Of the current revival of camouflage in high fashion, the Belgian designer Dries Van Noten may have summed it up the best. “I sought to use camouflage as any other print or motif, to demilitarize it and use it as a stripe, a floral or a paisley might be used. It was purely decorative and in no way political,” he told The New York Times earlier this year. Indeed, gone are the potent, militaristic overtones formerly associated with camouflage. Today, brands just can’t get enough of the classic woodland print in pale to acid colors or as abstract Calico to Cubist-like patterns. It’s also never been easier to sport new camouflage, as more designers begin to offer it as an accent on, say, a shirt placket or the vamp of a shoe so your total outfit needn’t scream “GO ARMY.” (If you’re print-shy, this is definitely one way to start incorporating print into your look.) Whether such coy treatments suggest the inevitable return to more rugged styles of dressing remains to be seen, but one thing is for certain: this camo, in all its varietals and applications, is here to stay.
Above:
Perforated camo polo shirt, Gant by Michael Bastian, $109; available at www.barneys.com.
Storm grey Alpha Khaki, Dockers, $64; available at www.urbanoutfitters.com.
Cotton field jacket, A.P.C., $242.50; available at Mr. Porter.
Swedish M90 cordura dipped coal bag, Jack Spade, $295; available at www.jackspade.com.
Dillan brogue shoe, Dr. Martens, $160; available at Dr. Martens.
