N. Novikov, the editor and publisher of journals, derided shallow imitators of French fashion, caricatures, like "Fop and Ape", were printed in some magazines. V. Timm in "News-sheet for beau-monde" and N. Stepanov in the almanac "Acquaintances" laughed swells out of court.
From the XYIth century in Europe ladies with "bell-tower" hair styles and their scanty raiment were laughed at. In 1760 W. Hogarth printed "Five Orders of Wigs", the idea of that work originated from his essay "The Analysis of Beauty". The artist suggested a new architectural project: a capital built of... wigs. He made fun of ridiculous fashion as well as dabblers' love to antiquities. J. Nikson, D. Cruikshank, and some other artists also held up habiliments for derision.
In the middle of the XIXth century the caricaturists were inspired with crinolines (hoop-skirts). Later "Punch" and other humorous publications mocked the esthetic movement of dandies. That movement influenced greatly the fashion of late XIXth and early XXth centuries. London deriders held special parades ridiculing incredible fashion. At the head of the parade there was a horse in spectacles, because glasses used to be the most important thing for a dandy. In all times moustache was considered to be the topic for discussion. In the 30s an international club of moustached was organized in Europe. Its purpose was to approve moustache and look for unbelievably long samples. H.Bidstrup was the one who praised moustache and beards - one of his works is dedicated to them. He also invented a new hair- style "Pull and Flush the bowl".
At the end of the XIXth century the humourists laughed at emancipated women - bikers dressed in shorts with fluffy hair and in incredible hats.
A series of caricatures by V. Lebedev dealt with the fashion of Soviet
Russia of the 20s. His characters were sailors in broad bells,
streetwalkers, and swells in riding breeches. The Soviet power called the
desire of young people to wear fashionable clothes the survival of the past
and pernicious influence of the West. "Krocodil" ("Crocodile", a Soviet
satirical magazine) published a lot of caricatures of mods, who wore motley
shirts, narrow trousers, and shoes with thick soles. The mods were held up
for derision and even beaten. However, criticism of Soviet light industry
did not improve the quality of goods ( see the caricatures of Kukriniksi, K.
Rotov, E. Morgunov in the "Krokodil" magazine.)
D. Gillray. A Beauty of Society.
N. Stepanov. The Use of Crinolines.
Kukriniksi. "Toadstools". "Krokodil".
1960.
V. Lebedev. "Smekhach"
("Mocker") 1925
T. Rolandson. A bit narrower.
K. Rotov. Last Shriek of Cry.
E. Lear. Pretty Lady of Harbour...
By Dmitry Moskin
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