…so much for all the “military chic” e-mails. Bottom-line: it’s a long-running trend that has probably been accelerated a bit by the war. E-mail:
“It inevitably goes in waves. Every few seasons designers (such as Ralph Lauren, Michael Kors, etc.) seem to revive military chic in some format – epaulets on jackets, more severe-style tailoring, fabric choices (wool in navy, olive, nylon), etc. You could argue that your trend spotting is derived from the late-80s revival (which did lots of military-style garb courtesy of Reagan vs. Russians era) now in vogue, though Azzedine Alaia dresses are more what is being pushed in that regard. Could argue that it is the ultimate evolution of Prada’s black nylon bags that started gaining in popularity in the late 1990s and are now virtually iconic to fashionistas, but which also have pushed the desirability of utilitarian style (which will always promote a military aesthetic) into the general consciousness, or simply a consequence of the widespread wearing of khakis, a fabric that inherently lends itself to military-related design. Or, yeah, the fact that there’s a war on.”