School uniform of the 50s for boys. School uniform in the USSR: remember what it was like? Product full length
Recently, two Russian ministries - the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Education and Science - proposed to the government the next versions of school uniforms, but they different reasons were once again rejected by Deputy Prime Minister Olga Golodets. Meanwhile, 2.5 years have passed since the President introduced compulsory school uniforms in all secondary schools. educational institutions countries. As before, in the Soviet Union.
However, the school uniform in the USSR did not always exist. Until 1948, students went to class in ordinary clothes, and the traditional uniform, considered a bourgeois relic, was abolished.
From the history of school uniforms
Compulsory uniforms for gymnasium students were approved as early as 1834 and included in the general system of civil uniforms of the Russian Empire. Two years later, the Regulations on gymnasium uniforms for girls were developed and approved.
A gymnast girded with a wide leather belt, a peaked cap, shiny metal buttons, emblems and edgings - in style and color, the uniform of the gymnasiums of tsarist Russia resembled a military uniform. The obligatory outer uniform - the overcoat - added similarities with it. The uniform of the schoolgirls was not much different from the outfits
pupils of boarding houses of noble maidens, at the same time reminiscent of the working clothes of maids. In this form, the school uniform for boys and girls existed in Russia until the revolution of 1917 and was preserved in the first year of Soviet power. The only change has been outerwear: the uniform overcoat for boys became optional.
The uniform dresses of the gymnasts were of the simplest cut, they were supposed to have white (on holidays) and black (on weekdays) aprons, as well as a white lace cape, which in the USSR was transformed into a removable collar. Senior schoolgirls also wore white gloves. An interesting point: the age of the girl could be determined by the color of the uniform. So, the smallest students of the "preparatory" classes, who were from 5 to 7 years old, wore brown dresses (this color of school dresses later became the main one in the USSR). Gymnasium students from 8 to 10 years old were supposed to wear blue or blue dresses. Middle school girls aged 11 to 13 wore gray uniforms; senior gymnasium girls - white.
How did the school uniform appear in the USSR
In the postwar years in the Soviet Union, there was a boom in "universal uniforms", when entire departments were dressed in uniform. It was then that schoolchildren were also remembered - this is how in 1948 the Soviet school uniform arose, which, in terms of cut, color and accessories, was actually copied from the uniforms of the tsarist gymnasiums and gymnasium girls.
School uniform for boys
Created in the image and likeness of the uniforms of pre-revolutionary gymnasium students and approved in 1948, the school uniform for boys existed unchanged until the end of May 1962 - that is, until the end of the school year. On September 1 of the same year, the boys went to school in an updated uniform, which lacked a tunic with a waist belt and a cap with a cockade.
In the new uniform, elements of "military" were completely absent: instead of semi-military clothes, the boys received a gray half-woolen civilian suit: a single-breasted jacket with three plastic buttons and classic trousers. Under the jacket, a white or plain light shirt was recommended.
In 1975, the boys' school uniform underwent significant changes again. The gray fabric was replaced with dark blue, the jacket was replaced with a classic denim jacket in order to please the “denim fashion” that was flourishing at that time. The cut of school trousers has not changed, but the jacket was decorated with epaulettes and chest pockets with flaps resembling a brace. Plastic buttons were replaced by aluminum ones, and a patch appeared on the sleeve like a military chevron with the emblem of enlightenment: an open book against the background of the rising sun.
High school students now wore the classic pantsuit dark blue with a blue emblem on the sleeve. In such elegant suits, the guys looked pretty cute, causing keen interest not only among classmates, but also among girls from middle and even lower grades. Truth, stylish look somewhat spoiled by a not too aesthetic emblem, which, moreover, was quickly erased and took on a sloppy look. Therefore, the boys of the senior classes simply cut it off.
While there was a significant transformation of the boyish school costume, the girlish uniform remained the same: a knee-length brown dress with white detachable collar, white festive and black casual aprons survived until the early 70s. The only slight change was in the length of school dresses: they became shorter.
Author's digression
According to the rules, the uniform dress was slightly above the knees. But which of the girls followed these rules? In my memory - no one, including me. And at one time, my mother and I had a silent duel: she unfolded the hem of her school dress, and I stubbornly folded it again. Then my mother, without saying a word, seizing the moment while I did not see, again did the same procedure: unfolded the hem and carefully steamed it with an iron through wet gauze. This went on for some time, until I got tired of this silent argument - and then I took drastic measures: I simply cut off the hated piece of fabric. Mom had to calm down. And it turned out just like in the photo.
The last change in the girl's school uniform of the times of the USSR underwent in 1984, when a blue three-piece suit was introduced for high school students instead of traditional brown dresses: a pleated skirt, a vest and a jacket with patch pockets. Individual elements of the costume were allowed to vary: the skirt was worn either with a vest or with a jacket, and in some regions of Siberia, the Far North and the Leningrad Region, it was allowed to replace the skirt with trousers in winter.
In addition to the everyday, in Soviet schools there was also a ceremonial pioneer uniform. For girls it was a white uniform shirt with long sleeves, aluminum buttons and a pioneer emblem on the sleeve and a blue-gray slightly flared skirt. The boys did not have a separate pioneer uniform, and for solemn occasions a white shirt and uniform trousers were provided. And, of course, the dress uniform of both was crowned with a pioneer badge and a pioneer tie. This uniform was worn during solemn pioneer events: festive lines, detachment and squad gatherings dedicated to any important event etc.
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In 1994, three years after the collapse of the USSR, the compulsory form in Russian schools was abolished. For 19 whole years, starting from the spring of 1994, the school uniform was an optional attribute of schoolchildren throughout post-Soviet Russia, its presence or absence was regulated by the internal rules of each individual school or by order of the school director. A few years ago, the president, by his decree, returned the compulsory form to Russian schoolchildren. But this decision, like many others, remained only on paper. How and by whom it will be executed, and whether it will be executed at all - we'll see.
Tomorrow is the first of September! Inspired by ... I reviewed a lot of material, I decided to put it together somehow. Here's what happened
The history of school uniforms in USSR and R Russia
If we recall Soviet times and school years, then many people immediately have associations with school uniforms. Some remember her as brown with white collars, some as blue. Some recall elegant white aprons, while others remember large bows on their heads. But everyone agrees with the fact that during the Soviet era, school uniforms were compulsory, and the question of whether or not to wear a uniform was not subject to discussion. On the contrary, non-compliance with school discipline was severely punished. The memory of the school uniform of the USSR still lives on.School uniforms in Russia have a rich history.
Until 1917, it was a class sign, because. only the children of wealthy parents could afford to study at the gymnasium: nobles, intellectuals and large industrialists.The exact date of the introduction of school uniforms in Russia— 1834. It was in this year that a law was adopted that approved a separate type of civilian uniforms. These included gymnasium and student uniforms of military style: invariably caps, tunics and overcoats, which differed only in color, piping, buttons and emblems.
The introduction of uniforms for students of educational institutions of Tsarist Russia is primarily due to the fact that these institutions were state-owned. In those days, all civil servants had to wear uniforms corresponding to their rank and rank, according to the Table of Ranks. So, all teachers in state educational institutions (gymnasiums) wore uniform frock coats. Proceeding from this, the introduction of uniforms for students was also natural.
The uniform was worn not only in the gymnasium, but also on the street, at home, during celebrations and holidays. She was a point of pride. All schools had uniforms.
The caps were usually light blue with three white edgings, and with a black visor, and a crumpled cap with a broken visor was considered a special chic among the boys. In winter, headphones and a hood in the color of natural camel hair, trimmed with gray braid, were added to it.
Usually, students wore a blue cloth tunic with silver bulging buttons, belted with a black lacquered belt with a silver buckle and black trousers without piping. There was also an exit uniform: a dark blue or dark gray single-breasted uniform with a collar trimmed with silver galloon. A schoolbag was an invariable attribute of high school students.
Until 1917, the style of the uniform changed several times (1855, 1868, 1896 and 1913)— according to fashion trends. But all this time, the uniform of the boys fluctuated on the verge of a civilian-military suit.
At the same time, women's education began to develop. Therefore, a student uniform was also required for girls. In 1896, a regulation on the gymnasium uniform for girls appeared. Pupils of the famous Smolny Institute were ordered to wear dresses of certain colors, depending on the age of the pupils. For pupils 6-9 years old - brown (coffee), 9-12 years old - blue, 12-15 years old - gray and 15-18 years old - white.
To attend the gymnasium, they had three types of clothing provided by the charter:
1. "compulsory uniform for daily attendance", which consisted of a brown woolen dress and a black woolen apron.
2. dark formal dresses with knee-length pleated skirts.
3. On holidays - a white apron.Girls always wore braids with bows.
The charter required "to keep the dress clean, tidy, not wear it at home, smooth it daily and monitor the cleanliness of the white collar."
The dress uniform consisted of the same dress, a white apron and an elegant lace collar. In full dress, the gymnasium girls visited the theater, the Yeleninskaya Church on holidays, they went to Christmas and New Year's Eve. Also, "no one was forbidden to have a separate dress of any model and cut, if the parents' means allowed such a luxury."
The color scheme was different for each educational institution.
For example, from the memoirs of Valentina Savitskaya, a graduate of gymnasium No. 36 in 1909, we know that the color of the fabric of the dresses of the gymnasium girls was different, depending on age: for the younger ones it was dark blue, for 12-14-year-olds it was almost the color of a sea wave , and for graduates - brown. And the pupils of the famous Smolny Institute were prescribed to wear dresses of other colors, depending on the age of the pupils: for pupils of 6 - 9 years old - brown (coffee), 9 - 12 years old - blue, 12 - 15 years old - gray and 15 - 18 years old - white.
However, soon after the revolution, as part of the struggle against bourgeois remnants and the legacy of the tsarist-police regime, a decree was issued in 1918 that abolished the wearing of a school uniform. Undoubtedly, in the early years of the existence of the Soviet state, wearing a school uniform was an unaffordable luxury in a country devastated by world war, revolution and civil war.
From the memoirs of Valentina Savitskaya, a graduate of gymnasium No. 36 in 1909: “The old uniform was considered a symbol of belonging to the upper classes (there was even a contemptuous nickname for a sentimental girl - “gymnasium student”). It was believed that the form symbolizes the lack of freedom, the humiliated, servile position of the student. But this rejection of the form had another, more understandable reason - poverty. Pupils went to school in whatever their parents could provide.”
From the point of view of the “class struggle”, the old uniform was considered a symbol of belonging to the upper classes (there was even a contemptuous nickname for a sentimental girl - “gymnasium student”). On the other hand, the form symbolized the absolute lack of freedom of the student, his humiliated and bonded position.
The official explanations were as follows: the form demonstrates the lack of freedom of the student, humiliates him. But in fact, the country at that time simply did not have the financial means to dress a huge number of children in uniform. Pupils went to school in what their parents could provide them, and the state at that moment actively fought against devastation, class enemies and remnants of the past.
1945 M. Nesterova. "Study well!"
Frame from the movie "Two Captains"
The period of "formlessness" lasted until 1948.School uniform becomes mandatory again.The new uniform resembled the old uniforms of high school students. From now on, the boys were required to wear gray military tunics with a stand-up collar, with five buttons, with two welt pockets with valves on the chest. An element of the school uniform was also a belt with a buckle and a cap with a leather visor, which the guys wore on the street. Girls - brown woolen dresses with a black apron tied at the back with a bow. It was then that white "holiday" aprons and sewn-on collars and cuffs appeared. On ordinary days, it was supposed to wear black or brown bows, with a white apron - white (even in such cases, white tights were welcome).Even the hairstyle had to meet the requirements of puritan morality - "model haircuts" were strictly prohibited until the end of the 50s, not to mention hair coloring. Girls always wore braids with bows.
October and Komsomol badges remained a mandatory addition to the school uniform. The pioneers added a badge to the pioneer tie. Other types of badges appeared, including award and commemorative ones.
The question of the need for a school uniform is still open. He has many opponents and supporters. Today, a uniform has been introduced in Russia that is very similar to the style in which the USSR school uniform was created, although parents and children have the opportunity to choose styles, colors, and fabric quality.
The main argument of the opponents of the school uniform is the assertion that it deprives a person of individuality, does not allow him to express himself. Supporters of the form argue that it disciplines children, sets them up for study. Both of them are right.
Today it is fashionable to wear Soviet-era school uniforms for the first and last bell. This is a tribute to the past and an immersion in the history of school uniforms. The photos presented on the site will help you remember how the school uniform of the USSR arose, and what it was like a few decades ago.
In pre-revolutionary Russia
The school uniform of the USSR is rooted in the history of uniforms for schoolchildren in Tsarist Russia. The year of reference is usually called 1834. It was at this time that the school uniform for boys was introduced, as shown in the photo. Under Nicholas I, it was very similar to the uniform of the military.
The girls acquired the uniform much later - in 1896. At this time, the students of the Smolny Institute had to wear a uniform that depended on the age of the girls:
- 6-9 years - brown;
- 9-12 - blue;
- 12-15 - gray;
- 15-18 - white.
In 1918, after the revolution, the school uniform was abolished and called "a relic of the past." However, there were other reasons for this:
- the state did not have money to sew the same clothes for all children;
- the form was associated with the upper classes;
- it restricted the freedom of students.
The "shapeless" stage continued until 1949.
For boys
After the Second World War, the school uniform was introduced as compulsory clothing for students. At the time of I. Stalin, the uniform for boys was very similar to the clothes of high school students: a tunic and woolen trousers, as shown in the photo.
In 1962 there was a reform in clothes for boys. Now she was a gray wool suit, but the military style remained in fashion for a long time. In addition to the gray suit, the young men wore caps with cockades and a belt with a badge (see photo).
In 1973, another reform of boys' clothing takes place. The color has changed: now the suits were dark blue. This is clearly visible in the photo. Iron stripes and buttons, cuffs were added to them. Two chest pockets are left over from the old uniform.
In 1980, the previously existing trousers and jacket were replaced with woolen suits. The color has remained the same. Pioneer paraphernalia red ties are added, as in the photo.
The school uniform was completely abolished in 1992, but today this tradition has been resumed, and each school has the opportunity to independently choose the color and style of clothing for students.
For girls
The school uniform of the USSR for girls practically did not change and reminded many of the clothes of the students of the Smolny Institute. The photo clearly shows long dresses and neat aprons with frills that almost covered the skirt of the dress.
At the time of I. Stalin, the uniform for girls was brown dresses with a skirt below the knees and an apron. Subsequently appeared blue dresses. The everyday apron was black, and the front one was white (see photo).
So that the student's outfit did not seem gloomy, white cuffs were sewn onto the sleeves and collar. When they got dirty, new ones were sewn on. The hairstyle was a braid in which bows could be braided.
In different republics there could be differences in the color of dresses. For example, in the Uzbek SSR, girls wore blue dresses and aprons. Otherwise, however, experiments in the style and style of school uniforms could be severely punished.
Only in the 1980s did the length of the skirts of the students become a little shorter. At the same time, blue three-piece suits were introduced and hair rules were slightly relaxed. The photo shows what they were last changes in the style of a school uniform of the Soviet era.
Despite significant differences in the school uniform of modern educational institutions, the tradition of putting on the dress uniform of the Soviet era in honor of significant events in the life of students is being renewed.
In the USSR, the school uniform changed several times, and I will remember my 80s.
For girls, the classic brown dress with a collar, apron and cuffs had a certain variety of variations (for example, the collar could be “shirt” or “stand”). There were two aprons (or aprons, as they were also called) - black for everyday wear and white for festive rulers, and they were tied at the back with a bow.
Initially, aprons were the subject of protecting dresses from ink blots(in order to wash it was necessary, in which case, not the whole dress) and then this accessory was fixed already in the form of a traditional one. It was the most important decoration of the girl's school uniform, since the styles of aprons varied. And also a variety of lace collars and cuffs that were hemmed to the dresses.
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A certain variety of aprons and cuffs with collars allowed schoolgirls not to look "incubator". At the same time, by April-May, some girls still switched to dresses with short sleeves - I don’t know whether they had a “second set”, or they cut off the existing sleeve.
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And the girls were also allowed to differ by the fact that in different Soviet republics the school uniform was different, and it was not forbidden to wear the uniform of other republics. Moreover, it was very fashionable and was considered a kind of chic. And it was considered super cool to have the form of socialist countries.
According to the model, the girlish form of high school students in the mid-80s differed so much in the republics of the USSR:
- girls in the RSFSR had a three-piece suit: an A-line skirt with pleats in front, a jacket with patch pockets and a vest (in the regions of Siberia, the Far North and, for some reason, Leningrad, girls were allowed to wear trousers in winter since 1988).
- the uniform of the Ukrainian SSR was a long wide skirt and a blouse-jacket with a belt;
- in the BSSR, the uniform was in the form of a sundress with a bottom of a pleated skirt,
- and so on in the republics: half-sun skirts, pleated skirts, and in the Baltic states, for example, skirts were in a dark large cage.
Alexander Vasilyev ("Spleen"), 1982
The most common boyish Soviet school uniform for elementary and middle grades consisted of trousers and a blue jacket, which resembled a classic denim jacket. And on the side of the sleeve there was a patch-emblem made of soft plastic with a drawn open textbook and a rising sun.
After washing, this paint on the patch began to wear off, and usually the emblem was torn off (there was another option - to tear off the top of the emblem, and then an additional pocket for a bus ticket appeared). And sometimes the enemies painted these patches with ballpoint pens while you were doing physical education.
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Well, in addition to the school uniform, October, pioneer or Komsomol badges and a pioneer tie were supposed to be added (although many also stuck pins and all sorts of multi-colored triode diodes into jacket collars).
And the buttons on this uniform were white aluminum, gold-plated aluminum, and (rarely) blue plastic. Aluminum white buttons had one peculiarity - if they were sprinkled with chalk and rubbed over the skin, a wonderful bruise was obtained, very similar to a real one.
From the eighth grade, schoolchildren were required to wear an adult school uniform resembling a men's trouser suit. She had one feature - unlike the girl's school uniform, she did not wrinkle (the girls' skirts always looked crumpled after school).
And all school uniform items were sold separately, and if the sleeves of the old jacket were greasy, then you could buy a new jacket without trousers. Or vice versa - trousers without a jacket. The school uniform in the kit cost 30 rubles (at least that's what my mother remembers).
Boys were supposed to wear a plain shirt under their uniforms, but they also wore checkered shirts and turtlenecks. In high school, under shirts, they were allowed to cling to an adult, dim tie.
The boyish Ukrainian school uniform of the mid-80s was very different from the Russian one both in color and in cut - it was made of thick woolen fabric of an eerie brown color, with two top options: a jacket or a jacket. In the warm season it was hot in it, and I couldn’t stand it (and, unlike the Russian one, there was no sleeve emblem on it, the buttons were not aluminum, but some other ones, and sometimes “School” was written on them) .
Relatives and acquaintances of my parents from Russia every year sent me a blue Moscow uniform (to somehow differ from my classmates). But my peers from the RSFSR thought differently, and my parents constantly bought Ukrainian school uniforms for the children of their relatives and friends in Russia.
However, by the end of school, I generally scored on the form and walked in any trousers and jackets. True, I didn’t risk it in jeans - we were strict with this, and they were not allowed to take lessons in jeans. And they were also allowed not to wear school uniforms to fat people almost from the first grade - they did not have a size.
The girls also complained that in their uniforms it was hot in summer and cold in winter. They also got tired of tearing off those white cuffs every weekend, washing them by hand, and then sewing them on again.
Maybe these dresses were sewn from uncomfortable fabric, but they looked, in my opinion, very beautiful. Sexy, I would say. In high school, for girls with normal legs, the dress ended somewhere in the middle of the thigh, or even almost on the pope. In any case, I don’t remember a single dress below the knees of slender high school girls.
The Soviet school uniform, in fact, is an analogue of the gymnasium uniform of Tsarist Russia. She also consisted of a dress and an apron, white in holidays, and black on weekdays. For elementary school the color of the dress was brown, for students high school- blue and green for high school students. At the balls, older girls appeared in white dresses.
In 1920, it was customary for all high school girls to wear a brown dress and apron. Only rich people could afford such a uniform, so wearing this uniform was considered a bourgeois relic. There was even a contemptuous nickname "high school student".
A unified Soviet school uniform in our country was introduced in the era of Stalin. The USSR school uniform for boys was gray and consisted of trousers and a shirt, like a soldier's tunic. This was complemented by a wide belt with a massive buckle and a cap with a cockade.
The USSR school uniform for girls still consisted of a brown dress and an apron. The dress was brown, perhaps because this color matches the business environment, helps to concentrate, does not distract attention from study.
In the era of Stalin, strict morals reigned in our country. This also applies to school life. Even small experiments with the style or length of the dress were severely punished by the school administration. In addition, it was obligatory for girls to wear braids with bows. No haircuts were allowed.
In the 1960s, the Soviet school uniform for boys changed.
On September 1, 1962, first grade boys went to school in a gray wool blend suit - trousers and a single-breasted jacket with three black plastic buttons.
And in the seventies there were changes again
Now, for elementary school students, it began to consist of a jacket and trousers in dark blue. The trousers became narrower, and the jacket resembled a modern denim jacket in its style. The buttons were metal white color. They were made from aluminium. On the sleeve of the jacket was sewn an emblem of soft plastic with a drawn open textbook and a rising sun.
And in (or in) Ukraine, the school uniform for boys was brown
In the early 1980s, a uniform for high school students was introduced. (This uniform began to be worn from the eighth grade). Girls from first to seventh grade wore a brown dress, as in the previous period. Only it became slightly above the knees.
For boys, trousers and a jacket were replaced with a trouser suit. The fabric color was still blue. Also blue was the emblem on the sleeve.
Very often the emblem was cut off, as it did not look very aesthetically pleasing, especially after some time - the paint on the plastic began to wear off.
The Soviet school uniform for high school students was quite good quality and was inexpensive. Men willingly bought it as clothes for work. Therefore, the USSR school uniform for high school students fell, in those days, into the category of shortage.
For girls, a blue three-piece suit was introduced in 1984, consisting of an A-line skirt with pleats at the front, a jacket with patch pockets and a vest. The skirt could be worn either with a jacket, or with a vest, or the whole suit at once. In 1988, Leningrad, regions of Siberia and the Far North were allowed to wear blue trousers in winter. Also, it was possible for girls to wear a pioneer uniform, which consisted of a dark blue skirt, a white blouse with short or long sleeves and a pioneer tie.
A mandatory addition to the school uniform, depending on the age of the student, was the October badge (in the elementary grades), pioneer (in the middle grades) or Komsomol (in the senior grades) badges. Pioneers were also required to wear a pioneer tie.
In addition to the regular pioneer badge, there was a special variant for pioneers active in community service. It was slightly larger than usual and had the inscription "For active work" on it. And the badge of the senior pioneer, which was a regular pioneer badge against the background of a red banner.
See also other posts in the series :
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