Figure 1.--Here we see a model from the Soviet fashion magazine "Children Clothes: Models and Patterns" in 1964. A Russian reader tells us, " The suit is is a variant of "semi-official" Young Pioneer suit, combination of a "smart" suite with white shirt and Pioneer neckerchief. Such suites were common for attending museums, concerts or theatres, non-schoool events (in Pioneer Houses, musical schools etc.) and so on." The numbers represent the item number (180) and the page number (59).

The momentous political changes that Russian has undergone in the 20th century has significantly affected the availability and even existence of advertising. Until World War I and the Russian Revolution there were clothing advertisements in magazines and newspapers. Russia began the 20th century with advertising and store catalogs similar to continental Europe. he few examples we have look like European adverisemnents and store catalogs. These advertisements seem difficult to obtin. We are not sure to what extent Tsarist-era publications surived in Soviet Russia. We are not yet sure about mailorder catalogs or if mail order companies even esisted. We think mail order was more of an American phemonenon. All of this changed with World war I (1914-18) and the Resulting Revolution (1917). Ar first production of military uniforms, shortsges and economic dislocations affected the fashion industry. With the Bloshevik seizure of power, private ownership of factoris and business ceased. we are not entirely sure what happened as a result of Lenin's short-lived New Economic Program. The Bolsheviks dod not blieve in zdvertoiing, it was considered a useless vestiage of capitalism. After the Revolution I do not think that there was real advertising in newspapers and magazines, but have no actual information at this time. Theoretically the fruits of poduction were to go to the workers, not retailers, whoeasalers, bankers, and advertisers. In reality, much of production went to building a massive militarty and zustaining an econmic system that destroyed rather than created wealth. Advertising did not totally disappear, but it served a different purpose than in the West. We do see Russian fashion magazines after World War II. These were not, however, commercial publications in that they did not actually offer clothes for sale. In fact the editors would include interesting notices advising readers not to bother them with requests asking where the fashions shown in the magazine could be obtained. We assume that since the dissolution of the Soviet Union (1992) that adverising now can be found in Russian newspaper and magazines. We do not yet have examples of this advertising. Nor do we know if there were any national mail order catalog conanies founded.

The 1900s

The 1910s

We do not have much information on clothing advertising and clothing during the Tsarist era nor do we know if there were mail order catalogs as in the West. There were department stores in the major cities. We have found some publications from the 1910s, although we do not yet know if it is a store catalog or a mail order catalog. It looks to us much like catlogs we have seen in the rest of Europe during the 1910s. Unfortunately we can not yet read the page, but id foes show that Russian businesses were developing like other European economies before World War I and the Revolution.

The 1920s

Along with the creation of a socialist econonmy and the nationalization of clothing factories, advertising ended. We are not sure just how all this occurred. We suspect that as a result of World War I, the Revolution, and the Civil War that the economy was in a shables. Thus there probably was not much advertising anyway as the Bolshevicks seized power. Thus it was simply a capitalist artifact dropped by the new state corporations. Bolshevik Russia as it emerged from the Civil War was awash with new ideas. Some wanted to do away with Western dress and decried fashion itself as a vestige of petit-bourgeois capitalist culture. The major tread for a time was functionalirty and practicality rather than fashionable styling. One voice idealized the overall as dress for men. The practical overall had the proper-working class look. But apparently the Bolshevick leaders didn't want to wear overalls. And these voices never convinced the wider Soviet public as well. We are not sure if any private firms attempted to advertize during the New Economic Policy (NEP) period. Many of the more radical approaches to fashion declined during the NEP. Stalin ended the NEP and the remaining vestages of private companies, but interestingly he did not attack the idea of fashion itself. We have been unavle tgo find examples of advertizing or fashion publications during the 1920s. We suspect that they are rare or non-existent.

The 1930s

Soviet design houses were established in the 1930s after Stalin was in complete control of the Communist Party and Soviet state. Apparently Stalin had no objected to the favored in the new Soviet state and Communist Party dressing well and enjoying some of the rewards of the good like. Publications that look like catalogs appeared. As best we can tell, however, their primary function was to create clothing fashions (often copied from the West) and illustrate them in a glossy magazine. Mother could then buy the magazine and try to recreate the garments. Rarely were actual patterns available. A good example is "Moda Leta" ("Fashion of the Summer"). Curiously despite the title, the catalog is full of coats and other cold-weather garments. The magazine was published in 1937 by the People Commissariate of Light Industry (NKLP), Department of sewing. Sewing factories apparently submitted models. The magazine included very fashionable garments illustrated. The styles would not have looked out of place in Paris. They were not, however, fashions that many many Soviet citizens would have worn. We do not know of any mail order catalogs where you could actually buy clothing.

The 1940s

We have acquired some pages from Russian fashion magazines. They look to be from the 1940s. Unfortunately many are undated. They are the same type of publication we see in the 1930s and after the War in the late-40s and 50s. Of course Soviet society during the first half of the decade was dominated by Workd War II, especially the NAZI invasion (1941). Even after VE-Day, the Soviet Union would require many years to recover from the enormous damage. We are not yet to follow faschion developments with any precession as we have so few images and most are undated. Soviet fashion magazines look like Western mail-order catalogs only there was no way for Soviet consumers to either order garments or patterns. The Soviet fashion images we have found from the 1940s seem rather austere. We continue to see short pants outfits depicted for younger boys, but not the rather stylish fashions we noted in the late-1930s. . Bib-front styles seem popular. There were knicker outfits for somewhat older boys, The knickers are the knee-length garments associated with these pants rather than ankle-length ski pants we noted in the 1930s. The fashions are depicted with both socks, especially white socks, and long stockings. We note many outfits depicted with knee socks. Long stockings seem essentially seasonal . It is a little difficult to describe trends with any assurance as we have only a few pages and many are not dated.

The 1950s

Fashions began to change in the 1950s. We suspect this was in the mid-50s after Stalins death. Our archieve, however, is too limited to reach any firm conclusions. The rather austere, basically practical functional, classless communist dress during the post-World War II years gradually gave way to greater Western fashion influences. There was a trend toward glamor. One author writes as the 1950s developed, "... the need for an official communist fashion increased at the end of the 1950s, when the regimes rushed to clothe their emerging communist middle classes ...." This included the children of the expanding middle class. As far as we can tell, Soviet fashions were essentially local reproductions of styles developed in the West. Russia slowly recovered in the 1950s from the enormous destruction of WoRld War II. And the Soviets were able to exploit the resources ahnd production of their Eastern European empire. And there was a relative degree of prosperity, allowing the Soviet people to dress better than ever before. The Soviet planned economy, however, could not generate the sane level of wealth as that of the capitalist ecomonies of Western Europe and America. Thus while improving, the availability of fashionable clothes was far more limited than in the West. There were still no Russian clothing catalogs in the Western sence. We continue to see Soviet fashion houses publishing examples of fashionable clothes. We note one page with children's fashions from the Novosibirsk Fashion House in 1954. We note a Soviet display of fashionable knitwear in 1959. We are not sure, however, what it represents. It may be a fashion/design house display rather than a store display of actual items for sale. These clothes could not be purchased by Soviet consumers. Even the patterns were not available. Rather Soviets mothers used the imasges as a general guideline for home sewing.

The 1960s

Fashion magazines provide information on Soviet fashion during the 1960s. This is not the same as mass-market catlogs in the West or even sewing magazines. Tgey did, however, show definite Western fashion influences despite the Iron Curtain designed to keep out Western influences. Soviet fashion magazines were not as glamerous as Western fashion magazines, but they do not seem to be rather idealized outfits. Still they do provide some idea about Soviet fashions, however idealized. Here we see a model from the Soviet fashion magazine Children Clothes: Models and Patterns in 1964. A Russian reader tells us, " The suit is is a variant of "semi-official" Young Pioneer suit, combination of a "smart" suite with white shirt and Pioneer neckerchief. Such suites were common for attending museums, concerts or theatres, non-schoool events (in Pioneer Houses, musical schools etc.) and so on."

The 1970s

We have no information about Soviet catalogs and fashion magazines in the 1970s. We do note some images provided by Russian readers that do seem to seem to come from fashion magazines. Clothes could not be irdered through the magzines. They seem ro be promarily yo publicize fashion houses and to give home sewers idea. We do not know the name of the publications or the articles associsated with the images. A Rissian reader tells us that there was one catalog mail order operation. "In Soviet times there was a state service called 'Tovary Pochtoy' (Goods by Mail). A sample of the page design can be seen iat this . But this service worked really vey poorly> Demand for cosumer goods was very high, but supply was awfully low. So even if you tried to order something via that service, 9 times of 10 you got a poite refusal reading somegusalike "we are sorry, but for now we have no goods you are interested in. Try to address to us over 3 months".

The 1980s

We do not have details about Soviet catalogs and fashion magazines in the 1980s. We know some existed, but are not entirely sure about the purpose. As far as we know, there were no catalogs that you could actually use to order clothes. The catalogs seem more of a fashion magazine to show readwers new styles. They would then have to sew the iterms if they liked them. There may have been partterns which could be purchased. Even at this lake period of the Soviet Union, there seem to have been few concessions to consumers. Here we do not have any actual details and would welcome insights from our Russian readers.

The 1990s

The Soviet Union was dissolved at the end of 1991. A more market-oriented econonomy has since developed in Russia. We begin to see commercial advertising. We also assume that that catalogs have also appeared, but we have little information at this time. A Russia reader tells us that there wre still no real mailo order companies formed and it was stll to early for intetnet companies. Amazon was only founded in 1994 and ar first was limited primarily to books.

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Last updated: 8:27 PM 11/14/2014