The military uniform has a storied history in the United States. From the Revolutionary War to the modern soldier, it has adapted to the times, the fights, and the fashions.
It projects authority while remaining practical. Not only that, you can trace the origins of many men’s fashion items to the military’s history. That’s why we just love a man (and woman) in uniform.
Here are some military uniform milestones that show just how far we’ve come in the last 250 years.
Revolutionaries
At the start of the Revolutionary War in 1775, there wasn’t a uniform; the Revolutionaries wore what they had. While the British had their obvious redcoats, the only way to tell who was on the side of the United States was that they didn’t.
Who set the standard then? None other than George Washington himself.
He designed the original officer’s uniforms and ribbon insignia that he and his generals wore. He set the basic hunting outfits for the ragtag militias. By 1782, there was a standard uniform for all: the blue coat.
New Frontiers
Independence was only the beginning. Now it was time to learn and adapt.
Surprisingly, their next fashion innovation was directly influenced by Europe. Single-breasted coats, black herringbone, gold buttons, high boots. A shortage of blue fabric led to a gray uniform in its place during that time. Sounds like something that would look great on the runway today.
The battles that followed brought the United States to new frontiers like the Southwest. Now it wasn’t enough to just have a single uniform. What works in the cold and the rain doesn’t work in the heat and dust. Their enemies were also well-suited for the environment, so the US had to act fast.
Field and dress uniforms became separate outfits; perfect for more fashion innovation in the future.
Civil War
After learning from other nations, the Civil War brought an even playing field to military fashion. Cut from the same cloth, the soldiers of the North wore blue, while the South wore gray. A simple difference.
With a nation, and resources, that were split in half, simplicity and practicality were most important. Many uniforms were made by the country’s women for their respective soldiers which led to a lot of variety. The Confederates of the South had access to cotton for their uniforms, while the North was limited to wool. Everyone wore simple caps and clothing.
Resources became so strained that both sides had soldiers replacing worn out shoes with cloth tied around their feet. Not a great time for the nation or military fashion.
The World Wars
The next great shift in U.S. military fashion happened at the start of World War I. Every article of clothing was tossed out and redesigned. Wartime rationing also led to a lot of civilian innovations. We’re still wearing many of them today.
Goodbye blue coats, hello olive drab green. On everything. OD green wool uniforms. OD green paint on vehicles, ammo, and rations. It’s why we associate this color with the military today.
World War II brought even more comfort and practicality with new jackets and detachable hoods, multi-layered pants, combat boots, heavy winter jackets, and early forms of camouflage print.
Limited resources introduced utilitarian fashion styles and multi-functional items in case of emergencies like onesies for escaping to air raid shelters and purses that doubled as gas masks.
When veterans returned to civilian life at the end of the two World Wars they also brought a ton of major fashion standards with them: khakis aka chinos, turtlenecks, trenchcoats, peacoats, field jackets, bomber jackets, berets, beanies, and aviator.
It didn’t take long for other civilians to adopt these new styles and we’re still rocking them today.
Vietnam
Vietnam had a lot of new problems that caught the U.S. by surprise which led to some major innovations.
How do you offer protection and uniformity for soldiers fighting non-traditional enemies in an unforgiving environment?
Technological advancements like quick-drying boots, wind-resistant jackets, and cargo pants were some solutions. Yes, the military is responsible for cargo shorts.
Others required using fashion as a tool.
To hide the ranks of officers, everyone’s uniforms were made to be much more consistent. Gone were the days of decked out generals with gold shoulderpads. The guerilla fighting of the Vietnamese meant everyone needed to adapt to be more hidden as well.
Camouflage quickly evolved from olive drab to tiger stripe print and became the standard. The beginning of the modern soldier.
Modern Warfare
As war changes, so does fashion. The modern soldier is much more uniform with digital camo patterns and practical protection. We’re becoming more divorced from the actual battlefields thanks to technology. There’s not as much room for flashy, fashionable dress these days outside of civilian life, but that’s where the legacy of military fashion will continue to live on.
If you still think your wardrobe has little to do with the military, here’s one last fact: the T-shirt, the most standard article of clothing around, was popularized during the Spanish-American War in the 1860s.
Enough said.
