Figure 1.--Here is a Soviet image--this one of fashionable boys' clothes taken in a park in Knabarovsk, a city on the Amur River in the Soviet Far East and named after the explorer Yerofei Khabarov. The boy on the left wears a bib overall suit with the trousers turned up at the bottom. His friend straddling a wooden bench at the right wears a colorful sweater over a white shirt, black shorts, tan cotton tights, and brown shoes. The boys would appear to be pre-schoolers--about 5 or 6 years old. This image comes from a collection of contemporary photographs issued by a local publisher in 1983 trying to promote tourism to far-away Knabarovsk. The text is in Russian but the book is accompanied by a promotional pamphlet in English.

Boys wearing tights, especially with short pants, had a slightly longer life in Russia and other Soviet republics than in many other European countries. Russia in the 1960s and 70s was part of the Soviet Union. It was the dominant part of the Soviet Union, but only one of 16 republics--all of which have since split up into independant countries. Boys in several other Soviet republics also wore tights. A Russian reader reports that tights were commonly worn in Belorussia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Ukraine, and other but not all republics. Boys did not commonly wear tights in Tajikistan. (Here there may be a difference between the Russian and Tajik boys.) This may have been a pattern in the Central Asian republics. Climate could have been a factor or perhaps Islamic sensabilities. Before the 1970s, long stockings were also commonly worn by boys in those parts of the Soviet Union. This had become common during the 1880 in Czarist Russia as was already the case in Western Europe.

Russia

Boys wearing tights, especially with short pants, had a slightly longer life in Russia and other Soviet republics than in many other European countries. Russia in the 1960s and 70s was part of the Soviet Union. We note boys wearing tights with short pants into the 1980s. Tights are still worn by Russian boys, but now not so commonly with short pants. Here is a Soviet image--this one of fashionable boys' clothes taken in a park in Knabarovsk, a city on the Amur River in the Soviet Far East and named after the explorer Yerofei Khabarov. The city is one of the industrial centers of the Russian Far East. The boy on the left wears a bib overall suit with the trousers turned up at the bottom. Notice the colorful design on the bib. Underneath he wears a color-cooridnated striped knit shirt with a white collar and plain blue sleeves with cuffs that match the striping across the chest. He wears the Russian equivalent of a tan baseball cap and white sandals. His friend straddling a wooden bench at the right wears a colorful sweater over a white shirt, black shorts, tan cotton tights, and brown shoes. He wears what looks like a white beach hat with the brim turned down. The hats seem to be imitations of American hat styles. The overalls with the turned-up cuffs may represent an additional American influence. The boys would appear to be pre-schoolers--about 5 or 6 years old. This image comes from a collection of contemporary photographs issued by a local publisher in 1983 trying to promote tourism to far-away Knabarovsk. The text is in Russian but the book is accompanied by a promotional pamphlet in English.

Other Republics

Russia was the dominant part of the Soviet Union, but only one of 16 republics--all of which have since split up into independant countries. Boys in several other Soviet republics also wore tights. A Russian reader reports that tights were commonly worn in Belorussia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Ukraine, and other but not all republics. Boys did not commonly wear tights in Tajikistan. (Here there may be a difference between the Russian and Tajik boys.) This may have been a pattern in the Central Asian republics. Climate could have been a factor or perhaps Islamic sensabilities. Before the 1970s, long stockings were also commonly worn by boys in those parts of the Soviet Union. This had become common during the 1880 in Czarist Russia as was already the case in Western Europe.

Belorussia

We have no information on Belorussia, but believe the pattern there was identical to Russia.

Estonia

Latvia

Lithuania

Moldavia

Tajikistan

Boys did not commonly wear tights in Tajikistan. (Here there may be a difference between the Russian and Tajik boys.) This may have been a pattern in the Central Asian republics. Climate could have been a factor or perhaps Islamic sensabilities.

Ukraine

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Created: April 12, 2004
Last updated: April 12, 2004