Sonya Molodetskaya’s Most Memorable Gala Looks

Editor’s Note: In honor of the fall gala season, we asked Sonya Molodetskaya to open up her photo album and tell us the story behind some of her most famous looks.

Photo Credit: Drew AltizerI took my ruffles obsession to the next level with this Vasily Vein white and red gown! The challenge was using the lady’s room. It was a very tight fit into a stall. When I got home, I couldn’t reach the zipper on the back of the dress, so I ran outside and asked my neighbor, a woman, to unzip me in the middle of the night. Otherwise, I would have had to sleep in the gown and sleep in the same position all night. Vasily and I made that gown shorter for Vivienne Westwood’s Paris Fashion Week show. Again, there was a funny story: I had to change in the car between shows. To get that dress on, I had to lay down flat and have two of my friends squeeze me into it. We had a window open, so it was very entertaining for the guy on a motorcycle next to our car at the stoplight. I was half naked!

Photo Credit: Sonya Molodetskaya

I wore Tom Ford’s sequin football jersey to an event that was in celebration of the San Francisco Giants. We won the World Series for the third time in five years!

Photo Credit: Sonya Molodetskaya

I wore an opera coat by Vasily Vein. That coat was the bomb! People were making circles around me to look at it. The funny thing is the gigantic coat would not fit anywhere. I couldn’t wear it sitting at the table or during the performance. It was too big for the coat check, so I had to store it in a huge garbage bag during dinner and the show.

Photo Credit: Sonya Molodetskaya

This purple gown was made by a local designer, Azadeh Couture. I remember it fondly because it was the first time I made the Nob Hill Gazette’s best-dressed list. 

Photo Credit: Sonya Molodetskaya

I wore this blue gown by Vasily Vein for a photoshoot with the Chronicle. It was my first cover of the Style section. The photoshoot was very entertaining. We decided that I should lay down on the top of the piano in my loft. The picture was shot from my bedroom looking down which made me appear as if I flew from my second floor and landed on the top of the piano. We couldn’t help but remember that commercial about older people having a beeper in case they fall at home. The one where they say, “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.”

Photo Credit: Drew Altizer

Another spectacular design by Vasily Vein. The seafoam green color is my favorite. I fell in love with the skirt and asked Vasily to make me another dress that was the same, but shorter. I wore it for my birthday the following year.

Photo Credit: Drew Altizer

This look was a Peter Dundas for Roberto Cavalli skirt and Wolford bodysuit, that had the illusion of a naked back, with a Gucci men’s clutch. I love the Modern Ball because you can be as creative as you want to be. I usually let my imagination go wild.

Photo Credit: Drew Altizer

I wore a black and white gown by Vasily Vein. The headpiece was by an English designer. I can’t remember the name, but I bought it at Harrods. It was a very bold move, but challenging at the same time, because it was hard to keep it on. With tons of people coming to say hi and hug me, it became a real headache, literally!!