Come on, don't be sad. It's a summer that's coming to an end but the wonders of autumn layering are almost reaching out to us. If it's soon time to put away the Bermuda shorts and sneakers , new adventures await us.
Bobine, for example, is celebrating its second season at BonneGueule and believe me, I'm happy to be back: clothing and cinema are an inexhaustible subject and a great source of stylistic lessons.
Take the jungle jacket that Jordan showed you in his VLOG: here is an inspiring piece that is often seen on the big screen! In fact, for my part, the first thing that comes to mind about the military jacket is not so much a piece of clothing as a universe explored many times by American filmmakers.
Jungle images of course, sounds of explosions or helicopters, but also a lot of music. " Satisfaction " by the Stones, " The End " by the Doors or even " We Gotta Get Out Of This Place " by the Animals for example. I then inevitably think of films like "Apocalypse Now", "Outrages", "Platoon" and so many others.
As for the clothing itself, note that it is easy to get lost between the different types of military jackets of the American army: M41, M43, M51, M65, jungle jackets , etc. There are many confusions. And let's admit it: the brands themselves maintain this phenomenon.
So rather than focusing solely on the jungle jacket, this new Bobine is an opportunity to take a broader look at the military jacket in cinema , and to find some style ideas to use in your everyday life.
1. The US military locker room
“ Apocalypse Now ” (Francis Ford Coppola, 1979)
Credit: Christophel Collection/RnB Zoetrope Studios/United Artists
Long before being an object of coolness, diverted and then reinvested among others by hippie culture and fashion, the military jacket that interests us is above all the property of the American army. It is a utilitarian and highly symbolic garment.
Each uniform is designed and improved according to the needs and specificities of the army. The M43 jacket was produced during the Second World War, the M51 during the Korean War, the M65 during the Vietnam War… If you are interested in the history of the latter, Jordan gives you a short summary here .
The first jungle jacket models appeared around 1963. In the cinema, we would have to wait a few years before seeing them and, more generally, before seeing the subject of Vietnam treated in any way other than documentary form.
Let's take the emblematic example of "Apocalypse Now" by Francis Ford Coppola in 1979. It's a world film, a sort of river movie through the jungle. Martin Sheen is sent on a mission in search of a colonel who has become God or madman. It's Marlon Brando's last great role. And everything in it is cult, or almost.
Starting with one of the most charismatic characters in the film, the one played by Robert Duvall: Lieutenant Colonel Kilgore, a great fan of Wagner, surfing and "airborne cavalry".
His style also has character: a jungle jacket and a fatigue cargo, a khaki T-shirt, a Stetson cavalry hat, a pair of Tanker boots, a wide black leather belt with buckles, cartridges and a revolver. And the highlight of the show: a yellow scarf !
Obviously, nothing easily transposable in our daily life here, if not the association of black, yellow and khaki colors . But through this whimsical rider, you already see that we can get around the rules here and there.
Another striking example: Stanley Kubrick's still astonishing " Full Metal Jacket " in 1987:
Credit: Ronald Grant Archive / Mary Evans
Less eccentric than Robert Duvall's, Matthew Modine's outfit is nonetheless a uniform. In hindsight, we can still glimpse the future potential of the jungle jacket in civilian life, just by watching the master Kubrick at work:
Credit: Mary Evans AF Archive Warner Bros
No more uniform here: Stanley Kubrick made it an everyday garment, worn here with a blue shirt . In other photos from the shoot available on the web, you can even make out the bottom of the outfit: beige pants and a pair of sneakers .
For other forays into the American military locker room in Vietnam, one can take a look at Oliver Stone's " Platoon " in 1986 or Brian De Palma's " Outrages " in 1989. There is no shortage of references.
For those of you who are impatient to see the military jacket finally come out of the frame, you can now immerse yourself in a completely different era , through Robert Altman's irreverent " MASH " in 1970.
Credit: 20thCentFox
The film is still worth a look and tells the story of two rather original surgeons in a military field hospital. If you're not too keen on the discipline, are intrigued by golf or simply want to see a military jacket worn with a pink flowered shirt, you should like this.
But as you will see later, the shirt is not the only possible way to wear a military jacket...
2. Casual, workwear and civilian life
“ Taxi Driver ” (Martin Scorsese, 1976)
Credit: Cinema Publishers Collection
In cinema as in everyday life, the military jacket did not stop at the battlefield. It gradually became part of civilian clothing. You can therefore find it on the road, in the city or even in the countryside in a large number of films and outfits.
For some, it is a legacy, a history, and a war wound that has not quite healed. For example, you can take a look at Ted Kotcheff's " Rambo " in 1982. Or at John Goodman, in the Coen brothers' " The Big Lebowski " in 1998.
But there is certainly another character that you have been thinking about for a while now. He has been haunting American cinema since 1976 in the guise of Robert de Niro. He is a New York taxi driver named Travis Bickle. Although he struggles to find his place and gradually becomes radicalized, his style has since become popular and his military jacket is cult: it is an M65 .
If you look closely, you might notice that the main character of "Taxi Driver" sometimes wears the yellow T-shirt . He also shares with Benoît an immoderate love for the western shirt and with David a similar passion for belts . But that's not all.
In Robert de Niro's work, the military jacket goes with a certain American style: jeans, a white T-shirt under a plain or checked western shirt, Aviator sunglasses , cowboy boots . But it also echoes the punk movement that reappropriates the military jacket with pins, badges, leather, denim and sometimes even Mohawk haircuts.
You might think that Martin Scorsese's film has aged a little, but 40 years later, the magic continues to work from the first notes of the credits by Bernard Herrmann. . Rest assured, if this proto-punk look made in the USA doesn't appeal to you very much, Robert de Niro doesn't have a monopoly on style in a US Army jacket.
Another genre, another era: we can for example look at what John Wayne does with the military jacket in John Ford's " The Irishman's Tavern" in 1963:
Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection
The action revolves around three veterans of the Pacific War who have settled in Polynesia. Life seems seemingly quiet but the characters of Lee Marvin and John Wayne are of the fighting type.
It's not the American master's greatest film, but in terms of inspiration, you'll find something entirely accessible and contemporary in John Wayne.
And guess what, it has nothing to do with a cowboy outfit : a cap, a long-sleeved shirt with a navy blue Cuban collar, a brown belt, beige chinos with a straight cut, sand-colored suede boots or navy canvas sneakers . The jacket is a possible olive-colored M42 . Simple, practical and effective.
In a similar vein, you can observe the tough, sullen character played by Robert Shaw in Steven Spielberg's 1975 " Jaws ":
Credit: Universal AF Archive Mary Evans
As you probably know, it's a dark story about a shark that terrorizes the population and tourists of a small American seaside resort. It's a famous theme movie, which makes you want to wear sweatshirts and not hang around at sea too much.
But we also discover in the character of Robert Shaw an olive M51 type jacket , a cap that has lived, black pants, Sperry shoes and a blue chambray shirt . Olive and blue, it's a rolling affair. But you already knew that.
On the other hand, you will see in this film that you can sometimes put black in your outfits without it being inappropriate: here pants, there a bandana . He is not the most sympathetic character in Spielberg's cinema, but he could well teach you a thing or two about clothing... and sharks.
These few outfits are casual inspired but they still have something to do with action.
So for those of you who are perhaps less adventurous and yearn for more thought, you can delve into the outfits from Woody Allen's 1977 classic " Annie Hall ":
Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection
It's a story of love and psychoanalysis. The tandem formed by Diane Keaton and Woody Allen is perfect, and the style is very often inspiring. You will discover another military jacket , khaki forever, associated with a t-shirt slipped under a green plaid shirt and very beautiful beige pleated pants .
Brown or beige shoes, to conclude. It's a bit more dressy, but it still works 40 years later. Note for our readers that there are also particularly interesting things to see in Diane Keaton's wardrobe.
Another possibility, more recent and relaxed: Joaquin Phoenix's beautiful variations on the jungle jacket in Paul Thomas Anderson's " Inherent Vice " in 2014. Enough to make Jordan dream? Maybe. Take a look:
Credit: Warner Bros Courtesy Everett Collection
It's a dark and psychedelic film centered around a private eye named Doc. We listen to Can or Neil Young. We evoke the fall of the Californian dream at the dawn of the 70s. And sometimes we also vaguely try to to conduct the investigation.
Style-wise, it's a festival of colors, cool outfits and more or less risky attempts: straw hat, wide pants , white pants , denim shirt, floral shirt, orange shirt or henley , brown leather sandals or black shoes, orange double-breasted suit and tie with yellow in it.
So, in short, it's a joyous mess, and there is indeed a bit of that lurking under a thick cloud of smoke. But if you happen to be looking for other ways to wear the jungle jacket, there's a chance you'll find a couple of interesting style tricks here.
3. The military jacket and the dress style
“ Sammy Going South ” (Alexander Mackendrick, 1963)
Photo credit: Courtesy Everett Collection
You may have noticed it here and there, and especially on Instagram: it is no longer rare to see the military jacket associated with more formal outfits. A nice shirt, a tie, a pair of pleated chinos, a nice pair of derby shoes or Instagram of the Japanese Takumi Oshima:
In the cinema, too, you can find more formal outfits with military jackets . For example, look at this shot above from the film "Sammy Going South" by Alexander Mackendrick.
The director probably doesn't mean anything to you. It's a little-known film, a little dated today certainly, but which has the merit of showing the example of another way of wearing the military jacket.
The film takes place in Africa. It tells the adventures of a young boy who became an orphan following a bombing. We are in the 50s, during the Suez Canal crisis.
Our hero in short pants will cross desert, bush and jungle until he meets a new father figure: the character played by the actor Edward G. Robinson.
He is a legend of Hollywood cinema. His face will certainly remind you of something from the cinema of Fritz Lang, Orson Welles, Howard Hawks or even Michael Curtiz.
What is he wearing here? A weathered military jacket, a safari-style shirt, high-waisted pleated pants and a pair of boots .
A hat and a scarf around the neck complete the look. It's the exact cross we were talking about above: a subtle alloy of raw material (the boots, the jacket) and refinement (the pants, the scarf). And it's one of the trends that has emerged in recent years with the military jacket: the meeting of two worlds that at first glance seem completely opposed.
Although this may prove complicated to implement, the approach is interesting and demonstrates the path taken by military fashion into our contemporary wardrobes.
If you no longer know how to match your tie , your shoes and your pleated trousers , take a look at the jungle jacket for example: there may be new avenues to explore.
4. The women's locker room
“ Annihilation ” (Alex Garland, 2018)
Credit: Los Angeles CA PUBLICATION IN GER SUI AUT ONLY
Women's fashion also has something to say with the military jacket. Among the recent examples that come to mind are the pretty shades of beige, green and brown that dressed Natalie Portman in Alex Garland's "Annihilation" in 2018.
It is not impossible to see the influence of Andrei Tarkovsky's masterpiece " Stalker ". It is a story of "zone" and more or less metaphysical mysteries. It is also a story of women, on a mission in a nature that has become strange.
There we discover outfits at the crossroads of uniforms and outdoor equipment, which the SnowPeak brand is fond of, for example. There is therefore technical clothing, backpacks , cargo pants and military-inspired jackets .
But we could easily associate these with other pieces that appear in the film: sweatshirt, hoodie , striped t-shirt, tank top, or even why not a dress or a skirt .
This is precisely one of the lessons of the character of Virginie Ledoyen in “ L'Eau froide ” by Olivier Assayas in 1994.
Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection
In the 90s, the Arte channel produced one of the most beautiful series on adolescence: the collection "All the boys and girls of their age", unfortunately still unobtainable in stores. It includes nine films of about an hour by filmmakers such as André Téchiné, Chantal Akerman or Olivier Assayas.
Some are magnificent, like "Travolta & Me" by Patricia Mazuy or "US Go Home" by Claire Denis. To tell you the truth, it's one of my best television memories.
"L'Eau froide" is none other than the cinema version of the film proposed by Olivier Assayas for the Arte series. It is the story of Christine and Gilles, two teenagers lost in France in the early 70s.
It's all there: teachers with herringbone blazers and turtlenecks , Leonard Cohen or Bob Dylan records, run-ins with authority, chunky knits and... military jackets . There are several in high school who wear it with jeans, wide pants, shirts or turtlenecks .
And if Virginie Ledoyen's character opts for a parka version, with hood , lining and German crest on the shoulder, the idea remains broadly the same as for the jackets presented so far: to take the uniform out of the frame, to associate it for example here with a white blouse-type top, a sleeveless chunky knit vest, a skirt and black boots .
For those of you looking for a more casual pairing , we can take a look at Camila Morrone's outfits in Annabelle Attanasio's " Mickey & The Bear " in 2019.
Credit: Utopia / courtesy Everett Collection
This is a film centered on the complicated relationship between a fragile father and his high school daughter. The story takes place in Montana. Beautiful images, sensitive story and American outfits.
You will discover a jungle jacket type jacket stolen from your father's wardrobe and revisited in a more contemporary way, with a printed t-shirt, flowing pants and white sneakers . Other ideas revealed in the film: bleached jeans , overalls or a floral dress, a sweatshirt or a checked shirt . The cherry on the cake: you may also find a yellow t-shirt there.
Finally, to come full circle, I can't resist sharing with you one last example, not from a film but from a television series that is also unobtainable in stores but that the older among you may have seen on Channel 5 at the end of the 80s.
Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection
"Tour of Duty " is an American series that tells the daily life of a company of US soldiers during the Vietnam War.
The tone is resolutely dark, the three seasons rich in endearing and colorful characters. As you will have understood, it is a series that shows a wide range of the American military wardrobe of the late 60s.
The jungle jacket is everywhere here: among the men and women of the American army, but also among war correspondents. This is the case for the character played by Kim Delaney from season 2.
If ever the opportunity should arise for a TV rerun, it's a safe bet that you'll find a new reason to appreciate the marriage of khaki, beige and blue . The holy trinity of style? Maybe.
In the meantime, if these few examples suddenly make you want a military jacket, know that many brands, like BonneGueule, have revisited this type of piece: Orslow , Cadot , Informale , The Real McCoy's or The Initialist for example.
For a little piece of history, you can also look at Brut Clothing , Broadway & Sons , Bunker Depot and generally in vintage shops, thrift stores and other military surplus. It's your turn!
