On March 17, the exhibition project “Fashion of the 1960s” will be opened at the Sixtiers Museum, a branch of the Museum of Kyiv History. During the reign of any government, any season and at any age people wanted to look good. l. But fashion never stops. It always depends on traditions, historical circumstances, but the main issue is always availability in stores. 

City dwellers always seemed well-off, but in reality their well-being entirely depended on the shops’ assortment and their own purchasing power. Before 1917, the wealthy traveled across Europe, looking to Paris — the unquestionable arbiter of fashion. Fashion meant choice, novelty, individuality.

With the arrival of Soviet Government, everything changed. Relatively well-off were mainly representatives of the party nomenklatura.
Most people wore out old clothes and altered garments as best they could. The authorities proclaimed a rejection of “Bourgeois remnants,” and along with a new way of life came a new silhouette: work trousers, overalls, simple loose-cut dresses, massive jackets, leather coats. Decoration disappeared — bows, ruffles, and lace gave way to restraint and functionality. Beauty was meant to be modest and practical.

There was a catastrophic shortage of industrial goods. Clothing and footwear were distributed according to a card system – sometimes one coat was worn for eight years, and a pair of shoes for five. In 1917–1921 (when Ukraine was fighting for statehood), in 1929–1935, and in 1941–1947, during World War II and the post-war hardship, shortages became part of everyday life. Soviet women sewed from whatever was at hand: curtains, tablecloths, towels, soldiers’ cloth. And yet, even in these conditions, they strove for elegance. In the 1930s, the fitted silhouette returned, although clothing became increasingly standardized.

From the 1950s, during the so-called “Khrushchev Thaw,” the situation gradually changed. The variety of fabrics, accessories, footwear, and household goods increased. Houses of Models operated in Kyiv, Lviv, Odesa, and Dnipropetrovsk — bold ideas were born there, and shows were held. But the path from the runway to the factory was long. During the launch into production, designs were simplified: every meter of fabric and every technological operation was counted. As a result, the mass consumer received restrained, often uniform clothing made from the most accessible materials.
This exhibition is about fashion between dream and opportunity. About creativity in times of scarcity. About women who could create a dress even from a curtain. About designers whose sketches lived a brighter life than factory series. And about how the desire to be beautiful is stronger than any system.