"Rīgas Modes", 1954-55

Rīgas Modes was definitely the most popular fashion magazine in the USSR.

It appeared four times a year until 1992, in Latvian and in Russian.

The circulation was quite impressive, with a whopping 220,000 copies – but it did not cover the needs of the entire Soviet Union.

Each issue was handed down from hand to hand and was read down to holes. Pattern sheets were valued the most.

Fashion historian and collector Alexandre Vassiliev represents the magazine as the “Soviet Vogue”.

It contributed to forming a sense of taste and style and also demonstrated the primary standard of beauty.

Riga was the trend-setter for the entire Soviet Union. Artists of the Riga Fashion House created designs that were shown in exhibitions and fashion shows.

In 1950’s Soviet fashion and particularly Riga fashion was not behind European one. “New look” looked the same here and abroad. Bourgeois images for luxury women.

Clothes for kids were homemade. It was hard to buy underwear, dresses or trousers for kids, but parents wanted kids to look socially appropriate and neat.

Mothers and grandmothers spent hours sewing and knitting. Kids had to treat clothes carefully.

Homewear such as bathrobes in 1950’s also looked bourgeois. Robes for cleaning and cooking will come into household 10 years later. Now women are wearing bathrobes spending leisure morning hours.

Rīgas Modes was not the only guide in the world of fashion, but it was definitely the most influential one for both women and men.

Come to Riga, where you could wander the streets of the Old Town, drop in at small shops and stop by large shopping centers, and witness that art of creating fashionable clothing is definitely alive.