One item of clothing, one song: the military jacket with Bob Marley (2/10) – Pouch

When Bob Marley recorded the first version of “Sun Is Shining” in 1971, the Beatles had definitely drawn the curtain. In Jamaica, several thousand kilometers from London, other musical forms have been written for several years now: ska, rock-steady, dub or reggae, styles which will cross the ocean and influence, for example, The Clash or The Specials, and also many other artists from around the world.

Jamaica gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1962. Robert Nesta + Marley recorded his first song that year. He was only 17 years old at the time and was an apprentice welder. He would subsequently form the legendary Wailers with which many of his musical successes are associated.

When it comes to music, the country has never been short of talent: Peter Tosh, King Tubby, Burning Spear, Lee Scratch Perry, Jimmy Cliff, to name just a few. We could also mention the lesser known Marcia Griffiths, whose classic Always Together could well accompany your summer. But Jamaica's greatest musical ambassador is of course Bob Marley.

Through it, you may have a style and images that quickly come to mind: the Rasta imagination, dreadlocks and a real patchwork of style for clothing - denim, tasty reporting from 1977. Throw it in an eye, if only for the comments.

What can Bob Marley teach us about summer style? The answer lies in the 1979 photograph above, when the singer was now an international star.

To my knowledge, this is one of Bob Marley's most attractive looks , and part of his attraction of course lies in what we don't know. What brand is this jacket? What jeans and shoes does he wear?

Let's take a look at what we see. We discover a cap with depth . In the Rastafarian community that Bob Marley joined in 1966, we frequently wear more or less voluminous headgear depending on the mass of the hair. The most symbolic is called tam or rastacap.

We also compose with various styles of clothing. Here for example, it is a military-style jacket, probably worn next to the skin, with jeans . Other possible alternatives: OG107 shirts and jungle jackets from the US army, the safari jacket or even why not the denim shirt? Western or not, Bob Marley loved this material. For example, take a look at this photo from 1975:

The military jacket, the denim shirt. Isn't all this a little too hot for the season, you might ask? Some have done both, Serge Gainsbourg in particular. For his part, Bob Marley regularly wore pieces like this.

Of course, temperatures are not always mild in summer. Therefore, we can consider these pieces for the evening or cooler days, on a white t-shirt for example.

For the military, there is undoubtedly reason to find interesting things in surplus, second-hand stores or certain Japanese brands like Orslow . Other ideas here, if necessary:

We advise here to favor green tones. After all, it is one of the flagship colors of the Jamaican flag, just like yellow . Here, this color is worn very well by Bob Marley:

But we will come back in more detail on this very summery color another time. If Bob Marley didn't say no to denim or military inspirations, he also appreciated sport, football in particular, and this is logically reflected in his clothes.

He therefore wore, among other things, sneakers, which we see very well finishing our initial look. To go further on the subject of sneakers, don't hesitate to take a look at Nicolò's story:

Still in the sportswear spirit, note that it was not rare to see Bob Marley with a tracksuit top , as in this photo below dating from 1976. You will recognize the brand easily: it is Adidas . It is not impossible or inappropriate to have a certain fondness for the brand's vintage trainers and tracksuit tops .

To tell the truth, I have already incorporated these little Proust madeleines into my wardrobe. This was long before I immersed myself in dub and reggae records, and appreciated the marriage of sportswear and military styles. Twenty years later, I too wear the mottled military jacket or shirt, even in summer.

It is not impossible that the great Bob had something to do with this evolution. Does this mean that summer 2021 will be vintage? Maybe. The second-hand market no longer only affects inveterate bargain hunters.

The song “Sun Is Shining” which appears on the 1978 album “ Kaya ” is in any case perfect for the season . On this same album, you will also find the classic “ Is This Love?” », which works wonders even in this sequence from “Garçu” by Maurice Pialat in 1995.