Throughout fashion history, certain garments were able to acquire specific meaning and represent ideas, concepts, struggles and relationships much more broader than the item itself. One such garment is certainly the military jacket – from an institutional item to a symbol of subcultures protesting against the Vietnam War, up to today’s use in the music context – the military jacket can tell stories about the history of our society through a simple piece of rough fabric.
From John Lennon’s uniform of choice to Robert De Niro’s rough character in “Taxi Driver”, the military jacket was offered to the fashion world through the worlds of cinema and music. It was Yves Saint Laurent in 1968 who first introduced it in high fashion, with his “Sagarienne style” borrowed from British officers in India. From grand couturier’s atelier to young fashionistas on the grassy catwalks of Glastonbury or Coachella, the leap is quite long, and yet the military jacket still serves as a statement piece of an easy and subtly rebellious look.
In fact, last season’s runways proposed a contemporary interpretation of the timeless military jacket, with Alexander Wang, for example, designing a crossover jacket-dress piece. Olivier Rousteing from Balmain proposed a more realistic, everyday look with utility pockets and though green leather as the basis of his collection. For men, on the other hand, Kenzo proposed a different palette with a feminine lily nuance. As we slowly put on heavier jackets and coats, we cannot but look towards Spring 2015 and its take on this iconic piece of clothing.
