Fashion has always been heavily influenced by current events, especially through drastic changes such as war and revolution.
Real examples of such impacts can be seen in the Museum of Moscow, where there is currently an exhibition on the history of women’s fashions in Russia.
The Russian Revolution of 1917 was a huge turning point.
Up to the revolution, the women donned luxurious dresses.
They were made of the finest lace, embroidered with pearls and paillettes.
Fashion designers were inspired by the costumes of ancient Russian princesses.
“This is exactly how the ladies dressed in that period. These are very beautiful, luxurious dresses. A lot of manual work, many brands of famous fashion houses could be seen in shops and on the streets of the city,” said Alina Saprykina, director of the Moscow Museum.
After the revolution of 1917, there was a sudden and drastic change. The Bolsheviks declared fashion a bourgeois remnant.
Thus, the gray linen dress became the typical outfit of that era. Folk costumes were popular, too, but it was in the peasant style, so as to differentiate from the bourgeois.
In addition, a revolutionary red kerchief was a required head covering.
The final part of the exhibition featured fashion in the 1920s.
Some private production had been revived at that point.
Ladies yearned for elegant silhouettes and expensive fabrics.
Because supply was low, theses materials were searched for and found in grandmothers’ trunks.
Spectacular outfits made from pre-revolutionary fabrics were every woman’s dream in 1920s Russia.
“For example, this dress. It was pre-revolutionary long with a train. The lady decided to change it according to the new fashion. Apparently this desire inspired the dress to be beautiful, as it could possibly be seen in pictures in old magazines,” said Saprykina.
Following the World War II, fashion returned to simplicity and standardization.
