LEGIT WAR GARMS: AQUASCUTUM TRENCH COATS

Images via Present London

What is it about military-inspired fashions (a.k.a "war garms") that makes them so enduring? Half the garments I write about on this blog were, at some point in history, worn by dudes while they shot/stabbed/exploded other dudes. Like this Aquascutum Corby double-breasted trench (available at Present London in camel and navy). It's such a legit war garm, it even has a gun flap to prevent water from running into the coat when you shoulder a rifle in the rain, which is something I do infrequently at best. The world of menswear is so replete with war garms, one might reasonably conclude that the ultimate path to style longevity is looking cool on guys with guns. It's entirely possible that poet shirts would still in vogue if the doughboys had worn them while kicking the Kaiser's ass. Maybe if the Screaming Eagles had worn parachute pants during Operation Overlord, then M.C. Hammer would have never been forced to file for bankruptcy. You have to ask yourself: if I use a tachyonic antitelephone to call Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst, can I prevent the Spanish-American War? -RB