What is the collar worn by sailors called? Sewing dictionary: what is a sailor collar. How did guy appear?

On August 19, Russia celebrates the birthday of the Russian vest. It was on this day in 1874, on the initiative of Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich Romanov Emperor Alexander II signed a decree on the introduction of a new uniform, by which a vest (a special “underwear” shirt) was introduced as part of the mandatory uniform of a Russian sailor.

Workers of the sea and river fleet have their professional holiday annually on the first Sunday of July.

How the vest used to look, what the stripes are like and what their color means, see the infographics from AiF.ru.

History of the vest

The vest appeared during the heyday of the sailing fleet in Brittany (France), presumably in the 17th century.

The vests had a boat neckline and three-quarter sleeves and were white with dark blue stripes. In Europe at that time, striped clothes were worn by social outcasts and professional executioners. But for Breton sailors, according to one version, a vest was considered lucky clothing for sea voyages.

In Russia, the tradition of wearing vests began to take shape, according to some sources, in 1862, according to others, in 1866. Instead of narrow jackets with uncomfortable stand-up collars, Russian sailors began to wear comfortable flannel Dutch shirts with a cutout on the chest. Under the shirt, an undershirt was worn - a vest.

At first, vests were issued only to participants of long-distance hikes and were a source of special pride. As one of the reports of that time says: “lower ranks... mainly wore them on Sundays and holidays when going ashore... and in all cases when it was necessary to be smartly dressed...”. The vest was finally established as part of the uniform by an order signed on August 19, 1874 Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich. This day can be considered the birthday of the Russian vest.

The vest has a great advantage over other underwear shirts. Fitting the body tightly, it does not interfere with free movement during work, retains heat well, is convenient to wash, and dries quickly in the wind.

This type of light sea clothing has not lost its importance today, although sailors now rarely have to climb the shrouds. Over time, the vest came into use in other branches of the military, although in few places it is an official part of the uniform. However, this item of clothing is used both in the ground forces and even in the police.

Why is the vest striped and what does the color of the stripes mean?

The blue and white transverse stripes of the vests corresponded to the colors of the Russian naval St. Andrew's flag. In addition, sailors dressed in such shirts were clearly visible from the deck against the background of the sky, sea and sails.

The tradition of making stripes multi-colored was strengthened in the 19th century - the color determined whether a sailor belonged to a particular flotilla. After the collapse of the USSR, the colors of the vest stripes were “distributed” among the various branches of the military.

What does the color of the stripes on the vest mean:

• black: submarine forces and marines;
• cornflower blue: presidential regiment and FSB special forces;
• light green: border troops;
• light blue: Airborne Forces;
• maroon: Ministry of Internal Affairs;
• orange: Ministry of Emergency Situations.

What is guy?

In the navy, a guy is called a collar that is tied over the uniform. The real meaning of the word "guys" (from the Dutch geus - "flag") is a naval flag. The flag is raised daily on the bow of ships of the 1st and 2nd ranks during anchorage from 8 a.m. to sunset.

The history of the appearance of the guy is quite prosaic. In the Middle Ages in Europe, men wore long hair or wigs, and sailors wore their hair in ponytails and braids. To protect against lice, hair was smeared with tar. To prevent tar from staining their clothes, the sailors covered their shoulders and back with a protective leather collar, which could be easily wiped clean from dirt.

Over time, the leather collar was replaced with a fabric one. Long hairstyles are a thing of the past, but the tradition of wearing a collar remains. In addition, after the abolition of wigs, a square cloth collar was used for insulation - in cold windy weather it was tucked under clothes.

Why are there three stripes on the butt?

There are several versions of the origin of the three stripes on the butt. According to one of them, three stripes symbolize three major victories of the Russian fleet:

• at Gangut in 1714;
• at Chesma in 1770;
• at Sinop in 1853.

It should be noted that sailors from other countries also have stripes on their butts, the origin of which is explained in a similar way. Most likely, this repetition occurred as a result of borrowing the form and legend. It is not known for certain who first invented stripes.

According to another legend, the founder of the Russian fleet Peter I there were three squadrons. The first squadron had one white stripe on its collars. The second has two stripes, and the third, especially close to Peter, has three stripes. Thus, the three stripes began to mean that the naval guard was especially close to Peter.

In the entire history of children's fashion, there was, perhaps, no costume more popular than the sailor suit. For many decades, it was worn by boys and girls in different countries and on different continents. Having appeared in the middle of the 19th century, the children's sailor suit has survived to this day without undergoing fundamental changes. Let's see how he did it.

Franz Xaver Winterhalter, portrait of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales. 1846

In 1846, the British Navy reformed the official uniform of its sailors. In honor of this event, Queen Victoria dressed her four-year-old son Albert Edward in a small sailor suit. In this form, the future King Edward VII rode with his mother on a yacht. Since royal families have always been trendsetters, the style demonstrated by the heir to the throne quickly became popular. Moreover, this demonstration did not remain an isolated incident: both the future king and his younger brothers began to wear a sailor suit regularly. The portrait of the heir in a new outfit, painted by Franz Xaver Winterhalter, also greatly contributed to the popularity of the sailor suit. Thanks to numerous group and individual portraits by this court artist, one can generally get an idea of ​​how members of Queen Victoria’s family dressed.

There were other reasons for the growing popularity of the sailor suit. First, patriotism: the British were very proud of their fleet, because it was thanks to it that Great Britain became a rich and influential empire. Secondly, with the development of railway communication, trips to the sea coast have become popular.

It is important to note here that both boys and adult men from the upper strata of society did not wear long, ankle-length trousers until the 19th century. For a long time, this style was characteristic only of the clothes of working people and the suits of sailors. Then, gradually, long trousers entered the everyday wardrobe of every man, rising from the lower strata of society to the highest.

Gabrielle Chanel in a sailor suit and trousers, 1928 ©fashionel.mk

Duchess of Cambridge Catherine during a visit to Canada in 2012 ©express.co.uk

The nautical style with its white color, blue stripes, braid and copper buttons has penetrated not only children's, but also adult fashion. Such costumes were very popular for beach holidays and yacht trips. The nautical theme in clothing has remained extremely fashionable for more than half a century and has not lost its relevance to this day. Low-waisted summer dresses with sailor collars were popular in the 1920s. Around the same time, Coco Chanel, inspired by the outfits of Breton fishermen, introduced a vest and flared wide trousers into fashion. Stylized sailor dresses were worn by Hollywood divas Jean Harlow, Bette Davis and Ginger Rogers. The nautical theme appears especially often in the works of fashion designer Ralph Lauren: these can be striped tights, double-breasted blazers with braid and gilded buttons, wide blouses with a sailor collar. Children's sailor suits are also produced under the Ralph Lauren brand. The British royal family also adheres to this style. For example, the Duchess of Cambridge Catherine wore a white knit dress with a sailor collar from Alexander McQueen during a visit to Canada in 2012.

Since the 1870s, the sailor suit has become one of the most popular options for children's costumes in Europe - and not only for boys, but also for girls. Blouses, the main distinguishing detail of which was a large sailor collar, were of similar styles, only boys wore them with wide trousers, and girls wore them with pleated skirts. Most often, the stripes on sailor suits were blue or blue, but sometimes other colors were used, for example, dark red. With a sailor suit they wore a cap decorated with ribbons or a straw hat.

The flat straw hat with a wide brim even got the name “sailor hat”. Similar hats were worn by sailors before the cap became standard in 1921. And the “sea hat” moved into the everyday wardrobe of women and children. It also made its mark in the world of high fashion: the sailor hat was an important attribute of several Chanel collections.

Cotton suit by Peter Thomson. 1902 ©metmuseum.org

In the United States, since about 1900, sailor suits from Peter Thomson, who owned clothing businesses in New York and Philadelphia, have come into fashion. They were sewn in summer and winter versions: in the first case, from cotton or linen, in the second, from wool. Examples of the Thomson Dress, for both women and children of both sexes, are now kept in several American museums, including the Metropolitan Costume Institute. The sailor suit was actively worn in Australia and in general in all British colonies.

It is noteworthy that when creating children's costumes, not only the general idea of ​​a naval uniform was used, but its smallest details were copied. For example, in the popular ladies' magazine The Ladies "Home (published in the USA from 1883 to the present day) one could find detailed instructions on embroidering eagles, anchors and stars on sailor suits for boys and girls. Following their owners, they also dressed up in sailor suits dolls and teddy bears.

School fashion in Japan, early 20s of the 20th century. ©japanblog.su

Once in Asia, the style became popular there too. So much so that many schools in Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore and Thailand have adopted school uniforms based on the uniforms of British sailors. It became most widespread in Japan, where most schoolgirls still wear sailor suits. This form is called seifuku (sailor fuku). It is believed that it was first introduced by the private girls' school Heian Jogakuin (St. Agnes School) in Kyoto. This happened in 1920.

Heir Tsarevich Alexei and Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia at a picnic. 1908 ©pinterest.com

The upper echelons of society in the Russian Empire followed European fashion, and the fashion for the sailor suit was no exception. The son and daughters of the last Russian Emperor Nicholas II wore sailor suits, as evidenced by surviving photographs of the royal family.

The sailor suit has taken root well in popular culture. It was worn by popular cartoon characters such as Donald Duck. The Vienna Boys' Choir, dating back to the 15th century, uses the sailor suit as a costume for performances. In Asia, variations of the sailor suit are widely worn by heroes of Japanese films, anime, manga, as well as pop stars working for a teenage audience. In general, by the end of the 20th century, the sailor suit finally began to be considered a children’s/teenage costume; its elements are rarely found in adult clothing.

The incredible popularity and durability of the sailor suit may be explained by the fact that this costume was equally liked by both children and adults, and such unanimity is rare. Even the most conservative and strict people did not see anything provocative or obscene in this outfit; moreover, sailor suits were practical to wear. At the same time, this costume was bright, unusual and comfortable enough to appeal to children.

cover: The family of Nicholas II on the imperial yacht “Standard”. 1906 ©liveinternet.ru

illustrations: Victoria Boyko

Compared to other states, the Russian fleet does not have such a long history. The British and Dutch, the Spaniards and the Portuguese began exploring the seas much earlier than the Russians, locked either by ice in the north or in the “Swedish lake,” as the Baltic Sea was called until the 18th century.

Key changes have occurred since the famous decision of the Boyar Duma “there will be sea vessels.” The decision to create a fleet, initiated by Peter I, became one of the turning points in Russian history. And, of course, the sailors had to have special clothing, which has survived to this day as the Navy uniform.

History of uniforms in the Russian Navy

In pre-Petrine times, problems with uniforms for the fleet did not exist, in fact, neither did the fleet itself. The already formed isolated group of northern Pomor sailors did not have military specifics, nor did they have a specialized uniform. From his trip to Holland, which was one of the leading maritime powers in Peter's time, the tsar took away not only the ability to build ships.

The first samples of military uniforms for sailors came to Russia from there as well. At that time, the standard sailor's equipment included a wide-brimmed hat, usually made of felt, a jacket made of coarse wool called a bostrog, short knee-length pants and stockings. The feet were protected by heavy boots made of strong leather with buckles. This uniform was intended for lower ranks, that is, sailors. Officer uniforms, as such, did not exist in the early years of the Russian fleet.

During the century since the creation of the Russian fleet, the uniform has undergone almost no changes. The jackets gradually increase the stand-up collar and also reduce the waist size. At a certain point, the navy was subject to a general fashion for long hair sprinkled with flour, as well as an abundance of gold in the decoration of the uniform.

But in everyday work on the ship there was no time to show off trivially, so the lower ranks happily continued to wear the Peter the Great uniform, as well as things sewn from canvas. Loose, wide trousers and shirts allowed sailors to perform any work on the ship.

The 19th century brought numerous innovations to the life of the fleet in terms of uniform.

At the beginning of the century, under the influence of general fashion, narrow, tails-type uniforms entered the fleet. Instead of raincoats, sailors begin to be given narrow overcoats, and headdresses are replaced by shakos. According to the general assessment, at this time the army and navy were almost identically equipped, which caused understandable indignation among the sailors.

In 1811, the trump cap, currently associated only with the navy, appeared for the first time. In fact, it owes its birth to foragers who obtained food for horses and often fed animals from hats. The caps for sailors did not have the usual ribbons, as well as the names of the ships. Instead, crew numbers were marked on the band using large numbers.

The largest changes in naval uniforms occurred in the 1860s and 1870s. It was at this time, through the efforts of individual representatives of the imperial family, that the fleet received a uniform that, with minor changes, has actually survived to this day.

Fabrics used when sewing uniforms

Natural fabrics were used to create clothing for the Navy in Tsarist Russia, as in the USSR. The most common was coarse wool. This was due to frequent bad weather and cold in the Baltic - the cradle of the Russian fleet. Since the beginning of campaigns in the Mediterranean and the creation of the Black Sea Fleet, Russian sailors received lighter and more comfortable uniforms made of canvas.

One of the main positive qualities of this material was its fantastic non-stainability. Almost any dirt, oil or paint was washed off from clothes without much difficulty. In naval slang, this fabric was called “damn leather.” The color scheme was not varied, only white and blue (sometimes shades reached blue) colors.

It is interesting that the Black Sea Fleet always wore only white uniforms, while the Baltic, like the later Pacific Fleet, had mostly blue uniforms.

According to naval regulations, Black Sea Fleet sailors were not allowed to be on the upper deck in blue uniforms.

In the second half of the twentieth century, this fabric was replaced by cotton samples. In the marine environment, the following fabrics have become the most famous:

• “Starshina”, a dense fabric of a dark color, is distinguished by the fact that it does not wrinkle easily and does not fade, the most favorite fabric among sailors;
• “glass”, for some time it was used to sew uniforms for the ground army, holds the hands perfectly, but due to the peculiarities of the composition it quickly becomes greasy, the surface begins to sparkle, for which it received its nickname;
• “rag”, the worst type of fabric, characterized by rapid wear and tear.

In the Soviet years, fabrics were of high quality and underwent mandatory state certification. In the 1990s, the Ivanovo enterprise that produced fabrics for the Navy was closed, and now a large number of private traders work in this field. This was not beneficial, since the fabrics they produce are not always of the required quality.

In recent years, there have been complaints about the use of synthetic fabrics for sewing work uniforms. This is dangerous, first of all, in the event of emergency situations, such as fires on a ship.

Everyday wear uniform

For a long time, many elements of the sailor's uniform did not change in principle. The basis of clothing since the second half of the 19th century has been the robe, or work suit. You can also find the outdated name “sailor dress”, which consists of several elements.

A vest or naval sweatshirt is worn directly on the body.

In the navy, this element of clothing, contrary to all myths, has a relatively short lifespan. The reason why sailors began to knit striped sweatshirts was to improve the visibility of the sailor, both against the background of white sails and in the event of a person falling overboard. For a long time, vests were banned.

At the moment, the vest is a symbol of the sea, although there are certain differences in different countries. The French uniform has 21 stripes - in honor of the number of victories of Napoleon. The English vest has 12 stripes, equal to the number of ribs in a person. In the Russian fleet, stripes are not counted; their number depends on the height of the wearer. The color of the stripes varies from dark blue to black.

The currently presented vests of different colors often have nothing to do with the navy. Thus, green stripes are typical for the uniform of border guards, maroon for units of the National Guard (former internal troops), and blue stripes are issued to paratroopers.

A Dutch shirt is worn over the vest, depending on the color, called flannel (dark blue fabric) or uniform (white). The shirt consists of a solid back and front, as well as sleeves with cuffs.

The front of the shirt has a cutout on the chest and a pair of buttons are sewn on the inside.

On the back there is a large turn-down collar for attaching the so-called guy. In slang, this word means a blue collar with a white lining and three white stripes on the front side. The three stripes symbolize the three great victories of the navy, these are:

• The Battle of Gangut in 1714, when the fleet of Peter I defeated the Swedes for the first time at sea;
• The Battle of Chesme in 1770, a united squadron under the command of Count Aleskey Orlov defeated twice the Turkish forces;
• The Battle of Sinop in 1853, when Admiral Nakhimov destroyed the entire Turkish squadron with one blow.

The Dutchwoman also has a slot for a pocket, in which there should be a “combat number” book with the sailor’s duties according to all schedules and for all emergency situations. A white stripe with a number printed on it is also attached there. A special indelible paint is used for this. In recent years, the combat number has often been applied to paper, which is then laminated and sewn to the uniform.

The combat number consists of the first digit indicating the number of the combat unit, the second digit indicating the number of the combat post. The third and fourth digits are written together and indicate the number of the combat shift and the serial number of the serviceman in this shift.

The officer's uniform consisted of a white or cream-colored shirt, as well as a jacket, usually wool, and in bad weather, leather with a fur lining.

Sailor's trousers have a special style.

Instead of the usual fly and button in the belly area, they have fastenings with a pair of buttons or hooks on the sides. This style was introduced back in the 19th century and is necessary for the convenience and ease of removing clothes in case of falling overboard. For this purpose, flares and extensions at the bottom of the trouser leg were sewn on the trousers.

Experienced midshipmen and officers closely watched the sailors who sewed these cuts together for the sake of fashion. Improvements were treated quickly; as soon as they learned about the sewn trousers, the sailor was ordered to leave the ship, directly at sea. Then the poor fellow was caught and politely explained the error of his actions.

The head was covered with either a cap or a cap. The first headgear, which was extremely innovative and relevant in its time, is not particularly comfortable on today's ships. However, like a guy or a vest, it is a symbol of the fleet, and the sailors are not going to give it up. The cap can be with a white or black crown. The white color is usually given by the cover, since a completely white top is too easily soiled.

A special feature is a ribbon on which either the name of the ship, or the designation of the fleet in which the soldier is serving, or simply the inscription “navy” is printed in gold letters. Previously, the names of ships were written on the tapes, but due to secrecy during the Cold War era, other spelling options appeared on the tapes.

Now they are returning to old traditions. The ribbon itself was necessary not only for beauty. It was clamped between the teeth while working in the wind so that the headdress would not be blown out to sea. The cap is being replaced by a cap, a more convenient garment in cramped conditions on ships.

Officers wear caps, also white or black.

A distinctive feature is the “crab”, which is what the Navy calls a special cockade with a star, an anchor and laurel leaves. In addition to caps, berets are worn on their heads, and in winter, hats with earflaps.

With shoes, the situation is more complicated, since sea wolves and recruits often organically cannot tolerate boots. Yuft boots, known as progars (if the sole is leather), or igadas (rubber soles), have been developed for personnel. Old-timers usually wear similar boots, but made of chrome. Boots are issued to coastal services, marines, and in the event of a ship being repaired. Interestingly, tropical clothing includes sandals.

New form of the 21st century

The reform of the army also affected the naval uniform. In Moscow, it is more clear what sailors should wear, so since the 2010s, uniforms began to be divided not only into dress, casual and work, but also into office uniforms.

Office attire involves a lot of hard work in the office, by far the most important place in the fleet. This is a black jacket, with long or short sleeves, as well as several Velcro strips to indicate the first and last name, in a modern manner. The set includes trousers of the same material, black leather boots, and a white cap.

The officer's uniform for parades or other official events consists of black or white trousers, a white shirt, a black tie with a gold clip, and a gold belt with a hanging dagger. The dirk is issued to an officer after graduation and is a symbol of pride and honor. For some time, daggers were canceled, but now they are once again adorned by Navy officers.

The uniform for women includes a shirt, tie and skirt, nude tights and shoes.

In cold weather, it is allowed to wear boots, a woolen coat, a muffler and a hat with earflaps.
A special form of clothing is the demobilization outfit.

When leaving service, many sailors want to emphasize their exclusivity, so they begin to decorate their uniforms with a zeal worthy of the French sovereigns of the 17th century. Some people just need a new, clean uniform with well-deserved badges and medals, while others sew on an endless number of aiguillettes, chevrons and other attributes of a demobilized soldier.

Video

Traditionally, on Saturdays, we publish for you the answers to the quiz in the “Question - Answer” format. We have a variety of questions, both simple and quite complex. The quiz is very interesting and quite popular, we are simply helping you test your knowledge and make sure that you have chosen the correct answer out of the four proposed. And we have another question in the quiz - What detail of a sailor's costume appeared thanks to pigtail wigs?

• collar-guys
• vest
• pompom on a hat
• visor ribbons

The correct answer is A. COLLAR-GUYS

Uniform collar(Guys): a large blue collar with three white stripes along the edge. The history of its origin is very interesting. Previously, sailors were required to wear powdered wigs and oiled horsehair braids. The braids stained the robe, and the sailors were punished for it, so they came up with the idea of ​​hanging a piece of leather under the braid. Braids are no longer worn in the navy, and the leather flap has turned into a blue collar, reminding us of the old days.
The widespread version that the three white stripes on the collar mark three victories of the Russian fleet (Gangut, Chesma, Sinop) is clearly erroneous, if only because the Sinop victory was won in 1853 (three years after the introduction of the collar). At first, only rowers wore them to determine their division. And the story is this. Peter I had three squadrons in his fleet. The first squadron had one white stripe on its collars. The second has two stripes, and the third, who is especially close to Peter, has three stripes. Thus, the three stripes began to mean that the naval guard was especially close to Peter and passed into modern times.

Journalist, founder of the Light On Mars brand

Sailor collars have been neglected for quite some time. We wore English ones (those with lapels) with pleasure, turn-down ones are always welcome, stand-up collars were not forgotten even for a minute, the “shawl” and “apache” models were also included in the category of eternal classics, but the sailor ones... So cute , romantic and simple in execution - they remained on the periphery of design thought and were associated either with deep retro or with young cosplay lovers.

Where did they come from

The history of the sailor collar as an element of the naval uniform is not precise. Some sources claim that large rectangular collars appeared in the era of powdered wigs, which, according to the fashion of that time, were worn not only by civilians, but also by midshipmen: to prevent the uniform from getting dirty with cosmetics, the sailors attached a fabric cape to it. According to another version, the sailor's collar was a simplified version of the hood (the traditional hood is dangerous on the deck - it is easy for them to get caught). In rain and storms, the collar was raised onto the head and secured with a cap. You can believe this when looking at vintage sailor suits, on which the collar is made of thick wool - that is, in fact, it is not a nominally decorative detail, but a completely practical one.

Popular

Designer Christian Dior wore a classic sailor suit as a child

However, let’s leave these considerations to costume historians and return to fashion trends - retrospective and modern. It is interesting that the sailor collar, which by all rights can be called an element of the military style, never really fit into this style - rather, it gravitated towards a romantic and sometimes infantile direction. Judge for yourself.

Sailor suits from the Sears catalog, 1924

At European flea markets you can find many photographs dating back to the beginning of the 20th century and depicting children in sailor suits. But in the 1920s and 1930s, sailor collars existed well in adult clothing. Modern costume designers, citing the style of those years, often add this charming detail to make the era more convincing.

Still from the film “Cracks”

In the 1950s, the feminine “new look” ruled, in the 1960s, youthful sportiness and futurism reigned, but photographs and pictures from fashion magazines suggest that elements of the sailor style were also present then. Even later, in the 1980s, the charming Princess Diana demonstrated how to wear sailor collars - she did it wonderfully.

Triumphant return

We greeted the new century without sailor collars: this detail did not fit into the bohemian-glossy outfits of the early 2000s, nor into the emasculated minimalism that followed. However, the search for a new romance led designers to the idea of ​​taking and returning sailor suits to the everyday wardrobe - the first to pick up the trend, as always, were avant-garde artists Raf Simons and Miuccia Prada, and after them Marc Jacobs, Tommy Hilfiger, the French fashion house Chloé, and the Ukrainian designer worked on the theme Liliya Pustovit, Russian brands Inshade, A la Russe and Light on Mars.

All that remains is to decide how we will wear them, do you already have any ideas?..