Raisa Maximovna Gorbachev (Gorbachev) (née Titorenko; 1932-99) set a new style and tradition as first lady of the Soviet Ungion.

When Raisa Gorbachev traveled she kept a busy schedule, often independent of her husband Mikhail Gorbachev. Unlike the wives of most former Soviet leaders, Raisa Gorbachev accompanied her husband on official visits and often traveled with him on trips within the U.S.S.R. The grandmotherly Nina Khrushcheva sometimes accompanied her husband on trips abroad, but Raisa Gorbachev was of a different generation and possessed her own unique style and demeanor, which captured the attention and interest of the world. She continued to travel with her husband following his ouster as head of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Raisa Gorbachev was a trendsetter in Soviet society. Beautiful and youthful in appearance, she dressed distinctively and fashionably. She had a petite, attractive figure and a youthful face...