I do my little turn on the catwalk...

June 30, 2012 3:09 PM

Rio Wang has posted a fantastic 1892 photo album of Russian army fashions.
posted by gman (23 comments total)

These are spectacular. Even though I immediately thought of this old Wendy's commercial when I read the link text.
posted by radwolf76 at 3:26 PM on June 30, 2012

Even someone as doomed as Nicholas II looked good in the right hat cocked at a jaunty angle.
posted by Halloween Jack at 3:37 PM on June 30, 2012 [3 favorites]

Awesome boots throughout. The way they bunch at the ankles.
posted by Trochanter at 3:45 PM on June 30, 2012 [1 favorite]

They didn't go halfway with their beards, did they?
posted by Forktine at 4:04 PM on June 30, 2012

They didn't go halfway with their beards, did they?

Thos were the days! Men were real men, Hats were real hats, and facial hair, by God, was real facial hair! Those guys were not fucking around. Well, once it got to fighting, they kind of were, being poorly equipped and led, but they had their standards.
posted by GenjiandProust at 4:12 PM on June 30, 2012 [8 favorites]

So much better if that silly mouseover-to-view was replaced with a simple click. I did like the uniform with the massive star on the chest and eagle sculpture on the helmet.

"Quick here they come, hide..."

"NEVER!"
posted by the noob at 5:09 PM on June 30, 2012 [1 favorite]

Such impressive uniforms. But one of these things is not like the other ...foreign conscript, maybe.

Great gallery, gman, thanks. Rio Wang is consistently one of my favorite blogs, full of treasures.

Here is an interesting gallery of civilians - a decade or two earlier, but of the era: cartes-de-visite showing Russian 'types.'
posted by madamjujujive at 5:30 PM on June 30, 2012 [2 favorites]

When I saw this, I thought of And One's "Military Fashion Show" (perfect runway music).
posted by oneswellfoop at 5:47 PM on June 30, 2012

oneswellfoop, I thought of Russian Dancing Men. I censored that thought, but as long as we are scoring I will throw that in too.
posted by madamjujujive at 6:17 PM on June 30, 2012

Ah, shiny-tight-tall boots, I'd be unmarried today without your help... good thing girls got fetishes, too.
posted by Slap*Happy at 9:14 PM on June 30, 2012

Oh to grow facial hair like that in today's corporate environment.
posted by arcticseal at 9:16 PM on June 30, 2012 [3 favorites]

That was fantastic. Cheers.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 12:14 AM on July 1, 2012

Amazing stuff. If I were doing a role-playing game set in 1890s Russia (in the vein of Warhammer), I would steal the shit out these images. So many dead trades. So many trades that require putting goods up on your hat. Lamplighters! A perfect glance into a dead world.
posted by LucretiusJones at 12:42 AM on July 1, 2012

Of course, I am referring to the combo of all of the above, with special reference to Madamjujujive's post, which is supplementarily amazingly awesome.
posted by LucretiusJones at 12:45 AM on July 1, 2012

I find it interesting how stereotypically Asian many of them look; the Soviet era seems to have erased a lot of the diversity from Russia—or, at least, its public image. Chernenko is the only major Soviet leader who I can remember who had the same Siberian look. Were there any others?
posted by sonic meat machine at 6:07 AM on July 1, 2012

madamjujujive: that soldier is wearing his regiment's original uniform, at its foundation in 1683. He's a historical historical re-enacter, if you will.
posted by Monday, stony Monday at 7:44 AM on July 1, 2012 [2 favorites]

Don't get me wrong, big medals are cool, but... for fuck's sake, man!
posted by Ice Cream Socialist at 2:54 PM on July 1, 2012

He's clearly a believer in if you've got it, flaunt it.
posted by arcticseal at 3:24 PM on July 1, 2012

Damn skippy! And that hood ornament on his head, how big was the Rolls he stole it from?
posted by Ice Cream Socialist at 3:29 PM on July 1, 2012

Excellent link! Definitely going to send images out to friends who need costume references.

Some of my favourites:

Drummer with drums on either side of his handsome grey horse. See how the reins are attached to the stirrups so he can steer with his feet?

An Oremburg Cossack officer tightly clutching his sabre and whip. The face is handsome, but the eyes make me wonder what he's seen.

Grand Duchess Vladimir and her children mounted on their fine horses and ponies. The women are in sidesaddle riding habits, complete with top hats; the elder daughter on her dapple grey seems to hide in the background. The caption notes only the names of the sons, Boris (already a junior officer, it seems) and André(?). Boris's horse appears to be caught in mid-snort.

Also, dancing.
posted by Pallas Athena at 8:23 PM on July 1, 2012

After some Googling, I'm guessing that the above Grand Duchess Vladimir is Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. But she had only one daughter, Elena: the young girl in the foreground. The other girl is in the background because she isn't family. But who is she, and why is she in the photo? A ward? A visiting relative? A mystery.
posted by Pallas Athena at 9:31 PM on July 1, 2012

I find it interesting how stereotypically Asian many of them look; the Soviet era seems to have erased a lot of the diversity from Russia—or, at least, its public image.

Yeah, I know what you mean. Given the military standards of the age, the "Eastern-ness" of their uniforms has such flash. And the Cossacks get issued like an entire campaign's worth of cigars in convenient coat-front slots.

Because, you know... they're out on horseback far away from the main column and get get resupplied w/ stogies easily.
posted by Pirate-Bartender-Zombie-Monkey at 8:09 PM on July 2, 2012

ACK! get get = can't get
posted by Pirate-Bartender-Zombie-Monkey at 8:10 PM on July 2, 2012