dolce vita
Chapters: 3
A Visit to Hyde Park
April 24, 1996, Wednesday. In Hyde Park, Roman reflects on how his dream of a rich life has come true, but happiness did not come along with the…
We Took a Table at the Restaurant
Valera regrets failing his differential equations exam, which got him expelled from the institute. Roman calms him down and gets drawn into the world…
Woken by a Command
April 30, 1996, Tuesday, 10:00 a.m. Zhorik meets Roman on a yacht off the coast of Nice. Roman is to play a silent investor.
Notes: 50
A Parker Pen: the gift Zhorik handed out to charm visiting provincial directors
The history of the Parker Pen Company, from its 1888 founding through the Parker 51 and Jotter to its status as a modest but prestigious business…
A Tissot Watch: the other trinket in Zhorik's gift rotation
The history of the Swiss watchmaker Tissot, founded in 1853, its long-standing ties to the Russian market, and its status as a mid-range but…
Amaretto Liqueur
Amaretto is an Italian almond-flavored liqueur with a history reaching back to the 16th century. It appeared in Russia in the 1990s, becoming a…
Belgravia: An Aristocratic District in the Heart of London
Belgravia is one of the most prestigious districts of central London, straddling Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
Bordeaux Saint-Émilion: the wine Zhorik savors while Roman pines for whiskey
The right-bank Bordeaux appellation of Saint-Émilion -- its terroir, classification system, and the celebrated 1982 and 1989 vintages Zhorik has open…
Burberry Group plc
Burberry Group plc is a British luxury fashion house founded in 1856 by Thomas Burberry, headquartered in London, England.
Carloforte and Saint-Tropez: Elite Mediterranean Resorts
Two jewels of the European coastline -- Italian Carloforte and French Saint-Tropez -- have long drawn wealthy travelers with their unique atmosphere…
Cartier, Breitling, Patek Philippe, and Rolex
Breitling, Cartier, Patek Philippe, and Rolex are leading luxury watch brands, known for the precision of their movements and their distinctive…
Eternity: the Calvin Klein perfume that haunts Roman through the empty apartment
The Calvin Klein perfume Eternity, its floral composition, and the philosophical concept of eternity behind its name.
Genoa and Piazza Principe Station: where Zhorik's yacht cuts the shopping trip short
Genoa's history as capital of a medieval maritime republic, and the story of its main railway station, Genova Piazza Principe.
Harrods: the London department store where Roman gets his makeover
Harrods: the London department store where Roman gets his makeover, from its Victorian escalator debut to its Fayed-and-Qatar ownership history.
Illy Coffee in Early-1990s Russia
illycaffè is an Italian company founded in 1933 in Trieste by Francesco Illy. By the early 1990s, it was already a recognized producer of premium…
Jameson 15 Year Old Pure Pot Still: a status symbol in a glass
Jameson 15 Year Old Pure Pot Still: a rare Irish whiskey that, in mid-90s Russia, worked as a status symbol as much as a drink.
Kir Royal
Kir Royal is an elegant variation on the classic French Kir cocktail, in which ordinary white wine is replaced with champagne or another sparkling…
Klopovnik: from Plant to Cognac
The history of the term "klopovnik": from an insecticidal plant to Soviet cognacs with an unpleasant smell. Why mass-produced USSR cognacs smelled of…
Fortified Madeira Wine
The fortified wine of the Atlantic island, its accidental "estufagem" heating process, and its long fall from aristocratic luxury to cheap Soviet…
Martell: the cognac Roman cracks open when every other bottle runs dry
The history of the Martell cognac house, oldest of the "big four" cognac producers, founded in 1715.
Mayfair: London's Most Prestigious District
Mayfair is one of London's most prestigious and expensive districts, located in the heart of the city in the borough of Westminster.
Mazda Miata: the rental Roman imagines for a leisurely European coastal drive
The history of the Mazda MX-5 Miata, the lightweight roadster built around the "jinba ittai" philosophy of driver-car unity.
Moet & Chandon in the Context of the 1990s
The mention of Moët & Chandon champagne in the office-opening scene carries a deep social and cultural subtext of early-1990s Russia. This French…
Moleskine
Moleskine is a notebook brand founded in Italy in 1997, though its history is wrapped in legend. The classic Moleskine is a black notebook with an…
Mozart Candies
Mozartkugeln are traditional chocolate candies with marzipan filling, created by Paul Fürst in 1890 to mark the 100th anniversary of Mozart's death…
Murphy's Irish Stout: the "chocolate river" Roman loses himself in at the pub
A dark, creamy Cork-brewed stout that became an exotic status symbol in early-1990s Russia -- its history, its rivalry with Guinness, and the…
"Napoleon" Cognac: from French Legend to Soviet Shortage
The history of "Napoleon" cognac: from the legend of the Courvoisier house to the Soviet shortage. Why this designation of aging became a trademark…
Napoleon Cognac: The History of a Prestige Drink
Napoleon is an unofficial age designation for cognac, indicating a high-quality product comparable to the XO (Extra Old) category.
Night Flight: the Tverskaya club where Zhorik took the provincial directors
The history of Night Flight, the legendary Soviet-Swedish nightclub that opened on Tverskaya Street in October 1991 and became a fixture of 1990s…
Orient Watches
The Japanese watchmaker whose mechanical models, imported to the USSR from the 1970s on, became a fixture of Soviet and post-Soviet status symbols…
The Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar: A Symbol of Status and Technical Mastery
The Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar is one of the most prestigious and technically complex collections from the Swiss manufacturer Patek Philippe.
Porsche: The Legendary German Sports Car Marque
Porsche AG is a German luxury automaker founded by engineer Ferdinand Porsche in 1931. Its headquarters and main plant are located in Stuttgart…
"Rum and Cola": a New Drink for an Era of Change
"Cuba Libre" (Spanish for "Free Cuba") was born at the turn of the 20th century during Cuba's war of independence from Spain. According to one…
Screaming Eagle and the Phenomenon of California Cult Wines
The story of Screaming Eagle began in 1986, when Jean Phillips, a former real estate agent, bought a 57-acre plot of land in Oakville, in the heart…
Selfridges: the American import that reinvented British retail
Selfridges: the American entrepreneur's department store that reinvented British retail as entertainment, and hid a secret WWII command post in its…
Sherry: The Fortified Wine of Andalusia
Sherry is a white fortified wine produced in southwestern Andalusia from Palomino grapes. Its name comes from the town of Jerez de la Frontera.
Spumante: Italian Sparkling Wine
The early 1990s brought a genuine revolution to the Russian alcohol market. After decades of shortage and limited choice, Soviet consumers were…
Tartlets: A Refined French Tradition in the Context of the Era
Tartlets (French: tartelette) are miniature pastry-crust shells that in the 1990s became a symbol of refinement and European chic across the…
The Baguette: French Bread and the English Slang for Frenchmen
The baguette (from French baguette, ‘stick’ or ‘wand’) is the traditional elongated French bread that has become a symbol of French culinary culture.
The Restaurant "Tri Peskarya" ("Three Gudgeons"): Fish-Course Luxury of the 1990s
"Three Gudgeons" was Moscow's first premium restaurant with live fish tanks, where guests could pick their own fish to be cooked. Its signature…
The 1990s Grand Cherokee Limited: a Legend of SUV Style
Jeep's 1993 flagship SUV, a rolling symbol of New Russian prosperity — and the car the landlords roll up in.
The Jaguar XJS: Britain's last classic grand tourer
The Jaguar XJS convertible: Britain's last classic V12 grand tourer, and the $70,000-plus status symbol wrecked in this chapter.
The Montblanc Fountain Pen
The Montblanc fountain pen is a symbol of luxury and status. The company was founded in 1906 and evolved from Simplizissimus-Füllhalter into…
The "Pelikan Classic" Fountain Pen
A mid-tier German office fountain pen that, in early-1990s Moscow, carried far more prestige than it ever did back home — a small, portable symbol of…
The Rearing Stallion
Ferrari's prancing-horse badge: taken from WWI flying ace Francesco Baracca's fuselage, set on Modena yellow.
The Reebok Pump
Reebok Pump sneakers were a revolutionary model of the late 1980s and early 1990s. They changed the very idea of athletic footwear thanks to an…
Retouching and Retouchers: Sorcerers of Photographic Perfection
The art of retouching before the age of Photoshop: how master retouchers created flawless images by hand. The history of the techniques, tools, and…
The Seven-Fifty and the B10 Alpina
The BMW 750 is a flagship executive sedan with powerful specs and luxurious features. Alpina is a German automaker that has modified BMWs since 1965…
Toblerone Swiss Chocolate
Swiss Toblerone chocolate is known for its triangular shape, inspired by the Matterhorn, and its blend of milk chocolate, honey, and nougat. Made…
Tsarskaya Okhota: A Legend of the Russian Restaurant Business
Tsarskaya Okhota ("The Tsar's Hunt") is one of the most iconic projects by Russian restaurateur Arkady Novikov, opened in 1996 and a symbol of the…
The Martini Glass: History and the Function of Its Triangular Shape
The martini glass's triangular form isn't just an Art Deco icon — its long stem and flared bowl are precisely engineered to keep a cocktail cold and…
Veuve Clicquot Champagne: A Symbol of Luxury
Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin is one of the most prestigious champagne houses in the world, founded in 1772 in Reims, France.
Клуб-казино «Утопия»
Club Utopia — the mid-1990s Moscow disco under the Rossiya cinema that later became the Shangri La casino