For the Love of Vintage

“Old is Gold” is a popular saying that isn’t unheard of. In all it’s proverbial essence, it denotes that age and experience are what make things in life valuable. For Tatiana Sorokko, who is often known as the “Queen of Vintage Couture”, collecting old fashion is all that ever mattered to her.

Fashion journalist and former Supermodel Tatiana Sorokko spoke about “Cristobal Balenciaga, 1967: The Story of One Dress”, at the Faith Temple Church at Oakdale Avenue on the 19th of November, a lecture that entailed the story of how Indian culture played its part in high fashion in America. The event was presented by Visions of La Moda Fashion Studio for Youth, a non-profit organization in San Francisco’s Bayview district that helps children, aged 12-18, learn the works of today’s vast fashion industry. The organization’s founder and executive director, Traci Peace Greco was thankful to have Mrs. Sorokko offer her knowledge on the history of fashion to her students, as she served as an indispensable source of inspiration for them.

(from left) Traci Peace Greco, Tatiana Sorokko, Arianna Manning, Arielle Piamonte, Julia Soares Barbosa and Paula Soares Lavaud.

Visions of La Moda is a home to youth who aspire to be someone in the world of fashion. With the help of instructors, Paula Soares-Lavaud and Julia Soares Barbosa, the school offers a hands-on approach to learning, where students are exposed to foreign languages such as Italian and French as well as sewing and pattern-making. “Over the years, Tatiana has helped the school in so many ways. From donating tons of vintage fabrics to promoting her book, our school appreciates her contribution to our growth”, Mrs. Greco reminisced.

Mrs. Sorokko’s lecture was bountiful with imagery from the 1960’s illustrating the influence that the First Lady at the time, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, had on the American Fashion industry. Her trip to India in 1962, created a whirlwind in the world of couture. Mrs. Sorokko further elucidated how Indian fabrics, colors and drapes inspired Cristobal Balenciaga to create his infamous Golden Sari Dress that was donned by Elizabeth Taylor in 1964. A couple years later, another version of the dress was found in a vintage store at Paris, that Mrs. Sorokko had managed to buy, after which she revealed the piece to the audience present, instigating an exclamation of awe followed with an applause. The drape, made of gold lamé, shimmered with a line of the most exquisite of hand embroidered borders. Despite the amount of handiwork, Balenciaga’s creation stood the test of time, and thanks to Mrs. Sorokko, a timeless fashion article had made its appearance to the guests present at the event.

Collecting a fortune : Tatiana Sorroko with her prized Balenciaga Gold Sari Dress.

It was evident that Mrs. Sorokko’s love for vintage fashion knew no bounds and to her, fashion is a stigma of time. “Fashion is all about creating an instant classic”, Sorokko stresses. “Today, it is often associated with a shock factor, and this is what makes the art of dressing unsustainable, thereby ultimately losing its value”. Coming from small town in Russia, now called Sarov, Mrs. Sorokko was exposed to fashion that was either limited or non-existent at the time. After being immersed in a culture of uniformity, coming to Paris was expected to be breath of fresh air. On the other hand, the 1950’s brought with it, the rage to be “in fashion”, that upended the core value of couture in Paris. Mrs. Sorokko recalled that she was shocked to see that there was no individuality in what people wanted to wear. “I was very curious, and my love for collecting vintage pieces was born out the understanding that individuality had been a necessity at the time”. What began as a hobby of visiting flea markets on the streets of Paris, eventually grew to be a labor of love; one of which Mrs. Sorokko cannot live without.

“Creating your own style is surely impertinent, in today’s fashion scenario”, the former model so eloquently advised. This was the mantra that the students of Visions of La Moda, Arielle Piamonte and Arianna Manning, had been following. Piamonte and Manning, later recalled their experiences in the school and how their growth as a young artist has opened their eyes to bigger and better things in the fast-paced world of couture. “I make my collections ‘mine’”, Manning emphasized. “To present my work to Mrs. Sorokko is a dream come true and coming to this school gives me a chance to make my tutors proud - which is everything to me”.

Crème de la crème : Visions of La Moda's finest, Arianna Manning (left) and Arielle Piamonte (right)

“Always be curious”, Tatiana Sorokko advised the students. “It’s vital to be knowledgeable and inquisitive of matters around you. Museums and exhibitions are great places to learn from”. Fashion shouldn’t be about striving to follow a crowd, it’s about standing out of it and being your own person. Thanks to Mrs. Sorokko, the message was well received - the only thing left to do was embark on our own fashion journey to uniquity.