The Elegance Edit: Issue 18

Learn how to pose, and what red carpet body language can teach us

Author

Olga Kuznetcova
October 24, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 8 minutes

Olga’s Note
Dear Ladies,

Welcome to Issue 18 of The Elegance Edit – your weekly guide to body language, elegance, and timeless style. Each edition offers thoughtful insights to help you feel more poised, confident, and graceful in every part of your life.

We’ve covered a whole host of topics in the last 18 newsletters, from dating elegance to displaying your feminine energy appropriately at work. This week, we’re focusing on something we’ll be seeing a lot in the coming month – posing. To learn how to pose, and what red carpet body language can teach us – keep reading.

Upcoming Events
ELEGANCE REFINEMENT MENTORSHIP

A Transformational Coaching in Grace, Confidence & Modern Feminine Presence live with Olga Kuznetcova

📍 Live on Zoom | 🗓 October 20 - December 9| ⏰ Tuesdays & Thursdays | 6:00 - 8:00PM EST

You can still join this week.

USA ELEGANCE TOUR

A transformative in-person weekend across the U.S., where women learn elegance, confidence, body language and the art of presence.

October 24 - 25: Miami, FL
October 31 - Nov 2: Houston, TX
November 7 - 9: Los Angeles, CA
December 19 - 21: San Francisco, CA

NYC IN-PERSON CLASSES

These classes can be attended by beginners looking to learn the foundations with coaching from me in real life.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8
5:00 - 7:00 PM: Heels 1.0: Foundations
7:30 - 9:30 PM: Heels 2.0: Posing for Formal Events

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15
3:00 - 5:00 PM: Heels 1.0: Foundations
5:20 - 7:20 PM: Elegant Body Language

Picture Please?
The Anatomy of a Perfect Pose

There's a moment at every major film premiere when the crowd still buzzes with energy, but something shifts. A figure emerges from the car, and suddenly everyone stops talking. Not because of the designer gown or the jewelry but from complete command of physical presence.

What creates this magnetic effect? It's not luck, and it's certainly not something reserved for celebrities. It's the result of understanding how every part of your body works together to communicate confidence, grace, and intention.

The Forgotten Art of Stillness

We live in a world of constant motion, which makes true stillness remarkably powerful. Watch award show footage carefully, and the most memorable red carpet moments often happen during the pauses.

That moment when someone stops walking and simply stands with complete presence. No fidgeting, no nervous adjustments, no checking their dress. Just confident stillness that allows everyone to truly see them. This level of composure requires practice.

Most of us carry tension in places we don't even realize clenched jaw, raised shoulders, held breath. Learning to release this tension while maintaining elegant posture becomes a skill that serves you far beyond photographs.

Your Body Speaks First

Before you say hello, your posture has already told everyone in the room exactly how you feel about yourself. This conversation happens in milliseconds, but its impact lasts the entire evening.

Think about the last time you attended an important event. The women who seemed effortlessly poised perhaps weren't necessarily the most conventionally beautiful. They were the ones who understood something crucial, that your physical presence is a language you can learn to speak fluently.

Research confirms what elegant women have always known: people form lasting impressions within the first seven seconds of meeting you. Albert Mehrabian’s 7-38-55 theory is that 55% of communication happens through body language, 38% through vocal tone, and only 7% through actual words.

This means your stance, your hand placement, your facial expression; these elements are doing most of the talking before you even introduce yourself. The good news? Unlike changing your height or bone structure, you have complete control over these elements.

Your Red Carpet Toolkit

In last week's Elegance Game, we asked What is the foundational element for achieving an elegant, natural-looking pose in photographs? As we’ve already explored, non-verbal communication is the key for physical presence which transcends photographs and intro real life. The correct answer was (C) Engage your core, elongate your spine, and allow your body to feel grounded while keeping your movements fluid and intentional.

The Foundation Reset Before any photo opportunity, take fifteen seconds to reset your body. Roll your shoulders up toward your ears, then release them down and back. This simple movement releases accumulated tension and automatically improves your posture. Next, engage your core gently. Elongate your spine as if a gentle hand is lifting you from the crown of your head, allowing your body to feel grounded through your feet while keeping your movements fluid and intentional. Your chin should remain parallel to the ground, avoiding the common mistake of tilting down, which can create unflattering angles.

The Weight Transfer Here's a technique borrowed directly from professional portrait sessions: shift 70% of your weight onto your back leg. This creates an elegant foundation that allows your front leg to bend slightly, adding grace and preventing that rigid, military-stance appearance. Your hip will naturally create a gentle curve, and your entire silhouette becomes more interesting and flattering.

The Soft Frame For your arms, think of creating a gentle frame around your torso without touching your body. One hand might rest lightly on your hip, while the other hangs naturally at your side. The key is maintaining soft, slightly curved fingers, arms should never be tense or completely straight.

The Mirror Practice Method

The most effective way to internalize these techniques? Practice at home in front of a full-length mirror. Spend five minutes before your next important event running through these adjustments. Notice how each small change affects your overall appearance, and how it makes you feel.

The beauty of understanding red carpet body language lies not in recreating Hollywood glamour, but in applying these principles to your actual life. Whether you're giving a presentation or simply walking into your favorite restaurant, these same fundamentals apply.

The next time you prepare for any important moment, remember: your body is already equipped with everything you need to create lasting impressions. The only question is whether you'll use that power intentionally.

Embody the Elegance You Admire

True refinement is never accidental, it’s studied, practiced and cultivated with intention. That’s why I created the Elegance Refinement Mentorship.

This 8-week coaching program, led personally by Olga Kuznetcova, is for women who want to elevate the way they move, speak, lead, and express themselves in every room they enter to the highest level. Each session is taught by Olga and designed to help you embody quiet confidence in both professional and social life.

Enrollment for Cohort Two is finally open. If you're ready to refine every part of your elegance, apply below:

Olga’s Tips
Elegance Tip of the week

Olga’s Recommendations
Perfecting the posture

While my recommendations are usually a product or something to watch or read, this week’s recommendation is simple – but requires dedication. Work on your posture. Much like elegance, this is a journey, not an overnight change. By making small changes to your behaviours, these will become your natural habit, and the same goes for your posture. Whether it’s through pilates, dedicated posture exercises or swimming (or a combination of all) this will slowly improve your posture which will translate to your body language over time.