Below minus 40C? Here's how you stay fashionable out in the street

With sub-zero temperatures for half the year, the views of PETA - the animals rights group - may not be uppermost in the mind. 

'I don't know how to stay warm without fur,' said one woman. 'Never mind looking good - though I want this too - but I need to be warm.'

Another, Elena Smirnova, 23, said: 'PETA and their glamour models say 'I'd rather go naked than wear fur' - well, let them come to Siberia and try it.

'Naked is fine if you can dive into a hot steam banya, but not for walking around in our climate.'

And who said that snowdrifts are not a place for high heels? 

Siberian women love heels and winter is not a reason to change them for something more comfortable. Some men think that heels help to walk on the icy winter streets, which is not true. 'Obviously they don't make it more comfortable, but don't you like the way girls look in heels?' asked another. 

Fur coats are seen as helping you not only to stay stylish, but also to protect you from the piercing cold. 

For Siberians, nothing beats real fur in keeping warm. This was true in the times when fur was essential for the native people, and when the Russians first spread east into Siberia. And it seems to still be true today. 

Today's women also like to colour it up. Our intrepid reporter Kate Baklitskaya said: 'When everything is covered with white snow, the local fashionistas love wearing some bright colours to spice up their look.

'Be it a red jacket or bright yellow pants, it always stands out from the crowd and makes you smile. 

'Be trendy but don't forget to keep warm - this is the aim'.