Why the “Queen of Russian hairstyles” Dolores Kondrashova refused to be Raisa Gorbacheva’s hairdresser

On January 23, the death of Dolores Kondrashova, a legendary woman who forever changed the national beauty industry, became known. Dolores started working as a hairdresser in the 1960s. Then the 25-year-old moved to Moscow – and immersed herself in the world of fashion, fascinated by Western trends. More and more residents of the capital wanted to look like foreign movie stars. Despite the eternal shortage, Dolores, together with her colleagues, tried to help them.

“There weren’t even normal hair curlers – there were such huge iron rollers on underwear rubber bands… Although I ran the Beauty Institute’s fashion lab in the years 70s fashion was absent from the country as a phenomenon For a fashion magazine they gave a lot of money Some people brought them from abroad others remade them to see what the world wore behind the iron curtain.

In fact, we invented bicycles. I asked my friend to make me a ”professional” comb. He dug ordinary fingernails into the massage brush, breaking their heads. And with these nails we combed the dandies of Moscow”— reminded on the difficulties of his work Kondrashov.

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For more than half a century, until her death, Dolores was the head hairdressing coach in our country. It was she who “got her hands” on the most famous stylists of our country – for example, Sergei Zverev and Irina Baranova.

The list of his famous clients is endless. On several occasions, the “Queen of Russian hairstyles” was responsible for the styling of Alla Pugacheva and Philip Kirkorov, as well as hairstyles for the wives of the most important people of the country.

“When perestroika came, Raisa Maksimovna came to me. She was the first wife of the head of state, who started talking about ‘fashion’, her predecessors were quiet abandoned housewives. Everything that was fashionable was considered indecent for the wives of members of the Politburo. And the Soviet people, accustomed to this, hated Raisa Maksimovna because she was fashionable. And she began to dress at Zaitsev, to dress hair at Dolores, but not for long.

She told me: ”You must travel with me to all countries and continents”. I replied: ”I have a laboratory, I can’t be your personal hairdresser”. Raisa Maksimovna reacted very well to this: ”I understand Dolores, she is a creative person and she doesn’t want to be just my personal assistant””– Kondrashova admitted.

By the way, the famous hairdresser always talked about everything that Raisa Gorbacheva did for the domestic beauty industry. “It is customary to imitate the First Lady. And she always went with a beautiful hairstyle.– explained Dolores Kondrashova.