Photo Credit: Albina Photography
Although the Russian Consulate in San Francisco has recently been closed, the Bay Area’s Russian community will get together on Friday night, September 8, for the fourth annual Miss Russian San Francisco pageant. The event takes place at the Venetian Room at the Fairmont Hotel and promises to be a delightful evening of traditional pageantry. The competition is put on by Karina Zakharov, a local leader amongst the Russian set whose marketing background makes her the perfect candidate to host a beauty pageant.
“It is my mission to unite the entire community of expats from numerous Russian-speaking countries and celebrate the richness and zest of Russian culture,” Zakharov told Haute Living about the event in an email. It’s also a fundraiser with proceeds being donated to a cause near and dear to Zakharov’s heart. “Besides bringing a community together, I try to contribute to a good cause with my show. Last year it was a Breast Cancer fund. This year Miss Russian San Francisco is very excited to partner up with Global Conservation. Global Conservation is supporting tiger protection in Primorye in the Russian Far East, the only area in the world where both the Amur tiger—more commonly known as the Siberian tiger—and Amur leopard still exist in the wild.”
Photo Credit: Albina Photography
A ticket to the show includes complimentary hors-d’oeuvres, comfortable cabaret-style seating, and access to the after party. The “amazing 11 contestants that are so different from each other, but beautiful inside and out” will participate in a series of activities, including a choreographed dance, swimsuit and evening gown contests, and an interview portion. The contestants are from various Russian-language countries: Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and of course, Russia. The show will also feature jazz musicians and opera singer, George Komsky. The judges are notable local Russian figures, like Haute Living’s own fashion editor-at-large Sonya Molodetskaya and fashion designer, Vasily Vein. The winner of Miss Russian San Francisco will go on to represent the city in a larger pageant, Miss Russian California.
Check out the preview video of the contestants preparing for the competition below and get tickets for the pageant here.
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