The Soviet school uniform, in fact, is an analogue of the gymnasium uniform of Tsarist Russia. She also consisted of a dress and an apron, white in holidays, and black on weekdays. For elementary school the color of the dress was brown, blue for middle school students, and green for high school girls. At the balls, older girls appeared in white dresses.
In 1920, it was customary for all high school girls to wear a brown dress and apron. Only rich people could afford such a uniform, so wearing this uniform was considered a bourgeois relic. There was even a contemptuous nickname "high school student".

A unified Soviet school uniform in our country was introduced in the era of Stalin. School uniform The USSR for boys was gray and consisted of trousers and a shirt, like a soldier's tunic. This was complemented by a wide belt with a massive buckle and a cap with a cockade.

The USSR school uniform for girls still consisted of a brown dress and an apron. The dress was brown, perhaps because this color matches the business environment, helps to concentrate, does not distract attention from study.

In the era of Stalin, strict morals reigned in our country. This also applies to school life. Even small experiments with the style or length of the dress were severely punished by the school administration. In addition, it was obligatory for girls to wear braids with bows. No haircuts were allowed.

In the 1960s, the Soviet school uniform for boys changed.

On September 1, 1962, first grade boys went to school in a gray wool blend suit - trousers and a single-breasted jacket with three black plastic buttons.

And in the seventies there were changes again

Now for students lower grades it began to consist of a jacket and trousers dark of blue color. The trousers became narrower, and the jacket resembled a modern denim jacket in its style. Buttons were metal, white. They were made from aluminium. On the sleeve of the jacket was sewn an emblem of soft plastic with a drawn open textbook and a rising sun.

In the early 1980s, a uniform for high school students was introduced. (This uniform began to be worn from the eighth grade). Girls from first to seventh grade wore a brown dress, as in the previous period. Only it became slightly above the knees.
For boys, trousers and jackets were replaced with pantsuit. The fabric color was still blue. Also blue was the emblem on the sleeve.

Very often the emblem was cut off, as it did not look very aesthetically pleasing, especially after some time - the paint on the plastic began to wear off.

The Soviet school uniform for high school students was quite good quality and was inexpensive. Men willingly bought it as clothes for work. Therefore, the USSR school uniform for high school students fell, in those days, into the category of shortage.

For girls, a blue three-piece suit was introduced in 1984, consisting of an A-line skirt with pleats at the front, a jacket with patch pockets and a vest. The skirt could be worn either with a jacket, or with a vest, or the whole suit at once. In 1988, Leningrad, regions of Siberia and the Far North were allowed to wear blue trousers in winter. Also, girls could wear a pioneer uniform, which consisted of a dark blue skirt, a white blouse with short or long sleeves and a pioneer tie.

A mandatory addition to the school uniform, depending on the age of the student, was the October badge (in the elementary grades), pioneer (in the middle grades) or Komsomol (in the senior grades) badges. Pioneers were also required to wear a pioneer tie.

In addition to the regular pioneer badge, there was a special variant for pioneers active in community service. It was slightly larger than usual and had the inscription "For active work". And the badge of the senior pioneer, which was a regular pioneer badge against the background of a red banner.

See also other posts in the series :

Old foreign cinema. Leaders of the Soviet film distribution. Part 1	Drinks of our childhood	Yards of our childhood	Soviet stationery	How gadgets were bought in the USSR	Video store legends	Bicycles of our childhood

The question of the need for a school uniform is still open. He has many opponents and supporters. Today, a uniform has been introduced in Russia that is very similar to the style in which the USSR school uniform was created, although parents and children have the opportunity to choose styles, colors, and fabric quality.

The main argument of the opponents of the school uniform is the assertion that it deprives a person of individuality, does not allow him to express himself. Supporters of the form argue that it disciplines children, sets them up for study. Both of them are right.

Today it is fashionable to wear Soviet-era school uniforms for the first and last bell. This is a tribute to the past and an immersion in the history of school uniforms. The photos presented on the site will help you remember how the school uniform of the USSR arose, and what it was like a few decades ago.

In pre-revolutionary Russia

The school uniform of the USSR is rooted in the history of uniforms for schoolchildren in Tsarist Russia. The year of reference is usually called 1834. It was at this time that the school uniform for boys was introduced, as shown in the photo. Under Nicholas I, it was very similar to the uniform of the military.

The girls acquired the uniform much later - in 1896. At this time, the students of the Smolny Institute had to wear a uniform that depended on the age of the girls:

• 6-9 years - brown;
• 9-12 - blue;
• 12-15 - gray;
• 15-18 - white.

In 1918, after the revolution, the school uniform was abolished and called "a relic of the past." However, there were other reasons for this:

• the state did not have money to sew the same clothes for all children;
• the form was associated with the upper classes;
• it restricted the freedom of students.

The "shapeless" stage continued until 1949.

For boys

After the Second World War, the school uniform was introduced as compulsory clothing for students. At the time of I. Stalin, the uniform for boys was very similar to the clothes of high school students: a tunic and woolen trousers, as shown in the photo.

In 1962 there was a reform in clothes for boys. Now she was a gray wool suit, but the military style remained in fashion for a long time. In addition to the gray suit, the young men wore caps with cockades and a belt with a badge (see photo).

In 1973, another reform of boys' clothing takes place. The color has changed: now the suits were dark blue. This is clearly visible in the photo. Iron stripes and buttons, cuffs were added to them. Two chest pockets are left over from the old uniform.

In 1980, the previously existing trousers and jacket were replaced with woolen suits. The color has remained the same. Pioneer paraphernalia red ties are added, as in the photo.

The school uniform was completely abolished in 1992, but today this tradition has been resumed, and each school has the opportunity to independently choose the color and style of clothing for students.

For girls

The school uniform of the USSR for girls practically did not change and reminded many of the clothes of the students of the Smolny Institute. The photo is clearly visible Long Dresses and neat aprons with frills that almost covered the skirt of the dress.

At the time of I. Stalin, the uniform for girls was brown dresses with a skirt below the knees and an apron. Subsequently appeared blue dresses. The everyday apron was black, and the front one was white (see photo).

So that the student's outfit did not seem gloomy, white cuffs were sewn onto the sleeves and collar. When they got dirty, new ones were sewn on. The hairstyle was a braid in which bows could be braided.

In different republics there could be differences in the color of dresses. For example, in the Uzbek SSR, girls wore blue dresses and aprons. Otherwise, however, experiments in the style and style of school uniforms could be severely punished.

Only in the 1980s did the length of the skirts of the students become a little shorter. At the same time, blue three-piece suits were introduced and hair rules were slightly relaxed. The photo shows what were the latest changes in the style of school uniforms of the Soviet era.

Despite significant differences in the school uniform of modern educational institutions, the tradition of wearing Soviet-era dress uniforms in honor of significant events in the life of students is being renewed.

School uniforms are starting to come back. 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, parents of students recall their own youth, when they all wore school uniforms.

Reasons for the 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 training sessions it was impossible to demonstrate to classmates some unusual thing, which his parents hardly got to their child.

School uniform worn by girls

Introduced in 1948, the USSR school uniform for girls very much resembled the style of dress 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 could be replaced with white.

To freshen up a bit appearance, white cuffs were sewn on the sleeves, a white collar was also used. Their presence was obligatory both on a holiday and on an ordinary 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.

The school uniform worn by the boys

The school uniform for boys of the USSR had several mandatory elements:

1. A cap decorated with a cockade.

2. Gymnast.

3. Belt with shiny chunky buckle.

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 could significantly increase in size.

Boys were also not allowed to experiment with their appearance. The school uniform of the USSR was mandatory for all students without exception.

General appearance

The appearance of schoolchildren also had to comply with certain conditions. It was not enough just to wear a school uniform, the student always had to look neat.

Appearance at school was allowed only in clean and well-ironed clothes. 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 hairstyle for schoolchildren. There were also no liberties.

Boys were required short haircut. 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 obligatory for girls, there was no question of any other hairstyle.

Shape change

In 1960, the school uniform of the USSR began to change, photo in different periods The existence of the Soviet Union perfectly demonstrates these transformations. The changes taking place in all spheres of people's lives at that time could not but affect the clothes of students.

The main transformations were manifested in the school uniform for boys. Inexpressive gray clothes 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 were pictures with images of an open textbook and the rising sun. The color of these stripes was blue or red.

The school uniform of the USSR, which girls wore, did not undergo any special changes. It was only allowed to shorten the dress a little - its length became just above the knees.

Form for high school students

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 was erased, and they looked sloppy.

The long-awaited transformation of school uniforms 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 choose a blouse for the costume, which was the field for a huge number of experiments. 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 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 lower grades, were Octobrists 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 had the inscription "For active work", and the insignia itself was slightly larger than the standard one. The school uniform worn by the pioneers was supplemented

High school students had to wear 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 the USSR school uniform, which 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 Internet resources, where a considerable number of models of various sizes are presented.

My adolescence was in an era of change. The world was changing, the country was changing, the school was changing. This was expressed, in particular, in the rejection of school uniforms. There were no official orders - just the students gradually stopped wearing it, and the teachers did not mind. I wore the uniform to the last - how could I refuse it when everyone did it!

But here - from year to year, graduates for the holiday " last call» put on the full dress school uniform of the Soviet era. One can only guess where they take it (is the parental form still intact?), but the fact remains - the girls go to the holiday in brown dresses with white aprons ...

Speaking about the Soviet school uniform, it should be clear: for quite a long time - from 1918 to 1949 - it did not exist at all! The reasons for this were different - ideological and economic. From an ideological point of view, the school uniform was a “bourgeois relic”, and, perhaps, it was such in a country where most of the population could not buy it for their children due to poverty. The uniform in Soviet schools was introduced only in 1949. The uniform for boys is a topic for a separate discussion, but for girls they actually restored the uniform that existed before the October Revolution in gymnasiums.

In 1834, in Russia, the form of a civil uniform was legally approved. Gymnasiums were also government agencies, so the uniforms were worn there - both teachers and students. At first, this applied only to male gymnasiums, and only in 1886 was the uniform for girls approved.

It was supposed to appear in uniform not only in the gymnasium, but also in the theater, church, and even at holidays. In such cases, they put on a dress with a white apron, in everyday gymnasium everyday life - with a black one. As for the dress, it was not always brown - in some establishments its color varied from class to class, but brown still prevailed. It was he who was subsequently chosen for the Soviet school uniform.

Why brown?

One of the main reasons is its practicality. Dirt is less visible on such clothes - therefore, it is most suitable for everyday wear (especially when you consider that in Soviet times, not every family was able to buy a “spare” uniform dress for their daughter so that she could wash it more often). Brown is not "inappropriate" for anyone - unlike red or blue.

Perhaps brown was chosen intuitively because of the effect it has on the human psyche. This is one of the most calm colors (how important calming is at school, any teacher knows at least once trying to calm the class). In addition, this color is the least associated with sexual arousal. Perhaps it was right: school is a place of study, not passions.

Interesting data were obtained in the course of later psychological research conducted after the abolition of school uniforms. It turned out that at the age of 7, girls prefer brown, and boys - purple, i.e. just the colors that were inherent in the Soviet school uniform. From this point of view, the school uniform played another role: it provided psychological comfort when adapting to school.

Recently, two Russian ministries - the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Education and Science - proposed to the government the next versions of school uniforms, but they different reasons were once again rejected by Deputy Prime Minister Olga Golodets. Meanwhile, 2.5 years have passed since the President introduced compulsory school uniforms in all secondary educational institutions of the country. As before, in the Soviet Union.

However, the school uniform in the USSR did not always exist. Until 1948, students went to class in ordinary clothes, and the traditional uniform, considered a bourgeois relic, was abolished.

From the history of school uniforms

Compulsory uniforms for gymnasium students were approved as early as 1834 and included in the general system of civil uniforms of the Russian Empire. Two years later, the Regulations on gymnasium uniforms for girls were developed and approved.

A tunic girded with a wide leather belt, a peaked cap, shiny metal buttons, emblems and piping - in style and color, the uniform of the gymnasiums of tsarist Russia resembled a military uniform. The obligatory outer uniform - the overcoat - added similarities with it. The uniform of the schoolgirls was not much different from the outfits pupils of boarding houses of noble maidens, at the same time reminiscent of the working clothes of maids. In this form, the school uniform for boys and girls existed in Russia until the revolution of 1917 and was preserved in the first year of Soviet power. The only change has been outerwear: the uniform overcoat for boys became optional.

The uniform dresses of the gymnasium girls were of the simplest cut, they were supposed to have white (on holidays) and black (on weekdays) aprons, as well as a white lace cape, which in the USSR was transformed into a removable collar. Senior schoolgirls also wore white gloves. An interesting point: the age of the girl could be determined by the color of the uniform. So, the smallest students of the "preparatory" classes, who were from 5 to 7 years old, wore brown dresses (this color of school dresses later became the main one in the USSR). Gymnasium girls from 8 to 10 years old were supposed to wear blue or light blue dresses. Middle school girls aged 11 to 13 wore gray uniforms; senior gymnasium girls - white.

How did the school uniform appear in the USSR

In the postwar years in the Soviet Union, there was a boom in "universal uniforms", when entire departments were dressed in uniform. It was then that schoolchildren were also remembered - this is how the Soviet school uniform arose in 1948, which, in terms of cut, color and accessories, was actually copied from the uniforms of the tsarist gymnasiums and gymnasium girls.

School uniform for boys

Created in the image and likeness of the uniforms of pre-revolutionary gymnasium students and approved in 1948, the school uniform for boys existed unchanged until the end of May 1962 - that is, until the end of the school year. On September 1 of the same year, the boys went to school in an updated uniform, which lacked a tunic with a waist belt and a cap with a cockade.

The new uniform completely lacked elements of "military": instead of semi-military clothes, the boys received a half-woolen gray civilian suit: a single-breasted jacket with three plastic buttons and classic pants. Under the jacket, a white or plain light shirt was recommended.

In 1975, the boys' school uniform underwent significant changes again. The gray fabric was replaced with dark blue, the jacket was replaced with a classic denim jacket in order to please the “denim fashion” that was flourishing at that time. The cut of school trousers has not changed, but the jacket was decorated with epaulettes and chest pockets with flaps resembling a brace. Plastic buttons were replaced by aluminum ones, and a patch appeared on the sleeve like a military chevron with the emblem of enlightenment: open book against the backdrop of the rising sun.

The upperclassmen now wore a classic navy blue pantsuit with a blue emblem on the sleeve. In such elegant suits, the guys looked pretty cute, causing keen interest not only among classmates, but also among girls from middle and even lower grades. Is it true, stylish look somewhat spoiled by a not too aesthetic emblem, which, moreover, was quickly erased and took on a sloppy look. Therefore, the boys of the senior classes simply cut it off.

While there was a significant transformation of the boyish school costume, the girlish uniform remained the same: a knee-length brown dress with a white detachable collar, white festive and black casual aprons survived until the early 70s. The only slight change was in the length of school dresses: they became shorter.

Author's digression

According to the rules, the uniform dress was slightly above the knees. But which of the girls followed these rules? In my memory - no one, including me. And at one time, my mother and I had a silent duel: she unfolded the hem of her school dress, and I stubbornly folded it again. Then my mother, without saying a word, seizing the moment while I did not see, again did the same procedure: unfolded the hem and carefully steamed it with an iron through wet gauze. This went on for some time, until I got tired of this silent argument - and then I took drastic measures: I simply cut off the hated piece of fabric. Mom had to calm down. And it turned out just like in the photo.

The last change in the girl's school uniform of the times of the USSR underwent in 1984, when for high school students instead of traditional brown dresses A blue three-piece suit was introduced: a pleated skirt, vest and jacket with patch pockets. Individual elements of the costume were allowed to vary: the skirt was worn either with a vest or with a jacket, and in some regions of Siberia, the Far North and the Leningrad Region, it was allowed to replace the skirt with trousers in winter.

In addition to the everyday, in Soviet schools there was also a ceremonial pioneer uniform. The girls had a white uniform shirt with long sleeve, aluminum buttons and a pioneer emblem on the sleeve and a gray-blue slightly flared skirt. The boys did not have a separate pioneer uniform, and for solemn occasions it was provided White shirt and uniform pants. And, of course, the dress uniform of both was crowned with a pioneer badge and a pioneer tie. This uniform was worn during solemn pioneer events: festive lines, detachment and squad gatherings dedicated to some important event, etc.

*****

In 1994, three years after the collapse of the USSR, the compulsory form in Russian schools was abolished. For 19 whole years, starting from the spring of 1994, the school uniform was an optional attribute of schoolchildren throughout post-Soviet Russia, its presence or absence was regulated by the internal rules of each individual school or by order of the school principal. A few years ago, the president, by his decree, returned the compulsory form to Russian schoolchildren. But this decision, like many others, remained only on paper. How and by whom it will be executed, and whether it will be executed at all - we'll see.