Shaking up the streets

[click to enlarge]

I got these photos from a post on English Russia, across which initially came my dad. And I was really glad to see these LIFE magazine shots from the streets of Moscow in, I guess, 1950's. The models are wearing Dior which wasn't even dreamt of in the USSR. Look at the reaction of the Soviet women. It's interesting that you won't only find curiosity, sometimes delight and jealousy but also disapproval in some expressions.

Whatever women did in the USSR to create their own sense of fashion amongst those boring items of clothing made in their native country. Fashion wasn't cultivated due to the shortage of imported clothing. Everything else was if not identical, quite lame, to be honest. This, however, made many women sew at home and create their own fashion from scratch.

One Soviet actress of the 1950's was known to paint her shoes with nail varnish to make them look like she had many pairs instead of one only pair. That's what deficiency can lead to.