Remember how you looked at old photos and made fun of your mothers and grandmothers' outfits? And now is the time to open their chests and try on the contents, because the things that were popular in the Soviet Union are experiencing a new birth. They can be seen in designer collections, street style models and fashion influencers from Instagram. Novate.ru tells what clothes and accessories from the times of the USSR were at the peak of fame this season.
1. Woolen coat with fur collar
The 60s can be safely considered a "fur" period, because at the top of popularity were things with just such a finish. Of course, not every fashionista could afford a mink coat, due to its high cost. Therefore, many people preferred to buy a regular wool coat, but with a fur collar, to be the center of attention. Nowadays, such outerwear has also not lost its relevance, because it not only warms up in the cold season, but also looks luxurious.
2. Horn-rimmed glasses
Remember Lyudmila Prokofievna Kalugina from Office Romance? Before her transformation into a feminine, elegant and incredibly stylish fashionista, she wore an awkward brown suit, blue shirt and horn-rimmed glasses, which became one of the most memorable features of her image. And if in Soviet times the accessory was used for its intended purpose, that is, due to vision problems, now with its help they emphasize the image more. Zero diopter glasses are an indispensable item in the arsenal of many arrivals and business women, so such models can often be seen in the collections of leading brands.
3. Shopping bag
They say that string bags originally appeared in the Czech Republic, but they gained wide popularity thanks to the Soviet Union. In the 40s – 60s, string bags became a truly indispensable item in the arsenal of many housewives. They are loved for their spaciousness, durability and ease of storage. And given the fact that there were no plastic bags in the USSR, string bags could not become a pass-through invention - they were doomed to fame and success.
The fashion for string bags was revived by Phoebe Fileo, British fashion designer, creative director of Céline from 2008 to 2018. The bags, unusual for our contemporaries, quickly became popular, probably due to childish nostalgia. However, if for mothers and grandmothers string bags served as an alternative to a package that could be taken with you to the market or store, then designers recommend treating them as full-fledged bags.
4. Quilted jacket
A wide and comfortable quilted jacket in Soviet times was an element of work clothes. It was worn in factories, construction sites, and in it they were sent to work in the field. When the “femme fatale” Anfisa in the film “Girls” puts on a quilted jacket and goes to help at a construction site, one of her boyfriends at first does not recognize the local fashionista, and then says: “And still the best! Even a sweatshirt suits you! " That is, in the USSR, a quilted jacket was clearly not considered a stylish thing that could decorate a girl.
Almost 60 years have passed since the release of the film, and the attitude towards clothing has changed significantly. Now more and more designers include quilted jackets and vests in their collections, offering to combine them not with jeans, but with elegant dresses, skirts, silk scarves, flowing fabrics. The sweatshirt has ceased to be an element of the rustic style, in which you can go out only to the garden. Now it is a part of everyday and even ceremonial women's wardrobe.
5. Flared jeans
This wardrobe item was “tasted” in the Soviet Union in the late 1950s, and already from the mid-1960s it was at the top of the fashionable Olympus. Despite the fact that the authorities and public activists were suspicious of American fashion (and it was thanks to it that flared jeans appeared), many people bypassed the bans. I had to hunt for a shortage, buy pants from speculators, or alter ordinary pants.
At the same time, the icons of the Soviet style were delighted with the flares, from which everyone tried to take an example: Alexander Abdulov, Alla Pugacheva, Vladimir Vysotsky. By the way, they said about the latter that he chooses this style in order to stretch the silhouette and appear taller: it was fashionable to wear shoes with heels or thick soles with bell bottoms.
Today these jeans are a part of the style of many celebrities who love to combine vintage with basic pieces. For example, Bella Hadid, Kaia Gerber and other fashionistas who became famous for their great taste can be seen in flared denim trousers.
6. Dresses in a small flower
Probably, many remember the famous photo of Jacqueline Kennedy and Nina Petrovna Khrushcheva, in which the first lady of the USSR is captured in a dress with a floral print. So, this outfit can be considered an ideal example of what Soviet women dressed in during the warm season. Not a single fashionable wardrobe could do without dresses with a colorful pattern in the form of flowers, and we understand why. This print is very romantic, feminine, so any girl in such clothes turns into a fragile and delicate beauty.
Soviet women of fashion wore floral dresses for work, walks and social events. After many years, nothing has changed. Such clothes are still considered absolutely universal, only there are many more options for combinations. Modern beauties combine elegant dresses not only with shoes, but also with sneakers, sneakers, rough boots. In the evening, they can safely throw a leather jacket or a bulky denim jacket over their shoulders, and in the cold season, make a tandem with a turtleneck, coat and boots.
7. Klondike
Soviet women perceived headscarves more as an alternative to a hat than a fashion accessory. They used them for protection from the cold, the sun, and included them with their work uniforms. A striking example is Katerina from the movie "Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears", who worked as an adjuster at a plant.
Now the scarf is back on the catwalks and often appears in street style chronicles and stellar Instagram. Such popularity is quite justified, because a kerchief is a very fashionable and practical thing. It saves hair from snow, rain and wind, protects hair from the scorching sun. However, girls wear a scarf not with dresses or skirts, but with more business-like and restrained outfits, so as not to inadvertently go into deliberate femininity. This is how the kerchief complements voluminous jackets, oversized sweaters, laconic suits and overalls. The accessory is appreciated by both ordinary girls and celebrities. For example, the singer Dua Lipa often conducts fashion experiments - one of the latest was the fitting of a scarf from Louis Vuitton.
On a note: If you want to wear a scarf, be sure to combine it with modern accessories so that the image does not turn out to be too simple, without a twist.
8. Gabardine cloak
Such a cloak could be seen on Audrey Hepburn, who sought to imitate Soviet fashionistas. Initially, outerwear was presented in a sandy shade, which was considered a classic, but today the wardrobe item is found in various color options. Do you still not understand what this is about? We speak from a trench coat - it is under this name that gabardine raincoats, popular in the USSR, are known.
Also read about 7 things from the Soviet era that suddenly became popular in other countries