KAZAKH-RUSSIAN ROOTS OF ALLA ILCHUN (Yelshin) COMBATED AGAINST FASCISM, THE FUTURE MUSE OF CHRISTIAN DIOR (december 10, 1926 – march 6, 1989)

Abstract

The article is dedicated to Alla Ilchun, a woman with Kazakh and Russian roots, who left her mark on the history and culture of France. Alla Ilchun was a world famous model, the muse of Christian Dior. According to some reports, she took part in the French Resistance movement. Based on the documents and materials found in the archives of Russia and Kazakhstan, the authors examine the Kazakh roots of Alla Ilchun, the history of her family, the origin and fate of her father, a Kazakh and a Russian mother, the contribution that this outstanding woman made to the history of European fashion. In the archives of St. Petersburg and Almaty, new documents have been identified that allow to restore and explore the biography of the father of Alla Ilchun. In the archive in Moscow, the authors discovered previously unknown information about the date of the death and funeral of Alla Ilchun. An additional collection of documents and materials on the Kazakh-Russian roots of the outstanding model and style icon of Alla Ilchun should be carried out in Paris, Russia and China.