Soviet men, clothing and appearance in Leningrad in the 1950s and 1960s

Abstract

This article aims to discuss the conversations around men's clothing and appearance in Leningrad during the 1950s and 1960s. In the early 1950s, fashion became an important ideological issue in the Soviet Union. The policy of isolationism of late Stalinism alongside the rise of youth subculture stiliagi produced the emergence of formal and informal mechanisms and regimes of regulation of appearance of the Soviet population for the next decade. The system of fashion houses aimed to provide Soviet citizens with contemporary and comfortable clothing and teach them the rules of ‘good taste’ and a proper appearance. The Leningrad Fashion House designed and produced clothing and discussed the variants of appearance of the city residents at official meetings and in fashion magazines. Although fashion was considered as woman's prerogative at the time, the fashion house took into account male customers’ needs and provided them with various clothing items. This article argues that the fashion house in Leningrad constructed its own vision of masculinity that was not significantly influenced by the authorities and to which most male citizens could not adhere.