Just off Revolution Avenue in the Russian city of Voronezh 15 years ago stood a state-owned pelmennaya, a grubby cafe where surly matrons slopped grey dumplings into chipped bowls. Today, it is a franchise of Mango, the Spanish fashion chain – all smoked mirrors, halogen spotlights and low-rise jeans.

“The prices are still quite high for us,” muses Vera Cherkasova, a lawyer with a property company, admiring a tailored woollen cardigan. “But Russian women are prepared to spend a bit on looking nice.”