How it was: Soviet dudes. Stilyagi in the USSR Stilyagi 50 60s of the USSR

Since the style of the 50s of the twentieth century, it has been far from the first season that it has been at the peak of its popularity and fame among modern youth: insanely beautiful bright dresses cannot leave indifferent any modern fashionista. Back in the times of our grandparents, this style, slightly changed in its form, was used by "dudes". The most popular representatives of the youth subculture of that time, from the very end of the 40s to the beginning of the new 60s.

Fashion in the mirror of history: XX century, fashion behind the Iron Curtain

Bright and contrasting colors in their combinations.

A huge combination of different materials and different textures in shoes.

Huge variety of accessories.

Dresses in this style could be of several types:

1. Fitted and with a colorful puffy skirt.

2. Very narrow short (in our time, such a dress is also called a “cocktail dress”).

The fabric for sewing such a dress could be different. Starting with the brightest colors and ending with a solid, light color. Just the fabric in large peas has gained immense popularity.

One of the most important additions to such a dress was a belt in a contrasting color. It could be both wide and narrow.

The most important element of a hipster girl was shoes. She plays a big role in creating a complete image. The shoes were: with a narrow toe, with a slightly elongated toe, it is imperative that the shoes match the color of the bag or belt. The very height of the heel, for a hipster girl, did not matter at all. It could be a very low or medium length heel, or even a hairpin. Chic and “brilliance” were then considered pumps made of patent leather (and therefore shine).

Read material on topics: Hairstyles in the USSR during the style

Plastic, very catchy and bright costume jewelry, simply huge in size - complemented the whole unfinished image of girls in this style of clothing. Big earrings, rings on the floor of the hand, huge bracelets and beads - everything was just an addition to this style! Various ribbons, colored hairpins and colorful rag hoop were also very popular.

Half a century has passed since the moment this wonderful style appeared. Nowadays, this style is becoming more and more popular every day. Well, what kind of girl would refuse a light fluffy skirt? Dresses of this style are great for a party or prom. And on warm summer days - it will decorate any girl in any situation - both on a walk under the moonlight and in a cafe with a cup of coffee.

Read related material: Stilyagi: Changing Soviet Thinking

Stilyagi is not just one of the men. This style - the originality of the appearance, a special mood, life values - is a bright answer to the gray everyday life, enclosed in a dull uniform. Consider the main features of the fashionista style - with a photo of clothes, hairstyles for women, as well as all the "chips" that are inherent in it.

Basic principles for creating an image in the style of dudes

Dresses with fitted silhouette and flared skirt. Such models effectively emphasize the figure, making the waist visually narrower and slimmer. To create additional volume and splendor, girls use one or even several petticoats made of hard tulle.

Sleeves, drapes and wide shoulder straps. In addition to the original skirts in dresses of this style, special attention is paid to the top of the dress - additional decorative elements focus on the deep and open neckline.

Color and pattern. Stilyagi style provides for bright colors, contrasting combinations and rich patterns - prints in the form of large peas, horizontal and vertical stripes, floral motifs and geometric patterns are especially popular.

Skirt length. The classic and most memorable is the variant of the skirt to the middle of the knees. However, in a modern interpretation of this style, shorter mini skirts are also acceptable - they will look spectacular at cocktail parties and proms, however, for a casual look, the traditional length is still recommended.

An abundance of extravagant decor. This style is simply impossible to imagine without a huge number of accessories and bright decorative elements - the most popular are all kinds of ruffles, lace and draperies. Wide bright ribbons are often used as belts, which are tied with a large bow at the waist under the bodice.

The main details that characterize the style of dudes. A photo

Clothing and hairstyles are fundamental elements for women in this genre. However, when creating an image in this genre, it is necessary to think through every little thing up to earrings and bows on shoes. From what to make an image? So, this could be...

Dresses

In addition to the most popular style of dress in this style - with a fluffy skirt, there is a second - a tight-fitting sheath dress. Regardless of the model, dresses should be made of fabric in bright colors, have a rather narrow top and have a deep neckline. In addition, it provides for the presence of small sleeves, a turn-down collar and an abundance of lace or ruffles. The waist in the dress is often additionally accentuated with a contrasting strap.

Skirts

As in dress models, diversity reigns here: along with a narrow pencil skirt, voluminous pleated skirts and sun skirts are presented. Due to the prevalence of petticoats (to create fluffiness of skirts), a special trend has appeared that adds some originality to the image - petticoats must be contrasting and not match tone-on-tone with the main material of the outfit. They often peek out a little from under the skirt and add a little lightness and coquetry to the image.

Blouses & Tops

These wardrobe items for dudes have a fairly simple and uncomplicated cut, they are distinguished by the presence of sleeves (both especially short and 3/4) or their complete absence. Models with a variety of turn-down collars are popular - both with pointed and round edges. In such outfits, the use of shoulder pads is strictly prohibited.

Trousers and pants

Stilyagi are still more supportive of skirts, so pants in female images are much less common. If this still happens, then shortened models (breeches, capris or bermudas) are selected with bright plain colors and a high waistline.

Shoes

Refined models are especially popular in this style - pumps, sandals with medium heels or bright textile ballet flats. It was in the days of dudes that a trend appeared - to wear short light socks (white or bright contrasting shades) under classic shoes. Shoes are often chosen with a pointed toe or open toes.

Accessories

This theme is the widest and most diverse in this style: accessories and decorative elements are used in huge quantities by dudes. Bags for this style are preferable to choose small sizes - clutches with a thin strap and bright envelope bags are especially popular.

A distinctive feature of this style is a special love for gloves - they are also selected to match the outfit or to create a certain contrast with it.

As decorations, bright and massive jewelry made of various materials (even plastic) is used: dudes adore all kinds of beads and bracelets (wearing several pieces at once) - the design of the product must be bright, but completely monophonic.

In one image can be safely combined:

colorful beads;
scarf in a contrasting shade;
several bright bracelets;
rounded earrings;
bright belt.

What materials to choose for clothes in the style of dudes? Photo examples

As for fabrics and textures, artificial materials are most often used in this style, because they can boast the necessary abundance and variety of colors that are so necessary for self-expression and revealing the full depth of the described style. Most often, to create a fashionable image, 2-3 dominant shades are chosen, which combine favorably with each other. The use of more colors in one outfit increases the risk of looking gaudy and gaudy, completely leaving the fashionista style.

For fashionable images, designers choose completely different shades of the spectrum, however, white and black are much less common than others and are not as popular. Pastel and faded colors are completely unacceptable in the style of dudes. Photo of such clothes:

Hairstyles for women

A colorful hairstyle - the famous "babette" - gives a special charm to the image in the style of a dude. It is quite easy to make in 3 steps:

A high tail is made, but part of the hair in front should be left unused;
The tail must be carefully combed and wrapped in a kind of roller;
And last but not least, you need to beautifully style the front hair (combing it over the made roller). The finished hairstyle is fixed with the help of “invisible” hairpins and fixed with hairspray.

Just a high ponytail made at the top of the head is also suitable for the style of dudes. This hairstyle is most often complemented with a ribbon or a colored headband with a decorative bow. More hairstyles:

The 60s are "the time of sex, drugs and rock and roll", "the golden age of new freedoms". Fashion trends of the 60s can be expressed by the phrase "the desire for minimalism."
The pace and dynamism of the 60s was reflected in men's fashion. Elegance, simplicity and rigor are the hallmarks of the men's suit of the 60s. Jackets are single-breasted, adjacent form. Casual wear has become more "sporty". The jacket and trousers can be made from different fabrics that are harmonious in pattern, color and texture. Corduroy and suede, cardigans are becoming popular fabrics.

In 1959, P. Cardin showed his next collection, where men's suits in the "neo-Edwardian" style were presented for the first time: narrow jackets with a round neckline, tight trousers, "Nehru jackets" with a stand. All this was complemented by a shirt with a high collar and an elegant tie. Subsequently, this style was adopted by the followers of the mod subculture.
"Moderation and accuracy", "Less is more" - this is the motto of the subculture of mods (mods), which arose in London in the late 50s. and most developed in the 60s. Fashion were from families of professional, highly paid workers and employees. For example, "jumping Mick" comrades was a big "mod".

Narrow-collared shirts, fitted suits, always white socks and neat hairstyles (usually “French” style). The last money was spent on getting hold of the latest Italian fashion - whether it was clothes or a motor scooter (usually Lambretta or Vespa) - the main means of transportation for mods. Motor scooters were sometimes decorated with lights and mirrors to draw attention.

The fashion of the 60s is the fashion of twenty-year-olds, born in the difficult military and post-war 40s. The generation born in the 1940s was the first Soviet generation to live in conditions of relative freedom and prosperity. Of course, fashionin the USSRwas just a timid echo of world fashion trends and existed despite the shortage of fabrics, clothes and shoes. The fashion of the 60s, especially in the provinces, was some new mass social phenomenon that existed outside the communist ideology.

The most recognizable fashion item of the first half of the 60s was tight trousers. ATUSSRthey were called "pipes". These trousers were not sold in stores. They were sewn to order from tailors and were always asked to make them narrower, which is why there was a joke among the people that such trousers could only be put on after washing their feet. However, tight trousers soon became commonplace, and men aged 30-40 narrowed 32 cm trousers to 20-22 cm. Red socks were then considered the latest "fashion".

OA distinctive feature of the 60s was that bright colors came to youth clothes. Not only women's dresses, but also men's shirts began to be sewn from fabric with a large floral pattern. It was considered fashionable for such shirts to have an apache collar and slits on the sides. They wore such shirts, not tucked into trousers, “for graduation”. For such shirts, tight trousers, one could get the nickname "dude".

Early 60sin the USSR"white raincoats" became popular. In fact, these cloaks were light gray or light beige with a large collar, belt and flaps on the pockets. It was these raincoats that were worn by the heroes of French films of that time - Jean Gabin, Lino Ventura and Jean-Paul Belmondo.

Usually the appearance of a movie hero was completed by a flat white cap. At that time, the clothing industry produced only six-piece caps and only dark colors. To be in the fashion trend, young people sewed similar caps from "private traders", as tailors were then called, who illegally made clothes and hats. But their production was expensive, and not everyone could afford it.Later in the Sovietstores, flat white caps with a narrow black stripe appeared, which resembled the caps of movie heroes and which immediately became a huge success among young people. ATUSSRsuch caps could be found very often. They were worn by schoolchildren, students, young workers and even the elderly. It was believed that a person dressed in a white cloak and a white cap was "dressed in fashion."

Approximately in 1962 - 1963 inUSSRthere was a strange trend. Boys and girls began to sew shirts and blouses from transparent fabric such as organza. This passion of Soviet youth becomes understandable if we remember that the beginning of the 60s was the time of the spread of synthetic materials and, above all, nylon, which had become popular. Due to the lack of translucent nylon, young people began to use affordable organza, which was called "gas". Synthetic materials gradually began to occupy a large place in clothing.

Synthetic fabrics gradually take a strong place in clothing. Fabrics with lavsan appear. From them began to sew women's dresses and men's shirts. They washed well and almost did not require ironing. In the newspapers, clothes made from lavsan were written about as clothes of the future, saving time for women housewives.

Synthetic threads began to be used to make fabrics for outerwear. The first coats, from such a fabric, appeared in USSR, caused confusion. The pile texture of the fabric with lavsan looked more like fur than fabric.

But the real discovery was synthetic socks. They were called "dimensionless" for elasticity. These socks fit four sizes. Synthetic socks were elasticized at the ankles, which made it possible to abandon the uncomfortable men's sock suspenders. For the first time, a pattern appeared on men's socks. He was modest, inconspicuous. However, it was possible to buy socks with a bright pattern from speculators. Such socks were especially popular among young people.

From the mid-60s, the dominance of bologna raincoats on the streets begins. Nylon fabric got its name from the Italian city of Bologna, where it was first created. The name of this fabric gave the name to the raincoat. So they began to call him - Bologna. In fact, Bologna was just a raincoat. But young people began to wear a raincoat in any weather. I was attracted by its compactness. It could be rolled up and put in a briefcase or bag, where it took up little space. If necessary, the cloak could be taken out and put on again. He hardly hesitated. A special youth style of wearing bologna appeared. It was worn without buttons, and with rolled up sleeves. Bologna immediately fell into the deficit category. But they could always be bought from speculators. With a raincoat costing 20-30 rubles, one had to pay 60 and even 80 rubles.

Early 60sin the world wasdominance of shoes with narrow toes.

Since the mid-60s, the nose of men's shoes, boots and boots has become more round.

Men's shoes sold in storesin the USSR, were presented by models far from modern fashion. They were heavy, ugly, and more suitable for hammering nails than for everyday wear. In the 60s on the streetsUSSRthere were many small booths where shoes could be polished and repaired. Mostly Armenians worked in them, who were masters of their craft. Of course, unofficially, one could order the manufacture of fashionable men's shoes from them. The client who ordered them received elegant men's leather shoes with a very sharp narrow toe and a high, slightly sloping heel. Such shoes cost 20-25 rubles, a lot of money at that time. The minimum wage at that time was 40 rubles.

Toward the end of the 60s, flared trousers came into fashion, which was reflected in jeans.

Young people under any regime strive for self-expression, and therefore various directions periodically arise that differ in appearance and worldview from all other social groups. These were the styles. The years of the Stalin era gave rise to a movement of young people who defended their right to freedom through clothing, words and music. They did not call for regime change, they only wanted to have the right to their individuality in a world of dullness and facelessness. Let's talk about what kind of subculture it is and how the image of a dude differs.

The origin of the subculture

Such a phenomenon as a dude is the result of a number of factors. After the October Revolution of 1917, the USSR was in international isolation, and only after the Second World War did contacts with foreign states resume. This leads to the fact that a layer of people who regularly travel abroad and their children appears in the country. It was the children of diplomats and trade workers who became the basis of the emerging social group of golden youth. They wanted to emphasize their peculiarity, and for this they choose a special Western appearance, music, etc.

Also, the growing internal protest of young people against the dullness of life and poverty influences the formation of the culture of dudes. This feeling was whipped up by trophy things, films, musical works. After many years of deprivation, young people wanted a holiday, brightness, unusualness. The dress style of dudes, their musical tastes, dances have become a challenge to the regulation of the sphere of private life.

Name etymology

Initially, representatives of this subculture called themselves staff members, as they took an example in everything from the United States of America. But in 1949, in the popular humorous magazine Krokodil, a feuilleton “Types that are fading into the past” appeared. It described a new social phenomenon - fans of Western culture - as completely alien and harmful to Soviet society, and the word "dudes" first appeared there. The subculture was described as a kind of perverted behavior unworthy of a Soviet person. The vivid imagery and causticity of the text attracted the attention of the general public, and the word went to the people.

Gradually, the original name "stadniks" disappeared from the lexicon of newspapers, people and the representatives of the movement themselves. There is a version that the word "dudes" came from the word "style" as the most important thing that distinguished the young people of this movement from all others. And there is even an assumption that such a name came from jazz slang. One way or another, in the early 50s, the new term was firmly entrenched in this social movement.

Ideology of the movement

A dandy is a person who professes Western principles of freedom of expression. However, attributing a rebellious ideology to this subculture is erroneous. Young people wanted to be allowed to listen to the music they liked and dance as they pleased. This subculture did not have any pro-Western ideology that they tried to attribute to them. But since the United States was officially considered a hostile state, the exaltation of American culture was perceived as. In fact, the image of a dude was just a form of upholding freedom to one's own opinion and taste, and nothing more. The main pastime of the dudes was walking and the main place of their promenade was Tverskaya Street - “Broadway”.

Fashion and fashion suit

The main feature of dudes is their appearance. The typical image of the representatives of this community evolved and changed until the "classic" version was formed. consisted of tight piping trousers, a fitted jacket with wide false shoulders, a bright tie and pointed boots. At the same time, preference was given to bright colors as a way of opposing the gray everyday life around.

A special subject of concern for every dude is a hairstyle. A high bouffant on the head, a cook, was an indispensable element of the image. Also, the costume was often supplemented with sunglasses, absolutely alien to the Soviet person.

Stylish girls had more costume options. Usually it was a dress with a narrow waist, full skirt and neckline. Later, more tight-fitting dresses and skirts appeared, emphasizing the figure. An obligatory element of the image were shoes with a small curved heel and a small handbag.

Colors were also welcomed mostly bright. The girl had to wear stockings - an item of unprecedented luxury. Therefore, those who could not buy them for themselves were content to draw a seam directly on their bare leg with an indelible pencil. The girls practiced rich make-up with arrows on their eyes and bright lipstick. On their heads they erected a hairstyle in the form of a crown or decorated their hair with a ribbon, a bright scarf or a headband. Also, girls always wore rather large jewelry: beads, earrings, clip-on earrings, bracelets.

Such bright young people, of course, stood out strongly against the general background of dullness and poverty and therefore attracted a lot of attention. Fashionable clothes could be brought from abroad, which was available only to a few, bought from blacksmiths or sewn by yourself. In this environment, a whole circle of tailors is formed who sheathe dudes.

Music dudes

This subculture considered American jazz as the main source of inspiration. Songs from the film "Sun Valley Serenade" performed by the orchestra composed by Duke Ellington, Eddie Rosner, Charlie Parker, Benny Goodman were considered cult works. Diplomats and seconded specialists brought recordings of fashionable American music to the USSR, so Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly and other rock and roll musicians appeared in the country.

In those days, a dude was a person who was well versed in Western art, especially American. It was possible to listen to such music only in apartments or in establishments working for foreign citizens (for example, Cocktail Hall in Moscow). The imported recordings were replicated in underground studios, the soundtrack was applied to x-rays, which is why it was nicknamed "music on the bones."

Gradually, in this environment, a circle of its own musicians playing jazz and rock and roll is formed. For example, the famous jazzman and saxophonist Alexei Kozlov grew out of this culture.

Dancing dudes

This culture was also expressed in its own dances, which went against the generally accepted styles, rock and roll, foxtrot, Charleston, boogie-woogie were fashionable. The dudes in their ability to dance expressed their own attitude to the existing regulations and restrictions. You could show your skills on dance floors, in cafes, and even just on the street, where dudes often staged “demonstration performances”. The dance manifested the social challenge that the dudes sent to the Soviet egalitarianism.

Lexicon

To designate their features, dudes have developed their own language, which is based on the adaptation of English lexemes and jazz slang. It was jargon, which performed the function of dividing people into friends and foes. In different cities, the speech of dudes had their own words, most often toponyms, but there was a lexical array that was characteristic of the entire subculture. So, there were words for designating different places: "Broadway" - it was different in every city, "Kok" ("Cocktail Hall"). A lot of lexemes denoted people of different sorts: dude, dude, loaves, redneck, phaser. The usual terms were used to name dances and musical styles: rock and roll, jazz, foxtrot, boogie-woogie. Stilyagi adapted many words from the English language for naming wardrobe items: socks, taek, hatok, shoes, jackets.

public censure

In the USSR, a dandy is an asocial element, its otherness was seen as a threat to the social system and morality. In the late 40s, this subculture began in the country and became an excellent target for speeches by Komsomol-party activists. There were squads that caught dudes, cut off their coca, tore their clothes.

In the press, the dudes of the 50s became a favorite object for ridicule and censure. There were many cartoons and feuilletons ridiculing this movement. For the broad masses, these young people were presented as empty copies of Western models, they were denied patriotism, taste, morality. A huge number of dudes throughout the country were excluded from public organizations, quit their jobs. All this led to the fact that initially apolitical dudes began to hate the Soviet regime and their protest began to acquire political overtones.

Styles of different years

Within this subculture one can see a formal ideological evolution. Stilyagi, whose subculture arose in the late 40s in the USSR, were at first a group of people who were fond of cinema and music in the United States. But in the 50s, the style crystallized and the initial protest movement took shape. By the end of the 50s, many representatives of this subculture already had a negative attitude towards the Soviet regime and secretly dreamed of leaving the USSR.

Later, the dudes of the 60s lose their sharp opposition to public sentiment. The beginning of the thaw led to widespread criticism of the Soviet system of the Stalin period, and therefore the self-expression of the dudes was no longer so bright. The persecution of young people is stopped, and the direction is gradually disappearing, it is being replaced by new ones.

The value of the subculture dudes

This social movement left a big mark on Soviet society. Many dandies who spent years studying American art, costume, language, in subsequent years became part of the country's creative intelligentsia. Sociologists note that this subculture was the first significant social movement, which became the beginning of the formation of numerous youth informal associations: hippies, punks, rockers - they all somehow grew out of the traditions of dudes. In addition, this movement prompted Russian fashion designers to think about creating a youth style, about finding new forms that would help overcome the same grayness of Soviet people.

The Soviet realities of the mid-20th century were such that standing out from the crowd (literally and figuratively) was considered unacceptable. A peculiar phenomenon of that time was dudes- youth subculture of the 50s. Bright clothes, sometimes ridiculous hairstyles and non-standard music have become their "calling card".

The subculture itself originated among the so-called "golden youth". The children of party workers, diplomats and other high officials had the opportunity to use foreign goods, sought to imitate foreign culture. The post-war devastation played an important role in the emergence of this subculture. Most theaters, museums, clubs were destroyed, access to entertainment is limited.

The dandy distinguished the appearance: skinny trousers, wide jackets, boots with thick soles, made by hand. The girls had high hairstyles, bright dresses. In fairness, it is worth noting that dudes dressed then, who was in what much. The main thing is brighter, as opposed to the "gray" mass.

Of course, this open deification of American culture contrasted sharply with the communist regime. Due to the fact that the dudes dressed differently from everyone else and listened to Western music, they were persecuted by society. Propaganda posters directed against dudes were issued, "revealing" articles were written.

By the beginning of the 60s, during the "thaw", style gradually came to an end. Society was no longer provoked by bright outfits and non-standard music. It is worth noting that many of the "former" dudes became famous directors, writers, musicians.

It would seem that styling has long since sunk into the past, and only bright costumes flash at themed parties. However, in the African country of the Republic of the Congo, there are some Congolese dress in the French manner. But this fashion is not modern, but 50 years ago.