Studying the biography of Regina Zbarskaya, it is difficult to believe that so many sad and dramatic events could befall one woman. Moreover, in such a short period of time - as you know, the fashion model committed suicide a month and a half before her 52nd birthday.
Regina Zbarskaya was not just the most famous fashion model of the Soviet Union, she was a mystery woman whose life was always shrouded in secrets and rumors. It is still not clear where the future catwalk conqueror was born. According to one version, this happened in Vologda, in the family of a retired officer, according to another - in Leningrad, in a family of circus gymnasts. Regina herself adhered to the latter option, not forgetting to add that her parents died while performing a dangerous stunt, leaving her an orphan. According to the memoirs of contemporaries, Zbarskaya always hid her simplicity under the guise of aristocracy, fearing that she would be exposed.
Carier start
In the spring of 1953, 17-year-old Regina arrived in Moscow. Having entered VGIK, she soon abandoned her studies - new, much more interesting prospects loomed before her. In her first year, Kolesnikova (the heroine’s maiden name - approx. Woman.ru) caught the eye of the then famous clothing creator Vera Aralova. The fashion designer immediately noted the girl’s European beauty and invited her to try herself on the catwalk. Regina knew that youth and excellent appearance were a ticket to a bright future, and decided not to miss the opportunity to test this theory in practice.
Beauty and politics
Many representatives of Moscow bohemia, familiar with Lev Zbarsky, collaborated with the KGB. Over time, the world-famous fashion model became involved in secret special operations. Its task was to collect certain information about the political views and sentiments of various Western figures coming to Moscow. Regina Zbarskaya was not chosen by chance as a secret agent. Firstly, she amazed foreigners with her beauty, which means she could win men over to a frank conversation. Secondly, the model spoke fluent French and English.
Miss Crooked Legs
At the House of Models, Regina Kolesnikova instantly became fashion model No. 1 and, despite her newcomer status, immediately began traveling abroad. Western fashion designers admired not only her grace and figure, but also her ease of communication, which other Soviet girls could not boast of due to ignorance of foreign languages.
Among the others, Regina was distinguished not only by her bright appearance, but also by... her legs like wheels. Yes, yes, you heard right, the legs of the most beautiful woman in the USSR were unacceptably crooked.
The girl’s close friend Vyacheslav Zaitsev does not deny this. But he adds that “this was her charm, her special sophistication.”
According to the couturier’s memoirs, Kolesnikova walked the catwalk so brilliantly that no one noticed this flaw.
Brief biography of Zbarsky
Felix-Lev Borisovich Zbarsky was born on November 12, 1931 in Moscow. His father, Boris Ilyich, was a famous biochemist who at one time took part in the embalming of Lenin's body.
Mother, Evgenia Borisovna, met her future husband at the university, which was then headed by Boris Zbarsky.
It is interesting that their acquaintance took place thanks to Lydia Pasternak, the sister of the famous poet and writer Boris Pasternak.
One of the interesting facts in the biography of Lev Zbarsky is his double name. The fact is that the father named his son “Felix-Lev” only because he had great respect for the chemist Lev Karpov and the head of the Cheka, Felix Dzerzhinsky.
Childhood and youth
Little is known about the childhood and youth of the future artist. This is largely due to the work of the head of the family. Since my father was the director of the Laboratory at Lenin’s Mausoleum, the lives of people close to him were not made public.
It is reliably known that at the age of 10, when the Zbarsky family lived in Tyumen, Leva began to show a talent for drawing. Noticing their son’s creative abilities, his parents hired a teacher for him, who taught him the arts.
Education
Returning to Moscow, Lev Zbarsky graduated from school with a silver medal. Then he continued his studies at the Printing Institute as a graphic artist.
Later, he worked as a production designer in some cartoons, and also drew illustrations for various books.
Being the son of authoritative parents and possessing artistic talent, Lev Zbarsky was a favorite of bohemian society.
Moreover, he was very popular among women. In modern terms, Zbarsky was a prominent representative of the “golden youth” of his time.
He had his own workshop in the center of the capital and a dacha in the Moscow region. In addition, he was always dressed in expensive foreign clothes.
KGB spy
Spectacular appearance, access to intellectual circles, fluency in two foreign languages (English and French - approx. Woman.ru) - all this made Regina an ideal candidate... for the role of a spy. Representatives of the KGB approached the girl after her return from another business trip to Paris and made it clear that if she continued to travel abroad without hindrance and lead her old lifestyle, she would have to “work hard” for the good of the Motherland. What exactly her duties included is not known for certain, but since then the model has always been present at all meetings of foreign guests who came to the capital, and went with them to restaurants and theaters.
The main mistake in life
The great Frederico Fellini admired the purebred beauty of Regina Kolesnikova, Pierre Cardin gave her his best dresses, Yves Montand dedicated songs to her. There were rumors that even Fidel Castro himself was a big fan of the fashion model, but neither he nor other famous men were able to win Regina’s heart the way the promising painter Lev Zbarsky did.
The girl was blinded not only by the young man’s charisma, but also by the status of his family, which gave her even greater fame and position in society. The lovers were one of the brightest couples of Moscow society. However, behind the elegant façade hid a difficult relationship.
At 32, Zbarskaya became pregnant. Dreaming of a son as talented as dad, or a daughter as beautiful as her mother, Regina vividly imagined their future happy life together. But these dreams were not destined to come true: the artist saw in his wife only a muse, but not a woman who washed diapers. Saying a firm “no!”, he forced her to have an abortion. This decision was not easy for Regina. In order to calm her shaken nervous system at least a little, she began taking strong antidepressants, completely unaware that fate, in the person of her beloved husband, was already ready to give her another slap in the face - Lev Zbarsky left his beautiful wife for actress Lyudmila Maksakova. The news that Lev had a child in his new family (son Maxim), whom the artist never allowed Regina to have, completely trampled her. Then she first ended up in a psychiatric hospital, where she would return more than once during her short life.
Childhood and youth
Regina Zbarskaya is not only a fashion model-star, but also a woman of mystery. Her life is shrouded in secrets and rumors - from her place of birth to the circumstances of her death. Her parents awarded her an unusual name for that time, which translated from Latin means “queen.” Perhaps in many ways it determined the fate of its owner. Nevertheless, at first the girl’s surname was quite ordinary - Kolesnikova.
According to the official version, she was born in Leningrad into a family of circus performers who crashed while performing a complex acrobatic stunt under the circus big top. The girl was sent to an orphanage, where she lived until she was 17 years old. According to another version, allegedly told by her classmate, Regina is from Vologda, and her parents are government employees, her mother is an accountant, and her father is a retired officer.
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The biography of Regina Zbarskaya begins to become clear in 1953, when, after graduating from high school, she comes to Moscow and enters the All-Russian State Institute of Cinematography. True, the girl did not get into the acting department and began to study economics. For the sake of her dream - appearing on the big screen - Regina forgot that she needed to study and attend classes. Despite the absences, she was always ready for the exams and passed them with the highest scores.
But VGIK is VGIK: the young beauty still goes to screen tests, however, without success. Kolesnikova’s only role was the image of the Italian singer Silvanna in the film “The Sailor from the Comet,” which was released in the late 50s.
She also often appears at social parties and receptions. At one of these gatherings of bohemians, Zbarskaya meets the then quite famous fashion designer Vera Aralova, who invites the girl to participate in a demonstration of her new clothing collection. This is where Regina's rise in the modeling business began.
One hundred nights with Regina Zbarskaya
In any story where there is a beautiful and successful girl, there is always room for dirt. This is what happens today, and it was the same 50 years ago. In the mid-1970s, Zbarskaya, who had just come to her senses after her husband’s betrayal, met a Yugoslav journalist. The young hot guy instantly turned the head of a woman yearning for love and a strong man’s embrace.
Several months of a passionate romance became the basis for the book “One Hundred Nights with Regina Zbarskaya.” Do not think that the writer in love dedicated his work to romantic memories. The publication contained Regina’s confessions about her denunciations of other people, candid photographs and the most intimate details from the life of the “Soviet Sophia Loren.”
Vile, disgusting, humiliating - the main character of the book could not bear such a blow. Severe stress led her to attempt suicide and subsequent hospitalization in an already familiar mental hospital.
Creation
The period of Lev's life in the Soviet Union was characterized by the fact that he showed himself as a talented graphic artist, he was engaged in book illustration. He became famous in 1956, at the age of 25, when he originally designed a book by Yu. Olesha. Critics unanimously agreed that the illustrations are characterized by extraordinary lightness and airiness. Later, Zbarsky was remembered as the director of the cartoons “Bathhouse”, “Moskvichok”, “Country Orchestra”.
Still from the cartoon “Country Orchestra”
Drawings from the book by Y. Olesha
From supermodel to cleaning lady
The fall from the star Olympus, as is known, can be unexpected, rapid and painful. Regina Zbarskaya also failed to avoid it.
Failures in her personal life, betrayal by men, an unfulfilled desire to become a mother and, worst of all for a fashion model, fading beauty - all this greatly shook Regina’s already unstable psyche. Taking antidepressants literally dried up the once most beautiful woman in the Soviet Union: her gait became uncertain, her eyes dimmed, her love of life gave way to apathy.
In this form, no one needed her anymore. No one except Vyacheslav Zaitsev. The fashion designer, who did not forget or betray his friends, got Regina into the Model House. True, not as a clothing demonstrator, but as an ordinary cleaning lady.
Here's the harsh truth of life: while young and beautiful girls were learning to walk correctly, the “queen of the Soviet catwalk”, bent double, shuffled next to a dirty rag.
European beauty
At the end of the 50s, our heroine got a job at the Fashion House located on Kuznetsky Most. In Soviet times, there was simply no such profession as a model. Therefore, Regina’s work book indicated “5th category worker.” Her monthly salary was 76 rubles.
She regularly participated in Vera Aralova's shows. The other girls immediately disliked her. Envious people did everything to ensure that Regina’s career ended as soon as possible. They repeatedly inserted pins into her outfits and poured glass shards into her shoes. But Kolesnikova bravely endured all these troubles.
In 1961, Vera Aralova had the opportunity to show her collection abroad. For her trip to Paris, she chose the best models, including Regina Zbarskaya. The USSR proved to the whole world that Soviet citizens also wear fashionable and sophisticated clothes. Then the French first saw women's boots with a zipper that ran along the entire length of the boot. Today this type of women's shoes can be seen in any store. And few people know that its inventor was Vera Aralova. There was simply no such thing as a patent in those days. European fashion designers quickly stole the invention from under their noses.
Particular attention of the press and spectators in the hall at Vera Aralova's outdoor show was focused on the fashion model Regina Zbarskaya. The French publication Paris Match called it “the most beautiful weapon of the Kremlin.” However, this magazine was banned in the USSR, which means it was impossible to bring it with you.
Forgotten by everyone
The exact date of death, like the date of birth of Regina Zbarskaya, still remains a mystery. According to some sources, she died in mid-November, according to others - a month earlier. Her body was found in the ward, but still no one can say with certainty what happened there: drug poisoning or opening of the veins. This was not the first time Zbarskaya “dabbled” with the latter.
The burial of the “red queen” was not at all like a royal one. Neither colleagues from the House of Models, nor friends, nor former admirers came to see off Regina Zbarskaya on her last journey. Her body was cremated, and the burial place remained unknown.
The ending of the life of the main man in the life of the fashion model, Lev Zbarsky, turned out to be no less sad. The artist died alone in a New York hospice in the winter of 2021. By pure coincidence, at that time the artist’s grandson was there - your friend Pyotr Maksakov, the husband of Galina Yudashkina. He honored with his presence the funeral of his grandfather, whom he saw for the first and last time in his life.
Personal life
Regina Nikolaevna Zbarskaya was officially married for several years. Her husband was Lev Zbarsky (1931-2016). They married in the early 1960s, when Regina was incredibly popular. Leo dreamed of a queen wife, and the woman herself seemed to want family happiness.
Lev had a salon-workshop, where he not only painted pictures, but also regularly organized bohemian parties. In 1967, Regina became pregnant, but Leo was categorically against children. He persuaded his wife to have an abortion, and she decided to take a desperate act.
Regina later tried to suppress her feelings of guilt by taking powerful antidepressants. And Lev, without hesitation, first started an affair with one actress, then married another. In 1970, Lyudmila Maksakova gave birth to his son. Regina was left without children.
