Figure 1.--Here we see children in the oviet Union, probably Russia, wearing whay look mlike costumes. They are claely not their normal dress. Thos was not how city children or rural children dressed. We are not sure just when the phtogra[h was taken, but it would have been after collectiviaztion (1931-32). We suspect this was a folk dance group.

The most important Russian folk garment is the collarless skewed-neck tunic commonly referred to as a blouse. It was essentially a Russian peasant outfit. It buttoned around the neck and loose baggy trousers. Dressy outfits might have elaborate embroidery. Interestingly we have noted children being photographed in folk costumes before the Revolution. The costumes chosen seem to be more Cossack outfits than peasant outfits. The proper name for the Russian tunic/blouse was the kosovorotka blouse. This was a skewed-collared shirt. The Russian term is derived from 'koso' (skewed) and 'vorot' (collar). It is also called a Russian peasant shirt or Tolstoy shirt. Since the filming of Dr. Zhivago we also see it called a Zhivago shirt in the West. (The Soviets did not permit the publication pf the Boris pasternak novel aor showing of the film.) The Russian blouse commonly had decorative embroidery, especially around the vskewed neck opening. This tunic/blouse was also common in Bylorusia and Ukraine. We are less so about other republics, but styles in Russia influenced styules in other areas of the Tsarist and Soviet empires.

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Created: 7:35 AM 3/26/2019
Last updated: 7:35 AM 3/26/2019