It seems like there have been a lot of stories recently about the marriage of Russia’s emerging political culture and style. First there was that story of the oxymoronic $2,000 Communist-style coats, men and fur (“It makes me feel like a sexy Bolshevik,” Josh Wood, a Manhattan night life promoter told the Times), and then the tabloid glorification of the daughters of the powerful on par with Britney Spears and Paris Hilton (which is perhaps an improvement). Today Karen von Hahn of the Globe and Mail introduces us to the new faces of Russian style: Dacha/Folklore, Czarist Luxe, Icy Allure, Mobster Chic, and Modern Russian Design. With Moscow as a trend setter, happiness is a warm, bedside Kalashnikov lamp. Does Russian fashion imitate Russian political life or vice versa? Either way, this is some very surreal stuff … Apparently Putinist authoritarianism isn’t just a system you suffer from, you can also wear it and show it off in your home.