“Vom Scheitel bis zur Sohle” – Beauty in the GDR

In the GDR, the West was always regarded as a fashion model. For young people in particular, however, GDR jeans were an unattractive imitation. Western contacts offered the hope of chic clothing from Western packages or the Intershop with Western money. In response to this longing for the West, the retail company Exquisit developed highly fashionable, but also high-priced collections.

Unfortunately, these remained unaffordable for most people. But self-initiatives flourished – many designed and sewed their own clothes. In Geisa, which has a long carnival tradition, creative costumes are still made for the costume ball and the Rose Monday parade. Those who couldn’t sew themselves found help from skilled mothers or grandmothers.

“There was a lot of laughter. The evening was extremely interesting and could have gone on for hours in the subsequent discussion,” wrote the Anneliese-Deschauer-Galerie, which made its premises available for the event.

Die Veranstaltung wurde vom Geisaer Point Alpha Forschungsinstitut PARI in Zusammenarbeit mit dem Förderverein Kunst, Kultur und Wissenschaft Geisa e. V. sowie der Stadt Geisa organisiert.