Soviet School Uniform

I was browsing ebay, and I happened to see a Soviet school uniform in my size (though the trousers will probably have to be hemmed). I decided to buy it for US $35 (plus US $25 shipping, handling and insurance from the Ukraine). It hasn't arrived yet, so here are the pictures posted by the seller:

Did all Soviet School Uniforms (for boys) look like this? Did they vary from school to school? It's actually quite nice.
Rabble Rouser, you should post us a photo when it arrives.

Shigalyov wrote:

Did all Soviet School Uniforms (for boys) look like this? Did they vary from school to school? It's actually quite nice.
Rabble Rouser, you should post us a photo when it arrives.

According to the seller, all schoolchildren in the Soviet Union wore the same style of uniform. Given that this uniform is big enough for an adult, I would assume that it would have been for the upper classes (8-10). In class 4, one was old enough to be accepted into the Young Pioneers and be given the classic red pioneer ties. In class 8, one could enter the Komsomol (VLKSM). Perhaps one of the Russian forum members could verify all this.

Apparently, the styles changed significantly from pre-Stalin to the Stalin era to post-Stalin. The later uniforms were more modern in style, whereas the older ones looked more similar to military uniforms. The uniform I have purchased is in the style used in the 1980s.

Here is a picture of some younger schoolboys dated 1987:



Here's another picture:



I would guess that this is an example of an older style of uniform:



If you want to know more, here is a webpage about school uniforms in the USSR:

http://histclo.com/schun/country/rus/rsuc-sov.html

Sry man but that's just funny.
Why do you want to wander around dressed like a school boy?
Army uniform is ok though...

Loz wrote:

Sry man but that's just funny.
Why do you want to wander around dressed like a school boy?

Army uniform is ok though...

So it's better to prance around in military fatigues than it is to indulge in nostalgia for Soviet youth? I'm not a fan of militarism, Soviet or otherwise.

If you must know, I intend to wear it as a halloween costume if I am invited to some kind of party, adorned with a Komsomol badge. If I wear it without the jacket or badges, it could double as ordinary clothing as well; just a normal shirt and trousers.

Nothing beats this as a halloween costume

Rabble Rouser wrote:

According to the seller, all schoolchildren in the Soviet Union wore the same style of uniform.

He lied, as any good seller would. The uniform you've got looks like Moscow-style thing. I lived in Ukraine when I was a kid and we wore brown colour uniform of a less flashy style, just a plain jacket and pants.

Ah, I nearly forgot -- that particular style of the red scarf, stitched around the edge, we hated it because the stitching would go loose very soon and would look untidy. There were better ones in the shops, made of thicker cloth and properly stitched (like a good handkerchief). Those could last the whole school-year. I think around 6-th grade it became popular to try and suffocate each other with those red scarves -- usually in a toilet during a break -- almost to the point of losing consciousness. It was stupid and dangerous, and therefore attractive.

Loz wrote:

Nothing beats this as a halloween costume

How about a hazmat suit?

I had a Chinese school uniform. I don't remember what it looked like except that it had the name of the school on it, and it was mostly blue (maybe?). But we had those red scarves as well. I think a lot of Chinese schools don't do uniforms anymore (depends on the school, and also reserved for some occasions), except that the red scarf is still an everyday requirement in the dress code.

No pictures exist of it, sadly, but I'd probably be too embarrassed to put them up online anyway.

I like simple school uniforms. I have seen some of the ones at certain British schools with the jacket and tie. They look very hot and uncomfortable. Of course if you give a student a tie they will not wear it properly and everyone will end up looking untidy.

That was just so cool, my friend rabble-rouser.

When i go to school early 90s we had similar outfit in Nampula Elementary School.