we love the smell of napalm in the morning

[hirokinakamura]

this thread is about military clothing

repro, vintage, milsurp, whatever, you know me i love all that shit

discuss



i dont know what i've been told

repro clothes are mighty old

[hirokinakamura]

lets start with a hard fastball

what are the thoughts on reproduction of actual military patches/signifiers of rank and division

like this



I live on a military base and I can tell you with 100% certainty that you would probably get your ass kicked or something for wearing stuff like that. Those patches and logos are earned through blood, sweat and tears. Real people wore jackets like that. Real people who fought in real wars where real soldiers died... for real. At what point does repro cross the line from faithful homage to insulting and inflammatory. I mean, there is a distinct difference, isn't there, between someone who wears his grandfather's a-2 and someone who bought the same jacket from a repro company and has no connection to the war or the military. There is a certain level of disrespect, I think, that exists in pieces like that. It's certainly different in Japan, because there are probably loads of loyal customers who buy all sorts of military embroidered jackets and whatnot. Right now there's definitely some dude walking around in tokyo wearing something like and maybe that flies in japan but i mean, the 101st airborne (thats their patch) is one of the most storied and legendary divisions in the us army. Hundreds if not thousands of men in the 101st airborne fought and died in d-day and market garden and the battle of the bulge. I love repro to death but on some level what they do with these jackets and the patches, regardless of the intentions (which are probably perfectly good and originate from a deep respect for the military), almost seems to trivialize the sacrifice of these men.

[YoungCanoeist]

My grandpa wore this M-65 in the Korean war. He gave it to me just before I left for school and it's gotten me through some of the icy cold days here, it's surprisingly really warm. I think of him and my grandma whenever I put it on, and it really does feel special when I wear it. He wore it briefly and then put it away in a box where it stayed for 50 years so not only does it smell, but he never put patches on. I know he has a bunch, but I probably won't put them on, at least for now.

Bad pic incoming:



He also gave me his 1948/9 issued 100% wool US Navy peacoat that fits incredibly slim in the body, but huge in the arms and shoulders. It's such a nice coat but it's still too big for me! I don't have pics of that now, but I'll be sure to take some and post them when I go home for Thanksgiving break.

[hirokinakamura]

thats fucking awesome

korea or vietnam? i only ask because the m-65 wasnt introduced until 1965, which is why its called the m-1965.

[potsticker]

I wear a patchless but marked navy jacket from my grandfather now and then when it's really cold, but the sleeves are too short for me. It isn't a classic, I haven't been able to find anything about it.Wearing stuff with patches is cool if it's from family, otherwise it strikes me as taking cool clothing and turning it into a slightly creepy costume. The respect angle, though I understand it on some level, hasn't ever really been something that I "get". I've been given and (rarely) worn hats from navy and coast guard ships, and no-one has ever said anything, but military pride is not exactly strong in coastal norcal.

Here's the jacket's tag, though

[hirokinakamura]

It's an a-2 deck jacket aka n-2 deck jacket, pretty common item amongst vintages militaria

It was introduced during the late 50s and was used throughout the Cold War era. Sailors would wear these jackets when it was too cold to wear the work jackets, lightweight blue jackets that were also standard issue. The 69 in the contract no indicates iirc that the contract to manufacture this was awarded in 1969 and the jacket was either manufactured in 1969 or soon after (I'm guessing your grandpa fought in Vietnam).

[potsticker]

Thanks! Yeah, it is vietnam era for sure though my grandfather was on subs so wasn't super involved in vietnam to my knowledge. Cuffs are weird-I had assumed it had been hemmed down but it looks like they all have the the same thing with the cuffs inside the sleeve.

[moussele]

Does military inspired stuff belong itt

[hirokinakamura]

For sure moussele

Vintage, repro, surplus, flintstone, everything and anything military belongs here

[YoungCanoeist]

Hmm, I guess it would have to be Vietnam then. He told me that he got it in 1950 with Korea but that doesn't add up!

[hirokinakamura]

does it have velcro or buttons on the cuffs

what kind of collar does it have

[starfox64]

could be an m-51, couldn't it?

[YoungCanoeist]

The cuffs are velcro and pointed, and the collar doesn't fold over, and there's a hood inside of it.

[hirokinakamura]

Nope that's def an m-65 then

Was your grandfather career military?

[bels]

Zip away hoods are so cash

[YoungCanoeist]

This hood is pretty much unusable it's so thin and torn. And yeah he was in the Air Force, no combat though.

[hirokinakamura]

In that case I'd suggest looking on eBay for a vintage m-1951 or m-1965 parka hood. They use the same button fastening system as the field jacket and you can gerryrig the hood onto the jacket.

[can-]

dad's Vietnam era m51 (iirc)

[hirokinakamura]

How much of your dads clothes do you have ben

I feel like you're always talking about taking his clothes

[maj]

thought this was the best place for this as technically raeburn re purposes old shit, no camera but i want to explain these things to you.

today i got my new raeburn pants and they are probably the best pants i have ever owned for the price. usually i don't do for non denim pants let alone spend this much on pants so you may want to take it with a pinch of salt but these things are crazy. upon opening the lovely corner packaging and unwrapping the pants i knew these things were cool, the fabric is like a light cotton twill weave with a grey, lightly mottled almost slate colour and when they're cut into pattern the panels are un-even so it creates an almost dazzle camo effect (maybe/probably accidental) and it's pretty awesome. the waist band is a normal belt looped band done with a popper which is pretty cool opposed to a button, zip fly with pleats at the top, really like this as it's just a cool feature and button holes usually look poorly made no matter how much the garment costs so it's a bit cleaner design build wise. the pants then have two slat pockets which are gigantic and perfect for tucking your hands away in.

as far as fit goes it's the best of both worlds, for ages i've wanted a set of techy looking pants with a heavy taper like acr and si but never wanted to fork out 350+ so these are pretty great to fill that. however the best part comes when you get down to the zip cuff, although it is elasticated it has an integrated zip like track pants and unlike most pants of this type i've tried it doesn't just split the hem but releases extra material behind it allowing you to adjust the fit depending on the occasion and creating a the piece into a relaxed straight leg twill sweat pant or chino, which explains why they are called "smart pants" in the look book opposed to tech/track pants. .

as far as build quality it is lovely all the stitching is really clean and there are no loose threads and riri metal wear. the pants themselves are unlined but have a contrasting fabric for the pocket bags with the care tags being made out of a nice synthetic nylon opposed to paper, with his own tag being stitched in on cotton and a "made in england" stitched below

all in all for what i payed for these they pretty much outclass most pants i've handled at the price point, and undercut their competitors for the same design which is pretty great for being made in england by a small designer. bare in mind this could be purchase justification setting in but with that said these are REALLY REALLY FUCKING GREAT PANTS.

http://www.thecorner.com/gb/men/casual- ... 285mf.html

[CleanThug]

bump this thread

[ptozzi]

If I recall correctly owns some MHI

EDIT: disregard. I was thinking MKI

[bels]

[blankinput]

A pal just confirmed one of RRL's upcoming F/W 2014 collections will be WWII military-inspired. Today was a good day.

[BIGBEE]

MILSURP Items I'm interested in


canadian parka, EG made a hood like that


canadian tanker jacket

Canadian field jacket

english DPM flak vest cover. I think it's just a cover for the flak vest not sure though. Inspired an acronym vest (first season!)

German police sweater

canadian IECS goretex jacket. Canada invented the tape buttons I believe

Swedish biker jacket, fits really weird. I'd like to see what a designer could do with this pattern

[sagc]

Regarding the biker jacket, Christophe Lemaire did exactly that in fw 2012/13 -

[BIGBEE]

^ I feel so smart

http://www.vietnamgear.com/
Really good resource for vietnam uniforms, lots of pictures
(also really good resource for the war in general)
I have this weird memory of a w)taps vest
It was basically a flak vest; I think it was on urban techwear somewhere. I'll try and find it
Yah ramseames it has a bunch of velcro to adjust the fit, you should have bought it! your regret is my regret :(

EDIT: found it going to use it as an excuse to bump the wtaps thread >:D

[hirokinakamura]

that's a great site thanks for the heads up

also that Swedish biker jacket is bare dench

[yubbermax]

I'm looking to get a sweet parka for the winter so I've been cruising the bay for mil surp ones. I found this Canadian one which is my current favorite.

[zayg]

Been really wanting an overshirt-esque jacket or some kind of Flecktarn jacket. Saw a couple wearing Flecktarn last night and I think that sealed the deal.

Determining what pattern and size of military clothing to purchase is ridiculously difficult for me though.