Figure 1.--Sovier-era children wore white long stockings when dressing up. For casual wear brown shades (both light and dark) were commonly worn. There was one other color for stockings - grey. Here is an illustration showingthe different colors of long stockinfs. It is from the book "Musical ABC" (Moscow, 1968). The inscription means "We will sing from music". This book was published a year or so tights becanme available in the Soviet Union and quickly replaced long stockings. Often it is difficult to differentiate tights and stockings, but the illustrator here has gone out of theie way to make it clear that the children were wearing long stockings.

We do not yet have much information on the long stocking colors. Long stockings were worn from the mid-19th to the mid-20th century. Our information on the 19th century, including the colors, is very llimited. We know very little about the mod-19th century. We believe that black was the principal color in the late-19th century and early-20th century Both boys and girls wote these colors. Notice the grey stockings in the school book depiction on the previous page. We see a 1960 Russian film depicting contemporary schoolboys clothes wearing light brown or tan long stockings. We note that white seems to have been popular for formal occassions. Girls commonly wore white stockings. Younger boys might wear white long stockings for forml occassions. This trend continued when tights replaced long stockings. A good example is an unidentified children's choir in the 1970s.

Chronology

We do not know a great deal about the color of long stockings in Russia during the 19th century, but suspect trends were similar to Germany. Black long stockings were worn in the late-19th and early-20th century, although our information is still limited. After World war I we begin to see lighter shades such as tan and grey. During the early Soviet era our information is limited, but we have more information by the 1930s. A reader tells us that fashions did not change much during the Soviet era. A factor here of course was that the Soviet economy was not stuctured to respond to consumer demand. A Russian reader writes, "It wasn't common for USSR to change things as rapidly as in the west. For example the typical primary schoolboys suits almost hadn't changed since 1940s till late 1960s. Shades of brown were main for casual wear stockings. The grey stiockings may have been imports from Polabd or Wast Germany."

Specific Colors

We have collected information on specific colors used for long stockings. A Russian reader tells us, The primary color only color for the causal children stockings during the Soviet era, both for boys and girls, was different shades of brown, from dark to light. The only other color used for play wear was grey. For dressy outfit white stockings were used. I have never seen other colors of stockings in Soviet movies, books, magazines or photos. Brown or to a lesser extent grey for everyday wear, white for dressy. Unlike Europe, black was not worn for formal wear."

Black

We do not yet have much information on the long stocking colors. Long stockings were worn from the mod-19th to the mid-20th century. Our information on the 19th century, including the colors, is very llimited. We believe that black was the principal color in the late-19th century and early 20th century, although our information is still limited.

Brown Shades

After World war I we begin to see dark stockings as well as lighter shades. During the early Soviet era our information is limited, but we have more information by the 1930s. And the dominant shade is brown. Russian reader tells us, The primary color only color for the causal children stockings during the Soviet era, both for boys and girls, was different shades of brown, from dark to light. The only other color used for play wear was grey. For dressy outfit white stockings were used. I have never seen other colors of stockings in Soviet movies, books, magazines or photos. Brown or to a lesser extent grey for everyday wear, white for dressy. Unlike Europe, black was not worn for formal wear." Both boys and girls wore these colors. We see a 1960 Russian film depicting contemporary schoolboys clothes wearing light brown or tan long stockings.

Grey

While the dominant color during the Soviet wra was brown, grey was also worn. Both colors were worn for casual wear, play, and school. Notice the grey stockings in the school book depiction on the previous page. A Russian reader writes, "I remember an old calendar I had seen twice in a friend's home. At that time I had no camera or scanner to take a shot. And later, when I purchased a camera, my friend couldn't find this calendar. Here I describe what I remember. It was a small color photgraph with a boy about 10-11 years old enlisting in the Young Pioneers organization. He is still without his Young Pioneer scarfe and he is kneeling and kissing the flag of the Pioneer squad just right after saying his oath. Older boys and girls near a flag greet that boy with a Young Pioneer salute. The boy wears black sneakers, light-grey long stockings and a darker short pants suit with shorts well above the knee, and a white shirt. His hair is cut very short." Notice that several children here in a 1968 school book are depicted wearing grey stockings (figure 1). The illustration suggests that grey was the diminasnt color, but Russian readers tell us that brown shades were more commom. Our Russian reader writes, "Here I risk a guess. The grey stockings may have been imported from Eastern Europe (Poland, Czechoslovakia, or East Germany). So in USSR they may hve been seen as s something really special and cool (as we say nowdays). I am not sure - but recall some thing that may have been similar about our Pioneer scarves." So I suppose that grey stockings that kids in USSR wore were imported from abroad, that's why they are met so seldom in photos and movies.

White

We note that white seems to have been popular for formal occassions. Girls commonly wore white stockings. Younger boys might wear white long stockings for forml occassions. This trend continued when tights replaced long stockings. A good example is an unidentified children's choir in the 1970s.

Tights

There were no other colors used for long stockings. Tights replaced long stockings in the early-1970s. Russian boys wore tights of many varied colors. The colors seem to have been similar to the colors of the long stockings boys wore before tights appeared. There does, however, appear to have been a much wider range of colors for tights. Very young boys did not care much what color tights they wore and some images show them wearing bright colors or white tights. Older boys developed clear preferences. The most common colors for school age boys were the more subdued, low-saturation colors such as dark brown, light brown, beige and gray. These were the same colors that long stockings that boy had worn before the 1960s. When tights became available in the 1960s the same colors were worn. These colors were worn for school, playground, and home. Some vry young pre-school boys might wear the brighter colors or white like girls might wore. After the began school, however, they wanted the more subdued colors that the older boys wore. With tights replaced long stockings, colors became much more varied. Children tights with patterns and pictures emerged in the 1990s.