History of fashion in Russia – what was in the USSR and what we have now

Even though you don’t like to talk about politics, everything in the USSR was politicized. The system of totalitarianism was like a huge concrete mixer, in which human material was made into a homogeneous mass for the “monolith” – Soviet society. It was necessary to leave as little as possible to the individual, including in the choice of his appearance. “All as one!” – the favorite motto of the socialist, if you can call it that, society, which existed not so long ago. So, the history of fashion in Russia is an interesting topic, the study of which explains why it is so hard to look decent today.

Fashion in the USSR

The philosophy and psychology of equalization was firmly embedded in the heads of Soviet people, teaching them to condemn anything that differed from the common and obligatory for all pattern. And it was done with particular intolerance and aggressiveness. There were various manifestations of disrespect for the person who might like something which was not officially permitted.

In the twenties, a person who wore a tie was immediately enlisted as an accomplice of the class enemy. The phrase so widespread that it has reached our time: “Oh, and you’re wearing a hat…” reflected suspicion and contempt for the “rotten intelligentsia,” which was better educated and had more understanding. She also understood the absurdity, cruelty and hypocrisy of the system. With her doubts and questions, she was not safe for the authorities, even if she did not dare to voice her dissent publicly. So she was being set upon by the common people, who were proclaimed the guardians of wisdom and truth.

 

Earrings, jewelry, and outfits were declared “the heritage of the bourgeois world,” which was supposed to be fought against. A wedding ring was a sign of petty bourgeoisie, a shameful relic of the past. Pants that were too wide or too tight were a pernicious influence of the West. Komsomol activists used to catch dandies and cut their fashionable pants into strips, while their hairdos often had a part of the hair cut from the forehead to the back of the head: “in order to teach them a lesson”. In my memory, during my school years there was a struggle against colored tights, especially red tights on girls. I remember how my classmate Sasha cried when the classmate pulled out small earrings from her ears with blood…

The results of this struggle are deplorable. Generations of Soviet women have been deprived of the opportunity to dress beautifully, to please themselves and others. And why? We have equality! But there is still a persistent, almost genetic fear among older women, who are the only ones in the world who begin to make excuses when they hear compliments addressed to them.

Why it’s hard to follow fashion

In our country, it has always been hard to follow fashion. First, there was a lack of information. But earlier one could still subscribe to a fashion magazine – such magazines were on sale. Then Madame Burda made me happy by giving me the opportunity to see and sew my models. After that, other publications appeared on sale.

Second, there were few imported things, and domestic production was little cheerful, to say the least. Nowadays, it would seem that so many imported things have appeared! Even stores of well-known firms have opened their doors (for those who can pay a lot of money). But the joy is diminished because the items being sold are often from those that have not found a market in their homeland. Some just look like they were hanging on hangers a long time ago: the folds are a little worn, the bottoms are a little saggy, the shoulders are deformed from the trempel. And all this for a price that is several times higher than in other stores. I understand, we need to bring clothes, shoes, etc. to us, to recoup various expenses. But such things at throwaway prices are sold literally by weight in special stores “over there”.

Low quality

Our fashion today is often determined by three or four countries: Turkey, China, Poland, and Thailand. The smart guys from these countries bring not what is fashionable, but what they can buy cheaply there and sell for more in our country.

The “quality” shows itself very soon:

1. Chinese leather is poorly dressed, poorly sewn.
   The threads break quickly.
2. Sneakers made of leatherette fall apart on the second day.
3. Leather gloves almost immediately lose their appearance.
4. Sweaters and sweaters made of “angora” will “decorate” all your things and often those around you with their fluff.

Down jackets are especially popular with us. But real Chinese down jackets are expensive, and in the cities where shuttle traders “get” them, there aren’t even stores for selling such high-quality goods. And there are jackets stuffed with duck and chicken feather of the lowest quality. You’ve probably seen these: on the back often down and feathers break through the fabric and ripple quietly with the movement of the happy owner of the imported stuff. Then the insects, whose larvae have gotten inside it, begin to hatch.

Size mismatch

Sometimes problems also arise from the fact that our sizes are difficult to relate to theirs. I don’t mean that it doesn’t fit, but that it’s not clear what numbers or letters are on the labels of foreign things. It happens, when a girl sees the number 44, she buys a thing, and then wonders why it fits her overweight grandmother better than she does. And because the size 44 in Europe corresponds to our 50th. To prevent such a misunderstanding from happening to you, look at the table of correspondence of sizes of clothing and shoes.

Women’s suits

Domestic	42	44	46	48	50	52	54/56
Europe (except Great Britain)	36	38	40	42	44	46	48
United Kingdom	10	12	14	16	18	20	22
USA	8	10	12	14	16	18	20
Japan, China	S	S	M	M	M	L	L, XL

Marking with letters means:

S – small;

M is “middle”;

L  – large;

XL – very large.

Women’s shoes

Domestic, Europe (except Great Britain)	33,5	36	36,5	37	37,5	38	38,5	39
United Kingdom	3	3,5	4	4,5	5	5,5	6
USA	4	4,5	5	5,5	6	6,5	7

High cost

Another eternal difficulty of following fashion in our country has always been the chronic lack of money of the bulk of the population. But if before it was possible to buy a pair of women’s boots for a salary and a coat on installment plan, now … You know what it costs. And people’s purchasing power falls and falls.

 

But history often surprises us with paradoxes: interest in fashion emerges when, it would seem, there is no time for it at all. Wars, revolutions, empty counters, and in fashion at this time – a turning point, dramatically changing the nature of clothing, the very image of man.

So, in France, the fall of the Bastille in the 18th century led to a truly revolutionary change in men’s costume, which until then had been very complex, ornate, elegant, with lots of trimmings and decorations. It was then that it acquired the features that are mostly preserved to this day.

The First World War liberated women from corsets, introduced sportswear (for motorists, pilots), shortened skirts, introduced knitted sweaters and sweaters. World War II – with it are associated paramilitary style, short skirts, high and straight shoulders. But this fashion of battles and poverty in 1947 gave way to a new fashion.

Despite the post-war hardships, the devastation of many countries, Christian Dior’s “new look” emerged. He looked at women in a new way. And they responded to his suggestions, left the militarized style, wore dresses and suits with sloping, naturally shaped shoulders. Wide skirts with an accentuated waist were especially nice. Everyone was glad when femininity returned to women. Even though there were ruins all around…

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