Welcome back to the Gentleman's Gazette. In today's video,
we'll discuss whether or not camo print should be incorporated into classic menswear.
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It's no secret to many clothing enthusiasts that many of the clothing articles that we wear
have a military background or sporting background.
More than a hundred years ago, the range of styles available to men were minimal.
Military garments were more utilitarian versions of garments men already wore.
In many cases, men could also purchased
commissions in the military. So, your rank depended on your wealth
and these officers wanted to wear garments befitting their status.
They also weren't nearly as practical as more modern military uniforms.
So, when they were folded into everyday wear for men, they didn't stand out so heavily.
However, this leaves one well-hidden elephant in the room when discussing this topic of camo
print. While this print serves a very utilitarian function for outdoorsmen and military personnel,
you rarely will see it in an office setting or in formal menswear. Just imagine your boss wearing
this outfit from Justin Timberlake. That being said, tweed was originally a hunting fabric,
which served as a type of early camo for hunters. Is it possible we could see this print become a
new type of paisley within the world of menswear? Only time will tell. Today, we're going to tackle
whether or not camo print is compatible within the principles of classic menswear and whether or not
it can be brought into outfits which follow these guidelines. Now, let's first look at the history
of camo. While camo in its current form is a relatively new invention within the military,
the concept behind it is not. Now, some militaries.
like the famed British infantries, stood out intentionally with their bright red coats as was
intended to strike fear into their opponents by their sheer numbers and formations. However,
it also made the troops a very obvious target.
This gave followers of guerilla warfare during the Revolutionary War
a huge advantage. Now, this might seem obvious now, but it wasn't back then.
The US then opted for the less conspicuous blue uniforms for their troops to draw
less attention to themselves for sneak attacks. And while the British military
was appalled by this and considered it a dirty trick and quite ungentlemanly,
it was the reason why the US won the Revolutionary War. As they say, "All is fair and love and war."
This newfound military technique revolutionized the way wars were fought moving forward.
In the Spanish-American War, US snipers took this a step further by smearing mud all over their blue
uniforms to be less conspicuous. This led to the first primitive form of camouflage. During WWI,
the US also updated their war uniforms by having a khaki color in the summer and having
an olive color, coined "drab", in the winter on the field. These were designed to further
help troops blend in with their surroundings and to make them less of an obvious target.
The introduction of trench warfare and planes had some units adopting uniforms,
which resembled the colors of trees and mud on their helmets for even less visibility. This was
expanded upon in WWII and in the 1950s, where a twig and leaf pattern was adopted onto a common
soldier's helmet for a brief period of time but was later dropped. The Vietnam War made stealth
more important than ever. But, the US still opted for the drab uniforms of yesteryear. However,
Green Berets and other special force units adopted an experimental uniform consisting of a four-color
pattern known as "tiger stripe." This was created to mimic the French and Vietnamese pattern
and later saw more use due to its effectiveness. With the failures of the Vietnam War
and the looming fear of the Cold War with Russia escalating, the US was looking for a better way
to protect its troops. This led to the invention of the "woodland" pattern consisting of black,
brown, khaki, and green. This was designed to hide troops in forest and jungle environments.
The US adopted this new field uniform for all branches of the military moving forward.
And while there have been and will continue to be some alterations to this pattern,
camo as we know it has been the standard for the Armed Forces and will continue to be for the
foreseeable future. Throughout the 80s and 90s, this pattern has been mimicked within civilian
clothing and has become quite a trendy look within fashion. It had variations that included blue,
yellow, and even pinks. Who hasn't seen their uncle wear a camo hat at least once?
Today, you can buy all sorts of shirts, shorts, pants,
jackets, bags, shoes, and so on that use this motif. But, the question then arises
is this compatible with a classic look? Should camo be worn? And is it stylish?
Now, one of the first things you'll notice about this pattern when it's taken out of a more force
and rural environment and brought into a more urban environment is that it's extremely loud
and attention-grabbing. Especially if it's not in the traditional woodland print.
This makes pairing this pattern extremely tricky as it's not originally designed to be broken up
and paired with other things. Its bold shapes also force the eye onto it if you're not surrounded by
brown and green. This makes wearing solids with the print the easiest way to wear it
without clashing patterns. It's also an extremely casual print for its bold shapes
and outdoorsman function. For these reasons, we deem this to be quite difficult to pull off within
dress apparel and within the fundamentals of classic menswear, outside of a more casual outfit.
Now, if you're a huge fan of the pattern and lean more fashion-forward, you could try to
incorporate it by using an accessory like a pocket square or a tie. But, keep in mind,
this is an unusual look and may not be for most people. You could also wear it in a more casual
setting outside of hunting, for example, in board shorts or in swimwear in the summer,
if you're a big fan of the print. This is where formality doesn't really matter and allows you
to have more fun with experimenting. No one really cares what your swimming trunks look like.
[Raphael goofs around wearing a one-piece swimsuit]
Using it outside of these contexts will put you into the streetwear realm, which is not
a bad thing but it's certainly something we're not experts at here at the Gentleman's Gazette.
Another element to consider with camo is wearing any military insignia with it in which you did
not serve. Veterans take ranks and patches earned from military service very seriously
and can take issue with you wearing something on a military garment if it's not actually yours.
To prevent any issues with stolen valor, it's better to be safe and go ahead and
remove any insignias off the base garment if you're going to wear it as a civilian.
Now, if you want to wear a more military-inspired look for a business casual setting, we'd suggest
looking at olive drab designs as an alternative. This is because the color works extremely well
with earth tones and will be far less loud and easier to pair with things like khaki pants.
A great place to start with this is the M-65 field jacket or parka and fatigue shirts. These designs
have a strong and masculine military origin without screaming it. They also have a ton
of pockets, which are a godsend. I enjoy picking up camo-inspired items to add into my wardrobe;
from shirts to even a travel bag. Here are a few casual outfits I wear that incorporate camo.
A camo short sleeve shirt with shorts and sneakers. A camo long-sleeved button-up shirt
with cream jeans and green boots. Chino khaki pants with a blue and white shirt
and a camouflage bag. Black workout shorts and a long-sleeved camouflage workout shirt with
black running shoes. In conclusion, while there are certainly scenarios where you can wear this
pattern if desired, we don't anticipate it becoming a mainstay within classic menswear.
But, who knows? Maybe Timberlake was onto something after all. Today,
I'm wearing a long-sleeved buttoned-up camouflage shirt with cream jeans and
green boots. I'm finishing off the look with the Fort Belvedere belt and socks. And, of course,
you can always find socks like these and other great accessories at the Fort Belvedere shop here.
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