black, I would put on a bling-y jewelry piece or layer a bunch of bracelets just to really pop and stand out.”
Photo: Dina Litovsky
Marina Levitis “We know how to put ourselves together. This is something every Russian woman knows. [My eight-year-old daughter] knows how to app...
Marina Levitis “We know how to put ourselves together. This is something every Russian woman knows. [My eight-year-old daughter] knows how to apply makeup, she goes through my makeup bag. She knows what’s in it. I think we learn from our mothers because women are very feminine in Russian culture. You could work, you could be successful, but you have to be a woman.”
Roberto Cavalli dress, Alexander McQueen shoes, limited-edition Wilford stockings, mink fur. Photo: Dina Litovsky
Svetlana Minakoff, 31, Application Developer for the City of New York “On a daily basis, I do my makeup myself. But when I go out, I go to Delacq...
Svetlana Minakoff, 31, Application Developer for the City of New York “On a daily basis, I do my makeup myself. But when I go out, I go to Delacqua Salon on 86th Street and they do everything for me. They kind of feel me. They know who I am and how I want to look that evening. I step out from my door and I go straight to the salon. I keep telling my American friends: Every person deserves the best, and you always want to look like a Hollywood star, pretty much.”
Bebe dress, fox fur, Nine West boots, Louis Vuitton handbag, custom-made jewelry, Invicta watch, makeup by Delacqua Salon. Photo: Dina Litovsky
Svetlana Minakoff “I would rather die than see someone else wearing the same dress or the same shoes. When I see something and I like it, I try t...
Svetlana Minakoff “I would rather die than see someone else wearing the same dress or the same shoes. When I see something and I like it, I try to make it look like it’s my own. That’s why with my outfits I always mix and match.”
Patrizia Pepe dress, Chanel bag, Bebe earrings, custom-made diamond ring. Photo: Dina Litovsky
Marina Rayham, 38, General Manager at Her Husband’s Plastic Surgery Practice “I like Kate Middleton, she’s very classic. Her style is unbelievabl...
Marina Rayham, 38, General Manager at Her Husband’s Plastic Surgery Practice “I like Kate Middleton, she’s very classic. Her style is unbelievable, and she represents the crown very well, just like William’s mother, I think. But she’s more modern than Diana was. In the beginning, she was too London. Kate is more international. A lot of girls her age can follow her style.”
Roberto Cavalli dress, YSL Tributes shoes,Val Stern jewelry. Photo: Dina Litovsky
Marina Rayham “In Russia, all the fashion that was available was brought in from America or influenced by Paris and Milan. If you were able...
Marina Rayham “In Russia, all the fashion that was available was brought in from America or influenced by Paris and Milan. If you were able to sew, you had to sew it for yourself by copying the patterns that were published in a magazine called Burza. Otherwise you were not able to get designer names.”
Dolce & Gabbana dress, Michael Kors fur, Giuseppe Zanotti shoes. Photo: Dina Litovsky
Michelle Rolshud, 20, Student and Model “I grew up old-school Russian, very conservative, and I wasn’t allowed to express my style. They sent me ...
Michelle Rolshud, 20, Student and Model “I grew up old-school Russian, very conservative, and I wasn’t allowed to express my style. They sent me to a private school, a yeshiva, where I had to wear uniforms every day, so as a teenager I kind of rebelled and took it upon myself to evolve my own style.”
Symphony dress, Forever 21 belt, Steve Madden shoes. Photo: Dina Litovsky
Michelle Rolshud “My dog’s name is Chanel. She has tons of outfits. I spoil her more than I do myself, from clothes to pajamas to hats to boots. ...
Michelle Rolshud “My dog’s name is Chanel. She has tons of outfits. I spoil her more than I do myself, from clothes to pajamas to hats to boots. I bought her a $500 fur coat, and mind you, she’s tiny, so the coat is maybe the size of my hand. And I bought her fur boots which she hates — they just stand in her closet.”
Photo: Dina Litovsky
Michelle Rolshud “People nicknamed me ‘Sparkles’ because everything I wear, from clothes to makeup, has to include sparkles. I don’t know where I...
Michelle Rolshud “People nicknamed me ‘Sparkles’ because everything I wear, from clothes to makeup, has to include sparkles. I don’t know where I got it from. I think it’s from the Brighton Beach style. I see a lot of sequined, sparkly, out-there clothes, so I think I got it from there.”
NN dress, M.A.C. lipstick, Nars eyeshadow, Maybelline eyeliner, Chanel Mascara. Photo: Dina Litovsky
Faina Sherman, 31, Business Owner “I like to dress up whenever I leave my house. I always have makeup on, my hair done ... I can wear flats, like...
Faina Sherman, 31, Business Owner “I like to dress up whenever I leave my house. I always have makeup on, my hair done ... I can wear flats, like nice Tory Burch flats or whatever. But sneakers, no. Only to the gym."
Dolce & Gabbana dress, Givenchy lip gloss. Photo: Dina Litovsky
Eva Levitis, 57, Co-owner of Rasputin “In New York, especially if you work in Manhattan, it’s much more conservative. You’re supposed to wear mor...
Eva Levitis, 57, Co-owner of Rasputin “In New York, especially if you work in Manhattan, it’s much more conservative. You’re supposed to wear more gray, black, and brown styles. But in Moscow it used to be very colorful. So after I bought the restaurant, I dressed more freely like I used to in Russia, more extravagant and colorful.”
Vera Wang dress, Michael Kors shoes, Roberto Cavalli jewelry, M.A.C. and Nars makeup. Photo: Dina Litovsky
Eva Levitis “I pay attention to Carrie Underwood. I like how she dresses — very clean and nice. Also, Gwen Stefani — I like her company, L.A.M.B....
Eva Levitis “I pay attention to Carrie Underwood. I like how she dresses — very clean and nice. Also, Gwen Stefani — I like her company, L.A.M.B.”
Photo: Dina Litovsky
Eva Levitis “The most expensive thing in my closet is probably my furs ... my red fur coat. I bought it some time ago at Bloomingdale’s. It’s war...
Eva Levitis “The most expensive thing in my closet is probably my furs ... my red fur coat. I bought it some time ago at Bloomingdale’s. It’s warm and bright.”
Vera Wang dress, Halston Heritage clutch, Badgley Mischka shoes. Photo: Dina Litovsky
Mira Matveev, 47, IT worker “I don’t go shopping, I just go to sample sales. I know all the sites, so I’ll even make spreadsheets. In New York, s...
Mira Matveev, 47, IT worker “I don’t go shopping, I just go to sample sales. I know all the sites, so I’ll even make spreadsheets. In New York, something is always running. I can tell whether it’s going to be a good one or a bad one. All my friends ask, 'What’s going on? What’s going on?' They don’t know any of the sample sales. And I’m like, Just tell me where you want to go.”
Viktor & Rolf dress, Armani clutch, David Yurman earrings, Ilona Yusim necklace and bracelet. Photo: Dina Litovsky
Alla Veksler, 35, Real Estate Broker “When I was growing up, I liked Claudia Schiffer quite a lot. Marina [Levitis] looked like Cindy Crawford an...
Alla Veksler, 35, Real Estate Broker “When I was growing up, I liked Claudia Schiffer quite a lot. Marina [Levitis] looked like Cindy Crawford and I was the Claudia Schiffer. So we always associated ourselves with them.”
Mandalay dress, Louis Vuitton shoes, Italian custom-designed jewelry. Photo: Dina Litovsky
Alla Veksler “Back in Russia, everything was more on the simple side. Everyone bought the same stuff from the same area. It was very difficult to...
Alla Veksler “Back in Russia, everything was more on the simple side. Everyone bought the same stuff from the same area. It was very difficult to get anything. You had to know someone to get something. Here, as long as you have money, you can buy anything you want.”
Photo: Dina Litovsky
Nataly Stern, Artist and Interior Decorator “I like Lady Gaga. I like some interesting designers. Of course McQueen — it’s too bad he died. He wa...
Nataly Stern, Artist and Interior Decorator “I like Lady Gaga. I like some interesting designers. Of course McQueen — it’s too bad he died. He was really perfect. His fashion is more like art than fashion itself. Ghesquière for Balenciaga; Lagerfeld, his creations for Fendi, for Chanel; and Versace when he was alive did beautiful theater costumes.”
Dress by Karl Lagerfeld (a copy of a dress Coco Chanel once wore), Miu Miu shoes, Val Stern jewelry, limited-edition Chanel handbag. Photo: Dina Litovsky
Nataly Stern “The most interesting piece in my closet is a monkey fur coat. It’s from the twenties because now you can’t kill monkeys — it’s ille...
Nataly Stern “The most interesting piece in my closet is a monkey fur coat. It’s from the twenties because now you can’t kill monkeys — it’s illegal. Mine has an original label, and it’s long, like three quarters. This was very rare.”
Photo: Dina Litovsky
Irena Marks, 28, Singer at Rasputin “The most interesting things in my closet are the stuff I wear on stage. I’ve had friends come over and they’...
Irena Marks, 28, Singer at Rasputin “The most interesting things in my closet are the stuff I wear on stage. I’ve had friends come over and they’ll be like, What is that? And it’s some kind of corset with feathers or a metallic Lady Gaga thing with these metallic shoulder things. I mean, I’d never wear it either if I wasn’t on stage … Well, maybe, who knows. If I was feeling frisky one night? You go to the city, and there are lots of freaks in the city.”
Photo: Dina Litovsky
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