Russia’s armed forces will not only be stronger in future. They will also be better dressed. A couture collection of new military uniforms has been shown to President Putin by Valentin Yudashkin, the country’s famous clothing designer, at a fashion parade in the Defence Ministry headquarters.
Chisel-jawed servicemen and leggy female models stood to attention in chic fur collars, stylish peaked caps and goldembroidered tunics as Mr Putin, the Commander-in-Chief, examined the dashing new look on Monday.
He remained impassive while Mr Yudashkin and Vladimir Isakov, the Deputy Defence Minister, explained the finer details of the uniforms, but was said later to have approved the designs for general introduction.
The uniforms will get their first public display in Red Square on May 9 in a parade marking the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in the Second World War. Controversially, Mr Putin is also reviving the Soviet-era practice of parading tanks and nuclear missiles on the square past Lenin’s tomb.
Fashion commentators said that the uniforms revived some of the glamour of Russia’s imperial tradition in combination with its recent Soviet history. Izvestia newspaper said that the designs recalled the Hussar style of 19th-century Russia. The Soviet Red Star, which Mr Putin restored in 2002 along with the former Soviet anthem, has been replaced by the imperial double-headed eagle.
The defence ministry spent £2 million to commission the designs of new uniforms for the army, navy and air force. Full-scale production is expected to begin this year, at an estimated cost of about £300 million.
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