I spent the weekend in Ellicott City, Md. with camouflage face paint on, fording rivers, sneaking through forests and consuming the traditional outdoorsman beverages. My friends were with me as well, but they had made the smart decision of taking a trip to the Army Surplus store before the weekend adventure. They came back with camouflage pants, jackets, hats and one very useful camouflage backpack. Needless to say, I felt a little underdressed in my sweatpants and sweater.
Drinking our beverages while blending in with the dark forest, I came to think about how useful and chic some of my friends' selections were. One friend bought a vintage army jacket in forest green with the former owner's name, Paladino, still sewn onto it. The friend was jokingly referred to as Paladino for the rest of the weekend, but the jacket was still very fashionable. It was cut slim and had that worn-in, authentic look to it that people pay large sums of money for, but it was an inexpensive purchase.
Another friend managed to pick up a very sleek backpack. Not only was it extremely useful and efficient at camouflaging the owner but we discovered that it could also hold skis, much to the content of the avid skier who bought it.
These things are essentially the factors that made military and wilderness-themed clothing such a popular hit several years ago and today too. The utilitarian motif is masculine, chic, comfortable and useful. The London clothing empire, Burberry, basically created its fame and fortune from it, starting first with the trench coat designed for British army officers.
Recently, acclaimed Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto's collaboration clothing line with Adidas, Y-3, released its Fall 2009 showcase. The clothing, meant to be a sportswear collaboration, was heavily based on military themes. Dark navy and black officer's coats emblazoned with three gold army stripes (think Adidas logo) paired with baggy cargo pants and heavy leather lace-up boots were the main emphasis of the show. Yamamoto experimented with the stripes, moving them around the garments on shoulders, biceps, hats, pants and lapels. He also showcased some classic bomber jackets, the ones you'd see Air Force pilots wearing 50 years ago.
Even Emporio Armani had something to hint at for Fall 2009 with a wide range of army-green clothing. One particular brownish-green leather hoodie had the perfect mix of utility and fashion. Down the line, Miharayasuhiro (the brand) showed clothing inspired by the ancient travelers of the Silk Road. The combination of silk, flannel and fur had a rogue wayfarer aura to it. Mihara Yasuhiro (the designer) struck a balance between city slicker and east-Asian nomad with a touch of military intervention.
Lanvin had some epic military boots on display for its Fall 2009 show, which made me wish I had a pair while fording that river Saturday night so as to avoid spending the following four hours with wet sneakers. The opening segment of the show had baggy officer's coats billowing over suit jackets paired with high-rising leather lace-up boots. Even Michael Kors and Ralph Lauren put a touch of outdoorsman class into their lines, showing olive green pants and boy scout-inspired jackets.
Regardless of who designed it or who showed it first, military and outdoors-styled clothing has been bouncing around the fashion world for a long time, and it does not seem to be going away anytime soon. The styles have percolated down to the most accessible clothing brands like H&M as well, making it cheaper for you to gear up. But for the most authentic stuff, drop by the local Army/Navy Surplus store and dig around for a bit. Pick up some plaid jackets or wool coats for a cold winter in the wild or lace-up boots for when the red-brick pathways of Homewood flood from torrential rain. If you plan on bro-ing out in a forest somewhere you can grab some camouflage too, but leave that for the camping trips and not the classroom.
