Recently, school uniforms are beginning to return to the lives of modern schoolchildren. Many parents support this initiative of education officials, believing that the general style of dress will not distract from the most important thing - mastering the material. Indeed, very often, instead of listening carefully to the teacher, classmates examine each other's outfits and discuss them. In addition, the students' parents recall their own youth, when they all wore school uniforms.
Reason for introduction
In the post-war period, uniform style was introduced in all departments. Employees had to strictly adhere to the dress code prescribed by law, as they now say. School life was no exception. In educational institutions, wearing a school uniform became mandatory in 1948, when the first, most strict and ascetic version of it was approved. The upbringing of a true patriot, distinguished by high moral principles, had to begin from childhood. The school uniform of the times of the USSR not only accustomed the child to accuracy, disciplined him, but also indicated the absence of class differences. All children were equal. In any case, during the training sessions it was impossible to demonstrate to classmates some unusual thing that his parents had difficulty getting for their child.
School uniform worn by girls
Introduced in 1948, the USSR school uniform for girls very much resembled the style of clothing that pupils of pre-revolutionary women's gymnasiums had to follow. She was a neat brown dress made of wool and an apron. For everyday wear, a black apron was intended, which on holidays could be replaced with white.
To freshen up the look a little, white cuffs were sewn onto the sleeves, and a white collar was also used. Their presence was obligatory both on a holiday and on a normal weekday.
The dress was quite long, below the knee. Any experiments with the elements of the dress, its length and style were prohibited. The school administration usually severely punished fashionistas who dared to break the generally accepted rules.
School uniform worn by boys
School uniform for boys of the USSR had several mandatory elements:
1. Cap decorated with a cockade.
2. Uniform.
3. Belt with shiny chunky buckle.
4. Pants.
The tunic and trousers were made of gray woolen fabric. Such products were not very comfortable to wear, as they quickly lost their shape. And after not very careful washing or unsuccessful drying, they couldincrease significantly in size.
Boys were also not allowed to experiment with their appearance. The USSR school uniform was mandatory for all students without exception.
General appearance
The appearance of schoolchildren had to meet certain conditions. It was not enough just to wear a school uniform, the student always had to look neat.
Only clean and well-ironed clothes were allowed to appear at school. Cuffs and false collars, which are a mandatory attribute of the uniform for girls, must always be clean. Coming to school with dirty or poorly ironed cuffs could turn into a great shame. Shoes should also be kept clean, despite the time of year and the remoteness of the house from the educational institution.
Hairstyle of schoolchildren
The school uniform of the USSR, the severity and minimalism manifested in it, dictated a certain type of hairstyles for schoolchildren. No liberties could be taken either.
For boys, a short haircut was mandatory. Girls could braid braids using black or brown bows. On a holiday, you could tie a white bow. Other colors were banned, so they were not easy to find in Soviet stores. Braids with bows were a must for girls, no other hairstyle was out of the question.
Shape change
In 1960, the school uniform of the USSR began to change, photos from different periods of the existence of the Soviet Union perfectly demonstrate these transformations. Changes taking place inall areas of people's lives at this time, could not help but touch the clothes of students.
Major transformations appeared in school uniforms for boys. Inexpressive clothes made of gray woolen fabric were replaced by brighter models made of blue wool blend material. She kept her shape better, did not stretch after washing. The cut of the jacket resembled denim, which was very popular at that time in the West. Emblems were sewn on the sleeves, which are pictures with images of an open textbook and the rising sun. The color of these patches was either blue or red.
The school uniform of the USSR, worn by girls, has not undergone any special changes. It was only allowed to shorten the dress a little - its length became just above the knees.
High School Uniform
The real breakthrough of that time was the introduction in early 1980 of a uniform for high school students. Boys began to wear trouser suits instead of separate trousers and jackets. The color of the form also remained blue. Sometimes it was even possible to remove the emblems, as over time the paint on them wore off, and they looked sloppy.
The long-awaited transformation of school uniforms has also affected girls. From the first to the seventh grade, they still wore the usual dresses with aprons. But from the eighth grade it was already possible to wear a three-piece suit made of dense blue material. It included a neat A-line skirt with pleats at the front, a vest, and a jacket. The girl herself could pick up a blouse for the costume, which was a field for a huge number ofexperiments. The skirt could be worn with both a vest and a jacket. In cold weather, the whole suit was worn at once.
Another innovation was the introduction in 1988 of trousers for schoolgirls living in the Far North. They could be worn in the winter season.
Pioneer badges
The school uniform of the USSR was necessarily supplemented with badges worn by students according to their age and belonging to a particular organization.
Children studying in elementary grades were Octoberites and wore an October badge, which was the face of little Volodya Ulyanov inside a red star. Older schoolchildren, middle school students, wore a pioneer badge. It was also made in the shape of a star, but it had an image of V. I. Lenin on it. If a pioneer distinguished himself in social work, showed himself to be an active person, he was awarded a special badge. Instead of the inscription "Always ready", it was inscribed "For active work", and the insignia itself was slightly larger than the standard one. The school uniform worn by the pioneers was complemented by a pioneer tie.
High school students had to wear a Komsomol badge. It was a small symbol that looked like a red flag, decorated with a portrait of V. I. Lenin.
Recently, more and more schoolchildren are striving to find out where to buy a USSR school uniform that would have the exact look of the clothes of that time. High school students want to wear it for the last bell, for example. This tradition has become widespread in many schools. In this case, the option with a white festive apron is usually used. Finding a form is not so difficult. It can be seen both in specialized stores and for sale on various online resources, where a considerable number of models of various sizes are presented.
