What Soviet women dreamed of, or Scarce goods that were chased in the USSR

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Today, the concept of scarcity is a thing of the past. Stores are filled with goods ranging from cosmetics to clothing of any brand - there would be money. But those people who were lucky enough to live during the Soviet Union remember very well how difficult it was to get some things and food. Lines were a distinctive feature of the Soviet system, and mostly women stood in them. Read, what all the women of the USSR dreamed about, what perfume they used to scent, what kind of outerwear was a welcome gift and what kind of shoes the women of fashion were crazy about.

Climat and French powder for those who can get them and Polish cosmetics, for which there were queues

French perfumery has always delighted women. Today you can go to a Rive Gauche or Letual store and buy any fragrance you like. It was completely different in the USSR. In the early seventies, Christian Dior Diorissimo perfume came to Russia. Many people liked the lily of the valley smell, it was recognizable and pleasant. But when the famous "Clima" from Lancome went on sale at the very end of the seventies, they quickly became favorites. It was them that Ippolit Nadya presented in the famous comedy by Eldar Ryazanov.

At that time, such a bottle was very expensive, 20 rubles, but the point was not even the price, but the fact that it was almost impossible to buy them. I had to overpay. Those who could not afford such expenses were limited to the Polish versions - Pani Walewska, and the cheap “Maybe”. It was a rare success to buy Lancome French powder from hands. It was used carefully and for a long time, not paying attention to the expiration date.

Polish cosmetics somewhat restrained the tension. It was sold in stores and was not very expensive. The fact was that kilometer-long queues lined up behind it. Blue eyeshadow to smudge with your finger, pearlescent lipsticks and the aforementioned inexpensive perfume. But France has been and will remain a favorite among lovers of perfumery and quality cosmetics.

Among domestic manufacturers, it is worth noting such factories as Novaya Zarya and Svoboda. They were created on the basis of industries that operated under tsarist Russia. However, unfortunately, not all, but many Soviet space assets were still inferior in quality to foreign ones. Nevertheless, powder with a matting effect to which was added rice flour "Leningrad" and pencils for eyelids "Cosmetics", despite the domestic passage, were also in short supply.

A hat like Nadia from "The Irony of Fate", boots, stockings and tights from nylon

The heroine of Barbara Brylsky from the film "The Irony of Fate or Enjoy Your Bath" was the owner of not only a scarce perfume, but also a luxurious fox hat. In the late seventies, such a headdress was super fashionable - all women wanted to be like the stylish heroine of this film. In the early eighties, the fluffy hat became less popular, it was replaced by a mink headdress. It was extremely difficult to get it, and the price was prohibitive - it could reach 3 average monthly salaries.

In the same seventies in the Soviet Union, women of fashion began to wear high boots made of soft lacquered fabric. Due to the appearance, these shoes are called boots-stockings. The queues at the shoe stores behind them were incredible. As a result, at least half of the women wore the same black boots, and only a few lucky women were able to get hold of Yugoslav or Polish models, which could have different colors and beautiful decorations.

In the seventies, the first domestic tights made of nylon and nylon, produced by the Brest hosiery factory, appeared. There was only one color - flesh. This upset Soviet women, because they wanted variety, especially all over the world women wore black and white, and all sorts of other tights. Therefore, many girls tried to paint their favorite stocking leggings (do not be surprised, that was the name of the tights according to GOST). It did not always work out, things fell into disrepair. Therefore, a self-respecting Soviet fashionista always tried to get tights from Germany or Czechoslovakia. They were sometimes thrown onto counters, but the queues were huge.

Sheepskin coat from Afghanistan and Yugoslavian raincoat-Bologna

In boots and tights alone, you can't go far, outerwear was required. Of course, for the cold weather I wanted to buy something warm. In the sixties, hippies all over the world happily wore short sheepskin coats embroidered with beautiful patterns. It was from the "flower children" that this fashion for the famous Afghan sheepskin coats went. And when in 1966 the soloists of the Beatles appeared in such coats on stage, popularity reached a peak. In the mid-seventies, the Afghan miracle reached the USSR. Such sheepskin coats were worn by both men and women, the queues behind them were striking in their length. Despite the prices, which in the store could be equal to several monthly salaries, and the speculators were generally off scale, there were not enough sheepskin coats for everyone. The girls tried to choose colored models, embroidered, for men, plain colors were enough.

For warmer weather, women bought a bologna raincoat. He came from the West, where he appeared in the 60s. Polyester was fashionable due to the fact that it was inexpensive to build, was practical and could have any shade. A factory in the Italian city of Bologna produced a dense nylon fabric with a water-repellent effect. The Italians did not particularly appreciate such models, but in the USSR the Bologna raincoat became very popular. Domestic raincoats were not very attractive: uninteresting shades, mostly blue, brown and green, were too lean. The models from Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia are quite another matter. They were well tailored and bright colors, so they became a welcome purchase for women who follow fashion.

American jeans and a watch "The Seagull", which got its name thanks to Valentina Tereshkova

In the early 60s, the fashion for high-quality American jeans came to the USSR. It was impossible to buy them in stores. Domestic denim trousers could be found on the shelves, Polish and Indian jeans appeared a little later. But it was impossible to compare them with the original "pants" from America. Few could buy from speculators - it was too expensive. Women altered models made in Soviet factories, sewed them in, attached pockets, pasted rhinestones and sparkles, and even boiled them in boiling water to get the effect of the so-called wet cloth.

The industrious hands of Soviet women adorned the pretty watches of the Chaika Uglich Watch Factory. This romantic name came about thanks to Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman astronaut. It was “seagull” that was her call sign, and the factory began to name watches produced since 1963 in honor of him. But in the seventies, many Soviet ladies, we dreamed of a "Seagull" in a gilded case on an elegant metal bracelet. Some families still have such models, and they work properly.

Despite the fact that many goods were difficult to access for Soviet families, the housewives managed to contrive and get a shortage. because these 6 Soviet holidays were celebrated by everyone, and were waiting impatiently.