Today I get to be a know-it-all! It is a common misconception that Russian nesting dolls are refered to as 'babushka' in the land of vodka and the missing Tsarina. 'Babushka' means grandmother in Russian and is used colloquially to describe the Eastern European tradition of tying headscarves under the chin. The correct term for nesting dolls is 'matryoshka'.
Interesting side note: the production of matyroshka has been in decline since the 90s and many factories have closed. There is now fear that the tradition of carving these dolls may be lost in the not-too-distant future :'(
Anyway, back to the picture: designed by Yves Saint Laurent himself in 1965, this handknitted cocoon WEDDING dress made an interesting statement about what marriage meant for women in the sixties. *author wanders if a bride actually ever wore this???*
