Perhaps, there is nothing to surprise a modern woman with. Huge shopping centers with boutiques and show rooms work from morning until late at night, delight customers with an abundance of goods.
Online stores provide the opportunity to order your favorite item from anywhere in the world. It’s not for nothing that our grandmothers complain that “shops grow like mushrooms”.
But a few decades ago, women could not even dream of such a thing. They all wore the same dresses, dyed with the same makeup, and choked with “Red Moscow”.
Fashionable things and foreign cosmetics could be bought only from farmers for incredible money. This did not stop the fashionistas, they gave back the last money, risked their reputation. For such behavior could be expelled from the Komsomol.
Girls who were afraid of slanting looks, and also earned little, could only dream and cast envious glances at more daring and wealthy people. Below is a rating of scarce things that all women in the USSR dreamed of.
10. Watch "The Seagull"
These watches were produced in the Soviet Union, but not every Soviet woman could afford them. They were very expensive. Manufacturer - Uglich watch factory. They were very popular not only in the Union, but also abroad.
The Seagull watch even received a Gold Medal at the exhibition of the international fair in Leipzig. Watches not only performed their direct function, they were a wonderful decoration. An elegant metal bracelet, a gilded case - this is what all the girls dreamed about.
9. Decorative cosmetics
Of course, cosmetics was sold in the USSR. Blue shades, mascara, spit, foundation “Ballet”, lipstick, which painted lips and used instead of blush.
The leading manufacturers of cosmetics were considered "New Dawn" and "Freedom." Nevertheless, domestic cosmetics was an order of magnitude lower in quality. In addition, the choice did not please diversity.
Foreign cosmetics is another matter, French was especially appreciated. However, Polish cosmetics were sometimes sold in stores. Then women had to spend a lot of time in long lines, but having bought the treasured tube or jar, they felt most happy.
8. Fur hat
The fur hat was a thing that emphasized status. This is a kind of indicator that a woman is successful. Each wanted to be successful, so women saved a lot of money for a long time (such a hat cost about three monthly salaries), and then went to the other end of the city to exchange hard-earned money for a piece of fur.
Mink, as well as arctic fox and silver fox, were highly valued. The ultimate dream was a sable hat. Surprisingly, they did not protect against frost at all. The hats were dressed in such a way that the ears were always open.
Indeed, they were not even worn for warmth, but to demonstrate their position. By the way, if a woman managed to get such a hat, she would never take it off again. Women in hats could be seen at work, in the movies, even in the theater. They were probably afraid that the luxury item might be stolen.
7. Stocking boots
In the mid-70s, women learned about a new wardrobe item - stocking boots. They immediately began to enjoy wildly popular with fashionistas. Soft boots pulled the leg up to the knee. Comfortable enough, the heel was low, wide. They were very expensive, but queues lined up for them.
Soon, the production of boots was established, although at that time they were already out of fashion. All the same, half of Soviet women flaunted for a long time in stocking boots.
An unattainable dream of fashionistas was jeans tight boots. Even Soviet actresses and singers didn’t have such things, so what about ordinary mortals.
6. American jeans
They were the ultimate dreams of not only Soviet women, but also many Soviet men who followed fashion. Domestic manufacturers offered customers jeans pants, but American jeans looked much more advantageous.
These were not pants, but a symbol of success and treasured freedom. For wearing the "capitalist infection" one could "fly out" of the institute, the Komsomol, they even went to prison for them. They were very expensive, it was difficult to get them.
Soon, Soviet people found a way out of the situation, varenki appeared. Soviet jeans were boiled in water with the addition of white. On them appeared stains, jeans a bit looked like American ones.
5. Cloak of Bologna
In the 60s in Italy, namely the city of Bolnya, began to produce a new material - polyester. Products made of it were distinguished by a long service life, low price and bright colors. However, Italian women did not like Bologna products.
But the production managed to establish in the USSR. Soviet women were not spoiled, so they happily began to buy up fashionable raincoats. True finished products were not distinguished by elegance and a variety of colors.
Women had to get out, raincoats from Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia looked much more beautiful and pleased with bright colors.
4. French perfumes
In those days there was no such variety of aromas as now. Women used what they have. That managed to get it.
“Red Moscow” is the favorite perfume of Soviet women, simply because there were no others. Girls dreamed about something completely different.
Lancome's Climat is the most coveted gift. In the film “The Irony of Fate,” Hippolytus gives these spirits to his beloved. There was also a legend that women of easy virtue used these perfumes in France. This made perfume even more desirable.
3. Afghan sheepskin coat
These sheepskin coats occupied a certain place in world fashion. Everyone wanted to become like the members of The Beatles, who appeared in public in the 70s in short sheepskin coats.
The real fashion peep was colored sheepskin coats with patterns. Men, by the way, did not lag behind; they, along with women, "hunted" for sheepskin coats. They brought products from Mongolia. At that time, many Soviet specialists and military personnel worked there.
In 1979, Soviet troops entered Afghanistan. Often, soldiers brought things for sale. Fashionistas were ready to give three or four average salaries for a sheepskin coat, it was an impressive blow to the wallet, but people did not spare anything, they wanted to look stylish and fashionable.
2. Nylon tights
In the 70s, nylon tights appeared in the Soviet Union, they were called "stocking leggings". Tights produced only flesh-colored. Black and white tights were very popular all over the world then.
Soviet fashionistas tried to paint "leggings", but often tights could not withstand such manipulations. Kapron tights from Germany and Czechoslovakia sometimes went on sale, in order to buy them they had to stand in lines for a long time.
1. Leather bag
A modern woman cannot imagine how to do without a bag. In Soviet times, the bag was a luxury item. In the 50s, France launched the production of capacious leather bags, women of the Soviet Union could only dream of such.
Soon in the USSR, women were offered a replacement - fabric or leather bags. Again, the design left them to be desired. Moreover, they were all similar, and fashionistas wanted to get a thing that would set them apart from the crowd. Bags from Vietnam in different colors have become the limit of dreams for many women.