Soviet fashion: a retrospective study

 It's no secret that in recent years shows Russian designers have an undoubted success in Western catwalks. Igor Chapurin, Alain Akhmadullina, Denis Simachev - the list can be easily extended. However, not everyone has even a modest information about the situation, say, forty years ago.  

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Unifying ideology extremely limited acquaintance with the world achievements in the arts, in short, a situation known, not without reason, suggests that fashion as such in the Union was not at all. But a thorough bibliographic research data suggest the opposite: the fashion industry in the Soviet Union existed, and thanks to "thaw" this fact was discovered and the Western world.

So in 1959, the first diorovsky show in Moscow. However, this event was an exception to the general policy of the time we preferred to demonstrate their level of development abroad, rather than let the country someone from the West. Soviet fashion parade and fashion real, created by the All-Union Institute of range of light industry products for average Soviet citizens - are things diametrically opposed. Art - terrible force, and the Soviet man desire to stand out not to face. At the Kuznetsk bridge - Mecca Soviet fashion of the time - there was even a special test center which sewed models exclusively for foreign exhibitions.

So, the end of the '50s - the USSR represents the latest advances in science and art at the fair in Leipzig - Western audience in raptures. Year 1962 - Soviet exhibition in Paris: our models standing ovation. In 1963 he held another grand exhibition - this time in Rio de Janeiro: over five hundred thousand visitors. By the way, for Brazilians in general this show was a real revelation. "Attended the beautiful fashion show and a completely fascinated" - wrote in his book, one of the first visitors.

However, in the second half of the 60s the situation changes. In almost every issue of the Journal of modes appear materials from European exhibitions and shows. Turns publications abound with luxurious wool photographs of the International Association (London), as well as models from the latest collections of fashion houses Chanel, Christian Dior, Nina Ricci, Yves Saint Lauren. In 1967, the magazine was first mentioned French Vogue and some other Western fashion publications. Changing and fashion itself: if three or four years ago it was possible to see a strict simple silhouettes and discreet details, now cut becomes freer and more interesting details. On the change of style teenage girl comes a new - style women 30-35 years - the intellectual and athletic.

Vyacheslav Zaitsev styling X-silhouette increasingly recognized receive a sleeve kimono, wide belts with buckles and lace. At the height of the popularity of fur trim. Is easy to see that the trends of the period are largely consonant with the current trends of the season, especially, it is, of course, the topic of fur, lace and all kinds of finishing accent at the waist. This is the Soviet fashion opened the seventh decade of the twentieth century. Only one caveat from year to year remained unchanged: the names of Soviet models, which produced a furor in the western and domestic podiums, still remained in the shadows. Mila Romanov, Liliana Baskakov, Rumia - West literally went crazy on these images. "Russian miracle" admired the famous French fashion designer, Fellini called the queen of the catwalk Regina Zbarskii Soviet Russian Sophia Loren.

But the shows never called them names. As well as never mentioned them in the pages of fashion magazines home. And taking into account the difficult political situation at that time, many Soviet model did not do without scandals. So once Galina Milovskaya allowed to shoot for American Vogue. But one of the pictures with the chic photo shoot on Red Square cause seizures rabies authorities: Galya frivolous sitting on a rock with his back to the portrait of the leader. After another incident, she emigrated to France. And her case is no exception.

Anna Tarasova

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