Subject: Crimea: 'Tsarist-style uniform' option for students

Children at several schools in Crimea have been given the option of wearing 19th-Century-style uniforms as part of a local pilot project, it's reported.

First year students at three schools in the city of Sevastopol are being offered the gold-buttoned uniforms, which local news website Iskra describes as being inspired by Russia's Tsarist era. Boys are kitted out in a blue shirt and trousers with a gold-buckled belt, while girls have a long blue dress with a white pinafore.

Local designer Irina Chebykina says the idea came about after Crimea was annexed by Russia in 2014. At the moment mainly "English and Scottish-style" uniforms are on sale, she tells the website. "That's not our cup of tea. We think that as Sevastopol has now returned to Russia, we should revive the best traditions of the country." Ms Chebykina says some parents have ordered the historical uniforms for their children, but others have refused.

The designs were inspired by uniforms introduced in the 1830s by Tsar Nicolas I, which were in place until the Russian revolution of 1917, the website notes. They were later re-introduced during the Soviet era. Today, many Russian schools tend to have a dress code rather than a uniform.

Many people commenting on the Iskra article approve of both the style and symbolism of the uniform, with one declaring: "Look how beautiful it is!" But others think the fad for Tsarist tradition has gone too far. One man describes the uniforms as "nonsense", while several other people wonder whether caning will also be making a comeback.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-33884791