Stalin tunic

Joseph Stalin's tunic on display at his bunker in Izmaylovo District, Moscow.

The Stalin tunic (Russian: сталинка, romanized: stalinka) is a colloquial term for a type of tunic or jacket associated with Joseph Stalin (1878-1953); from the 1920s until the 1950s and beyond, it was commonly worn as a political uniform by government officials in the Soviet Union (and, after World War II, by officials in the Soviet satellite states as well).^[1]

History

Stalinka evolved from the french (френч), a tunic of the Imperial Russian Army, which had appeared in the First World War; the difference was that the Stalinka had a soft turn-down collar. Its simplistic style came from Stalin's refusal to wear clothing of a more complex nature, as well as eventual tweaks made by Soviet fashion designers that tried to create an image for the leader.^[2]

Influence

This style of attire was chosen by Chinese, Vietnamese and North Korean Communist leaders.^[1]

References

1. Леонид Парфенов, «Сталинка»
2. Fedorova, Inna; RBTH, special to (2014-08-20). "Dressing like a dictator: Stalin's distinctive military chic". www.rbth.com. Retrieved 2019-04-09.