Women's clothing of the early 20th century. History of fashion design

In a secular society, where fashion and toilets were a certain language in which the highest circles communicated, attire became a symbol of etiquette. Hence the appearance of milliners in the 18th century - the best dressmakers who sewed to individual orders, and then of Parisian dress shops.
Paris has always been the trendsetter of women's fashion. French tailors were invited by the crowned Elizabeth Petrovna, and her de facto successor, Catherine the Great, by decree of 1763, allowed foreigners to live and trade in Moscow with privileges. In Catherine’s time, French milliners and various fashion shops had already appeared in both capitals: the latter appeared under the names: “Au temple de gout” (Temple of Taste), “Musee de Nouveautes” (Museum of New Products), etc. At that time in Moscow famous milliner Vil, who sold fashionable "shelmovki" (sleeveless fur coats), caps, horns, magpies, "queen's rise" and La Greek, sterlet shoes, snails, women's skirt caftan, swinging chicken-form and furro-form, various bows, lace.

After the revolution of 1789, emigrants poured into Moscow. Among them was the famous Madame Marie-Rose Aubert-Chalmet. From the end of the 18th century, Madame had a store on Kuznetsky Most, and then in her own house in Glinishchevsky Lane near Tverskaya, where, among other things, she sold excellent hats at exorbitant prices, which is why Muscovites nicknamed her “over-scammer” - they even believe that the word swindler itself originated on her behalf. She had such a “arrival” that Glinishchevsky Lane was filled with carriages, and the store itself became a fashionable meeting center for the Moscow elite. Noble clients once saved the madam herself when her store was sealed for smuggling. The milliner's profile was very broad. They ordered a “dowry” from her for rich marriageable girls, and ball gowns - this is how Madame ended up on the pages of the epic “War and Peace”: it was to her that the old woman Akhrosimova was taken to dress the daughters of Count Rostov.
The milliner suffered a sad and unflattering fate. When Napoleon attacked Russia, two warring worlds collided on the Kuznetsky Bridge. Having become Napoleon's adviser, the experienced madam gave him valuable recommendations regarding politics in Russia, and together with Napoleon's army she left Moscow and died of typhus on the way.

Ober-Shalme was replaced by the even more famous milliner Sickler, in Moscow colloquialism Sikhlersha. In St. Petersburg she had a store near Gorokhovaya Street, and in Moscow - on Bolshaya Dmitrovka. She dressed the high society of Russia and her wives
celebrities.
One of Sickler’s regular clients was Natalie Pushkina, who loved to order toilets from her, and once gave a hat from Sickler as a gift to the wife of Pavel Nashchokin, Pushkin’s friend. From the poet’s letters it is known that the milliner more than once pestered him for his debts. They said that Pushkin paid Sickler for his wife’s toilets an amount almost greater than the fee for “The History of the Pugachev Rebellion,” and after Pushkin’s death, Sickler’s guardianship compensated Sickler for another 3 thousand of his debts.
High society ordered ballgowns from Sickler in the year when Nicholas I visited Moscow, for which the milliner earned 80 thousand a month. There were also incidents. Sometimes poor but gentle husbands spoiled their loved ones with great financial effort
the wives wore a dress from Sickler, but it turned out to be so luxurious that it was impossible to appear in it for the evening in the company of their circle, and for visits it was necessary to sew a new, simpler dress. M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin especially liked to be sarcastic about such husbands - his own wife ordered dresses for herself and her daughter only from Paris, and the wife’s “acquisitive appetites” greatly upset the satirist.

Sickler's successors were two Moscow milliners. The first was the “French artist” Madame Dubois, who had the best store on Bolshaya Dmitrovka with an elegant round hall, where there were always the best hats and not in display cases, but in cabinets - for connoisseurs.
Sickler's second successor from the 1850s was the famous Madame Minangua: her fame as the best milliner in Moscow did not fade until the revolution. Madame had luxury stores both on Bolshaya Dmitrovka and on Kuznetsky Most, which were dedicated exclusively to the latest Parisian fashions. Ladies' dresses, trousseaus, lingerie and elegantly decorated corsets were made here. It was the largest and most expensive company in old Moscow ordering capricious ladies' dresses, even at the time when they appeared in abundance
stores of ready-made European clothing.
The most important were the ball gowns, in which a woman appeared before the eyes of the capital's elite - according to etiquette, even in the most luxurious dress it was impossible to appear more than 3-4 times. The cheapest were girls' dresses: for the most pampered, it cost 80 silver rubles, light, with flounces, made of silk or gauze. The lady paid 200 silver rubles for the fabric alone for this toilet, and hundreds more rubles for the dress itself. An incredible luxury, which, contemporaries sighed, really should have been limited by some kind of law.
Ladies' outfits of the 18th and early 20th centuries.
Pictures enlarge when clicked



Moscow milliners of the 19th century.

From time immemorial, Odessa has also been known in Europe as a trendsetter; as Pushkin wrote about it, it was originally a European city. For this reason, local ladies flaunted here and amazed visiting provincials with the most elegant style and finest weaving with French straw hats from Madame Moulis or Victoria Olivier on Deribasovskaya in the Frapoli house, exquisite, latest fashion toiletries from Adele Martin's stores on Italianskaya, now Pushkinskaya Street, Madame Palmer or
Suzanne Pomer. And Madame Lobadi, the owner of a chic salon on Richelieuskaya, periodically even invited special consultants from Paris itself, from whom customers could always “have all the news
Maud".
With the construction of an extensive shopping complex in 1842, which Odessa residents who visited the French capital soon began to call Palais Royal, the fashion store of Maria Ivanovna Stratz moved there. Opened in pre-Pushkin times and then existing for many years, this store became famous far beyond the borders of Odessa and for a long time had no similar store in almost the entire South. It's not surprising
it was, because there was literally everything that only the most capricious female soul could desire: ready-made outfits, woolen fabrics, Dutch linen, Lyon silks, French shawls, lace, gloves of unprecedented beauty, heavy velvet of all kinds of colors and the finest cambric, which seemed to flutter from one breath...

There is no designer who has never quoted his predecessors. Putting the well-forgotten old into a new way is a favorite technique of Jeremy Scott, Karl Lagerfeld, and Nicolas Ghesquière. In order to guess the couturier's allusions at one glance at the silhouette and cut, it is worth understanding the history of fashion of the last century.

1910s: PARIS DICTATES A NEW STYLE - ART DECO

Belle Epoque (translated from French as “beautiful era”) with its characteristic hourglass silhouette is being replaced by Art Deco. The new canon of beauty is the natural, unconstrained forms of the female body. Europe dresses up in exotic outfits, inspired by the ballet "Scheherazade", presented by Diaghilev as part of the "Russian Seasons" in Paris.

Fashion designer: Paul Poiret is a fashion reformer; it was he who freed women from corsets and bustles, offering loose tunic dresses in the ancient Greek style, as well as capes, montos and trousers inspired by the East. Poiret introduced exoticism and orientalism into fashion, cultivating luxury and abundance in clothing: expensive fabrics and a lot of decor are signs of his creations.

Styles: high-waisted dress, tapered skirt, trouser skirt, bloomers, kimono cape, sari dress, turban, pouch bag.

Fabrics and decor: brocade, silk, velvet, taffeta, oriental ornaments, embroidery with gold threads, precious stones, batik.

Style icons: Isadora Duncan made Poiret's loose tunic dress famous throughout the world by appearing on stage in a translucent outfit - unheard of audacity. Another fashion icon of the era - Ida Rubinstein, star of the ballet "Scheherazade" - did not leave the image of an oriental beauty even off stage, choosing silk kimonos for every day.

1920S: EMANCIPATION AND JAZZ

An emancipated woman drives a car, writes novels, smokes, and dashingly dances the Charleston in a comfortable straight dress with a low waist - a symbol of the era. The modest elegance of Coco Chanel juxtaposes with the excesses of the Jazz Age: feathers, boas and fringe. The garcon style (translated from French as “boy”) coexisted with Art Deco, which was still popular.

Fashion designer: Coco Chanel dressed women in men's clothes and proved that a little black dress, complemented with a string of pearls, is an evening option no worse than a beaded outfit. Jeanne Lanvin was responsible for a more feminine fashion direction.

Styles: a cylindrical dress, a fur moncot, a jacket, a cardigan, loose canvas trousers, a pajama suit for the beach, a cloche hat, headbands and hair bands with abundant decoration.

Fabrics and decor: lace, silk, velvet, wool, boucle, jersey; basic colors - black, white, gray, cream, beige; jewelry made of pearls, a minimum of decor - from Chanel, a maximum - from the rest (embroidery, feathers, bows, bugles).

Style icons: Silent film actress and dancer Louise Brooks became famous not only for her freedom of morals, but also for her love of cloche hats. Tennis player Suzanne Lenglet introduced the fashion for women's sportswear.

1930S: THE COLD SENSUALITY OF HOLLYWOOD

The new era decisively abandons the androgynous style of dress, which hides sensual curves. Fashion designers are proclaiming a different silhouette - an emphasized waist, from which comes a flowing long skirt. Following the athletes, girls are starting to wear knitwear. The luxurious decor of the previous decade is forgotten - the Great Depression and the feeling of an imminent war set a completely different mood.

Fashion designer: Elsa Schiaparelli designs a sweater dress, a printed jumper, and uses viscose and a zipper for the first time. She is the first provocateur and surrealist of fashion. Just look at a dress with lobster and parsley or a hat in the shape of a shoe!

Styles: a floor-length dress with an accentuated waistline, a sweater dress, a jumper, tennis pleated skirts, polo dresses, sports trousers, elbow-length silk gloves, trains, the first swimwear.

Fabrics and decor: tulle, silk, velvet, wool, knitwear; noble rich and pastel colors - dark blue, burgundy, pearl; lace trim.

Style icons: Women of cold beauty, Hollywood stars - Marlene Dietrich and Greta Garbo, beckoning from the screens with perfection and sophistication.

1940s: Wartime dictates its own rules

The war begins, and the girls are forced to give up their luxurious, elaborate outfits. Military-style clothing appears - women's clothes made from the same fabrics as military uniforms. While fashion in Europe is constrained by the restrictions of World War II, the United States is creating its own “haute couture.”

Fashion designer: The main “trend setter” of the decade is the shortage of fabrics, buttons, and decorative elements. It is he who determines innovations in the women's wardrobe: he shortens the length of the skirt, prohibits lush frills due to the high consumption of fabric, deprives stockings and stilettos, and girls have to wear hats and scarves to hide untidy hair.

Styles: a fitted jacket with padded shoulders, a double-breasted coat, a pencil skirt, a blouse with puffed sleeves, a shirt-cut dress with an emphasis on the waist, a nautical-style dress, a hat with a veil, a belt, brooches, beads.

Fabrics: dark green, khaki, brown, gray, dark gray, black, blue, white, light yellow, red; wool, cotton, flannel; check, polka dot print.

Style icons: America's sex symbol, Hollywood actress Rita Hayworth and pin-up models Betty Grable and Bettie Page. American soldiers loved the images of beauties so much that they even repeated them on airplanes.

1950s: Rise of Parisian fashion and new femininity

Paris regains its title as fashion capital. New look - the new look of a woman, proposed by Christian Dior, is gaining popularity. During the war years, everyone was too tired of hardships! Girls strive to look as feminine as possible and spend a lot of time and money on toilets.

Fashion designers: Christian Dior generously spends meters of fabric on one full, high-waisted skirt (outrageous and delightful luxury!) and puts women back into corsets. Cristobal Balenciaga takes a different path and prefers a straight silhouette and architectural experiments with it to Dior’s “buds” and “hourglass”. Coco Chanel returns to the world of fashion and presents a tweed jacket with a skirt, and Hubert Givenchy creates elegant, aristocratic outfits for his muse Audrey Hepburn.

Styles: floor-length bustier dress, flared pleated skirt, short narrow-waisted jacket, A-line coat with three-quarter sleeves, gloves, small hat, clutch bag, pointed shoes, pearls, necklaces.

Fabrics and decor: velor, flannel, wool, silk, satin, suede; embroidered flowers, lace, small floral pattern, horizontal stripes.

Style icons: From the screens, fashion is dictated by Marilyn Monroe, Grace Kelly, Sophia Loren, Elizabeth Taylor and Audrey Hepburn, demonstrating the latest models of the most popular designers.

1960s: Rebellion in fashion and art and the sexual revolution

Freedom of morals is the fashionable anthem of the era! A miniskirt, jeans, a trouser suit, A-line dresses and A-line coats appear in the women's wardrobe. Fashion designers, following modern artists, are experimenting with all their might and creating clothes from vinyl and synthetic materials.

Fashion designers: English designer Mary Quant gave the world the miniskirt. Andre Courrèges and Yves Saint Laurent almost simultaneously presented a short a-line dress, which became an absolute hit. In addition to Haute Couture, couturiers are beginning to create ready-to-wear collections.

Styles: miniskirt, high-waisted trousers, jeans, a-line dress, round-neck coat, peasant-style shirt, sundress, knee-high boots, long-strap bag, wide-brimmed hats.

Fabrics and decor: cotton, denim, knitwear, wool, viscose, stripes, checks, polka dots, small patterns; strings, bows, collars, lace trim.

Style icons: Brigitte Bardot made the sensual look ultra-fashionable: her tousled hairstyle and bright black wings were copied everywhere. Jacqueline Kennedy reconciled trends and timeless classics in her stylish looks and served as a model of elegance for thousands of women from all over the world.

1970s: Youth subcultures choose their heroes

The denim boom is sweeping the world: blue and dark blue, torn and distressed denim are at the peak of popularity. Following the growing hippie movement, couturiers are turning to folklore and ethnicity. The unisex style is gaining ground - men and women dress in the same, simple and comfortable things. Current music dictates its own dress code - this is how the disco style arises. Shocking punk - the style of rebellious youth - was adopted by Vivienne Westwood. New fashion centers are emerging - for example, Giorgio Armani, Gianni Versace and the Missoni family presented their collections at the first Milan Fashion Week.

Fashion designer: Yves Saint Laurent gave fashion a women's tuxedo, a transparent blouse, safari style, abstract prints, African motifs and much more. "Japanese in Paris" Kenzo Takada acted as an apologist for Asian sensuality and street style. Sonia Rykiel made a sweater dress made of fine knitwear her calling card, and Oscar de la Renta opened a signature brand in New York.

Styles: turtlenecks, shirts, jeans, bell-bottoms, sundresses, knitted sweaters, cardigans, hats, ponchos, canvas bags, baubles, overalls.

Fabrics and decor: linen, cotton, wool, silk, denim, bright colors, colorful patterns, embroidery, oriental and floral patterns, beading.

Style icons: Jane Birkin shocked the public with revealing outfits, for example, a mesh dress worn over a naked body. Model Lauren Hutton demonstrated how to dress safari style in everyday life, and Jerry Hall was a fan of the disco style and advised adding glamor to any look.

1980s: The Age of Strong Women

The business woman is the new ideal of the era. Designers come up with a whole wardrobe for an independent and successful woman. And then they go further, presenting provocatively sexy outfits that prove the power the so-called weaker sex has over men.

Fashion designer: Karl Lagerfeld becomes Chanel's creative director in 1983 and launches the house's first ready-to-wear line. Japanese designers Yohji Yamamoto and Rei Kawakubo are declaring themselves a completely new direction in fashion - deconstructivism, which transforms and breaks the usual silhouettes of clothing.

Styles: classic trousers with creases, jackets and tuxedos with padded shoulders, sheath dresses, dresses and sweaters with dolman sleeves, leather jackets and raincoats, leggings, bustier tops, mini and midi leather, platform shoes, over the knee boots.

Fabrics and decor: leather, mohair, velor, corduroy, suede, silk, satin, viscose; rich and neon shades, animal prints, vertical stripes.

Style icons: Grace Jones, who never betrayed her boyish short haircut and leather outfits. Madonna and her aggressively sexual image.

1990s: Minimalism, theatricality and street style

The fashion world is divided into two camps. The first one defends the principles of minimalism, which entered the industry with the Jil Sander collection. The second one enthusiastically follows the crazy experiments of Alexander McQueen and Jean-Paul Gaultier and supports their couture frenzy. The mass market is spreading throughout the world, penetrating even into the USSR - already collapsed, but still closed. Sports style, grunge and punk are relevant for young people around the world.

Fashion designers: Marc Jacobs shows a grunge collection at Fashion Week on behalf of the Perry Ellis brand. John Galliano shocks critics with his theatrical shows. Calvin Klein is bringing androgyny back into fashion.

Styles: T-shirts, pullovers, denim jackets, low-waisted jeans, denim skirts, sundresses with thin straps, hoodies and sweatshirts, sneakers and sneakers, rough boots.

Fabrics and decor: cotton, denim, leather, flannel, viscose, chiffon, all colors, prints with logos and names of famous companies.

Style icons: Supermodels Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, Claudia Schiffer and Kate Moss, who became not just faces of the era, but role models for millions.

Clothes of townspeople (1917-1922)

The First World War, the revolutionary coup and the Civil War changed the appearance of Russian citizens. The iconic symbolism of the costume began to appear more clearly. This was a time when solidarity or opposition was expressed with the help of a suit or its individual parts; it was used as a screen behind which one could temporarily hide one’s true attitude to the events taking place. “In Moscow they gave out oats using ration cards. Never before has the capital of the republic experienced such a difficult time as in the winter of the twentieth year.” It was “the era of endless hungry queues, “tails” in front of empty “food distributors”, an epic era of rotten frozen carrion, moldy bread crusts and inedible surrogates.
“They don’t sell any firewood. There is nothing to drown the Dutch with. In the rooms there are iron stoves - potbelly stoves. From them there are samovar pipes under the ceiling. One into the other, one into the other, and right into the holes in the boards with which the windows are sealed; jars are hung at the joints of the pipes so that the resin does not drip.” . And yet, many still continued to follow fashion, although this was limited only by the silhouette of the suit or some details, for example, the design of the collar, the shape of the hat, and the height of the heel. The silhouette of women's clothing was on the path to simplification. It can be assumed that this trend was influenced not only by Parisian fashions (the Gabrielle Chanel clothing house, opened in 1916, promoted “robes de chemise” - simple forms of dress, not complicated by cut), but also by economic reasons. “Magazine for housewives” in 1916. wrote: “... there is almost no fabric in warehouses or stores, there are no trims, there is not even thread to sew a dress or coat.” “...for a spool of thread (such a spool... small) in the Samara province they give two pounds of flour... two pounds for such a small spool...” we learn from the “Diaries” of K. I. Chukovsky.

During this period, the price of cloth rose from 3 rubles. 64 k. (average price 1893) up to 80,890 rubles. in 1918 . Then the inflationary spiral unwinded more and more. Information from the “Diary of a Muscovite”, in which the author N.P. Okunev daily recorded all everyday events, significant and trivial, is invaluable. “I ordered a pair of jackets for myself, the price was 300 rubles, I thought I was crazy, but they tell me that others pay 4,008,500 rubles for suits. A complete bacchanalia of life!” This economic situation did not contribute to the development of a fashionable suit, but it gave rise to very interesting forms of clothing. If in M. Chudakova’s “Biography of M. Bulgakov” we read about 1919: “in March, a colleague of our hero, a Kiev doctor, wrote in his diary: “... no practice, no money either. And life here is becoming more expensive every day. Black bread already costs 4 rubles. 50 k. per pound, white - 6.50, etc. And most importantly - on a hunger strike. Black bread – 12815 rub. per pound. And there is no end in sight.” That was already in 1921. in a letter to his mother, Mikhail Bulgakov writes: “In Moscow they only count in hundreds of thousands and millions. Black bread 4600 rub. per pound, white 14,000. And the price goes up and up! The stores are full of goods, but what can you buy? The theaters are full, but yesterday, when I passed by the Bolshoi on business (I can no longer imagine how you could go without business!), the dealers were selling tickets for 75, 100, 150 thousand rubles! Moscow has everything: shoes, fabrics, meat, caviar, canned food, delicacies - everything! Cafes are opening and growing like mushrooms. And everywhere there are hundreds, hundreds! Hundreds!! A wave of speculators is buzzing."
But let's go back to 1918. At this time, fashion magazines were not published in Russia. In the same year, the “Magazine for Housewives” was closed (it was resumed only in 1922). Therefore, when considering fashion influences, one can only rely on foreign sources or domestic ones published before 1918. A certain role in shaping the appearance of the townspeople was played by public distributors, where things flocked from abandoned shops, houses of the bourgeoisie, etc. In “Memoirs” by Valentin Kataev, dating back to 1919, we read: “I looked frightening: an officer’s jacket from the time of Kerensky , canvas trousers, wooden sandals on my bare feet, in my teeth a pipe smoking shag, and on my shaved head a red Turkish fez with a black tassel, which I received by order instead of a hat in the city clothing warehouse.” This is also confirmed by the notes of N. Ya. Mandelstam: “In those years, clothes were not sold - they could only be obtained by order.”
The memories of I. Odoevtseva are colored with irony. “He (O. Mandelstam, editor's note) had never seen women in a man's suit. In those days this was completely unthinkable. Only many years later, Marlene Dietrich introduced the fashion for men's suits. But it turns out that the first woman in pants was not her, but Mandelstam’s wife. It was not Marlene Dietrich, but Nadezhda Mandelstam who revolutionized the women's wardrobe. But, unlike Marlene Dietrich, this did not bring her fame. Her bold innovation was not appreciated either by Moscow or even by her own husband."

This is how M. Tsvetaeva described her “outfit” at a poetry evening at the Polytechnic Museum in 1921: “Not mentioning yourself, having gone through approximately everyone, would be hypocrisy. So, on that day I was revealed to “Rome and the world” in a green dress, like a cassock, which cannot be called (a paraphrase of the best times of a coat), honestly (that is, tightly) tied not even with an officer’s, but with a cadet’s belt, the 18th Peterhof School of Ensigns. . Over the shoulder is also an officer’s bag (brown, leather, for field binoculars or cigarettes), which would be considered treason to take off and was removed only on the third day after arriving (1922) in Berlin... Legs in gray felt boots, although not men’s, on the leg, surrounded by lacquered boats they looked like pillars of an elephant. The whole toilet, precisely because of its monstrosity, removed from me any suspicion of deliberateness.” The notes of contemporaries are surprisingly frank. “And so I jump up, still in the complete darkness of the winter night, throw on an old fur coat and a scarf (after all, it’s not good to stand in line in a hat, let the servants think that they are their brother, otherwise they will mock the lady).” Due to the change in the position of women that has occurred since the beginning of the war, a number of forms of men's clothing are transferred to women's. In 191681917 These are men's type vests, in 1918-1920 leather jackets, which passed into everyday life from decommissioned military uniforms. (In 1916, scooter riders in the Russian army wore leather jackets). Due to the lack of information, the severance of traditional ties with Europe, the difficult economic situation and at the same time the preservation of clothing of old forms, the costume of many women presented a rather eclectic picture. (This is evidenced by drawings, photographs, and sculpture of those years). For example, a female police officer was dressed like this: a leather jacket, a uniform blue beret, a brown plush skirt and lace-up boots with a cloth top. The non-serving ladies looked no less exotic. In the “Diaries” of K. I. Chukovsky we read: “Yesterday I was in the House of Writers: everyone’s clothes were wrinkled, saggy, it was clear that people slept without undressing, covering themselves with coats. Women are chewed up. It’s as if someone chewed them and spat them out.” This feeling of bruising and fraying still arises when looking at photographs of that time. Old forms of clothing are preserved everywhere. Moreover, in the working environment they continue to sew dresses in the fashion of the beginning of the century, and in provincial towns on the national outskirts, clothing is influenced by the traditions of the national costume. In 1917 the silhouette of a woman's dress still retains the outlines inherent in the previous period, but the waist becomes much looser, the skirt is straighter and slightly longer (up to 12 cm above the ankle). The silhouette resembles an elongated oval. At the bottom, the skirt narrows to 1.5-1.7 m. After 1917 Two silhouettes coexist in parallel: widened at the bottom and a “tube” so-called “rob de chemise” shirt dress. Shirt dresses appeared in Russia before (S. Diaghilev’s memories of N. Goncharova date back to 1914): “But the most curious thing is that they imitate her not only as an artist, but also in appearance. It was she who introduced into fashion the shirt-dress, black and white, blue and red. But that's nothing yet. She drew flowers on her face. And soon the nobility and bohemians rode out on sleighs with horses, houses, elephants on their cheeks, on their necks, on their foreheads.”
Silhouette of a dress 1920-1921. a straight bodice, the waist is lowered to the level of the hips, the skirt, easily draped in folds, 8-12 cm long above the ankle, is already significantly close to the fashion of subsequent years. But one could often see a lady in a dress made from curtain fabric. And although this issue seems controversial to contemporaries, enough examples can be found in the literature. So from A.N. Tolstoy: “Then the war ended. Olga Vyacheslavovna bought a skirt made of green plush curtain at the market and went to serve in various institutions.” Or from Nina Berberova: “I was left without work; I had felt boots from a carpet, a dress from a tablecloth, a fur coat from my mother’s rotunda, a hat from a sofa cushion embroidered with gold.” It is difficult to say whether this was an artistic exaggeration or reality. Fabrics produced in the country in the period 1920-1923. “they were distinguished by their simplicity and were printed according to the least labor-intensive old models.” But there were apparently few of them, so dresses made from curtains became a ubiquitous phenomenon. Tatyana Nikolaevna Lappa recalls this in “The Biography of M. Bulgakov”: “I went in my only black crepe de Chine dress with panne velvet: I altered it from my previous summer coat and skirt.” Chests were opened, and grandmother's outfits were brought to light: dresses with puffed sleeves, with trains. Let us recall from M. Tsvetaeva: “I dive under my feet into the blackness of a huge wardrobe and immediately find myself seventy years old and seven years ago; not at seventy-seven years old, but at 70 and 7. I feel with the dreamlike infallible knowledge of something that has long ago and obviously from the weight fallen, swollen, settled, spilled into a whole pewter puddle of silk, and I fill myself with it up to my shoulders.” And further: “And a new dive to the black bottom, and again the hand is in a puddle, but no longer of tin, but of mercury with water running away, playing from under the hands, not collected into a handful, scattering, scattering from under the rowing fingers, because if the first it sank from the heaviness, the second one flew off from the lightness: from a hanger as if from a branch. And behind the first, settled, brown, faye, great-grandmother Countess Ledochovskaya great-grandmother Countess Ledochovskaya unstitched, her daughter my grandmother Maria Lukinichnaya Bernatskaya unstitched, her daughter my mother Maria Alexandrovna Main unstitched, sewn by the great-granddaughter of the first Marina in our Polish family by me, mine, seven years back, as a girl, but in the cut of my great-grandmother: the bodice is like a cape, and the skirt is like the sea...” Contemporaries recall that “the old dresses of mothers and grandmothers were altered, decorations and lace were removed from them “bourgeois burp.” Struggling against any manifestation of “bourgeoisism,” the blueshirts sang: “Our charter is strict: no rings, no earrings. Our ethics, down with cosmetics”... People were stigmatized for jewelry and Komsomol membership cards were taken away. This did not apply to the fashions of the revived bourgeois ladies during the NEP, since these were hostile elements." In magazines of 1917-1918. Recommendations appear on how to make a new one out of an old dress, how to sew a hat, even how to make shoes. In the 1918-1920s, a lot of homemade shoes with wooden, cardboard, and rope soles appeared in everyday life. V.G. Korolenko in a letter to A.V. Lunacharsky wrote: “...look at what your Red Army soldiers and your serving intelligentsia wear: you will often see a Red Army soldier in bast shoes, and serving intelligentsia in poorly made wooden sandals. It’s reminiscent of classical antiquity, but now it’s very inconvenient for winter.” Fashion at this time offers two-inch heels (about 9 cm high). By the early 20s, the heel not only rose, but also tapered downwards. Contemporaries testify: “In 1922-1923. Coarse military boots with windings are disappearing. The army puts on its boots." The silhouette of military clothing is also transformed. After 1917 coats lengthen again, the waist gradually drops 5-7 cm below natural. Fashion 1917 as if referring to folk costume. The magazine “Ladies' World” (No. 2; 1917) writes that the fashion is “imitation in the cut of warm ladies’ coats of caftans and fur coats from various provinces. The cut of Ekaterinoslav’s “woman’s” outfits - wide fur coats at the bottom, with cut-off waists and huge turn-down collars falling on the shoulders - seems very fashionable, straight out of a Parisian magazine.” In fact, the simplification of the form led to traditionally simple forms of folk costume.

The color scheme of the clothes was dominated by natural brown tones. In 1918 “a fashionable color is dark earthy, both plain and melange”
, “camel” color combined with black. The huge wide-brimmed hats of the pre-war era are a thing of the past, however, many styles of hats have remained in use for a long time. A girl in a hat, for example, can be seen in the photo of the parade of General Education troops in 1918. on Red Square and among Komsomol members organizing educational programs in the Rostov region. The “first ladies” of the state also wore hats - N.K. Krupskaya, M.I. Ulyanova, A.M. Kollontai. True, we are talking about small hats with rather narrow brims, small in size, decorated, as a rule, only with a bow, but their ubiquity and widest distribution, both in the provinces and in the capital, is beyond doubt.
In 1918 Boas and gorgets are going out of fashion; to replace them, magazines offer scarves with edges trimmed with fur, lace, and tassels. These scarves were worn both around the neck and on the hat. Knitted scarves were most often used in everyday life.
In men's clothing, the most active period in politics and social reorganization did not give any new forms, but only served as an impetus for the destruction of the traditions of wearing it. The men's suit retains the shapes of previous years, with only minor changes in details. In 1918-1920 Only turn-down collars of shirts and blouses remain in everyday use; stand-up collars are not gaining further popularity. Tie knot after 1920 stretches out, becomes narrow and approaches a rectangle as much as possible, and the tie itself is narrower and longer. Their colors are faded and dull. The norm is an altered men's suit. In A. Mariengof’s “Memoirs” we read: “Shershenevich is wearing a chic light gray jacket with a large check. But the treacherous left pocket... is on the right side, since the jacket is upside down. Almost all dandies of that era had their top pockets on the right side.” Men's clothing is becoming as militarized as possible and at the same time, it is losing the traditionally established rules of color matching of shoes to trousers, and both to the jacket. A French jacket in combination with some kind of trousers is becoming the most popular clothing for men. “He was wearing a paramilitary suit - an English jacket, checkered, with leather on the backside, riding breeches and black boots.” “After Brest, many demobilized people appeared at the stations. Soldiers' greatcoats "came into fashion" - they hung in almost every hallway, exuding the smell of shag, station burning and rotten earth. In the evenings, when going out, we put on overcoats - it was safer in them.” Knitwear is widely used in everyday life, apparently due to the relative ease of production. From Kataev: “Vanya was dressed in a black tunic, mustard riding pants and huge, above-the-knee, clumsy cowhide boots that made him look like a puss in boots. On top of the tunic, around the neck, was a thick collar of a market paper sweater." Leather jackets were not only very popular, but were also a mandatory distinction for commanders, commissars and political workers of the Red Army, as well as employees of technical troops. True, contemporaries refute their mass distribution. They continued to wear the uniforms of various departments. And if in 1914-1917. The uniform of officials was not observed so strictly, but since 1918. and completely ceases to correspond to the position held and remains in everyday use as usual clothing. After the abolition of old ranks and titles in January 1918. military uniforms of the tsarist army began to be worn with bone or fabric-covered buttons (instead of buttons with a coat of arms). “It was officially announced that all distinctions, including shoulder straps, would be abolished. We were forced to remove them, and instead of buttons with eagles, sew on civilian bone ones or cover the old metal ones with fabric.” Contemporaries recall that “... in the 20s, a campaign began against student caps, and their owners were persecuted for their bourgeois way of thinking.”

Eclecticism was also inherent in the men's suit. This is what I. Bunin wrote about the clothes of the Red Army soldiers: “They are dressed in some kind of prefabricated rags. Sometimes a uniform from the 70s, sometimes, out of the blue, red leggings and at the same time an infantry overcoat and a huge Old Testament saber.” But representatives of another class were dressed no less extravagantly. In the book “Biography of M. Bulgakov” we read: “On some day of this winter, in house No. 13 on Andreevsky Spusk, an episode occurred that was preserved in Tatyana Nikolaevna’s memory. One time the bluebacks came. They are shod in ladies' boots, and the boots have spurs. And everyone is perfumed with Coeur de Jeannette - a fashionable perfume."
The appearance of the crowd and individuals was lumpen. Let's turn again to the literature. From Bunin: “In general, you often see students: in a hurry somewhere, all torn to pieces, in a dirty nightgown under an old open overcoat, a faded cap on his shaggy head, knocked-down shoes on his feet, a rifle hanging on a rope with the muzzle down on his shoulder...
However, the devil knows whether he is really a student.” And here’s what the crowd looked like in M. Bulgakov’s description: “Among them were teenagers in khaki shirts, there were girls without hats, some in a white sailor blouse, some in a colorful sweater. There were sandals on bare feet, black worn-out shoes, young men in blunt-toed boots.” Vl. Khodasevich recalled that before the war, individual literary associations could afford something like a uniform. “To get into this sanctuary, I had to sew black trousers and an ambiguous jacket to go with them: not a gymnasium jacket, because it’s black, but not a student’s jacket either, because it has silver buttons. In this outfit I must have looked like a telegraph operator, but everything was redeemed by the opportunity to finally attend Tuesday: on Tuesdays literary interviews took place in the circle.” Literary figures and actors acquire a unique, even exotic appearance. But this was not so much the outrageousness of the futurists’ clothes (Mayakovsky’s notorious yellow jacket), but rather the simple absence of clothing as such and the random sources of its acquisition. M. Chagall recalled: “I wore wide trousers and a yellow duster (a gift from the Americans, who out of mercy sent us used clothes)…”. M. Bulgakov, according to Tatyana Nikolaevna’s memoirs, at that time wore a fur coat “... in the form of a rotunda, such as old men of clergy wore. On raccoon fur, and the collar turned outward with the fur. The top was blue ribbed. It was long and without fasteners - it really wrapped up and that’s all. It was probably my father's fur coat. Maybe his mother sent it to him from Kyiv with someone, or maybe he brought it himself in 1923...” The poet Nikolai Ushakov wrote in 1929. in his memoirs: “In 1918-1919, Kyiv became a literary center; Ehrenburg walked in those days in a coat that dragged along the sidewalks and in a gigantic wide-brimmed hat...”
Based on all these materials - memories, photographs - we can conclude that men's clothing of this period was extremely eclectic in nature and, in the absence of stylistic unity, was based on the personal tastes and capabilities of its owner. From 1922-1923 Domestic fashion magazines are starting to appear. But, although at this time such masters as N.P. Lamanova, L.S. Popova, V.E. Tatlin were making attempts to create new clothes that corresponded to the spirit of the time, and in particular overalls, their experiments were only sketchy in nature.

History of men's fashion. 20th century men's fashion

1900s in men's fashion

The last period of refined masculine elegance. St. Petersburg in the Silver Age was famous for its dandies. Russian fashionistas were guided by English fashion. The Prince of Wales, Queen Victoria's eldest son, later King Edward 7 was a style icon. It was he who first undid the button of his vest when he ate a hearty meal. He also introduced creases on trousers and rolled-up trouser legs into fashion.
A long coat, a frock coat and a bowler hat are in fashion.

1910s in men's fashion

Frock coats were replaced by cropped jackets without padded shoulders with high waists and elongated lapels. The men's suit has acquired a more elongated silhouette. Jazz is in fashion, and with it a jazz suit with trousers and a tightly buttoned jacket. The First World War popularized military uniforms. The military model - a trench coat (from the English word trench, "trench") for soldiers of the British army, supplied by Burberry - is becoming so popular that subsequently it continues to be worn in civilian life.

In St. Petersburg, the main refined dandy is Prince Felix Yusupov.

1920s in men's fashion

The Prince of Wales continued to be a fashion role model. He introduced into fashion shortened wide golf pants “plus fours”, with which long woolen socks were worn. During this period, Scottish Fair Isle sweaters, Panama hats, narrow Windsor knot ties, two-button jackets, pocket squares, brown suede shoes and gingham caps are worn. By the way, the pattern on men's suit fabrics “Prince of Wales” is named after Edward 7, who loved informal checkered suits.

In Russia this is a time of war communism and civil war. After the 1917 revolution, the dandies of the Silver Age disappeared. They are being replaced by avant-garde artists of a new formation.

The fashionista of that time was Vladimir Mayakovsky.

Real dudes appeared in the era of the New Economic Policy. They wore striped trousers, bow ties, floppy hats and boaters, and tried to look like Jazz Age Americans.

1930s men's fashion

Fashionistas imitate glamorous Hollywood stars. Popular hobbies include aviation, cars and sports. A fit, athletic physique is in fashion.
Suits took on a more masculine look, the shoulder line increased, the chest expanded, and the jacket began to fit closer to the hips. Sports style items, jeans and knitwear appear in the men's wardrobe. They wore caps and leather helmets on their heads. In the 30s, the so-called “captains” hats with lacquered visors were popular. Brown and khaki dominate the color scheme of clothing.

During the war years, Russian dandies and dandies fell in love with trophy fashion. Things brought from Germany and other countries became fashionable goods for those who would later be called dudes.

1940s in men's fashion

The key image of a man during the Second World War is masculine and in military uniform. Common items were short coats and short jackets with patch pockets.
In the first period of the post-war period, unusual suits called zoot suits appeared in America, which consisted of a long double-breasted jacket to the knees with wide lapels and baggy trousers, tapered at the bottom, and a wide-brimmed hat was worn with the suit.

In Soviet fashion of the post-war period, compared to the 1930s, the actual silhouette became wider, things seemed to be a little big. An important men's business accessory was the felt hat. They wear double-breasted jackets, wide trousers and long coats. Dark tones predominated. Light and striped suits were considered especially chic. Even after the war, military uniforms remained common clothing in civilian life; the image of a man in uniform was incredibly popular. Among other things, leather coats have come into fashion.

Since 1947, styling began to captivate large circles of Soviet youth.

1950s in men's fashion

The post-war world was changing rapidly, and fashion was changing with it. In England, in the early 1950s, a style called “Teddy Boys” appeared. This style is a variation of the style of Edward 7 (Edwardian era), hence the name (in English, Teddy is an abbreviation for the full name Edward). They wore tapered trousers with cuffs, a straight-cut jacket with a velvet or moleskin lapel, narrow ties and platform boots (creepers). The bangs were styled into a curl.
In 1955, rock and roll entered the lives of British youth, reflected in clothing in the form of silk suits, bell-bottom trousers, open collars and medallions.
In 1958, Italian influence came into English fashion. Fashion includes short square jackets, tapered trousers, white shirts with thin ties and vests with a scarf peeking out of the chest pocket of the vest. The boots acquired a pointed shape (Winkle picker).

1960s in men's fashion

Significant changes are taking place in the world of men's fashion: the industry of mass production of ready-to-wear suits is being launched. The gray suit becomes the uniform of office workers. A loose long jacket, button-down collar shirts, a skinny tie, Oxford shoes, a black wool coat and a felt hat are in fashion.

In 1967, among young people there was a revival of the teddy boy style, which received the new name rockabilly, a new version of the style was ennobled by the trend of glam rock. Costumes acquired garish colors.

1970s in men's fashion

Unlike the 1960s, in the 70s there was no single direction in fashion; there were different trends. Fashion as a way of self-expression. Trends were shaped by street fashion. Among the youth, the hippie movement: long hair, flared jeans, colorful shirts, baubles, neck pendants and beads as accessories.

Clothes are becoming more versatile and practical. There are a variety of styles and their mixtures in use. Turtlenecks became a cult item of clothing in the 1970s. Noodle turtlenecks are popular in the Soviet Union.

1980s in men's fashion

A new generation of businessmen and luxury consumers, called yuppies, has emerged.
Italian fashion has become relevant, making tanning, black glasses and brown shoes popular. The men's wardrobe ceased to be universal and was strictly divided into business, evening and casual. Corporations are introducing a “working Friday” dress code.

In the Soviet Union, banana and boiled jeans were at the peak of their popularity. Black marketeers flourished; branded clothing brought from abroad was considered a sign of wealth and style.

1990s in men's fashion

In the West, minimalism, simplicity and practicality have become the main fashion trends as opposed to the rampant consumption of the 80s. Men's business clothing has become looser and simpler. Sports are popular and sportswear with logos of famous brands is becoming everyday wear.
The grunge style is common among young people: large, baggy clothes in dark tones. The variety of subcultures: rap, hip-hop, rock determines the appearance of teenagers.
Unisex style is popular. Casual clothing becomes the basis of a man's wardrobe.
In Russia, men's business fashion is dominated by the notorious crimson jacket - the personification of success and prosperity.
In the late 90s, the widespread use of information technology leads to the rapid spread of fashion trends in the world.

2000s in men's fashion

This is the era of metrosexuals. The cult of a beautiful body becomes the main idea of ​​​​fashion. A sleek appearance and a pronounced interest in fashion trends are in fashion.

Based on sources:
Style Bible: the wardrobe of a successful man / N. Naydenskaya, I. Trubetskova.
D/f “Blow of the Century. Life of a dandy"

Join our group

The new creation of director Vladimir Khotinenko is not discussed today only by the lazy. Most of all, of course, historians are indignant, because the series “Demon of the Revolution” is dedicated to the centenary of the October Revolution and gives a rather free interpretation of fateful events for the country. Despite the controversial plot, one thing cannot be taken away from this film - it helps to get a clear idea of ​​the fashion of that time. It is generally accepted that revolutionaries are women in leather jackets and red scarves, but the young ladies who helped create the revolution in 1915-1917 looked completely different.

Let's start with the fact that the image that has been deposited in our heads as canonical is a template that rather refers to a later time - the 20s and 30s in the USSR. At the dawn of the revolution in Russia, emancipation, although it began to take over society, had not yet reached the stage in its development at which women would without hesitation dress in men's riding breeches and put on leather jackets. And in the 20s, to be honest, the percentage of such “comrades” was not great. And in 1915, when preparations were underway for the coup, ladies had not yet thought about such wardrobe metamorphoses.

Dresses of the early Edwardian era had less voluminous skirts and a slightly overhanging top.

Photo by Getty Images

The film by Vladimir Khotinenko shows the period from 1915 to 1917. In fashion history, this time is often called the late Edwardian era. In general, it dates back to the period 1901-1910, when Great Britain was ruled by King Edward VII. However, most often historians extend it for several years after the death of the monarch - until the end of the First World War and the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919. All this time, as in the previous Victorian period, England retained the status of a fashionable capital, which Europe and, of course, the Russian Empire looked up to.

Women began to wear two-piece sets consisting of a blouse and jacket with a skirt.

Photo by Getty Images

Edwardian women's fashion is the decline of crinolines and the transition to the more familiar silhouettes of dresses and outerwear. At its early stage, women continued to wear corsets, but there was active propaganda against them. If the late Victorian era is known for luxurious dresses with bustles - devices that created an imaginary volume at the back, then the Edwardian era took the path of abandoning all these “special effects”. By 1917, dress skirts became straight and even began to be tapered. As always happens with fashion, trying to bring comfort into the wardrobe, women received a new round of inconvenience - dresses became so narrow at the hips that it was impossible to take a long step in them. It is known that Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, who was known as a great fashionista, simply refused to wear the new style because of its impracticality.

The main fashionista of the series is Sofya Rudneva (Paulina Andreeva)

Rudneva's wardrobe is much more sophisticated than Inessa's

Photo frame from the series “Demon of the Revolution”

Nadezhda Krupskaya (Daria Ekamasova) is dressed in an old-fashioned outfit, and Inessa (Victoria Iskhakova) looks modest, new to the spirit of the times

Photo frame from the series “Demon of the Revolution”

Inessa Armand (Victoria Iskhakova), Vladimir Lenin’s closest associate (and, according to Khotinenko, his mistress), in the film wears a white blouse with a stand-up collar and frills, tucked into an A-line skirt. In this case, the blouse is tucked in as if it were slouchy. This is a distinctive feature of one of the intermediate stages of Edwardian fashion. For several years, dresses were sewn in such a way that the top seemed to hang over, forming a “goiter.” Gradually, the pronounced hypertrophy of the top went away, but the manner of tucking in blouses “with a slouch” took root for a long time. Dresses of that time were sewn almost to fit the figure. You can see an example of the models in the wardrobe of another heroine of the film - Sofia Rudneva (Paulina Andreeva). A young beautiful young lady, who is the mistress of that very “demon of the revolution” Parvus, is the main fashionista of the series. It was important for the creators of the film to visualize Sophia as a trophy of Parvus, so they packaged her exclusively in the latest fashion.

Sofia Rudneva (Paulina Andreeva), as a more advanced fashionista, wears a laconic hat

Photo frame from the series “Demon of the Revolution”

The similarities in the wardrobes of the two women can be seen in the area of ​​accessories. Both Inessa and Sophia wear hats that are absolutely incredible in decoration and size. The costume designers hit the nail on the head here too. Fancy hats are the main distinguishing feature of Edwardian fashion. Apparently, having lost the opportunity to be sophisticated in the field of dress, the designers of that time decided to direct all their enthusiasm to the production of hats. Hats were mostly wide-brimmed and decorated with ribbons and flowers. These hats weighed a lot, but women still did not refuse them for a long time. Evolution has taken the path of reducing the size of hats and minimizing decoration. You can notice that Rudneva, who is more “advanced” in terms of fashion, wears a very ascetic hat, but Armand’s hats are very pompous, which hints to us both at the age of the young lady and that she does not follow fashion too closely. Lenin’s wife is shown as the most “unadvanced” in terms of fashion. Nadezhda Krupskaya wears dresses from around the 1910s - with puffed sleeves. It is also worth paying attention to the color scheme. Krupskaya is always in black, which symbolizes not only her revolutionary asceticism, but also her personal drama - Nadezhda Konstantinovna takes her husband’s relationship with Inessa Armand to heart.