History of the Soviet school uniform. School uniform - about what I'm interested in

How Soviet schoolchildren were dressed to the taste of Nicholas II and why the Bolsheviks canceled equalization

Now in Russia there are no uniform rules regarding school uniform. Specific styles and the very fact of wearing a uniform regulate individual schools based on their ideas of discipline and beauty. But it was not always so. For the first time, the compulsory school uniform in the Russian Empire was introduced by Nicholas I, and since then it has changed several times depending on the preferences of a particular ruler.

Any clothing - from restrictive pencil skirts and formal suits to Hawaiian shirts and evening dresses - affects a person's behavior. For the first time members of monastic orders used the uniform form of clothing to indicate belonging to a certain group. With the advent of standing armies in the 17th century, the military began to wear uniforms. The first experience of introducing a school uniform was undertaken in the 16th century in the English charity school for children from poor families "Christ's Shelter", but this practice became widespread only after 200 years.

First English school uniform, 16th century

The school uniform was supposed to provide additional disciplinary action on students, accustoming children to the fact that they are in a special social space, where their own rules and procedures apply. In countries with different political systems, uniforms can have directly opposite functions: either to emphasize the elitism of students, or, conversely, to equalize children from families with different incomes. For two centuries of the existence of a school uniform in Russia, the same clothes performed all the functions.

The prerequisites for the introduction of school uniforms in the Russian Empire arose at the beginning of the 19th century. Established by Alexander I, the Ministry of Public Education (MNP) in 1804 adopted the "Charter of educational institutions subordinate to universities", which divided the country into six educational districts with the university at the head. Gymnasium dresses were not officially regulated, however, pupils of prestigious gymnasiums and boarding schools borrowed uniforms from students in their educational districts.

High school students in pre-revolutionary Russia, late 19th century

A mandatory uniform for all gymnasium students was introduced by Emperor Nicholas I. According to the “Regulations on Civil Uniforms” dated February 27 (March 11), 1834, all students of educational institutions subordinate to the MNP had to “have a uniform of dark green cloth with a dark blue cloth collar with gold or silver galloon buttonholes by districts. Cut both the uniforms and the frock coats required for students and pupils to have the current one and wear dark green cloth caps with a band in the color of the collar. The boarders of the three St. Petersburg gymnasiums were supposed to wear blue single-breasted jackets with a red stand-up collar and gilded buttons instead of frock coats. Ceremonial uniforms, the details of which had the same color scheme, were decorated with gold galloon buttonholes. Each of these educational institutions had its own color of piping on the cap: the First St. Petersburg Gymnasium had red, the Second had white, and the Third had blue.

Pre-revolutionary gymnasium uniform

The emperor's son Alexander II, having barely ascended the throne, rushed to change the clothes of the military and officials. The standards of school uniforms have also changed, repeating the military style in everything. Since 1855, gymnasium frock coats and jackets have acquired beveled stand-up collars, which were a hallmark of the imperial guard. For ceremonial receptions, students wore single-breasted dark green semi-caftans, similar to those worn by officials.

For a long time, the reformer could not decide what clothes high school students should wear. The color of uniforms, fittings, details and piping changed several times. In 1868, a dark blue single-breasted uniform with nine silvered buttons and a slant collar with a narrow silver galloon became the standard. Together with the uniform, they wore wide dark blue trousers and a cap of the same color with a leather visor and white piping. Belonging to an educational institution was now indicated by a code consisting of letters and numbers above the visor: “S. P. B. 1G.” - St. Petersburg First Gymnasium, "R. G." - Richelieu gymnasium and so on. Because of the color of the school uniform, the schoolchildren were teased by their peers with "blue beef".

Under Nicholas II, the uniform became somewhat more comfortable, the wardrobe of schoolchildren was replenished with tunics and tunics. In winter, the high school students wore light gray double-breasted coats with blue flaps and a white piping at the collar, and if it got too cold, they wore black earmuffs. In the north-west of the Russian Empire, the color of student tunics was dark blue, in the south - gray. In the summer they dressed in Kolomyanka blouses like those worn by the cadets. Shirts and blouses were girdled with a black lacquered belt with a buckle engraved with the cipher of the gymnasium. Black cloth trousers remained an invariable attribute of the costume at any time of the year.

Pupils of prestigious schools - gymnasiums, real and commercial schools - under Nicholas II continued to wear a ceremonial blue uniform. Students of industrial, urban and religious schools, as well as agricultural and craft schools, dressed up in jackets and jackets for the holidays.

The school uniform for girls was enshrined at the state level 60 years later than the boys. Catherine II founded the first educational institution for women in the Russian Empire - the Smolny Institute for Noble Maidens - in 1764. The girls placed in the institute for many years turned out to be isolated from the negative, according to the empress, influence of the ignorant environment. One of the tools for “ennobling” the girls was uniforms, the color of which became the lighter the closer the institute girl was to the end of her studies: in the elementary grades, the dresses were brown, then blue, then gray, and the graduates went in white.

Graduates of the Smolny Institute

Over the next century, many educational institutions for women arose in the Russian Empire, including colleges, schools, and gymnasiums. Following the example of Smolny, they introduced a school uniform, but it appearance depended only on the wishes of the management of institutions. The gymnasium uniform for girls was approved in 1896. Unlike the pupils of Smolny, the schoolgirls wore not colored silk, but brown woolen dresses, over which an apron was tied: black - on weekdays, and white - on holidays. Different gymnasia shades of brown varied, some students came to class in checkered dresses.

After the revolution of 1917, the All-Russian Central Executive Committee adopted a decree "On a unified labor school", which abolished the division of schools into different kind schools and high schools. The old uniform was abolished as a symbol of belonging to the upper class and a relic of the bourgeois past. In addition, the state did not have the means to provide uniforms for all the children of the RSFSR. Schoolchildren went to school in what their parents could afford, some wore the clothes of older brothers and sisters.

Women's school uniform, 1917

Since 1949, the transition to a universal seven-year education began in the USSR, along with which the compulsory school uniform returned. For boys, these were gray-blue tunics with plain trousers and caps with yellow piping and a leather strap. The tunics were girded with a black patent leather belt with a buckle. The girls returned to the same brown dresses, only their length became noticeably shorter. The new rules also affected hair styling: they had to be braided and tied with bows to match the color of the apron, on weekdays - black, on holidays - white. In general, the "totalitarian" Soviet school uniform practically did not differ from the "elitist" pre-revolutionary one.

School uniform of a first grader, 1955

The demilitarization that began during the Khrushchev thaw was also reflected in the clothes of schoolchildren. In 1962, the tunic was replaced by a gray wool blend suit - trousers and a single-breasted jacket with plastic buttons, under which it was required to wear white shirt. After 11 years, the suits became dark blue - the boys wore trousers with jackets that were similar in cut to the jeans that were gaining popularity.

First-graders of one of the schools in the Kievsky district of the capital, 1962

In the early 1980s, uniforms for high school students appeared. From the eighth grade, boys could wear a blue two-piece suit, girls a three-piece suit, consisting of a skirt, vest and jacket. From the first to the seventh grade, schoolgirls continued to wear brown dresses with an apron - in 90 years, almost nothing has changed in them.

Uniform of high school students, 1979

With collapse Soviet Union school uniform was abolished. The Law “On Education” of 1992 did not regulate the procedure for introducing a school uniform in any way, leaving this issue to the discretion of the educational institutions themselves. If the school wanted to establish requirements for the clothes of students, this norm should have been fixed in the charter or the corresponding local act.

In the fall of 2012, the director of a school in the Stavropol Territory refused to allow several Muslim students in hijabs to attend classes. According to the charter, it was possible to attend classes only in secular clothes. A few months later, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the Federal Law "On Education in Russian Federation". From September 1, 2013, the administrations of educational institutions may establish requirements for schoolchildren's clothing "in accordance with the standard requirements approved by the authorized state authorities of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation."

Great Britain is considered to be the place where the school uniform first appeared. It happened during the reign of King Henry VIII (1509 - 1547). It was blue, because it was believed that wearing such a color should teach children to be humble, and the fabric of this color was the cheapest. In this country, the student uniform includes not only outerwear, shoes, but even socks. Each school has its own school uniform, which is stored there and given out to all students free of charge. A cap or hat with the school logo and a branded tie must be attached to the uniform.

The tradition of dressing students in uniform also came to us from Great Britain. The exact date is 1834. It was then that a law was passed that approved a system of civil uniforms common to all students in the Russian Empire, which were divided into student and gymnasium uniforms. They were intended mainly for boys, since there was no female education in those days. Such uniforms were to be worn by students not only during their studies, but also after school.

The Russian Empire adopted the tradition of British humility of schoolchildren in 1834, including gymnasiums and students in a single system of civil uniforms. Moreover, the uniform was prescribed to be worn not only within the walls of educational institutions, but also outside them.

In 1896, the Smolny Institute became the first sign of women's education in Russia - and school uniforms for girls. Then, already in 1896, with the opening of the first educational institution for girls - the Smolny Institute - for the first time a school uniform for girls appeared. Pupils of the first women's educational institution in Russia had to wear dresses of a certain color, depending on their age. Thus, pupils from 6 to 9 years old wore brown (coffee) dresses, from 9 to 12 years old - blue, from 12 to 15 years old - gray, and from 15 to 18 years old - white. All of them were decorated with white collars and cuffs. Also an integral part of them was a black (on holidays - white) apron. In those days, a school uniform served as a sign of the high status of its owner, because only the children of wealthy parents could afford to get an education.

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Dresses of coffee color (6-9 years old), blue (9-12 years old), gray (12-15 years old), white (15-18 years old). The black apron on holidays was replaced by white.

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In 1918, the gymnasium uniform of pre-revolutionary Russia was recognized as a bourgeois relic and canceled along with many other reasonable developments in the field of education. From the point of view of the “class struggle”, the old uniform was considered a symbol of belonging to the upper classes (there was even a contemptuous nickname for a sentimental girl - “gymnasium student”). On the other hand, the form symbolized the absolute lack of freedom of the student, his humiliated and bonded position. But this rejection of the form had another, more understandable, background - poverty. Pupils went to school in what their parents could provide them, and the state at that moment actively fought against devastation, class enemies and remnants of the past.

Again, the school uniform appears in 1948, and in all respects it resembled that bourgeois one. The boys were dressed in semi-militarist uniforms, almost uniforms, which included a belt with a buckle and a cap with a visor. The form was supplemented with attributes of belonging to a children's (October, Pioneers) or youth (Komsomol) communist organization.

In the 1960s, they decided not to train future soldiers directly from the school desk and replaced the tunics with a gray mouse-colored woolen suit.

Exactly according to the army proverb: "Ugly, but uniform." "Gray" boys in suits that quickly wrinkled and worn out ...

In the mid-1970s, the boy's uniform changed again. The woolen fabric was replaced with a semi-woolen one, the gray “case” was replaced with blue trousers and jackets of fashionable denim cut. The "emblem of a Soviet schoolboy" appeared on the left sleeve - a rising sun and an open book (sometimes supplemented with a stylized image of an atom). Very often they tried to get rid of it: after about six months, the paint on the emblem peeled off, and it looked sloppy.

The last time the Soviet school uniform was changed in 1980. The high school students switched to blue trouser suits. Schoolgirls up to the seventh grade wore a regular brown dress just above the knees. And high school girls sported vests on blouses and pleated skirts. The Russian law "On Education" of 1992 transferred the issues of school uniforms to the jurisdiction of the educational institutions themselves.

How many disputes and different opinions now we have. Some believe that a school uniform is necessary. Others are of the opinion that it harms the harmonious development of the individual. There are people who believe that the school uniform is an invention of the Soviet leadership.

School uniforms in Russia have a rich history. Until 1917, only the children of wealthy parents, who could afford their children to attend gymnasiums, wore uniforms. It was an exclusively class sign. The boys had a military style uniform, and the girls wore dark strict dresses. Gymnasium students were supposed to wear uniforms not only within the walls of the educational institution, but also on the street, at home, during various celebrations.

The exact date of the introduction of school uniforms in Russia is 1834. It was in this year that a law was adopted that approved a separate type of civilian uniforms. These included gymnasium and student uniforms.

The introduction of uniforms for students of educational institutions of Tsarist Russia is primarily due to the fact that these institutions were state-owned. In those days, all civil servants had to wear uniforms corresponding to their rank and rank, according to the Table of Ranks. So, all teachers in state educational institutions (gymnasiums) wore uniform frock coats. Proceeding from this, the introduction of uniforms for students was also natural.

The caps were usually light blue with three white edgings, and with a black visor, and a crumpled cap with a broken visor was considered a special chic among the boys. In summer, a kolomyanka cover was put on the top of the cap. In winter, in the cold, they put on headphones made of black felt on a brown bike inside. In addition, in cold weather they wore a natural camel hair hood, trimmed with gray braid.

Usually, students wore a blue cloth tunic with silver bulging buttons, belted with a black lacquered belt with a silver buckle and black trousers without piping. There was also an exit uniform: a dark blue or dark gray single-breasted uniform with a collar trimmed with silver galloon. A schoolbag was an invariable attribute of high school students.

Senior students usually went not in tunics, but in jackets with a standing collar, like a sea tunic. In some gymnasiums, tunics and jackets were adopted not blue, but gray, while trousers were always black.

Gymnasium students also had an exit uniform - a uniform, dark blue or dark gray, single-breasted, with a collar trimmed with silver galloon. This uniform was worn both with a belt and without a belt (outside of school). A starched collar was worn to the uniform. The overcoat was of the officer type, light gray, double-breasted, with silver buttons, blue buttonholes, in the color of the cap, with white piping and buttons. The overcoats were cold and wadded, with a quilted gray lining. Instead of a scarf, they wore a black cloth bib, like sailors. Pupils of elementary grades were allowed a black astrakhan collar in winter.

According to unwritten rules, a high school student on the street was supposed to hide the number of the gymnasium where he studied, so that a high school student who committed a misdemeanor could remain unidentified. The number had to be broken off the cap, and the schoolboy who did not do this was severely persecuted by his comrades. For the same purpose, it turned over, the belt badge was hidden.

Until 1917, the style of the uniform changed several times (1855, 1868, 1896 and 1913) - according to fashion trends. But all this time, the uniform of the boys fluctuated on the verge of a civilian-military suit.

The regulation on the gymnasium uniform for girls was approved in 1896. To attend the gymnasium, they had three types of clothing provided by the charter. First, the "compulsory uniform for daily attendance", which consisted of a brown woolen dress and a black woolen apron. The charter required "to keep the dress clean, tidy, not wear it at home, smooth it daily and monitor the cleanliness of the white collar." The dress uniform consisted of the same dress, a white apron and an elegant lace collar.

In dress uniform, gymnasium students attended the theater, the Yeleninskaya Church on holidays, they went to Christmas and New Year's evenings in it. Also, "no one was forbidden to have a separate dress of any model and cut, if the parents' means allowed such a luxury."

Pupils of the Smolny Institute had to wear dresses, colors that corresponded to a certain age. Girls from 6 to 9 wore brown dresses, from 9 to 12 blue, from 12 to 15 gray and from 15 to 18 - white.
The dresses were closed ("deaf"), one-color, of the simplest cut.

After the October Revolution, the uniform was abolished, as well as the gymnasium. In the newly organized educational institutions, the children of peasants, workers, employees studied, and since in the country where the Civil War, there was famine and devastation, the main thing was to feed the children and teach them to read and write. Therefore, no attention was paid to the school uniform and the children walked in everyday clothes.

From the memoir of a 1909 graduate of gymnasium No. 36, Valentina Savitskaya: “The old uniform was considered a symbol of belonging to the upper classes (there was even a contemptuous nickname for a sentimental girl - “gymnasium student”). There was another, more understandable reason for this rejection of the uniform - poverty. Pupils went to school in what their parents could provide them.

However, over time, when the era of experiments gave way to other realities, it was decided to return to the former image - to brown strict dresses, aprons, student jackets and turn-down collars. This happened in 1948, during the period of general “uniforms”, when department after department dressed in uniform. The school uniform of the 1948 model actually copied the style of the uniform of classical gymnasiums - both in color, and in cut, and in accessories.

The boys were dressed in gray military tunics with a stand-up collar, five buttons, two welt pockets with flaps on the chest. An element of the school uniform was also a belt with a buckle and a cap with a leather visor, which the guys wore on the street. At the same time, symbolism became an attribute of young students: the pioneers had a red tie, the Komsomol members and the Octobrists had a badge on their chests.

Even the hairstyle had to meet the requirements of puritan morality - "model haircuts" were strictly prohibited until the end of the 1950s, not to mention hair coloring. Girls always wore braids with bows. The school uniform of the era of I.V. Stalin can be seen in the films “First Grader”, “Alyosha Ptitsyn develops character”, and “Vasek Trubachev and his comrades”.

This form survived until the end of the 1962 school year. On September 1, 1962, first grade boys went to school in a new uniform - without caps with a cockade, without waist belts with a massive buckle, without tunics. The uniform for girls has not changed much.

In 1973, a new school uniform reform took place. There was a new uniform for boys: it was a blue wool blend suit, decorated with an emblem and five aluminum buttons, cuffs and the same two pockets with flaps on the chest.

For girls, nothing has changed again, and then mother needlewomen sewed black aprons from fine wool for their beauties, and white aprons from silk and cambric, decorating with lace.

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.

In the 1980s, when school uniform control became less strict, some schoolchildren replaced the standard emblems with army sleeve patches.

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 (without a sleeve emblem) 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.

The school uniform did not appear yesterday. After a period of chaos in school clothes, everything is back to normal: simplicity, practicality, expediency. These are the dominants and factors that school uniforms are subject to today. We used to wear our school uniform with pride and it was not a problem for us that everyone had the same uniform. We valued knowledge, not appearances. Who knows, maybe it was right...

Today, looking at first-graders hurrying with their bouquets to school, to their first lesson in their life, I noticed what an amazing form they are now.

And I immediately remembered my first class, my bows and a white apron ...

No, my form was better, dearer, closer ..

How school uniforms have changed

The exact date of the introduction of school uniforms in Russia is 1834.

It was in this year that a law was adopted that approved a separate type of civilian uniforms.

These included gymnasium and student uniforms.

The introduction of uniforms for students of educational institutions of Tsarist Russia is primarily due to the fact that these institutions were state-owned. In those days, all civil servants had to wear uniforms corresponding to their rank and rank, according to the Table of Ranks. So, all teachers in state educational institutions (gymnasiums) wore uniform frock coats. Proceeding from this, the introduction of uniforms for students was also natural.

A high school student's costume distinguished a teenager from those children who did not study, or could not afford to study. The uniform of the gymnasium students was a class sign, because only the children of the nobility, the intelligentsia and large industrialists studied in the gymnasiums. The uniform was worn not only in the gymnasium, but also on the street, at home, during celebrations and holidays. She was a point of pride. In all educational institutions, the uniform was of a military style: invariably caps, tunics and overcoats, which differed only in color, piping, buttons and emblems.

The caps were usually light blue with three white edgings, and with a black visor, and a crumpled cap with a broken visor was considered a special chic among the boys. In winter, headphones and a hood in the color of natural camel hair, trimmed with gray braid, were added to it.

Usually, students wore a blue cloth tunic with silver bulging buttons, belted with a black lacquered belt with a silver buckle and black trousers without piping. There was also an exit uniform: a dark blue or dark gray single-breasted uniform with a collar trimmed with silver galloon. A schoolbag was an invariable attribute of high school students.

girls uniform

To attend the gymnasium, they had three types of clothing provided by the charter. First, the "compulsory uniform for daily attendance", which consisted of a brown woolen dress and a black woolen apron. The charter required "to keep the dress clean, tidy, not wear it at home, smooth it daily and monitor the cleanliness of the white collar." The dress uniform consisted of the same dress, a white apron and an elegant lace collar.

In dress uniform, gymnasium students attended the theater, the Yeleninskaya Church on holidays, they went to Christmas and New Year's evenings in it. Also, "no one was forbidden to have a separate dress of any model and cut, if the parents' means allowed such a luxury."

But the color scheme was different for each educational institution:

we know that the color of the fabric of the dresses of the gymnasium girls was different, depending on the age: for the younger ones it was dark blue, for the 12-14-year-olds it was almost the color of a sea wave, and for the graduates it was brown. And the pupils of the famous Smolny Institute were prescribed to wear dresses of other colors, depending on the age of the pupils. For pupils of 6 - 9 years old - brown (coffee), 9 - 12 years old - blue, 12 - 15 years old - gray and 15 - 18 years old - white.

However, soon after the revolution, as part of the struggle against bourgeois remnants and the legacy of the tsarist-police regime, a decree was issued in 1918 that abolished the wearing of a school uniform. Undoubtedly, in the early years of the existence of the Soviet state, wearing a school uniform was an unaffordable luxury in a country devastated by world war, revolution and civil war.

From the memoirs of a 1909 graduate of gymnasium No. 36 Valentina Savitskaya:

“The old uniform was considered a symbol of belonging to the upper classes (there was even a contemptuous nickname for a sentimental girl - “schoolgirl”). It was believed that the form symbolizes the lack of freedom, the humiliated, servile position of the student. But this rejection of the form had another, more understandable reason - poverty. Pupils went to school in whatever their parents could provide.”

The official explanations were as follows: the form demonstrates the lack of freedom of the student, humiliates him. But in fact, the country at that time simply did not have the financial means to dress a huge number of children in uniform.

However, over time, when the era of experiments gave way to other realities, it was decided to return to the former image - to brown strict dresses, aprons, student jackets and turn-down collars. This happened in 1948, during the period of general “uniforms”, when department after department dressed in uniform. The school uniform of the 1948 model actually copied the style of the uniform of classical gymnasiums - both in color, and in cut, and in accessories.

She lived until the end of the 1962 academic year.

First grade boys in September 1962 went to school already in a new uniform - without caps with a cockade, without waist belts with a massive buckle, without tunics. The uniform for girls has not changed much.

Brown woolen dress with black apron. It is worth noting that, in general, the school uniform for girls of the Stalin era was similar to the school uniform of Tsarist Russia.

It was then that white "holiday" aprons and sewn-on collars and cuffs appeared - over time, only the style changed somewhat, but not the general essence of the girls' uniform. On ordinary days, it was supposed to wear black or brown bows, with a white apron - white (even in such cases, white tights were welcome).

The boys were dressed in gray military tunics with a stand-up collar, five buttons, two welt pockets with flaps on the chest. An element of the school uniform was also a belt with a buckle and a cap with a leather visor, which the guys wore on the street.

At the same time, symbolism became an attribute of young students: the pioneers had a red tie, the Komsomol members and the Octobrists had a badge on their chests. In addition, in 1944, separate education was introduced, which, however, was abandoned in 1954.

The strict morals of the Stalin era extended, of course, to school life. The most insignificant experiments with the length or other parameters of the school uniform were severely punished by the administration of the educational institution.

Even the hairstyle had to meet the requirements of puritan morality - "model haircuts" until the late 1950s were strictly prohibited, not to mention hair coloring. Girls always wore braids with bows. The school uniform of the era of I.V. Stalin can be seen in the films “First Grader”, “Alyosha Ptitsyn develops character”, and “Vasek Trubachev and his comrades”.

Thaw

The "warming" of the regime did not immediately affect the democratization of school uniforms, however, it did happen.

The cut of the uniform became more identical to the fashion trends that took place in the 1960s. True, only boys were lucky (we can see schoolchildren of the late 1960s in the cult film “We'll Live Until Monday”)

Since the mid-1970s, the gray woolen trousers and jackets of boys have been replaced by trousers and jackets made of blue wool blend fabric. The cut of the jackets resembled classic denim jackets (the so-called “denim fashion” was gaining momentum in the world) with epaulets on the shoulders and chest pockets with flaps in the shape of a curly brace ()). The jacket was fastened with aluminum buttons.

On the side of the sleeve was sewn an emblem (chevron) made of soft plastic with a drawn open textbook and a rising sun - a symbol of enlightenment.

1980s: Perestroika in action

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 high school boys, trousers and a jacket were replaced with a trouser suit. The fabric color was still blue. Also blue was the emblem on the sleeve. On this emblem, in addition to the sun and an open book, there was a stylized image of an atom.

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. There were also very rare embossed emblems made of fabric-based plastic. They did not lose color and looked very elegant.

In the 1980s, when school uniform control became less strict, some schoolchildren replaced the standard emblems with army sleeve patches.

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 (without a sleeve emblem) 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.

Members of children's and youth communist organizations (Octobers, Pioneers and Komsomol members) had to wear, respectively, the October, Pioneer and Komsomol badge, the pioneers were also required to wear a pioneer tie.

Since all elementary school students were completely Octobrists, almost all (with the rarest exceptions in the form of inveterate hooligans and losers) were pioneers and most high school students were Komsomol members, badges and a pioneer tie were almost a mandatory addition to the school uniform. 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" on it.

The school uniform of the 1980s can be seen, for example, in the films "Guest from the Future", "The Adventures of Electronics" (primary school uniform with a red patch), "School Waltz" and "Plumbum, or dangerous game” (uniform of high school students with a blue patch).

In the late 1980s, school uniforms, especially men's large sizes, fell into the category of shortage in a number of regions of the USSR. One of the reasons for this was that the school uniform was traditionally very cheap, compared to similar quality trousers, jackets and jackets, but its material was very high quality and durable. Therefore, in the conditions of an increasingly deteriorating financial situation, adults began to buy it as everyday and work clothes. The planned production volumes of the form were not designed for this, the form became in short supply, and, like many other things, they began to sell it on coupons that were issued to the student at the place of study.

Modern Russia

Compulsory wearing of school uniforms in Russia was abolished in the spring of 1992.

AT modern Russia there is no single school uniform, as was the case in the USSR, but many lyceums and gymnasiums, especially the most prestigious ones, as well as some schools, have their own uniform, emphasizing that students belong to one or another educational institution. In a number of schools there is no form officially adopted, but the form can be introduced at the class level, in agreement with the parents of the students (usually such a “class” form is introduced in the lower grades). In addition, in schools that do not have a school uniform, there may be rules for wearing clothes.

It is customary for school graduates to wear Soviet school uniforms on the last bell

Tomorrow is the first of September! Inspired by ... I reviewed a lot of material, I decided to put it together somehow. Here's what happened

The history of school uniforms in USSR and R Russia

School uniforms in Russia have a rich history.

At the same time, women's education began to develop. Therefore, a student uniform was also required for girls. In 1896, a regulation on the gymnasium uniform for girls appeared. Pupils of the famous Smolny Institute were ordered to wear dresses of certain colors, depending on the age of the pupils. For pupils 6-9 years old - brown (coffee), 9-12 years old - blue, 12-15 years old - gray and 15-18 years old - white.

To attend the gymnasium, they had three types of clothing provided by the charter:
1. "compulsory uniform for daily attendance", which consisted of a brown woolen dress and a black woolen apron.
2. dark formal dresses with knee-length pleated skirts.
3. On holidays - a white apron.Girls always wore braids with bows.
The charter required "to keep the dress clean, tidy, not wear it at home, smooth it daily and monitor the cleanliness of the white collar."
The dress uniform consisted of the same dress, a white apron and an elegant lace collar. In dress uniform, gymnasium students attended the theater, the Yeleninskaya Church on holidays, they went to Christmas and New Year's evenings in it. Also, "no one was forbidden to have a separate dress of any model and cut, if the parents' means allowed such a luxury."
The color scheme was different for each educational institution.
For example, from the memoirs of Valentina Savitskaya, a graduate of gymnasium No. 36 in 1909, we know that the color of the fabric of the dresses of the gymnasium girls was different, depending on age: for the younger ones it was dark blue, for 12-14-year-olds it was almost the color of a sea wave , and for graduates - brown. And the pupils of the famous Smolny Institute were prescribed to wear dresses of other colors, depending on the age of the pupils: for pupils of 6 - 9 years old - brown (coffee), 9 - 12 years old - blue, 12 - 15 years old - gray and 15 - 18 years old - white.

However, soon after the revolution, as part of the struggle against bourgeois remnants and the legacy of the tsarist-police regime, a decree was issued in 1918 that abolished the wearing of a school uniform. Undoubtedly, in the early years of the existence of the Soviet state, wearing a school uniform was an unaffordable luxury in a country devastated by world war, revolution and civil war.

From the memoirs of Valentina Savitskaya, a graduate of gymnasium No. 36 in 1909: “The old uniform was considered a symbol of belonging to the upper classes (there was even a contemptuous nickname for a sentimental girl - “gymnasium student”). It was believed that the form symbolizes the lack of freedom, the humiliated, servile position of the student. But this rejection of the form had another, more understandable reason - poverty. Pupils went to school in whatever their parents could provide.”
From the point of view of the “class struggle”, the old uniform was considered a symbol of belonging to the upper classes (there was even a contemptuous nickname for a sentimental girl - “gymnasium student”). On the other hand, the form symbolized the absolute lack of freedom of the student, his humiliated and bonded position.
The official explanations were as follows: the form demonstrates the lack of freedom of the student, humiliates him. But in fact, the country at that time simply did not have the financial means to dress a huge number of children in uniform. Pupils went to school in what their parents could provide them, and the state at that moment actively fought against devastation, class enemies and remnants of the past.

1945 M. Nesterova. "Study well!"

Frame from the movie "Two Captains"

October and Komsomol badges remained a mandatory addition to the school uniform. The pioneers added a badge to the pioneer tie. Other types of badges appeared, including award and commemorative ones.