fashion
Chapters: 1
Alina
January 1994. Roman discovers a collapse in Proma Impex sales and for the first time faces a full-blown business crisis. Zhorik introduces strict…
Notes: 21
A Tissot Watch: the other trinket in Zhorik's gift rotation
The history of the Swiss watchmaker Tissot, founded in 1853, its long-standing ties to the Russian market, and its status as a mid-range but…
Braid and aiguillette: military insignia Zhorik jokes Roman will never earn
Braid and the aiguillette — Russian military insignia, from Peter the Great's army to the Kremlin honor guard, that Zhorik jokes Roman will never…
Burberry Group plc
Burberry Group plc is a British luxury fashion house founded in 1856 by Thomas Burberry, headquartered in London, England.
Clothing Size Charts in the USSR and Europe: Differences in Labeling
A detailed comparison of the Soviet and European clothing size systems. What "size 48" means, its equivalent to M, size conversion, and practical…
"Cossacks": Cowboy Boots, Russian-Style
How American cowboy boots got rebranded "cossacks" in Russia and became, alongside the leather jacket, the signature footwear of the New Russian.
Gold Embroiderers and Gold-Thread Embroidery
Gold-thread embroidery (also known as gold embroidery) is an ancient technique of hand embroidery using gilded metal and silver threads. The value of…
Legendary 1990s Stores: GUM, TsUM, and Passazh in an Era of Change
How three grand Soviet department stores turned, almost overnight, into hives of individual traders, smuggled goods, and knockoff labels.
Haute couture: the $50,000-dress status marker of 1990s Russian new money
Haute couture: the legally protected, $50,000-and-up Paris fashion tier that Roman still hasn't grown into.
Inspector Shoes
How "spectator shoes" got garbled into "inspectors" in Russian, and why brogues and moccasins became status symbols of the new business class.
Lampasy: generals' stripes and 90s Russian business culture
Why 'drinking with the lampasy' — the generals' stripes — was 1990s Russian slang for the boozy meetings that kept a security-services 'roof' over a…
Prêt-à-Porter
The French term for ready-to-wear fashion that early-1990s Russian entrepreneurs, dazzled by newly opened borders, saw as a business opportunity…
"Pyramid" Jeans: a Cult Fashion of the Perestroika Era
"Pyramid" jeans were a fashion phenomenon of the late 1980s-early 1990s, characterized by a high waist and a widening cut from the hip down. They…
Slacks
What made "slacks" distinct from trousers or jeans, and why owning three pairs of light summer ones signaled real money in 1993 Russia.
The "Half-Box" Haircut in the Context of the 1990s
The half-box is a short men's haircut with a gradual taper (from 3 to 8 cm on top, shorter at the temples and back of the head). Unlike the classic…
The Chiton and the Chlamys: Don't Get Them Confused
Ancient Greek clothing included the chiton, himation, and chlamys, combining simplicity and elegance. These garments influenced Roman fashion…
The Ferronniere (Ferronniere)
The ferronnière is an elegant women's ornament in the form of a hoop or chain with a gemstone, worn across the forehead, known since the Renaissance…
The Man-Bag: an Essential Accessory of the "New Russian"
The barsetka was a cult accessory of the 1990s that became a status symbol of the "New Russians." It was used by businessmen and criminal bosses…
The Reebok Pump
Reebok Pump sneakers were a revolutionary model of the late 1980s and early 1990s. They changed the very idea of athletic footwear thanks to an…
The Stadium Flea Markets
How Luzhniki, Dynamo, and CSKA — Moscow's great sports arenas — became the country's biggest black markets in the years right after the USSR…
Topman. Oxford Street
Why "I shop at Topman on Oxford Street" was a plausible cover story for a Russian in 1993 — the flagship store's 28,000 daily shoppers included…
The "Wife Beater" Undershirt
Stereotypes shape how we perceive items of clothing, as shown by the tank top called "maika-alkogolichka" ("alcoholic's undershirt") in Russia and…