Styled by Osama Chabbi and photographed by Mixalis Khoury.
Natalia Shustova, or “Shoestova” as she’s more commonly known to her 133K Instagram followers has built quite the name for herself in Dubai. Her Instagram feed is like cat-nip for fashion lovers, featuring carefully curated images that capture her colorful and chic sartorial choices. With her elegant yet out-of-the-box wardrobe (featuring Loewe, Marques’Almeida, Etro, and Acne Studios), its no wonder that she’s captured the attention of street style photographers fashion weeks over and just recently landed a collaboration with Sauce. Below, Vogue.me speaks to the lawyer-turned-influencer about her personal style, shopping in Dubai, and more.
On Her Personal Style
“For me my wardrobe is more of a fashion museum, rather than just a wardrobe… I would like to think of myself as a style chameleon; I don’t follow particular trends or a style in my dressing. I am more of the fictional character Carrie Bradshaw, as I tend to dress according to my mood and other things I see around myself. If you talk about a muse, I’d also have to also say Jane Birkin and Bianca Jagger – however this might be more about my love of the 70’s era… Iris Apfel [is] someone that truly admires fashion pieces as collectors.”
On “Shoestova”
“The name “shoestova” is a play on my surname (Shustova) and my love for shoes. This nickname was given to me by my closest friends who always knew about my addiction to shoes. Since establishing my social media presence and later on my website, I didn’t need to create a name for my brand, as I was already known as Shoestova.”
Styled by Osama Chabbi and photographed by Mixalis Khoury.
On Her Favorite Designers and Brands
“I love Jacquemus, Rejina Pyo, Isabel Marant, Isa Arfen, and Natalia Alaverdian from A.W.A.K.E. As for local brands, I’ve been a fan of Bouguessa, Reemami, Bedouin studios, and Dima Ayad for a long time. [For] evening wear or special occasion dressing, it’s definitely Hussein Bazaza.”
On Dubai’s Fashion Scene
“Dubai’s style scene is very glamorous, dressy, luxurious, shiny, and brand focused. For unknown brands and conceptual stores, I prefer to shop online or during my travels. Through the stores and shops, I learn the city, and the fashion story of the city. But when it comes to Dubai, I love the idea of so many new boutique and concept stores opening in D3 (Dubai Design District). If I am to suggest anyone to go somewhere alternative to Dubai Mall, I would definitely send them to D3 to go around the buildings and pop into different stores. You can really find some crazy gems over there.”
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