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Some like black some like it indigo 21 white 20 indigo from the traditional French or Breton shirt adopted by Russia. http://www.therussianstore.com/Russian-Sailor-Shirts.html The tradition of Russian/Soviet ground troops wearing a naval uniform comes from Soviet Navy sailors who fought as shore units during World War II. It is exemplified by the famed Soviet sniper Vassili Zaitsev. Zaitsev was a petty officer in the Soviet Pacific Fleet who volunteered for army duty, but, despite transfer, he refused to give up his Navy telnyashka because of the pride it engendered. GREAT Now i gotta watch Jude Law Enemy at the Gates to see if they got it right! wiki
The Russian people first saw this type of striped vest in the second half of the 17th century, when Dutch merchant ships started coming to the towns of Kholmogory and Arkhangelsk in the White Sea. The “sea dogs” of the Netherlands, along with the British, were the main trendsetters in the field of marine accoutrements. It was thus no accident that Peter the Great made use of the Dutch naval uniform for his new Russian Navy, however, without the striped shirts. These first appeared in Russia in the 1840-50s, sported by merchant seamen, who exchanged or bought them in some European ports.
Legend has it that in 1868, the Grand Duke and Admiral Konstantin Nikolayevich Romanov was reviewing the crew of the frigate General Admiral. At the review, all the sailors came out wearing striped shirts, which they had purchased in Europe. The seamen so praised the functionality and convenience of these striped jerseys that a few years later, in 1874, the Duke Prince asked the emperor to sign a decree formally incorporating the striped vest into the sailors’ standard outfit. There are Options:http://www.thenauticalcompany.com/breton-tops-shirts/cat_12.html