I took the entire New Year holiday off work, which means I had from December 31 to January 9 to do as I wished. I originally had planned on going to Riga or Kiev, but after learning that I'd have a coworker to hang out with if I went to Saint Petersburg, I opted to do that instead. It was a wise choice, as it turns out that there are a lot of really excellent snowsuits in Saint Petersburg.
The first spotting happened in a Soviet style cafe near where we were staying. We had just finished eating some perfectly average pelmeni, when a woman who appeared to be in her early 20's entered the restaurant. For this occasion, she had chosen a white snowsuit that looked somewhat like somebody had given several children a paint brush, each dipped in a different color, and advised them to stand 3 feet away while frantically flailing the brushes about until all the paint had flung off them in the direction of the snowsuit. To further accentuate the greatness of her winter ensemble, the woman had firmly tucked the ends of the snow pants into thick black boots. I like to think that she also had a pompom on top of her tuque, to go with the strings which dangled down each side for later fastening, but I'm definitely getting carried away and making one of those things up. Either way, it was an impressive ensemble, top to bottom.
Impressive though it was, this woman could not compete with Yellow Snowsuit Man. Yellow Snowsuit Man's ensemble consisted of nothing more - nor less - than his namesake. His rich yellow snowsuit was so beautiful that I couldn't help myself: I followed him through a park, taking several photos along the way. It wasn't weird at all. Due to unusually high levels of excitement, I was unable to get a clear shot, so you're just going to have to believe me that watching a grown man take his family for a stroll while wearing a bright, solid yellow snowsuit that just screams "yes, people do take me seriously as an adult, and no, I can't believe it either!" is absolutely follow-through-a-park worthy. I eventually lost them as they were wandering around some monuments. I sometimes dream now that he hasn't changed out of his snowsuit since that day, and will still be wearing it when I return in the summer. It could happen.
There are probably other great snowsuits in Saint Petersburg, and maybe one day I'll go back and document them properly. That sounds like something I'd do. It also sounds a bit like something that I will forget to do when the time comes.
