Tell me more about this Russian jacket

August 24, 2013 7:43 PM

I like the jackets worn by the 6 people focused on at 2:20-2:27 of this video. Are they part of some kind of uniform/cultural reference, or are they made just for this video? Where can I learn more about them?
posted by JDHarper to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (4 answers total)

In its broadest category, they're decorated versions of a men's frock coat. Wikipedia. Those in the video look rather equestrian.
posted by Miko at 8:29 PM on August 24, 2013

Here's something in the Met collection that looks really similar. This says 18th century and I do think the costumes in the video reference 18th century styles.

I'm hedging my guess, too, though, because they also have frogs on them and seem to have an Asian reference as well. It could be a bit of a hodgepodge; there's a lot going on there.
posted by Miko at 8:38 PM on August 24, 2013

The song, of course, is Kalinka and the major theme is folklore revival (a specific intent of the song's creation). I believe the dancers are possibly wearing modified versions of the traditional Cossack chokha. A modern interpretation. That said, you can find variations of this type of dress from Georgia to Mongolia, and the dancers may be wearing one that is more notably Asian.
posted by dhartung at 12:31 AM on August 25, 2013 [1 favorite]

It's a sort of Hollywoodification of a style of military uniform that goes back pretty much to the late medieval period. Stylistic bits may have lived on until much later (see every evening dress uniform ever) but it was mostly gone by the Napoleonic wars.
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 1:59 PM on August 25, 2013 [1 favorite]