Figure 1.--Here is the main character (small daddy) in the climatic scene with the ball and bus. We thought the boys in the film were wearing tights, but one reader thinks they may be wearing long stockings.

Most of the boys in the film seem to be wearing short-sleeve shirts and long pants even though the weather seems warm. One boy wears short pants and what look to be tights. The main character, "daddy", the boy being teased, wears suspender shorts with tights. A reader writes about the image on the previous page, "Notice that the boy at the extreme right in this photo wears grey long stockings or perhaps tights. Tights were common in Russia but long stockings persisted well into the 1970s for reasons of economy and flexibility (the ability to wear them down or up depending on the weather)." Small Daddy, the main character, seen here also seems to be wearing grey tights. A reader tells us that he may be wearing long stockings becaue when he bends over a bit the clasps holding up long stockings can be seen (figure 1). This is a little unclear, especially because one of the clasps seems to be on the hem of the shorts. Actuall clasps would be under the shorts. So we are a lottle unsure about this. A factor to be considered concerning long stockings and tights was that it probably took Russian manufacturers a while to shift from long stockings to tights. Soviet state-owned industry did not adjust as rapidly to consumer demand as industry did in the West. The question of consumer demand is an interesting one. We are not sure to what extent conservative consumers continued to want long stockings. Our basic assessment is that long stockings were rapidly replaced by tights by the mid-70s. A Russian reader writes, "You note correct, that it is almost impossible to fulfil in a moment demands of such a huge market as whole USSR. So, tights first appeared in the early-60s in Moscow and Leningrad and began to replace long stockings. From capitals tights fashion spread onto big cities, later - on smaller towns and villages. As a children wear, tights replaced long stockings totally to mid-70s." A Russian reader tells us, "I have serious doubts that in 1979 somebody used long stockings. I remember that time very well. Boys and girls all wore tights. Long stockings were no longer worn."

Created: 4:31 PM 4/8/2009
Last updated: 5:29 PM 4/9/2009