Since the time of Empress Catherine II, the clothes of the Russian army have not been deprived of the attention of the rulers of the state. But the military uniform became a special symbol of national dignity and military honor during the wars with Napoleon and subsequent foreign campaigns.
During the wars with the French, Russian officers and infantry soldiers wore cropped tailcoat uniforms with folds. The guards uniform differed from the army one by the pattern of sewing on the cuffs of the sleeves and the collar. The soldier's daily headdress was a shako - a cylindrical shape, a cloth or leather hat slightly widening towards the upper part with a special chin strap and a small visor. A cockade was attached over the shako, which had its own color for each company. A multi-colored or white plume of feathers was inserted behind it. An etiquette was put on the hat - special braided pendants with tassels. On the guards' headdresses there was a coat of arms in the form of an eagle, on artillery ones - in the form of crossed cannon barrels, on army ones - in the form of a grenade. Instead of wide trousers, the soldiers wore pantaloons: in winter - cloth with hemmed leggings, in summer - linen. Light cavalry, hussars, fought in a short dolman jacket, embroidered with cords, with a low standing collar. In winter, the military wore a warm jacket, like a dolman, and in the summer they wore it as a saddle stitch on the left shoulder. The uniform was complemented by leggings-chakchirs, embroidered with colored cords, and low boots. Instead of shoulder straps and epaulettes, the hussars wore special harnesses. They wore a raincoat in the rain, and a short fur coat in winter. Lancers, light cavalry armed with pikes, wore navy blue jackets with red lapels. They were distinguished by long tight trousers with stripes worn over boots. The headdress was a lance-cap with a square top, up to 22 cm high, with a plume of feathers and two tassels. Instead of shoulder straps, soldiers and officers wore epaulettes. Heavy Cavalry - Cuirassiers wore a blackened iron cuirass. The cuirassier's uniform included a suede vest, an overhead black tie, tight-fitting pantaloons or leggings, and high boots. Short boots and gray leggings were worn on hikes. The dragoons, who are horsemen of the middle cavalry, wore a uniform that was close in cut to the infantry, namely: a double-breasted jacket and white pantaloons. Horsemen went on campaigns in gray leggings lined with leather over boots. High leather helmets with a hair comb were used as a headgear.
