Stalin’s Curves of Post-War Lviv Fashion

The goal of the work is to determine the place of fashion in the urban everyday life of Lviv against the background of the formation of the Teds’ subculture in the city based on available historiography, periodicals, and archival sources, and to study the post-war state of Lviv fashion, the level of providing citizens with clothes and shoes in conditions of shortage. Methodology. The cause-and-effect method was used during the research, allowing analysis of the social atmosphere of the city after the Bolsheviks’ return and its influence on Lviv residents' fashion. The hardships of war and consequent changes in the national character formed a new social conglomerate in Lviv with different fashion preferences. This method partially reconstructed contemporary fashion preferences of Lviv residents and facilitated relevant generalizations. Comparative and systematic methods were employed to compare and structure the changes implemented by the Bolsheviks, enhancing the portrayal of the «Lviv fashionista» during late Stalinist times. Information on the formation of Lviv’s subculture was attributed and the image of the stylish Lviv resident reconstructed using heuristic methods. Scientific novelty. For the first time, special emphasis is placed on the formation of the Soviet model school in the city, on the works of Lviv fashion designers, and on the establishment of the Lviv House of Fashion. The study highlights the significant role of model shops in department stores and the «Miskpromtorh» plant in providing citizens with new clothing models. The author focuses on the peculiarities and circumstances surrounding the development of a new, somewhat simplified bourgeois type in Lviv, with its own rules and traditions for selecting and arranging clothing. This type differed from the previous Galician fashion preferences, which were now less prevalent among the population. Conclusions. The clothing preferences of Lviv residents evolved from a «military style» in the 1940’s, characterized by extensive use of fur, to a relatively free «zoot» style in the 1950’s. This style featured long, baggy jackets, wide trousers, «troikas», and sportswear. Lviv fashion was significantly influenced by the introduction of kapron synthesis in the early 1950’s, marketed under the trademark «Kapron». Despite its high lipophilicity, tendency to yellow quickly, and loss of elasticity, nylon stockings gained increasing popularity and soon became a staple in women’s wardrobes. Popular shoe styles included pull-on and side-to-side boots for men, «Derby» shoes, «Parko» shoes, «Ago» shoes, and galoshes. Women favored «boat» shoes, «Romanian shoes», and «sports shoes», while children wore «husarikis» and «pinettes». Women’s haircuts such as «corolla», «waves», «big curls», and «permanent» were popular in Lviv during the early 1940’s. By the 1950’s, a stylish subculture emerged in Lviv, reflective of trends across the USSR. The term «Teds» (Styliagy) became established in Lviv by the mid-1950s; prior to this, fashion enthusiasts were known as «frants», «pizhons», «frayras», and «fifas». These terms referred mainly to young people from party and economic elites who stood out in appearance and behavior. The image of a Ted (styliaga), a «frant», or a «pizhon» diverged from Soviet norms of morality and behavior, leading to condemnation by the authorities.