Mechanized garment industry in our country before the revolution did not exist. In the industrial production in 1917 was made only three percent of garments. Wear was made mostly in small workshops as a handicraft, very similar in nature of work with the feudal factories. Otherwise it could not be: the level of raw materials and technical base of the sewing production was very low.
The few clothing companies that existed in pre-revolutionary Russia were in several major cities: St. Petersburg, Moscow, Kiev, Odessa, Kharkov, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod. Their owners were well-known Russian or foreign trading companies - "Mandel", "Brothers Petuhova", "Rosenzweig", "Thiel", etc. in Addition to working for the enterprises, widespread in Russia, the system of adancata, especially Rastsvetaeva during "seasons" - the greatest revival was observed from March to July and from September to December.In the rest of the year lots of home workers remained without work. The main labor force were women and children (about 70%), as their labor was the cheapest.
Homeworkers often receive cut material and sewed, wielding ancient tailor's tools - a needle, a thimble, an iron heated by charcoal. Each tailor worked on the product from beginning to end. Of course, could not be and speeches about the division of labor. The whole neighborhood, located near cities, where there were sewing firm, have been busy tailoring business. Intermediary between the company and homeworkers were the so-called "proprietor", which bear all the costs associated with nadonestam, receiving considerable benefit.This system really hindered the development of capitalist forms of production, contributing to the pulverization and dispersion of the centers of the sewing industry.
The degree of mechanization was limited to the introduction of sewing machines that were distributed in Russia by foreign companies, the most famous of which was the firm "singer". Hard to say about the aesthetic side of mass clothes, which were created in a primitive machine-made, the element of creativity was just absent in the work of tailors-craftsmen. In addition, enterprises is predominantly military orders, which made up the bulk of mass production.
Near mass clothing existed luxurious toilets of the Russian aristocracy. As a rule, they were brought from Paris or sewed tailors-foreigners in accordance with the European trendy designs. There were Russian artists who worked in such famous firms (there were only a few) serving the aristocracy, as "Lady Olga", "Ivanov", "Lamanova". Of them is well known as an outstanding master (mostly for activities in the post-October period).. Lamanova.From the point of view of craftsmanship, elegance and taste, the costumes of the courtiers and the Russian nobility represented a kind masterpieces of the art of tailoring.
In a cheaper variant fashion the higher circles migrated to the wardrobes of the middle and petty bourgeois, acquiring your parts of jewelry, adapting to his social position, means, and tastes.
In the 90 years of the NINETEENTH century, the emerging new style features a men's suit and 10 years of the twentieth century - women's. They fold under the influence of radical economic and social upheavals in the world: an increasingly important role in society played by the proletariat, changing the position of women. There are fundamentally new types of clothing - functional and practical, oriented to the conditions of life of ordinary people - workers overalls, blouses and short skirts, convenient for operation. Women's clothes disappear artificial forms (corset), which created like a second silhouette of a figure.
By the time of the first world war quite clearly show through the features of a new style of clothes are in fashion similar to a modern men's and women's costumes. The war accelerated the process of forming a new style direction*. 
The emergence of new types of clothing by the beginning of the first world war was a true revolution in the field of costume, that marked the beginning of the development of new forms under the determining influence of advanced class of society - the proletariat. Not a chance with that time you can trace the democratization of the bourgeois suit up to this time.
Russian urban costume early twentieth century, with their original interpreted form, of course, talking about the fact that Russia was capable of artists - unfortunately, their names remained unknown. 
Russian suit, despite the greater proximity and often direct borrowings from European, had many distinctive features. The originality of national identity was the fact that he was not an official fashion (Yes, such in Russia did not exist), and born in the depths of the masses.
In the city and had more ease and convenience, in addition it forms a certain influence was rendered by ideas of social movements, various literary groups, the traditions of Russian national costumes. Casual loose linen shirts ("hoodies") became fashionable and spread among the Russian intelligentsia in imitation of Leo Tolstoy. Severe dark dress with a white collar was a favorite uniform of the girl students and teachers, and capes and wide-brimmed hats - students.A lot of character marked by the appearance of Russian workers, who wore black satin blouses with a jacket, a cap with a small visor and pants tucked into boots.
Very interesting has developed its own "fashion" Russian merchants. She represented a fusion of the forms of folk costume (undergarments, coats) with the new proletarian (boots, caps, blouses). This dual effect could not be better reveal the particularities of the social and political face of the merchant. 
In the village longer preserved the Patriarchal features in clothes. However, with the growth and development of the textile enterprises of factory-made fabrics began to supplant the homespun, and with them comes the fashion to urban styles**.
First it was the output and festive clothing: one-piece dress or a sundress (later skirt). Tissue preference of bright, festive patterns, eye-catching floral ornaments Ivanovo textile factories. 
Under the influence of garment factory workers in the village penetrate new forms of outerwear - coats, caps, appear stitched from factory fabrics blouses, vests, undergarments town.
At the same time, the urban proletariat was long kept in the form of signs in the village. Women continued smoothly combed hair, pulling them together in a knot at the nape, wearing bright scarves and shawls with fringe, variegated cotton blouses with peplum on a rustic manners, clung closely to the figure. Since 1914, due to large military orders, many shops become larger, however, the overall situation in the garment manufacturing remains the same.
By the time of the great October socialist revolution in Russia continued to exist a vast network of artisanal workshops with extremely low technical level of production. Worked only three garment factories - two in St. Petersburg and one in Moscow. Civilian dress, produced by them, remained at the level of primitive standards.

In the picture: "the defense of Petrograd" A. Deineka not only capacious, full of symbolism, the form of harsh revolutionary times, heroism and sacrifice of the people. The picture is interesting as a document of its era, vividly depicting the appearance of the fighters for the young Soviet Republic, their clothes - simple, harsh, gray-black jacket and leggings, coarse shoes, windings. Walking in the ranks the woman is dressed in the typical for those years, clothes - a kind of casual "form".

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* The concept of "style" and "fashion" are one of the specific features of the costume. Fashion manifests itself in private changes in certain elements of the costume and the length of the sleeves, collar forms, complex decorative details. Some are less fashion proposes changes in the silhouette, proportions, principles, structures and forms of costume - they are more radically affect its nature. Constantly at one, then the other innovation, the artists of the costume as if to test the waters for more radical changes in the nature of clothing. But only certain sentences are perceived by the masses.Actually the fashion is born in the creative labs of artists (now it is called more exactly "high fashion" from the French "Haute Couture"). The most sustainable features of the new directions find expression in the character of a mass of clothing, thereby determining the face of the street. However, the process of the movement of fashion, the essence of it seem to be hidden from the eyes of the public and on the surface suggests a impression - as if the artists "invent" fashion, stunning the masses by surprise and irony of their proposals. The designers say: "Fashion
comes from outside and goes into the street." 

** The rejection of traditional mens folk clothing was dictated by the objective reason: the fabric was wider than the homespun.