The Locus of the Fashion Shop in Russian Literature from 1764 to 1806

This article examines the evolution in the cultural perception of the fashion shop in eighteenth-century Russian literature. I argue that in the context of eighteenth-century culture, a fashion shop became a heterogeneous locus of cultural negotiations where Russia engaged in the process of redefining its identity through its encounters with the West. My analysis explores the evolution of the image of the merchant and of the female customer within this space, and the influence of state ideology in regard to Gallomania and national identity on the perception of the locus.