6 iconic dresses of the heroines of Soviet cinema that will appeal to modern women of fashion

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

Fashion in the USSR is a rather interesting and sometimes inexplicable phenomenon. Indeed, most often it was not about what to choose, but where to get it. And the concept itself did not exist then, and clothes for Soviet women were produced by the light textile industry. But even in conditions of total shortage, costume designers managed to come up with such outfits that they instantly acquired the status of cult. And the girls, inspired by stylish images, ran to the atelier with a request to sew them a dress “like Nadia from“The Irony of Fate”. Let us recall which dresses from Soviet films became legendary. By the way, even now they will perfectly fit into the images of modern fashionistas.

Lenochka Krylova's dress from Carnival Night (1956)

New-look outfits, which appeared with the light hand of Christian Dior, gained popularity all over the world back in the 40s. However, Soviet women of fashion learned about them only after the film "Carnival Night", or rather, thanks to the film heroine Lenochka Krylova performed by Lyudmila Gurchenko. The effect was comparable to a bomb exploding: millions of Soviet girls ran to dressmakers to order spectacular outfits. But the spectators especially liked the black fitted dress with a fluffy skirt, a row of buttons along the entire length, combined with a white muff. But, probably, they would not have paid much attention to the image if another actress had appeared instead of the incredibly slender Lyudmila Gurchenko, whose waist circumference, according to rumors, was only 48 cm. Unfortunately, the legendary dress did not survive - it was eaten by a mole in one of the wardrobe Mosfilm. It is also unknown who created this masterpiece.

Natasha Rostova's dress from War and Peace (1966)

After the release of the film by Sergei Bondarchuk, it is difficult to imagine Natasha Rostova at her first big ball in a different dress. And this is not surprising, because it is not for nothing that this adaptation of the immortal novel by Leo Tolstoy is considered one of the most expensive in Soviet cinema. The director not only brought in a real cavalry regiment to film the war, but also showed real furniture and accessories from the 19th century. Naturally, the costumes were also sewn (and there were 12 thousand of them) as close as possible to the fashion of that time. But the dress of Natasha Rostova, which the actress Lyudmila Savelyeva tried on, turned out to be out of competition. Delicate, light, airy attire has become the very detail without which it is impossible to imagine an image now. But it is worth noting that Tolstoy's heroine was in "a white smoky dress on pink silk covers, with roses in a bodice."

Dress by Nadya Sheveleva from "The Irony of Fate …" (1975)

You are wrong if you think that elegant shirt dresses are the trend of modern fashion. Surprisingly, more than 40 years ago, the heroine of Barbara Brylska in the film "The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath!" Tried on a similar style nowadays. Yes, yes, this is the same mustard safari outfit that literally drove all the women of the USSR crazy in 1975. After the release of the film, crepe (the fabric from which such a dress was most often sewn) was not available, and there was no end of orders in the atelier. It is interesting that Brylska herself did not consider this dress special and did not even want to appear in it. Moreover, three years before "Irony of Fate …" the same outfit could be seen in the film "Dangerous Turn". The creator of the dress was Olga Kruchinina, who cut the length of the skirt for Barbara. However, the shirt dress turned out to be timeless precisely thanks to the modest teacher of Russian language and literature, Nadya Sheveleva. And additions in the form of a hairstyle with curled ends and a fur Kuban hat for a long time were indispensable components of the images of Soviet fashionistas.

Lyudmila Prokofievna's dress from "Office Romance" (1977)

Alisa Freidlinh is one of the few actresses who are not afraid to play “ugly” heroines. Moreover, she herself personally helped to create the image of Lyudmila Prokofievna's "mimra", invented a non-feminine gait and gestures. But it is worth noting that the nondescript brown suit of the main character is also quite good: if you beat it with interesting details and accessories, you get a stylish modern office set. "Mymry" Lyudmila Prokofievna turned into a beautiful swan. We would especially like to note the blue checkered dress, which was created in the spirit of all the fashion trends of that time: a cage, large buttons, wide pockets, a belt that emphasizes the waist, midi length. Alisa Freidlinh still recalls that after the starring role she received many letters from fans who said that under her influence they changed their hairstyle, acquired a similar dress and simply put themselves in order.

Zinochka's dress from the film "Ivan Vasilievich changes his profession" (1973)

The outfits of the wife of the engineer Timofeev Zina can be included in this selection, first of all, for their courage and brightness. After all, Soviet women could not always afford such noticeable things, and there were simply no such models on the shelves. And here on the screen there is a riot of colors, atypical silhouettes, interesting details and cut. The entire wardrobe of the heroine Natalia Seleznova was created by then unknown to anyone Vyacheslav Zaitsev. But it is worth paying special attention to the short red shirt dress. First, it was very bold for that time: where have you seen Soviet women so bare their legs? Secondly, although the film was filmed in 1973, the heroine's image was inspired by the legendary Twiggy, popular in the West in the 60s. Thirdly, a top in a nautical style, bright makeup and luxurious curls harmoniously complemented the image. "Dress like Zina's" became the most popular search query in Soviet tailoring ateliers. And in order for the masters to reproduce the model as accurately as possible, the girls once again watched the film and redrew the image.

Katya and Lyudmila's dresses from the movie "Moscow Doesn't Believe in Tears" (1980)

It is the dress, there is no typo here. After all, it is simply not possible to choose one from a whole collection of chic outfits - all of them, one might say, have become legendary. Remember at least the images of Katya and Luda during the first meeting with young people. Or you probably haven't forgotten the black-and-white striped dress, in which the heroine of Irina Muravyova changes clothes after a change at the bakery. And the style of the mature Katya Tikhomirova became a model for all business women in the country. Zhanna Melkonyan, thanks to whom the outfits of the heroes of "Moscow Can't Believe in Tears" appeared, recalled that they, the costume designers, were called the children of the dungeon. They were constantly on the lookout, running from one workshop to another, after the saddlery shops they went to the dyeing shops … After all, in the conditions of total shortage it was difficult to get anything worthwhile. For example, Katya's nylon blouse was made from fabric that was intended for school collars. And for the famous gray tweed three-piece suit, it took more than ten pairs of men's trousers. In general, many of the heroines' dresses were made of tie fabric.