Histories of Things: Where Moscow dandies bought new clothes in the early 20th century

While the weather is poised between summer and autumn and Muscovites are deciding whether or not they should take their warm clothes out of storage, mos.ru and the Museum of Moscow dedicate the next issue of the Histories of Things to clothing.

Modern tidings

By the early 1900s, mass clothing manufacture and trade in ready-made clothes had eased aside bespoke tailoring. A 1897 list of industries names eight Moscow firms specialising in ready-made clothing.

The cut of clothes becomes simpler in the late 19^th century. As with art, fashion favours modernism over historicism. Women’s dresses become more convenient and practical, with their elegant outlines emphasising the beauty of the female body. Narrow skirts with folds and bustles are replaced by looser fits that expand gently downwards from the waist. The bodice and the waist, however, were still drawn tight. The introduction of an innovative corset design in the early 20^th-century was intended to create an S-shaped silhouette. Dresses were made with low waists, with the skirt hugging the thighs and widening only from the knees down. Multi-layer taffeta petticoats were used so that the dress retained its shape. This was modernism with its sinuous flowing lines and imitation of natural forms in action. The fashionable colours – muffled light greens, apricots, pinks, lilacs, pearl grays, gray blues and pale lavenders – were also derived from the palette of modernism.

The best in Moscow 

The most expensive shops and ateliers, often French-owned, were located in upmarket streets like Kuznetsky Most, Petrovka and Bolshaya Dmitrovka. The shops had French names and the owners, who were often French, were styled as “madame” or “mademoiselle” so-and-so. They hired first-class foreign and Russian dress cutters trained in London, Paris or Vienna.

The biggest shop that was by right called a department store was the Muir & Mirrielees in Petrovka Street. By the late 19^th century, M&M employed nearly a thousand staff and had 44 departments. The store sold practically everything with the exception of food. Clothes accounted for much of the range. Each year, M&M published two illustrated catalogues showcasing seasonal items. These were distributed free of charge and sent to every corner of the country so that potential customers could order whatever they wished. Every order above 25 roubles was delivered free in European Russia.

One of Anton Chekhov’s letters from Yalta said, in part: “Dear Masha, please tell Mirrielees, as soon as possible, to send me, c.o.d., the black astrakhan hat, which is listed in the autumn catalogue as badeika (No. 2016). Choose a soft one, size 59 cm…”

M&M was famed for its high standard of customer service. The staff were very polite and purchases could be exchanged, if found not quite to someone’s taste. M&M was the first shop to introduce price tags, something that made it impossible for shop assistants to cheat on prices.

In 1890, M&M’s silk department opened a gas-lit “dark room” modelled on identical rooms in the best English and French shops. It was intended for customers who wanted to see how silks looked in evening lighting. In the 1900s, M&M pioneered a department selling fashion magazines and dress-patterns.

Founded in Vienna in 1842, another famous house, M. & J. Mandl, opened its office in Moscow in 1877. The shop was in Cherkassky Pereulok near Lubyanka Square. Although sales were modest to begin with, the firm gradually stepped up operations and by the early 1900s, employed 3,500 staff at its five Moscow stores selling ready-made clothing for ladies, gentlemen and children. The M. & J. Mandl shops offered greatcoats, frock coats, pelisses, cutaways, long coats, car coats and other clothes.

A fashionable collection

The Museum of Moscow displays a large collection of vintage urban clothing (late 19th-early 20th century), the most complete and vast collection owned by museums or private collectors. It includes both simple everyday clothing and garments produced by the most famous brands and fashion houses. The names and addresses of the firms on the labels give some idea of Moscow’s fashion geography during this era.

For details of other interesting exhibits from the Museum of Moscow collection, see mos.ru project