A conversation with Elina Khalimi is comparable to a sip of espresso &mdash; it awakens the desire to explore and create, to move towards one&rsquo;s goals and take from the world what is yours, all with impeccable taste. A stylist and fashion consultant, Elina views the fashion world from a thirty-year vantage point and shares her story, experience, and insights with us.

LL&rsquo;O: How has your acting education influenced your career in fashion?
EH: My education at VGIK, in Andrei Batalov&rsquo;s studio, gave me the opportunity to immerse myself in the world of the Russian intelligentsia of that era. Figures such as Konchalovsky and Mikhalkov, as well as a cohort of old-school educators, played an important role in my development. I studied art history, literature, and cinema &mdash; all of this knowledge is essential to the formation of my personal style. In addition, I grew up in a highly cultured family, which gave me a strong intellectual foundation.
L&rsquo;O: How does your personal geography influence your style?
EH: Although good taste and a sensitivity to aesthetics are innate qualities for me, my surroundings undoubtedly had a strong influence.
In the USSR, in my native Baku, everyone lived modestly, and my family was no exception. My mother, a schoolteacher of chemistry and biology, also worked as a seamstress. When I was a child, she made unique clothes for me &mdash; pieces that even girls from wealthy families envied. Incidentally, my very first suit, which I still adore to this day, was made by her. I wore her creations with pride and dreamed of Paris.
My move to Moscow in my youth did not unfold as expected. I planned to apply to the Institute of Foreign Languages, as I have spoken French since childhood. On my way to the entrance exams, I was walking down the street wearing a white canvas jumpsuit, resembling an actress from an Alain Delon movie. At that very moment, a man stopped me on the street and suggested that I apply to VGIK instead. I agreed &mdash; and was accepted. Later, when I was already a student, I asked him why he had approached me specifically that day. His answer was simple: &ldquo;You stood out from everyone else.&rdquo; That moment confirmed for me that style can radically change a life and influence its direction.

L&rsquo;O: What has each city you have lived in taught you?
EH: First and foremost, I never forget my roots or where I come from. Baku lives within me through its Eastern warmth and generosity. I embody Jewish, Azerbaijani, and Russian identities, yet I feel, above all, an Eastern woman.
Moscow taught me how to fight without rules. I opened my first shop there, during the &ldquo;wild nineties&rdquo; &mdash; a time that combined hardship and upheaval with immense opportunity.
I first came to Paris with VGIK. During that trip, I did not sleep for three nights &mdash; I walked endlessly through the city. Batalov said then that I would certainly live there one day. His prophecy came true.
Paris became my Olympus of fashion. For me, it is the most beautiful city on earth. I am a Gemini, and many astrologers tell me that I am a &ldquo;witch&rdquo; because of my heightened sensitivity to energy. The energy of Paris is one of the qualities I love most about the city. I also love that, despite being a fashion capital, it does not feel like a megacity. Unlike New York or Dubai, which drain my energy, Paris nourishes me. Here, I can walk everywhere, and there is no oppressive presence of ostentatious, intrusive cars.
L&rsquo;O: How can one draw inspiration from different cultures without losing one&rsquo;s own identity?
EH: This question directly overlaps with the themes of my style consultations. Style must first and foremost come from inner authenticity. Clothing is merely a tool to express it. In many ways, style is about psychology. Within a minute, I can tell who a person is simply by the way they look &mdash; especially if they claim they &ldquo;do not care&rdquo; about their appearance. This skill, of course, comes with experience.

L&rsquo;O: What principles guide you when choosing pieces for your own wardrobe?
EH: My style is a method of self-expression. It comes from within and radiates outward, so in order to find your style, you must first know yourself. Of course, you can also come to know yourself through the creation of your style &mdash; it is a subtle game. In the process of working on one&rsquo;s style, it is even possible to change one&rsquo;s personality. This process is comparable to alchemy.
I never accept &ldquo;comfort&rdquo; as a justification for choosing clothes. When a woman says that she is fine as she is, I simply do not believe it. I am deeply convinced that by putting her in the right heels and a dress, it is possible to radically change her sense of self and her self-esteem.
L&rsquo;O: Which fashion trends translate best from the runway into everyday wardrobes?
EH: I do not pay attention to trends at all. A trend lasts, at most, half a year. What matters to me is the spirit of the time. It is defined by the decade and is directly shaped by the geopolitical climate. At the moment, for example, fashion is in crisis, and people are wearing all kinds of things.

L&rsquo;O: Do you believe that truly good style has strict rules?
EH: There are two concepts between which I see a vast difference. There are people who are well dressed &mdash; they follow the rules. And then there are stylish people &mdash; they know the rules perfectly well, but boldly break them.
For me, good style is always accompanied by a slight imperfection. It expresses character and a deliberate positioning of oneself. You can recognise a stylish person by paying attention to details &mdash; even seemingly insignificant ones, such as how they place their hands in their pockets. Good clothes alone are not enough to be stylish; you must know how to wear them.
L&rsquo;O: Do you have a favourite wardrobe item that is not recognised by the fashion community?
EH: I could not care less about the opinion of the fashion community regarding me. I create trends, and then the masses begin to wear them.
L&rsquo;O: And yet, do you follow fashion?
EH: Yes, and I believe one must always follow fashion. I regularly attend shows &mdash; they are an essential part of culture, much like watching good cinema. A fashion show is, above all, a celebration, a kind of quintessence of prolonged collective effort. A show that lasts ten minutes can take a year and a half to develop. I treat the results of this work with great respect, even if the collection itself turns out to be nit too successful.

L&rsquo;O: What three principles would you recommend above all to those who want to develop their personal style?
EH: First of all, never copy bloggers. Trying on someone else&rsquo;s personality never leads to anything good, and blind imitation suppresses your own individuality. Second, you must find your individuality and learn to listen to it. Third, develop yourself culturally: start with watching good films and reading good books.
Integrating these three principles into your life is extremely difficult, especially starting from scratch. True wisdom lies in recognising what you cannot do yourself. After all, we do not treat our own teeth &mdash; we admit that we are not capable of doing that. With style, the situation is the same: the wisest choice is to seek help from a professional.
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Elina Halimi: "A good style is always accompanied by a slight imperfection"

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