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Most of the attention paid to Russia’s presidential election has understandably been directed toward Vladimir Putin, who last night won a fourth term with an overwhelming margin—76 percent of the vote. Ksenia Sobchak, one of his most high-profile opponents, may have earned only 1.4 percent, but her campaign, in buzz and style, proved more significant than that paltry performance seems to suggest.
Sobchak, 36, has been in the public eye and on camera for much of her life. She is the daughter of Anatoly Sobchak, a former St. Petersburg mayor who gave Putin his start in politics. A socialite and fixture on Russian TV, Ksenia Sobchak first achieved fame as the host of House-2, a cheeky dating show, similar to Big Brother. She eventually segued into the fashion world as an editor and a full-look-wearing street style icon. Despite her high-profile connections, she has not been shy about her dissatisfaction with Putin, even joining street protests against him after the 2012 elections.
The former reality star ran on a liberal platform, a controversial position that was the source of much speculation and scrutiny. Many wondered whether Sobchak’s whole campaign wasn’t a Kremlin-supported ploy to divide supporters of the political activist Alexei Navalny, who Putin may see as a more serious threat. (He was barred from running on corruption charges that human rights organizations said were arbitrary.)
While Sobchak’s intentions may be open to interpretation, her campaign wardrobe was clearly revolutionary—a far cry from the shiny suit-and-tie uniforms of her male opponents. Her more elegant choices supported homegrown labels and were less busy (and expensive) than the head-to-toe Gucci looks that she wore two years before at Fashion Week. Instead, Sobchak sported local Insta-famous brands like Roseville (a polished Jackie O.–style eggshell blue dress) and I Am Studio (a lilac robe suit).
Sobchak also made an effort to wear millennial-friendly casual clothing, particularly the hoodies that she donned for highly publicized campaign events. In an Instagram photo that she posted yesterday of herself leaving for the polls, Sobchak wore a polished cream coat over a black sweatshirt emblazoned with svoboda, the Russian word for “freedom.” The candidate had earlier sparred with Navalny on his YouTube channel in the same hoodie. Three days ago, she announced the creation of a new party, the Party of Change, while wearing a red hoodie that read vesna bliska, which translates to “spring is close.”
Not all her fashion choices have been so serious-minded, however. Who can forget the bold, off-the-shoulder bathing suit she wore to take a polar plunge in a village ice hole in Siberia? In fact, that gesture could be seen as a metaphor for Sobchak’s whole campaign, which, while politically ambiguous, was at least superficially audacious.