Who really came up with Budyonovka? (5 photos). Interesting facts about "Budyonovka" From a summer helmet to a winter version

How the “heroic helmet”, sewn for the imperial Victory Parade in Constantinople, became a symbol of the Red Army.

Let us make a reservation right away that the question of the origin of the headgear, later known as the “Budyonovka” and the rest of the uniform corresponding to it, is ambiguous and there are several points of view on it. An official position has taken root in Soviet military and historical literature, which says that the Budenovka (as well as the overcoat, tunic, etc., as discussed below) appeared in 1918 and was created specifically for the emerging Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army (RKKA). However, in modern historical, and especially popular science literature, the version that this uniform appeared around 1915 and was developed for the Victory Parade of the Russian Imperial Army in Berlin and Constantinople is practically not questioned. Let's try to understand this case.

The main argument of Soviet historians is the lack of documents that accurately indicate the creation of a new form under the tsarist government. And indeed it is. Such papers have not yet been found either in the military or in the civilian archives. At the same time, historians had at their disposal a complete set of documentation from 1918, allowing them to draw seemingly quite reliable conclusions. First of all, this is the order of the People's Commissar for Military Affairs No. 326 dated May 7, which spoke of the creation of a commission to develop a new form. It included famous Russian artists V. M. Vasnetsov, B. M. Kustodiev, M. D. Ezuchevsky, S. Arkadievsky and others.

Sketches were accepted until June 10 of the same year, therefore, less than a month was allotted for everything. The same order indicated in some detail how the people's commissariat sees the new uniform. This is important, especially when coupled with extremely tight deadlines. It is also documented that already at the end of 1918 the first combat unit received a new form. It was a Red Guard detachment formed in Ivanovo-Voznesensk, which went to the Eastern Front to join the troops of Mikhail Frunze. And, by the way, they called the new headdress "Frunzevka" or "hero". The first cavalry army of Semyon Budyonny did not yet have a new uniform.
It would seem that everything is clear, but only at first glance. There is indirect, but quite documentary evidence.

So, in the study of O. A. Vtorov “The beginning of the continuation. Russian Entrepreneurship and Russian Social Democracy” we read:
“... In the quartermaster's warehouses there was already a new uniform, sewn by the N. A. Vtorov concern according to the sketches of Vasily Vasnetsov. The uniform was sewn by order of the Court of His Imperial Majesty and was intended for the troops of the Russian army, in which she was to pass at the Victory Parade in Berlin. These were long-brimmed overcoats with “talks”, cloth helmets stylized as old Russian helmets, later known as “Budenovkas”, as well as sets of leather jackets with trousers, leggings and caps, intended for mechanized troops, aviation, crews of armored cars, armored trains and scooters. This uniform was transferred during the organization of the Cheka to the employees of this structure - the armed detachment of the party.
So, the first evidence is found. We note right away that this is not the only confirmation of the “imperial” version, it was also found in an émigré memoirist, but in Soviet Russia this source was neglected.

From the description of the “bogatyrka”: “The top of the cap is blunt. A round button plate with a diameter of about 2 cm, covered with cloth, is sewn into its top. A cap of the same shape made of coarse calico with a cotton quilted lining is sewn to the cloth cap from the inside. a cloth visor with six rows of stitching, and a nape pad, also sewn from two layers of cloth, is attached to the back. The nape pad has a triangular cutout in the middle part and elongated tapering ends. There are two punched loops on the left end, and two buttons on the right. For folding, the nape plate is bent in width at the upper point of the triangular cutout, and its free ends are bent inward along the fold.

"... In front of the headdress, symmetrically with respect to the visor and the front seam, a regular five-pointed star is sewn from instrumental cloth with a diameter of 8.8 cm, and the inner corners on a circle with a diameter of 4.3 cm. The star must have a piping 5-6 wide mm, applied with black paint, retreating 3 mm from the edge. In the center of the star, a "cockade badge" of the established sample is attached.

The second argument is metaphysical, which does not detract from its weight. The fact is that the style of the new form did not fit into the ideology of the revolutionary republic at all. Old Russian motifs, obviously seen in helmets or “heroic” hats, loose tunic shirts and long overcoats with “talks” (cross-arrows-clasps), emphasized the national identity of the soldiers, which did not fit into the cosmopolitan concept of the world revolution. Under all the documents cited above is the signature of L. D. Trotsky, who could not miss such a blatant discrepancy. By the way, the stars on Budyonovka were originally blue, but they were sewn with a red insert with a plow and a hammer. The sickle and hammer, as well as multi-colored (according to the types of troops) stars, appeared only in subsequent modifications of the form.

At the same time, the new form fits perfectly into the style of Vasily Vasnetsov's works. The singer of ancient Russian knights was, in fact, the creator of the heroic image, which is used in the concept of a new patriotic uniform. And there is enough evidence that the artist was engaged in the development of military uniforms. Note that the authorship of V. Vasnetsov is not rejected by Soviet military historians either, they only transfer the moment of the creation of the form to a later time.

There is also a purely economic aspect. Was it really possible in a country devastated by the war and disorganized by the revolution to sew a sufficient number of sets of new uniforms in just a few months? It looks like a utopia. As well as the fact that in a month it was possible to develop the concept of uniforms and almost immediately bring the idea to industrial production. You need to understand what the technical conditions and speed of information transfer were in 1918.

Most likely, the form really already existed, and the commission only approved it and finalized it. Apparently, this was more related to symbolism, and not to an ideological concept. Trotsky chose the lesser evil - he, in fact, had no other option. Or use what was in the warehouses, or even do without new uniforms, as the people's commissar himself originally proposed to do. And the story with the commission and the competition was invented in order to break the chain of historical continuity, because it is useless for the soldiers and commanders of the Red Army to flaunt in overcoats sewn for the triumph of the imperial troops. And the lack of documents is probably due to this. Mentions could be destroyed so as not to discredit the new revolutionary mythology, of which the legendary Budyonovka became a part. By the way, the name of Trotsky himself was also almost completely erased from the archives of the Red Army.
So, apparently, the uniform invented for the Victory Parade in the Great War really existed. It was created by order of the Court of His Imperial Majesty around 1915-1916.

The ideological concept was developed by the artist Vasily Vasnetsov, perhaps someone else helped him in technical matters. The uniform was sewn by the concern of M. A. Vtorov at Siberian factories and was stored in army warehouses. It seems that the number of sets of the new uniform was not large, which could indicate its ceremonial character. Indirectly, this is also evidenced by the fact that in practice the new form did not show itself brilliantly and after 20 years was completely out of use.

The last episode was the Finnish war, after which Budyonovkas were finally replaced with fur hats with earflaps, and overcoats with quilted jackets and sheepskin coats.

Article from the website "Kramola"

It is believed that Budyonovka was developed back in tsarist times - during the First World War. However, such an opinion is today recognized as only one of the versions of the emergence of a recognizable headdress. And when did the idea of ​​\u200b\u200btailoring Budyonovka actually appear?

"Royal" version

This version is supported by modern historical literature. According to this hypothesis, in order to participate in the Victory Parade in Berlin for the Russian Imperial Army in 1915, they developed a headdress that resembled in its shape the Budyonovka that the Red Army soldiers later wore. But because of the war, the headdress remained lying in warehouses. And only after the October Revolution in 1918, he entered the disposal of the Bolsheviks.
The version turned out to be quite slim. However, according to journalist and writer Boris Sopelnyak, this theory is just "one of the most common, but there is not a word of truth in it." And he emphasizes that in the USSR, in part, they also supported this version of the origin of Budyonovka. Documentation was always cited as evidence, containing orders and reports on the development of new uniforms for the Red Army and signed by the chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Soviet Republic, Lev Trotsky. The uniform approved for the Red Army included Budyonovka, which at that time lay in the former tsarist army warehouses. But in the version in which this headdress was on conservation, it could not be used. The coat of arms of the Russian Empire and the double-headed eagle, which were present on the cap, could not serve as symbols of the Red Army. And they were closed with a large five-pointed star. And it was originally blue.
By the way, the documents cited as evidence, dated to the post-revolutionary years, were used by many Soviet historians as a counterargument against the “royal version” of the origin of Budyonovka. Moreover, neither in the military nor in the civilian archives inherited from the Russian Empire, there are no papers that would indicate the development of new uniforms for the tsarist army.

In February 1918, the Red Army was created, which required its own uniform, different from the uniforms previously adopted in tsarist times. To this end, on May 7, 1918, by order of the People's Commissariat for Military Affairs of the Republic, a competition was announced for the development of a new form. Even world-famous artists participated in this competition - V.M. Vasnetsov, B.M. Kustodiev, S.T. Arkadyevsky and the master of the historical genre M.D. Ezuchevsky.
Sketches of the new form were accepted for a whole month - until June 10, 1918. Moreover, the headdress, and overcoat, and other parts of the uniform were described in detail in the order itself. All artists had to adhere to these criteria. On December 18, 1918, the winter version of Budyonovka was approved. And already at the very end of the same year, the first combat unit of the Red Army - a detachment formed in Ivanovo-Voznesensk - received a new form and went to the Eastern Front at the disposal of Mikhail Frunze. That is why Budyonovka was first called "Frunzevka". By the way, this hat also had one more name - “bogatyrka”, because of the similarity of its shape with the ancient Russian helmet.
Opponents of the Red Army origin of Budyonovka pointed out in their studies that at the time of the October Revolution, a new uniform was already in the quartermaster warehouses, developed, by the way, according to the sketches of Vasily Vasnetsov, who subsequently participated in the May 1918 competition. The royal uniform consisted of long-brimmed overcoats with fastening arrows and cloth helmets, which were a stylization of old Russian heroic helmets. Evidence of this form also slipped in émigré memoirs. However, all this can be called into question. Moreover, the sketch of a new uniform presented in 1918 by Vasnetsov, which repeated (and only!) The uniform of the tsarist army for the parade, apparently, was also liked by the Bolsheviks. But the uniform lying in the warehouse was full dress, not military! Therefore, most likely, Vasnetsov made adjustments to his previous version.
However, there is one “but”, which leads to slight confusion from the “Soviet” origin of Budenovka. The country after the revolution and the First World War was financially ruined. And where did the Bolsheviks manage to get so much money to provide the new Army with uniforms? But here it is worth remembering that the royal uniform was sewn for the parade, which means that there were not so many sets of it. In other words, the Bolsheviks still had to sew it, and not immediately. Therefore, during the Civil War (1918-1922), instead of Budyonovka, many Red Army soldiers wore hats and caps of the tsarist army on their heads.

blue to orange

The star on Budyonovka was not originally red. First, it was made in the blue version, and then it was assigned its own color depending on the type of troops. A crimson star was sewn on for the infantry, a blue star was left for the cavalry, and orange for the artillery (and in 1922 it became black). The engineering troops were given a black star, the armored forces (future armored forces) received a red one, and the aviators a blue one, etc. On top of the cloth star, a copper red star was also attached.
Chekists received Budyonovka only in June 1922. Moreover, they had a dark blue color, and the star was made of dark green cloth. In 1923, their Budyonovka was "repainted" black, and the star - crimson. In 1924, their helmet became dark gray, and the star became maroon.

From summer helmet to winter version

Budenovka of the 1918 model was intended for the cold season. She had a long nape that folded in half and fastened on the sides with 2 buttons. If necessary, it was unfolded to cover the ears and neck.
From April 1919 to February 1922, Budyonovka became an all-season dress. And on January 31, 1922, a linen Budyonovka was introduced without a nape and with two visors, which were located at the back and front of the helmet. For this, the people called the headdress "Hello, goodbye." In addition, it very much resembled a German helmet because of the sharp tip. This often led to confusion of the White Guards. For example, in the summer of 1920, there was a case in Northern Tavria (in the Crimea), when a white officer who fought in the First World War mistook the Red Army for the Germans.
Therefore, the helmet resembling a German helmet was replaced with a cap in May 1924. As for the budenovka, approved back in 1918, it returned to the Army again in February 1922, becoming a winter headdress. At the same time, its shape acquired a roundness, and the pommel ceased to be so sharp and very prominent. In this version, Budyonovka lasted until 1927. True, from the summer of 1926 to the spring of 1927, this Budyonovka was “deprived” of a star, because it could not be stitched in any way.
During the war with Finland, the helmet showed itself not in the best way. Therefore, it was abolished in July 1940, replacing it with a simple hat with earflaps. But since a huge number of earflaps were required, the Budyonovka had to be worn until 1942. And in some cases, the Budenovka was issued to soldiers even until March 1943.

From lightning rod to symbol

Budenovka had many names, among which was the "lightning rod" or "mind rod". She got such an offensive name because of the sharp pommel. There is even a legend about this: the red commander, who served in the Far East in 1936, liked to ask his subordinates what “spire” means in Budyonovka. And then he himself answered: “This is for when they sing the Internationale, so that at the words “Our indignant mind boils” steam can escape through this spire ...”.
However, artists, directors and writers managed to change the offensive and mocking attitude towards this helmet. True, the romantic image of Budenovka appeared only in the 1950s. And from that moment on, she was actively, since she was recognizable, depicted on posters and postcards. By the way, thanks to the efforts of these people, to this day Budyonovka remains a solid symbol of Russia for foreigners.

On January 16, 1919, a cloth hat-bogatyrka was introduced as a headdress of the Red Army, later called "Budyonovka".
In the first post-revolutionary months, the Red Army soldiers and their commanders wore uniforms left over from the tsarist army, with stripped epaulettes. However, the appearance of white armies, whose soldiers wore uniforms of the same cut, forced the command of the Red Army to attend to the introduction of new elements of uniforms, so that even from a distance, even in the dark, one could easily distinguish a Red Army soldier from a White Guard. Initially, a badge was introduced in the form of a red star, located on top of a wreath, one branch of which was oak. and the other - laurel. In the center of this star, a crossed plow and hammer were located, and on July 29, 1918, a metal star was introduced for a headdress with the same plow and hammer.

Already on May 7, 1918, the People's Commissariat for Military Affairs of the RSFSR announced a competition to develop new uniforms for the Red Army soldiers. V. M. Vasnetsov, B. M. Kustodiev, M. D. Ezuchevsky, S. T. Arkadievsky and other famous Russian artists took part in the competition. On December 18, 1918, on the basis of the works submitted for the competition, the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic approved a new type of winter headdress - a cloth helmet, shaped like a medieval "erihonka" or a scarf with an aventail - part of the armor of epic Russian heroes, for which initially this helmet received the common name "bogatyrka" ".
There is a legend that the future Budyonovka was created even before the revolution as an element of the future dress uniform of the Russian army. It is possible that a project for such a headdress existed, but orders for its production have not yet been found either in the archives of the tsarist departments or in the archives of the Provisional Government.
The first description of a winter headgear for all military branches was announced by order of the RVSR No. 116 of January 16, 1919. It was a helmet made of khaki cloth lined with cotton. The helmet cap consisted of six spherical triangles tapering upwards. At the top, a round plate 2 cm in diameter was sewn in, covered with the same cloth. In front, the helmet had a stitched oval visor, and in the back, a nape pad descending down with elongated ends, fastened under the chin with buttons. When folded, the backplate was fastened with loops on leather straps to two cap buttons covered with colored cloth. Above the visor, a cloth star with a diameter of 8.8 cm was sewn onto the helmet, in color according to the type of troops, outlined along the contour with a black edging (for a star made of black cloth, a red edging was provided). A cockade badge was attached to the center of the star.
A sample badge-cockade for headgear was established by order of the People's Commissar for Military Affairs on July 29, 1918 No. 594. It was made of yellow copper and had the shape of a five-pointed star with a crossed plow and hammer in the center (not to be confused with a hammer and sickle - this emblem appeared on military cockades in 1922). The front side of the badge was covered with red enamel. The outer ends of the star fit into a circle with a diameter of 36 mm, and the inner - 20 mm.

A cloth helmet with a quilted soft visor had a colored five-pointed star with colors according to the type of troops.
So, in the infantry they wore a crimson star on the helmet, in the cavalry - blue, in artillery - orange (the order refers to the "orange" color), in engineering and sapper troops - black, airplane pilots and balloonists - blue, border guards - traditionally green . The star had a black border; accordingly, a red border was introduced for the black star. The helmet was worn in cold weather. Of the three types of similar headdresses created for the Red Army, the cloth helmets of the Civil War were the tallest and had large stars.

By order of the RVSR No. 628 of April 8, 1919, the uniform of the Red Army soldiers was regulated for the first time. A summer shirt, infantry and cavalry overcoats (in the order they are called caftans) and a headdress were introduced. The headgear for the cold season was the newly approved and somewhat modernized cloth helmet. This sample was called "Budyonovka" - according to the division of S.M. Budyonny, in which he first appeared. The star of the winter headdress, in accordance with the new description, had a diameter of 10.5 cm and was 3.5 cm away from the visor.
Despite the introduction of uniform uniforms, until 1922 the troops were not fully provided with them, so many wore out the uniforms of the old Russian army, which remained in large quantities in warehouses or captured by the Red Army as trophies.
By order of the RVSR No. 322 of January 31, 1922, all previously established uniforms, with the exception of leather bast shoes, which still continued to exist, were canceled, and a single, strictly regulated form of clothing was introduced instead. A single cut of the overcoat, shirt and headdress was established.

("Budenovka" in architecture)

The summer helmet was part of the uniform of the Red Army for two years and was again replaced by a cap in May 1924, however, winter budyonovki continued to be used, having undergone changes in the style and color of the cloth in 1922, which became dark gray.

In connection with the change in the shape of the helmet, the diameter of the sewn-on star decreased (to 9.5 cm), and on April 13, 1922, the Red Army badge was changed, on which, instead of a plow and a hammer, they began to depict the official emblem of the workers' and peasants' state - the hammer and sickle. In 1926, the color of the helmet cloth was again changed from dark gray back to protective. With minor changes, Budyonovka continued to serve as the main winter headdress of the Red Army. In this form, she was caught by the Winter War, during which it suddenly turned out that in severe frost, Budyonovka keeps heat much worse than a hat with earflaps, in which the heads of Finnish soldiers were shod.

In those days, we called this earflap a Finn, and the Finns themselves called it simply turkislakki - a fur hat. It was she who decided to replace the Budenovka, but the replacement process dragged on, and many units fought in Budenovka in the first two and a half years of the war. Only when new uniforms with shoulder straps were introduced in the Red Army did Budyonovka finally disappear from the troops.

Let's make a reservation right away that the question of the origin of the headdress, later known as the Budyonovka and the rest of the uniform corresponding to it, is ambiguous and there are several points of view on it. An official position has taken root in Soviet military and historical literature, which says that the Budenovka (as well as the overcoat, tunic, etc., as discussed below) appeared in 1918 and was created specifically for the emerging Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army (RKKA). However, in modern historical, and especially popular science literature, the version that this uniform appeared around 1915 and was developed for the Victory Parade of the Russian Imperial Army in Berlin and Constantinople is practically not questioned. Let's try to understand this case.

The main argument of Soviet historians is the lack of documents that accurately indicate the creation of a new form under the tsarist government. And indeed it is. Such papers have not yet been found either in the military or in the civilian archives. At the same time, historians had at their disposal a complete set of documentation from 1918, allowing them to draw seemingly quite reliable conclusions. First of all, this is the order of the People's Commissar for Military Affairs No. 326 dated May 7, which spoke of the creation of a commission to develop a new form. It included famous Russian artists V.M. Vasnetsov, B.M. Kustodiev, M.D. Ezuchevsky, S. Arkadyevsky and others.

Sketches were accepted until June 10 of the same year, therefore, less than a month was allotted for everything. The same order indicated in some detail how the people's commissariat sees the new uniform. This is important, especially when coupled with extremely tight deadlines. It is also documented that already at the end of 1918 the first combat unit received a new form. It was a Red Guard detachment formed in Ivanovo-Voznesensk, which went to the Eastern Front to join the troops of Mikhail Frunze. And, by the way, they called the new headdress "Frunzevka" or "hero". The first cavalry army of Semyon Budyonny did not yet have a new uniform.

It would seem that everything is clear, but only at first glance. There is indirect, but quite documentary evidence. So, in the study of O.A. Vtorov “The Beginning of the Continuation. Russian Entrepreneurship and Russian Social Democracy” we read: “…A new uniform, sewn by N.A. Vtorov based on sketches by Vasily Vasnetsov. The uniform was sewn by order of the Court of His Imperial Majesty and was intended for the troops of the Russian army, in which she was to pass at the Victory Parade in Berlin. These were long-brimmed overcoats with “talks”, cloth helmets stylized as old Russian helmets, later known as “Budenovkas”, as well as sets of leather jackets with trousers, leggings and caps, intended for mechanized troops, aviation, crews of armored cars, armored trains and scooters. This uniform was transferred during the organization of the Cheka to the employees of this structure - the armed detachment of the party.

So, the first evidence is found. We note right away that this is not the only confirmation of the “imperial” version, it was also found in an émigré memoirist, but in Soviet Russia this source was neglected.

The second argument is metaphysical, which does not detract from its weight. The fact is that the style of the new form did not fit into the ideology of the revolutionary republic at all. Old Russian motifs, clearly seen in helmets or “heroic” hats, loose shirts, tunics and long overcoats with “talks” (cross-arrows-clasps), emphasized the national identity of the soldiers, which did not fit into the cosmopolitan concept of the world revolution. All the above documents are signed by L.D. Trotsky, who could not miss such a glaring inconsistency. By the way, the stars on Budyonovka were originally blue, but they were sewn with a red insert with a plow and a hammer. The sickle and hammer, as well as multi-colored (according to the types of troops) stars, appeared only in subsequent modifications of the form.

At the same time, the new form fits perfectly into the style of Vasily Vasnetsov's works. The singer of ancient Russian knights was, in fact, the creator of the heroic image, which is used in the concept of a new patriotic uniform. And there is enough evidence that the artist was engaged in the development of military uniforms. Note that the authorship of V. Vasnetsov is not rejected by Soviet military historians either, they only transfer the moment of the creation of the form to a later time.

There is also a purely economic aspect. Was it really possible in a country devastated by the war and disorganized by the revolution to sew a sufficient number of sets of new uniforms in just a few months? It looks like a utopia. As well as the fact that in a month it was possible to develop the concept of uniforms and almost immediately bring the idea to industrial production. You need to understand what the technical conditions and speed of information transfer were in 1918.

Most likely, the form really already existed, and the commission only approved it and finalized it. Apparently, this was more related to symbolism, and not to an ideological concept. Trotsky chose the lesser evil - he, in fact, had no other option. Or use what was in the warehouses, or even do without new uniforms, as the people's commissar himself originally proposed to do. And the story with the commission and the competition was invented in order to break the chain of historical continuity, because it is useless for the soldiers and commanders of the Red Army to flaunt in overcoats sewn for the triumph of the imperial troops. And the lack of documents is probably due to this. Mentions could be destroyed so as not to discredit the new revolutionary mythology, of which the legendary Budyonovka became a part. By the way, the name of Trotsky himself was also almost completely erased from the archives of the Red Army.

So, apparently, the uniform invented for the Victory Parade in the Great War really existed. It was created by order of the Court of His Imperial Majesty around 1915-1916. The ideological concept was developed by the artist Vasily Vasnetsov, perhaps someone else helped him in technical matters. The uniform was sewn by the concern M.A. Vtorova in Siberian factories and was stored in army warehouses. It seems that the number of sets of the new uniform was not large, which could indicate its ceremonial character. Indirectly, this is also evidenced by the fact that in practice the new form did not show itself brilliantly and after 20 years was completely out of use.

The last episode was the Finnish war, after which Budyonovkas were finally replaced with fur hats with earflaps, and overcoats with quilted jackets and sheepskin coats.

The fate of the form turned out to be unenviable, although it could have been glorious. And, you see, it is very symbolic. Vasnetsov's form repeated the history of the whole country redrawn by the revolution: instead of an early victory and peace, we got a long-term civil war with millions of new victims. And the triumphant "hero" of the Russian soldiers remained in the people's memory as the Red Banner "Budenovka".

The historical processes of social and social development have always been accompanied by "revolutionary changes" in the space of everyday life. First of all, it concerns fashion, in the context of “how”, and most importantly, “what” and “who” wore. The reason is simple - a change in the appearance of people of a particular "epoch", spiritual, moral and moral values ​​as a result of historical transformations of being. At the same time, acting as an integral part of the historical process of human development, fashion has always become a kind of specific “symbol” of a particular era, thus characterizing “its time”. The image of Russia during the revolutionary turning point of the early twentieth century through the practice of everyday life is curious not only to the layman, but also to the modern generation of researchers of national history.

The fashion for revolution at the beginning of the 20th century in Russia logically leads to a “revolution” in fashion itself. The result will be new elements of clothing and the practice of wearing it, which in turn will act as iconic symbols of the changes that took place in 1917 in the history of Russia. At the same time, if in pre-revolutionary times the main fashion trends were reflected in the especially well-to-do strata of society - the top of the nobility and merchants, then after the events of October 1917 they can be successfully traced by the clothes of the highest party circles and the clothes of the proletariat. The main iconic symbols of the space of everyday life and fashion in the first post-revolutionary years in Russia were: a leather jacket - “leather jacket”, “Budyonovka”, a Lenin cap, red women's scarves. The main face of the October Revolution of 1917, the leader of the Bolsheviks V.I. Lenin, despite his noble origin, dressed like a proletarian.

An ordinary three-piece suit, a tie, a double-breasted coat, a French-style cap with a visor, which undoubtedly became one of the symbols of the era of revolutionary changes in Russia. We emphasize that the “Lenin cap” was extremely popular in the party circles of that time and gradually went out of fashion only after the death of the leader. was simple and unpretentious in everyday life and clothes, his style was most likely followed by his sister Maria. In 1920, K. Zetkin writes that “... Lenin seemed to me unchanged, almost not aged, I could swear that he was wearing the same modest, carefully cleaned jacket that I saw on him when we first met in 1907 ." . In the light of this, let us pay attention to the image of V.I. Lenina N.K. Krupskaya. In our opinion, she was not fond of fashion and, like Lenin, did not care at all about her appearance.

She usually wore baggy coats, dark, tightly buttoned dresses, usually cut off at the waist, with a stand-up collar or a placket at the chest. According to the memoirs of Clara Zetkin, her hair was smoothly combed back, gathered at the back of her head. The contrasting opposite of N.K. Krupskaya stands Inessa Armand. She prefers clothes that are elegant, discreet, very expensive, with beautiful details. So in a letter to Clara Zetkin, she writes: “Today I washed my jabot and lace collars myself. You will scold me for my frivolity, but the laundresses are so spoiled, and I have beautiful lace, which I would not like to see torn. I washed it all this morning, and now I have to iron them. The main marker of the fashion of the period under review was leather and “budyonovka”. The leather jackets of the red commissars are not just a symbol of the "new power", but also a kind of marker of the privileged position of their "master". The main peak of their popularity falls on 1917 - the first half of the 1920s. At the same time, we note that leather uniforms appeared in Russia at the very beginning of the 20th century, the cut of which was based on a French double-breasted jacket. In imperial Russia, drivers and pilots mainly had such a uniform.

Historians are of the opinion that the leather jackets issued to the Chekists as uniforms were sewn during the First World War and accidentally discovered in the royal warehouses after the revolution. Later, Soviet employees and Komsomol activists tried to get such jackets in order to outwardly indicate their involvement in the new government. The leather jacket rightfully became a symbol of the new power and the unbending will of the leaders of the revolution, Chekists and party members. The costume was complemented by breeches, high boots, a belt, a peaked cap, a cap or a Budyonovka. There are several versions about the origin of "Budenovka". "Budenovka" was approved either in 1918 on the basis of a competition held by the new Soviet government, or appeared in tsarist Russia and was developed for the parade of the imperial army. Many researchers adhere to the middle position - the idea of ​​“budenovka” (then called “bogatyrka”) really appeared before the revolution, but was approved as a military headdress and became widespread only after 1918.

Proof of this is the absence of historical documents of the imperial period on "Budenovka", and their presence in the post-revolutionary period. So, there is a resolution of the Revolutionary Military Council, which describes the new headgear: “The headgear consists of a cap in the shape of a head, tapering to the top and looking like a helmet, and a back-plate and a visor that fold back. The cap consists of six equal-sized pieces of uniform khaki cloth in the shape of an isosceles spherical triangle, stitched together on the sides so that the vertices of the triangle converge at the top in the center of the cap, and the top of the cap is blunted.

A round plate covered with cloth, about 2 centimeters in diameter, is sewn into the top of the cap. In front of the cap of the headgear, symmetrically with respect to the visor, a five-pointed star made of colored cloth is sewn with its sharp end up. In the center of the star, a badge-cockade of the established sample with cherry-colored enamel is strengthened.

The first "bogatyr" was put on by the Red Army men who entered the detachment of M.V. Frunze, so it is often also called "Frunze" (see the figure at the beginning of the article). Note that later a winter version of the “bogatyrka” appeared, which received the nickname “Budyonovka” - according to the division of S.M. Budyonny, in which he first appeared.

Of great importance in the color scheme of clothes of revolutionary everyday life of the period 1917-1920s. acquired the color of the banner of the revolution - red. Men wore soldier's tunics with wide leather belts (if available), service jackets, satin dark blouses with city jackets. Women wore dresses made of soldier's cloth or canvas, straight skirts, riding breeches, chintz blouses and jackets, red scarves and scarves, with a knot at the back of the head. The floral pattern of factory fabric was replaced by a proletarian one - geometric shapes, gears, tractors, "hammer and sickle". Thus, the revolutionary events in Russia in 1917 were directly embodied in the form of clothing of the representatives of the “new government”, which replaced the monarchical system. Having completed the transition "from the tsarist to the Soviet", she created the unique charm of the "new" political force - the "Reds", highlighting it from the general mass. At the same time, the fashion of 1917 is also a “calling card”, which gave a clear idea to the people of the “old regime” and the enemies of the revolution about “what kind of person” is standing in front of you and whose time has come.

Literature 1. "Bogatyrka", "Frunzevka", "Budenovka". URL: http://www.istpravda.ru/artifacts/ (date of access: 02/27/2018). 2. Zakharzhevskaya R.V. Costume History: From Antiquity to the Present. M.: RIPOL classic, 2005. 288 p. 3. Costume of the Soviet period (1917-1980). URL: http://afield.org.ua/mod3/mod83_1.html (date of access: 27.02.2018). 4. Horoshilova O. Young and beautiful: Fashion of the twenties. URL: https://fictionbook.ru/author/olga_horoshilova/_html (date of access: 02/27/2018). 5. Zetkin K. Memories of Lenin. URL: http://e-libra.ru/read/247749-vospominaniya-o-lenine.html (date of access: 02/27/2018).

O.A. Yermolova