IYBC Trend Report #14: Military Inspired

Its no surprise to anyone that nearly every single Fall/Winter collection put forth on both the mainstream fashion circuit – New York, London, Paris, Milan – and the up-and-coming cities – Dubai, Tokyo, Amsterdam, Miami – features some variation of the classic Trench, be it a men’s or ladies collection. And most also know that it was the prestigious house of Burberry in London that iconized the now style-staple Trench Coat. As of late, however, the whole military theme has literally exploded. In my personal opinion, it was Balmain who really brought it to the forefront, with the power shoulder and rows upon rows of brassy buttons running down the front of very fitted blazers. Since then, it seems that the military-inspired trend is definitely here to stay. This was apparent especially in the Burberry Prorsum (see above) and Louis Vuitton Men’s Fall/Winter 2010 Runway shows. Not only that, but the “fast fashion” competitors (like Mango and Topshop in Europe, H&M and Zara across the pond) have been pumping out army-inspired pieces the last few seasons.

I personally have been on the hunt to find the best military jacket to add to my wardrobe. When I was in Paris last year, I found this gorgeous, all-leather jacket in the front window of Zara, and I had to snap a photo. Once inside, I found out that they were all sold out within hours of hitting the sales floor. Shocking. There were none left in the inventory, and they weren’t able to track down any in all of France. So during the rest of my stay in Europe, my friends and I literally scoured Zara boutiques everywhere in search of this jacket. I mean in Germany, in all of Holland, in Belguim. I quickly discovered that it wasn’t “the best” that I was looking for, it was any men’s military jacket that I could call my own. As I continued my exhaustive search, fellow blogger Joe, of 00o00, did a full post on this very jacket, and even tried it on in one of the Zara’s in the UK, but he didn’t like the fit so he didn’t buy it. I died.

The more I shopped in Europe, the more and more I saw of this reoccurring military trend, especially because of D&G’s explosive Fall/Winter 2009 collection. It seemed like every little boutique I visited carried something D&G F/W09! And while I seriously wrestled with the notion of forking over 1025 for an amazing jacket, I couldn’t justify spending that on a “trend piece”. And there was nothing comparable available anywhere. The brassy buttons, the fitted silhouette, the detailing on the shoulder and sleeves; I couldn’t get it out of my mind. While back in my daily routine in Canada, I still looked through all the shops here in Calgary, and ventured into the women’s section because it serious seems that there is always tons of military jacket choices for the girls, no? Anyway, coming to the end of this tale, I was browsing a random store in a random mall one day (yes I’m being vague on purpose here), and guess what I found?

I seriously still can’t believe my luck that the first, THE FIRST military jacket that I ever found was at a more-then-reasonable price and was the perfect fit, literally and figuratively. The buttons, the detailing, the length, the cut, it all works together so well. And I guess I found it more than fitting to model this jacket in downtown Calgary’s newly re-opened Central Memorial Park, constructed to remind us of all the lives lost during the great Wars of the World. At the end of the day, I’m happy with my piece of this trend. Now the question is, will you embrace the military trend like I did?