THE BRITISH FRENCH AS A MIRROR OF THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION, OR HOW SOVIET LEADERS FROM LENIN TO GORBACHEV DRESSED
DOI: 10.23951/2312-7899-2020-4-112-136
The article shows the evolution of the costume of the leaders of Russia and the Soviet state, from the February Revolution to Perestroika, and the connection between the image of the head of state and the era that it embodies. The image of the leader of the state of the victorious revolution was the image of the “silovik” (power man), dressed in the military style and leading an ascetic lifestyle. Typical objects of the image of a power leader are a french, high boots (leggings), a military-style cap, a khaki or gray raglan cloak, a leather jacket, a smoking pipe, and a chevron mustache. After the victory in the Great Patriotic War, the government abandoned the ascetic image in favor of a pathetic, ceremonial one. In the army, officer ranks, shoulder straps, and stripes were restored, and generals, marshals, and even the Generalissimo reappeared. A special architectural style, informally called the Soviet (Stalinist) Empire, was developed for the construction of important state institutions. Imperial pomp and heaviness, until the Twentieth Congress of the CPSU, became a characteristic feature of the post-war era. In the era of the Thaw, the de-Stalinization and desacralization of power began. The leader of the country, Nikita Khrushchev, abandoned the military style and began to dress exclusively in civilian clothes, reminiscent of everyday home clothes or rural clothes in the Slavic ethnic style. A characteristic part of his outfit was the soulful Ukrainian embroidered shirt, implicitly indicating his Slavic orientation and adherence to a democratic style of government. The desacralization of power, the democratization of society, the weakening of censorship, the broader-than-ever possibility of self-expression undermined the foundations of the power of the bureaucratic apparatus. This inevitably had to lead to a confrontation between officials and Khrushchev, which resulted in the overthrow of the latter. The subsequent era of stagnation is characterized by internal stability, unprecedented corruption, low productivity, general deficit, and dependence on resource exports. Stagnation affected the economy, science, culture, and sociopolitical life of the country. A characteristic feature of this era was the privileges for the party nomenclature and state officials, which distinguished them from the general population. At this time, the official-bureaucratic dress code, with a predominance of black and dark colors, finally prevailed. This style remains unchanged today.
Keywords: image of country’s leader, power dressing, French jacket and high boots (leggings), embroidery, ethnic style of people’s ruler, black and white dress code of bureaucrat
References:
Voslenskiy, M. S. (1991). Nomenklatura. Gospodstvuyushchiy klass Sovetskogo Soyuza [Nomenclature. The Dominant Class of the Soviet Union]. Sovetskaya Rossiya; MP “Oktyabr’ ”.
Galkovskiy, D. E. (1997). Beskonechnyy tupik [Endless Dead End]. Samizdat.
Ivanov, S. P. (1990). Shtab armeyskiy, shtab frontovoy [Army Headquarters, Front Headquarters]. Voenizdat.
Il’f, I., & Petrov, E. (1991). Dvenadtsat’ stul’ev; Zolotoy telenok [The Twelve Chairs; The Little Golden Calf]. Saratov State University.
Kedrov, M. S. (1953). Iz krasnoy tetradi ob Il’iche [From the Red Notebook About Ilyich]. Gospolitizdat.
Maysuryan, A. (2006). Drugoy Lenin [A Different Lenin]. Vagrius.
Maysuryan, A. (2018) Pis’ma ob evolyutsii (29). Suvorov protiv Pugacheva [Letters about evolution (29). Suvorov vs. Pugachev]. [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://maysuryan.livejournal.com/743325.html
Mal’kov, P. D. (1967). Zapiski komendanta Kremlya [Notes of the Kremlin Commandant]. Molodaya gvardiya.
Mirovich, M. (2019). Odno foto, rasskazyvayushchee vse pro SSSR [One Photo that Tells Everything About the USSR]. [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://maxim-nm.livejournal.com/493610.html
Romm, M. I. (2003). Kak v kino. Ustnye rasskazy [Like in Films. Oral Stories]. DEKOM.
Solonevich, I. L. (1998). Narodnaya monarkhiya [People’s Monarchy]. Luchi Sofii.
Khoroshilova, O. (2017). Ozhila Krasnaya stsena. Kak khudozhnik Yuriy Annenkov stal “model’erom” revolyutsii [The Red Stage has come to life. As an artist, Yuri Annenkov became the “fashion designer” of the revolution]. Tetralium. https://teatralium.com/articles/ozhila_krasnaya_stsena/
Chukovskiy, K. I. (1990). Skazki ot dvukh do pyati. Zhivoy kak zhizn’. Sochineniya v dvukh tomakh [Tales From Two to Five. as Alive as Life. Works in Two Volumes] (Vol. 1). Pravda.
( 1.7 MB ) 
( 1.68 MB )
Issue: 4, 2020
Series of issue: Issue 4
Rubric: ARTICLES
Pages: 112 — 136
Downloads: 778