Among sailors, a knitted undershirt with transverse white and blue stripes, commonly called a vest, is a particularly favorite garment. The vest got its name due to the fact that it is worn on a naked body.
What did the vest look like before, what are the stripes and what does their color mean?
The history of the vest
The vest appeared during the heyday of the sailing fleet in Brittany (France), presumably in the 17th century.
The vests had a boat neckline and three-quarter sleeves and were white with dark blue stripes. In Europe in those days, striped clothes were worn by social outcasts and professional executioners. But for the Breton sailors, according to one version, the vest was considered lucky clothing for the duration of sea voyages.
In Russia, the tradition of wearing vests began to take shape, according to some sources, from 1862, according to others - from 1866. Instead of narrow tunics with uncomfortable stand-up collars, Russian sailors began to wear comfortable flannel Dutch shirts with a cutout on the chest. A vest was worn under the shirt - a vest.
At first, vests were issued only to participants in long-distance campaigns and were a matter of special pride. As one of the reports of that time says: “the lower ranks ... mainly put them on on Sundays and holidays when they were discharged ashore ... and in all cases when it was required to be smartly dressed ...”. The order signed on August 19, 1874 by Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich finally fixed the vest as part of the uniform. This day can be considered the birthday of the Russian vest.
The vest has a great advantage over other underwear shirts. Tightly fitting the body, it does not interfere with free movement during work, retains heat well, is comfortable when washing, and dries quickly in the wind.
This type of light marine clothing has not lost its significance today, although sailors now rarely have to climb the shrouds. Over time, the vest came into use in other branches of the military, although in few places it is an official part of the uniform. Nevertheless, this wardrobe item is used in the ground forces, and even in the police.
Why is the vest striped and what does the color of the stripes mean?
The blue and white transverse stripes of the vests corresponded to the colors of the Russian naval St. Andrew's flag. In addition, sailors dressed in such shirts were clearly visible from the deck against the background of the sky, sea and sails.
The tradition of making the stripes multi-colored was strengthened in the 19th century - the sailor's belonging to one or another flotilla was determined by color. After the collapse of the USSR, the colors of the stripes of the vests were "distributed" among the various branches of the military.
What does the color of the stripes on the vest mean:
black: submarine forces and marines;
cornflower blue: presidential regiment and special forces of the FSB;
light green: border troops;
light blue: Airborne Forces;
maroon: Ministry of Internal Affairs;
orange: Ministry of Emergency Situations.
What is guis?
Guys in the Navy is called a collar that is tied over a uniform. The real meaning of the word "guis" (from the Dutch geus - "flag") is a naval ensign. The flag is hoisted daily on the prow of ships of the 1st and 2nd ranks during anchorage from 8 am to sunset.
The history of the appearance of the guis is rather prosaic. In the Middle Ages in Europe, men wore long hair or wigs, sailors braided their hair into ponytails and pigtails. To protect against lice, the hair was smeared with tar. To prevent the tar from staining their clothes, the sailors covered their shoulders and back with a protective leather collar, which could be easily wiped from dirt.
Over time, the leather collar was replaced with a cloth one. Long hairstyles are a thing of the past, but the tradition of wearing a collar remains. In addition, after the abolition of wigs, a square fabric collar was used for insulation - in cold windy weather, it was tucked under clothes.
Why are there three stripes on the jacket?
There are several versions of the origin of the three stripes on the gyuse. According to one of them, three stripes symbolize three major victories of the Russian fleet:
at Gangut in 1714;
near Chesma in 1770;
at Sinop in 1853.
It should be noted that sailors from other countries also have stripes on the guis, the origin of which is explained in a similar way. Most likely, this repetition occurred as a result of borrowing form and legend. Who first invented the stripes is not known for certain.
According to another legend, the founder of the Russian fleet, Peter I, had three squadrons. The first squadron had one white stripe on the collars. The second has two, and the third, especially close to Peter, has three strips. Thus, the three stripes began to mean a special proximity to Peter of the fleet guards. (
The vest, otherwise called a jersey, vest, or even the romantic phrase "sea soul", begins its history since the advent of the European sailing fleet. It is believed that the white and blue or white and blue colors of the vest helped during sea voyages to always see sailors against the background of snow-white sails, and also to observe them in the water if they accidentally fell overboard.
The first naval vessels appeared in the Breton fleet as early as the 16th century. Then they had exactly 12 black and white stripes, according to the number of human ribs. Thus, the sailors wanted to cheat death itself. She was supposed to take the sailors for already dead and not touch them. And this is not an accidental belief, because in those days traveling by sea was a very dangerous occupation.
The tradition with 12 transverse stripes was adopted from the British and the Dutch. But the French sailors already had 21 stripes on their vests, each of which symbolized one of Napoleon's major victories. The European experience of using vests was transferred to Russian soil only on August 19, 1874, by order of Grand Duke Konstantin Romanov.
Initially, a white-and-blue striped vest belonged exclusively to sailors of the Russian military fleet. And if at the end of the 19th century the marine vest consisted of white and blue stripes, among which the white stripes were much wider, then in our time this garment contains white and blue stripes of the same width (approximately from 0.5 to 1.5 cm). Previously, vests were made from cotton and wool (in equal quantities), but now in most cases 100% natural cotton is used. The service life of a vest in the navy is one year.
During the Great Patriotic War, German soldiers and their allies remembered well the striped vests of the marines (they had black and white stripes). No wonder our sailors were nicknamed "striped devils." And it's not just the courage and bravery of Russian sailors. The Europeans remembered very well that previously striped clothes were worn by executioners, outcasts, terminally ill and other outcasts of society, who simply have nothing to lose.
Often, during the battles, the marines changed into the uniform of the ground forces for camouflage, but at the same time they always wore a vest. It was not only a convenient piece of clothing for them, but also a special amulet. And Russian warriors have long had a tradition of putting on a clean shirt before a fight. And sea vests perfectly replaced them.
Airborne vest
Today, the Airborne Forces are armed with vests with light blue stripes alternating with white. And the tradition of rewarding paratroopers who first made a parachute jump into the water began in 1959. It was then, during the exercises, that Colonel V.A. Ustinovich presented the paratroopers with naval vests as a reward for the good performance of the assigned task. Although the idea of \u200b\u200bintroducing vests with blue and white stripes into the Airborne Forces was carried out by the commander of the Airborne Forces V.F. Margelov and earlier, back in 1954-1959, and also at a later time.
In the end, it was still decided to make the vest an official part of the military clothing of the Airborne Forces, but only replace the blue stripes with light blue, symbolizing the color of the daytime sky in bright weather. And already in 1969, during the conflict in Czechoslovakia, all paratroopers wore uniform vests. Officially, this item of military clothing in the Airborne Forces was secured by Order of the USSR Ministry of Defense in 1969.
Vests for the border troops
Since about the 1990s, vests of various colors have appeared in many branches of the military, in addition to the Navy and the Airborne Forces. The border guards got green and white striped vests. This is due to the fact that in the 80s a separate Vitebsk Airborne Division was suddenly transferred to the jurisdiction of the KGB of the USSR, due to which the light blue stripes were repainted in green.
Then the paratroopers perceived this as an insult and oblivion of their military honor, but after the collapse of the USSR, when the division withdrew to Belarus and again became part of the Airborne Forces, the tradition of wearing white and green vests was already firmly rooted among the border guards. And she hasn't changed to this day.
Vests of different types of troops
The colors of military vests for different types of troops, Special Forces (special forces) and GRU (intelligence) were determined in Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 532 of 05/08/2005. In accordance with this document, the following types of vests were defined:
- Navy - vests with white and navy blue stripes. The same vests are worn by cadets of the naval, as well as civilian river and sea schools;
- Airborne troops - vests with white and light blue stripes;
- Border Troops - white-and-green striped vests;
- FSB special forces and the Presidential Regiment - vests with white stripes and cornflower blue stripes;
- Ministry of Emergency Situations - white-and-orange striped vests;
- Special forces of the internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (Rosguard) - vests with white and maroon (burgundy) stripes.
Separately, it should be said about sweatshirts with black and white stripes. You can often read that such vests are used by submariners and even marines. However, it is not. To date, these types of troops use ordinary sailors' vests with stripes of white and dark blue.
Along with vests of different colors, the Russian troops also use berets of several shades, from orange to black and green. Often, berets are part of the dress uniform or are issued to servicemen for some merit (for example, after passing sports standards). That is, the right to wear a beret often needs to be earned through hard work or some kind of heroic deed.
Although now the vests are used for everyday wear by many troops, nevertheless, only the one that has dark blue or light blue stripes can be called a classic naval vest (such vests are worn by sailors of the Navy and paratroopers).
A vest in Russia is more than just an item of uniform for military personnel, it is a legend, tradition, history. After all, it is not in vain that a vest made of typical marine uniforms has expanded to all branches of the armed forces of modern Russia, while acquiring a variety of colors.
Sea vest
The nautical undershirt with blue and white stripes has a long history since the days of the sailing fleet. It is known that it was introduced into wide use by Dutch sailors. The Dutch naval uniform with a short black pea jacket, flared trousers, a blue flannel jacket with a large cutout on the chest and an undershirt with blue stripes has become popular in many countries.
However, the vest was "invented" not by the Dutch, but by the Bretons back in the 16th century. Breton sailors wore knitted knitted shirts with 12 (according to the number of ribs in the human body) black stripes - this is how they tried to cheat their death, which would take the sailors for skeletons and begin to touch them. Sailors in their free time from the watch themselves knitted undershirts for themselves, which were practical, comfortable, did not hinder movement and protected from the cold.
In Russia, the vest entered as an element of the uniform of the Navy in the second half of the 19th century. At that time, a military reform was carried out in Russia with a change in the structure, weapons and, of course, uniforms of military personnel, including sailors. In 1874 Emperor Alexander II approved "Regulations on the satisfaction of the teams of the Maritime Department in terms of ammunition and uniforms", which, in particular, spoke about the form for the "lower ranks of ships and naval crews" of the Russian fleet. The vest was defined as follows: “A shirt knitted from wool in half with paper; the color of the shirt is white with blue transverse stripes spaced from one another by one inch (4.445 cm). The width of the blue stripes is a quarter of an inch ... The weight of the shirt is supposed to be at least 80 spools (344 grams) ... ".
At first, vests were bought abroad, and only then production was launched in Russia. Mass manufacturing of vests first began on Kersten factory (by the way, the German Friedrich-Wilhelm Kersten in 1870 received the medal of the All-Russian Manufactory Exhibition and the title of hereditary honorary citizen of St. Petersburg) in St. Petersburg (after the revolution - Factory "Red Banner").
Vest stripes got the same size and width about 1cm only in 1912, the composition of the material was also changed and the vest was made from cotton. In this form, the vest has remained to this day. Its characteristics are defined GOST 25904-83 Knitted jerseys and T-shirts for military personnel. General technical conditions". This GOST defines both the composition and quality of knitted material for tailoring, vests, and its "design".
The vest has become not only a convenient and practical item for a military sailor, but also a symbol of masculinity, valor, stamina, a real masculine character. People leaving the Navy and in civilian clothes continued to wear a vest, as a symbol of their involvement in a special kind of troops. Over time, the vest was introduced into the uniform for the Airborne Forces (VDV) in 1969, but the color of the stripes was sky blue. And the story of the appearance of the vest by the employees of the Airborne Forces is as follows.
Vest in the Airborne Forces
In 1959, exercises were conducted on mass landing on the water. The weather was very rainy and windy, staff officers led by General Lisov jumped from the first plane. We jumped from a height of 450 meters. Colonel V.A.Ustinovich was the last to jump. After he got out of the water to the shore, he took out sea vests from his bosom and handed them to the participants in the landing, as a symbol that the landing was carried out on the water. Since then, it has become a tradition to hand over vests to those who, in addition to the usual landing, made a jump on the water. VF Margelov, commander of the Airborne Forces in 1954-1959 and 1961-1979, began to promote the idea of introducing a vest as an element of the airborne forces uniform. Only the vest for the paratroopers, it was decided to do not with dark blue stripes, but blue. The first to wear them were units and formations of the Airborne Forces, which took part in the events in Czechoslovakia in 1968. July 26, 1969 by order USSR Ministry of Defense No. 191 the next rules for wearing a military uniform were introduced, in it the wearing of a vest in the airborne troops was officially fixed.
Vest with green stripes
Since the 1990s, vests with stripes of different colors began to appear in other troops. So the border guards began to wear vests with green stripes. The paratroopers who served at that time say that in the late 80s the Vitebsk Airborne Division was transferred to the KGB of the USSR, as a result, the blue vests and berets were “repainted” green, which was perceived by the former paratroopers as an insult to their military honor. However, after the collapse of the USSR in 1991, the division went to Belarus, where it again became a division of the Airborne Forces. And the tradition of wearing green vests by border guards remained.
Vests in the armed forces of Russia
Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 532 of May 8, 2005 “On military uniforms, insignia of servicemen and departmental insignia” determined, in particular, the colors of vests for various branches of the armed forces of the Russian Armed Forces, namely:
Navy- navy blue shirts
Airborne- blue vests
border troops- Light green vests
special forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs- maroon-colored vests,
FSB special forces, Presidential Regiment- cornflower blue vests
Ministry of Emergency Situations- orange vests
Also, a marine vest with stripes of dark blue color is included in the uniform of cadets of naval and civil maritime and river educational institutions.
As you can see, there is nothing here about black vest! It is often attributed to the units of the submarine fleet and marines, but in accordance with Decree No. 532, they have the same vest as ordinary military personnel of the Russian Navy, that is, with dark blue stripes.
In general, the introduction of vests of various colors for different types of troops somewhat belittled the authority of the vest, but, nevertheless, this does not apply to marine and landing vests with dark blue and light blue stripes.
Vest in modern fashion
The vest, as a rule, a “real” marine one with dark blue stripes has become popular among the civilian population, it is worn not only by adult men, but often by children, and sometimes by women. The famous popularizer of this "striped shirt" was the French fashion designer Jean-Paul Gaultier, who created several sets of blue and white striped clothes in the 1990s. In recent years, a “vest” with pink stripes has appeared! Such a desecration of the symbol of military prowess and courage is difficult to endure for courageous guys who served and are serving in the Navy or the Airborne Forces, but this should be taken as a joke, even stupidity. Nevertheless, the theme of the marine vest has become popular in fashion and periodically appears in women's costume.
Mitki and a vest
People of the older generation, those whose youth fell on the 80s of the last century, remember such a group of alternative artists called Mitki (formally, this group still exists, although the spirit of that time has a different intensity).
Mitki chose a vest as an element of clothing, some identification mark. Perhaps in everyday life they also wore something other than a vest, but when they gathered for any reason, they would certainly all wear vests.
Despite the current availability of vests and their variety of colors, they should be treated not just as comfortable fashionable clothes, but as a military symbol with a long tradition, especially for “real” vests with dark blue navy blue and airborne blue stripes. It is not recommended for civilians to wear maroon vests, the right to wear which, like the right to a maroon beret, is won by special forces of the Internal Troops by hard work, at least it was so a few years ago.
Apr. 06 ,2017
For many years, vests have been a symbol of the fleet. About what colors there are still striped vests - read the article of the military department "Sergeant".
The history of the marine undershirt began a very long time ago. Once upon a time, sailors, while away the time, knitted themselves comfortable and warm vests from wool, and for a hot climate - from cotton yarn. According to existing legends, the vest did not become striped in vain, there is a completely logical explanation for this.
English sailors in vests. It can be seen that the stripes are a little narrower than on domestic ones.
Sea monsters and magical camouflage
Sailors are probably the most superstitious people in the world. Killing a seagull is a bad omen, a woman on a ship is unfortunate. But the most vivid fantasy of the workers of the sea was played out when it came to the inhabitants of the sea depths. The imagination of sailors inhabited the abyss with huge squids, krakens, which could swallow a sailboat in one sitting. Sly mermaids with their angelic singing forced the sailors to rush overboard at their call, and gigantic sea snakes, unexpectedly emerging, grabbed the unfortunate guys and dragged them to the depths. There was a way out: to pretend to be already dead, to become like a skeleton. Most likely, this is how the stripes on the “sea soul” appeared. French sailors from Brittany are considered pioneers in this. The innovation quickly spread among the sailors of Western Europe at the beginning of the 16th century.
Ukrainian marines during the parade in traditional vests with black stripes.
The colors of the vests are the colors of history
There is a more practical explanation for the striped vest. Marine vest color is blue-white. The sailor in the striped shirt was easier to spot when he fell overboard. And against the background of light sails, the sailors climbing the shrouds were better visible to the officer standing on the deck, and it was easier for him to correct their actions. But on warships, the diversity of homemade vests irritated the officers, and the wearing of such shirts was almost universally prohibited by the beginning of the 18th century. Only after 100 years the vest becomes legal marine clothing, and in tsarist Russia it received official status in 1874 by decree of Alexander II. The number of stripes in the European fleet then varied from 12 to 21. A person has 12 pairs of ribs and the practical Dutch took this as a basis. The French regulated 21 bands - according to the number of the largest victories of Bonaparte. In general, today it all depends on the size of the shirt, the larger it is, the more stripes will fit on it.
Belarusian retired border guard in a green vest
In many CIS countries, a vest with orange stripes is used in the Ministry of Emergencies
The first sign of the change in the usual blue stripe to a different color in the Russian fleet was the introduction of green for the patrol fleet in 1912. Already in the mid-60s, when berets began to be introduced in the Soviet army, a gradual “repainting” of vests began and their introduction in all military branches. In many ways, today the colors of the vests depend on the berets worn by the fighters.
Cherry / red vest - a sign of internal troops (in Ukraine - the National Guard).
Tell me what color your shirt is and I'll tell you who you are
According to the established tradition in the young Armed Forces of Ukraine, the color of the vest by type of troops means the following. Dark blue traditional stripes on Navy vests. Submariners can be distinguished by black stripes, the color of the abyss. Airborne troops wear sky blue stripes, and green border guards. The special forces of the Internal Troops are easily recognizable by their maroon, and the SBU by their cornflower-blue stripes. The Ministry of Emergency Situations adopted the orange color, which means danger and a call for help.
Ukrainian sailors
Many are interested in why the stripes do not shed (unless, of course, the product is of high quality)? They can be printed on the finished fabric, that is, with paint, or they can be knitted in the process of making a knitted fabric with threads of two colors, such models are more expensive. If the paint is applied in compliance with all technological requirements and has the correct composition, it will never shed. The durability of paint on the material also depends on the composition and quality of the base on which it is applied. If this is a high-quality cotton product (kulny smooth surface, interlock, it is also a double-layer), then there will be no problems with paint. And if the model is rough and hard to the touch, it is better to refrain from acquiring it. Fabrics with a pile (lined) are usually made from yarn of 2 colors, and not dyed.
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Underbody naval shirt - this is it marine vest, which should be made of knitted knitted fabric with a peculiar alternation of white and blue stripes.
The first mention of the appearance of the vest refers to the time of the appearance of the sailing fleet. Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich Romanov is the founder of the introduction of this element of clothing into the outfit of sailors.
Features of vests
Like any other thing sea vest also has its own distinctive features. First of all, horizontally alternating blue-white stripes should be attributed to them. Such an unusual color design initially made it possible to observe the work and actions of the sailors, both on deck and with sails on the yards. Subsequently, the presence of stripes on the vest became a kind of tradition.
From the very beginning of its appearance in the supply of the personnel of the USSR and the Russian Navy, vests were received exclusively with dark blue stripes. After some time, as an addition to the uniform, a black and blue vest appeared. The soldiers of the marines of the Great Patriotic War, like the revolutionary sailors of the Civil War, made the vest a real romantic symbol of sea prowess and courage with their exploits.
The vest eventually became very popular among the common people. Its other name, which sounds like “sea soul”, speaks perfectly about the fame and demand for this clothing brand.
Appointment of vests
During the creation of the uniform of the airborne troops of the USSR, the marine uniform of the infantrymen was taken as a model. For military personnel for the summer, a vest or, in other words, a sleeveless vest is intended. Also, the uniform of sailors includes insulated winter vests made of thick cotton jersey, with and without fleece.
In the early nineties of the last century, manufacturers developed a vest with stripes of various colors, which later became indispensable for various troops of the RF Armed Forces:
- black vest found application in the Submarine Forces and the Marine Corps;
- cornflower blue vests entered the uniform of the Presidential Regiment and the special forces of the FSB;
- light green vest used in the Border Troops;
- the airborne vest has light blue stripes;
- maroon vests intended for the troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Shop "Botsman" carries out sale of vests wholesale and retail. In addition, the store sells various overalls, marine uniforms, marine souvenirs and personal protective equipment.
