The number of professions in the world is constantly growing, and this is natural. Because the development of industry, economy, and technology creates new fields corresponding to the requirements of the modern era. Currently, under the influence of digitalization and global climate change, the most in-demand professions are concentrated in the fields of information technology, artificial intelligence, medicine, and green energy.
According to sea-news.az however, along with the emergence of new professions, professions that have existed since ancient times are also improving by adapting to modern challenges. My goal is not to discuss which profession is more prestigious, more responsible, rarer, or more stressful. Here, a very famous line by Gianni Rodari, an outstanding representative of world children’s literature, comes to mind: “Every profession has its own scent, every profession has its own color.” In this article, we will talk about the sailor’s clothing – or rather, its individual elements – carrying the scent of the sea, which changes colors depending on the sunny and windy weather.
The clothing of every profession owner is formed under the influence of the natural environment in which they work, both in terms of material and cut. The wardrobe of sailors has also changed over the centuries due to contact with the salty water and humid air of the sea, and the search for ways to survive in emergency situations. The dangers at sea compelled sailors to pay attention not only to the practical but also the safety factors of their clothing.
STRIPED UNDERGARMENT – TELNYASHKA The inhabitants of the Brittany region of France have long been known as excellent sailors and fishermen. It is claimed that they were the first to start wearing striped shirts. Such shirts primarily had practical significance: a sailor was easily distinguished against the background of the sea and sky while working on the mast or falling into the sea from the ship.
Aside from its practical side, it was believed that the striped shirt protected its owner from evil forces in the sea – sea demons and mermaids. Michel Pastoureau, a prominent specialist in medieval symbolism and historian, notes in his book “The Devil’s Cloth: A History of Stripes and Striped Fabric” that rich documents have been preserved showing that starting from the 12th–13th centuries, striped clothing was considered directly demonic. Striped garments at that time had to be worn by outcasts of society – circus performers, jesters, lepers, the disabled, executioners, and other such persons. By wearing striped shirts when going to sea, the Bretons were perhaps symbolically separating themselves from all worldly things, declaring that they were not afraid of the devil himself and had taken on another guise.
After the Bretons, striped shirts began to spread among Dutch sailors. This happened when Bretons were actively recruited into service in the Dutch Navy. Forced to wear the uniform of the Dutch, the Bretons began wearing striped shirts under the main uniform, driven by the desire to keep a protective amulet on themselves and which did not restrict their movements and protected them from the cold in the open sea. This custom soon spread throughout the Dutch Navy. Finely woven shirts became an integral part of the wardrobe of Dutch sailors under the name “Breton shirts.”
In the French Navy, the striped undergarment was formalized as an element of the sailor uniform in 1858 by the decree of Emperor Napoleon III.
Although the Dutch sailor uniform was introduced in the Russian Navy as early as the time of Peter I, striped undergarments had been left out of attention. However, starting from the mid-19th century, Russian sailors going on long voyages appreciated the comfort of this clothing worn by their foreign counterparts. Sailors returning to the homeland used it to look smart during holidays and when going ashore. Finally, on August 19, 1874, upon the proposal of Grand Duke Konstantin Romanov and by the decree of Emperor Alexander II, the striped undergarment (telnyashka) became the official element of the Russian sailor uniform.
Interestingly, the number of stripes on the shirts varied by country. While in France 21 stripes indicated the number of Napoleon Bonaparte’s victories, in Great Britain and the Netherlands 12 stripes referred to a person’s 12 pairs of ribs. There was a belief that this shirt made the sailor look like a dead person whose skeleton was already left in the eyes of sea spirits, and thus protected him. In Russia, although there was no restriction on the number of stripes, their width was officialized. According to the relevant document, blue stripes with a width of 1/4 vershok (approximately 1.1 cm) alternated with white stripes with a width of 1 vershok (approximately 4.4 cm). As the size grew, the number of stripes naturally increased. Only after the 1912 reform did each of the stripes become equal in width – 11.11 mm.
This clothing, which conquered the hearts of sailors, created a magnificent fashion revolution in the 20th century. In 1917, fashion designer Coco Chanel, resting on the French Riviera, presented her “Maritime” collection to the public, inspired by the clothing of local sailors. This collection, in which the striped sailor shirt was in the foreground, was met with great acclaim and became famous in the fashion world under the name “marinière.”
PHOTO. French fashion designer Coco Chanel
Soon, the “marinière” found a place in the wardrobes of famous figures such as Pablo Picasso
Jean Cocteau, Marcel Marceau, Jacqueline Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, and others. PHOTO. Spanish artist Pablo Picasso In subsequent years, the “marinière” also appeared in the collections of famous fashion houses such as “Balmain,” “Gucci,” and “Givenchy”… Striped shirts are still in fashion today. This is the essence of classics: it always returns.
(to be continued)
Sevda Abdullayeva
Leading specialist of the Public Relations Department
