Vest's Day: the story of the famous striped sailor uniform

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

Today, the vest has become not only a symbol of the naval forces, but also a wardrobe item for many people who are completely unrelated to the navy. Almost 20 years ago, with the light hand of Jean-Paul Gaultier, the vest firmly entered the fashion of ordinary people, considering white and blue stripes fashionable and stylish. However, what do the stripes on the vest mean? Where did this form come from? About this - in our article.

Every year on August 19, in port cities, especially in such large ones as St. Petersburg, the Day of the vest is celebrated. Officially, the striped sweatshirt, which was worn directly on the naked body (hence the word "vest"), became part of the uniform of the Russian sailor more than years ago - on August 19 (old style), 1874. It was then that a new form was approved by the "Regulations on the allowance of the commands of the Naval Department in terms of uniforms and ammunition." The initiator of such changes was Prince Konstantin Nikolaevich Romanov, who was then the head of the naval ministry and the fleet. According to the "Regulations", sailors in the navy were supposed to have "a shirt knitted of wool in half with paper; the color of the shirt is white with blue transverse stripes. " The width of the stripes was not strictly regulated at that time, and for the most part the white stripes were almost four times wider than the blue ones. Only in 1912 did the uniform take on a modern look and the white and blue stripes became the same width.

The decision of just such a color combination was due exclusively to the practical side: the sailor should be clearly visible against the background of white sails and against the background of blue water. At the beginning of European history, vests were not very popular - striped uniforms were associated with prisoners. The sailors were even punished for wearing striped jerseys. However, over time, the attitude towards the vest has completely changed. The stripes on the uniform became not just a contrasting color scheme - they began to put their own national meaning into them. So, for example, in France the number of stripes was 21 - according to the number of Napoleon's victories. The practical British and Dutch had 12 stripes in terms of the number of ribs. In the Russian navy, the white and blue stripes of the vests matched the colors of the St. Andrew's flag - the official flag of the Russian navy. Today, striped undershirts of various types are worn by military and civilian sailors around the world. In Russia, the colors of stripes on vests vary depending on belonging to a particular formation.

Perhaps, the Scottish kilt is the same striking element of clothing as the vest, which is true, not everyone dares to wear it. The kilt is considered the national symbol of Scotland, a symbol of freedom. Read about the history of this type of clothing in our review " Kilt: why the Scots love to wear skirts".