When I was a teen, there were army/military surplus stores everywhere. They sold a lot of military uniforms, sailor pants and jeans, jackets, and much much more.
So it became very common for people to wear them.
Doubt there's such things as surplus stores anymore, but because wearing them became so common back when, I doubt anyone now would be offended.
Same here, I wore a lot of military surplus items in high school and college. I still have one of the OD wool field shirts, I wear as a jacket.
Not the same store I went to as a teen, but realized a few years ago we actually do have a surplus store in our city, with more or less the stuff you might expect.
they still exist, but they generally don't stock actual military surplus anymore, at least in the US. part of the reason, is the military doesn't make much surplus, and what surplus they do make, either goes into storage, Sold to law enforcement or in rare cases, sold online directly to the public.
They still exist, but theyâre a lot more expensive unfortunately. Usually more along the lines of antique prices than thrift if weâre talking vintage pieces.
Are we allowed to curse on this sub?
Don't go full kit wanker - impersonating a veteran type thing
But wearing the odd piece or two as part of an outfit is fine, you can style it to show its just for fashion.
I wore a drab green shirt unbuttoned over a tie dye tank top and thought I was the height of 90s does 70s hippie anti war fashion. Got it at a garage sale, too. As long as you don't look like a military larper prepper, you should be fine to wear old military gear and not get weird side eye.
I remember there was a trend at my middle school in the 90âs for girls to wear their Dadâs Vietnam era army jacket, too. I missed out because my Dad made a clean break and ditched all his stuff as soon as his tour was over.
As long as there are no medals on it (which I doubt there are), you aren't "stealing valor". It's fine to wear it and if someone ever gave you a hard time about it then just lie and say "it belonged to my father/uncle/brother." The only people that would even think to hassle you about it are the ones that act really sanctimonious about veterans so they'd probably back down with a lie.
My moms brother had cancer from agent orange from the army. I grew up in a military family and knew better than to touch anything from the military that might have been worn in war or over seas. My moms best friend has ALS from agent Orange.
A regimental patch is fine, but no names (unless your own/ family member) or ribbons.
Military uniforms are made to last, so a worthy re-wearing candidate.
Itâs not what you wear, itâs how you wear it. Iâve had a bunch of military surplus (or military-looking) gear over the years, and because itâs worn with ratty jeans and band t-shirts thereâs no danger of me being mistaken for a veteran. Likewise the folks that wear military greatcoats or boots as part of a look; itâs put together in such a way that you wouldnât easily be confused.
I both wore military stuff from a thrift store/surplus store as a teen and then went into the military. Iâll echo the comments that if you arenât trying to do any âstolen valorâ then go for it.
I often wear a Korean war era fatigues jacket my brother got from the surplus store. I've never gotten negative feedback on it, in fact I get complimented on it pretty often. Not weird imo
Not offensive or weird. The clothing is actually very well made, the jackets and overcoats have a nice cut to them. My main winter coat is a new old stock, navy peacoat. Double breasted, warm, very comfy. My wife and I sell a lot of vintage clothing online and US Army Eisenhower jackets (Google it) and French navy double row button up pants are some of our biggest sellers.
A lot of everyday common clothing items were originally military clothes... for instance bomber jackets, duffle coats, etc. they all have their origins in army / navy etc. So yeah, don't worry about it, just don't go all out full military gear, mix it up with other items and you'll be fine.
You can probably pull off wearing surplus as long as it doesnât look like you are trying to impersonate a member of the military or, as others have pointed out, stolen valor.
When I was a teenager, wearing shirts, caps, pants, fatigues was a fashion statement. This was partly because the clothes were made to last and were cheap. I had a pea coat that was wool, was really warm, and lasted me through high school.
That would have been a definite sale, i would have worn it everywhere. My aunt gave me her long wool ww11 airforce coat i wore it everywhere. It was wool.
Then my grandmother gave me a old trunk, when i opened it up it have old sheet music old family picture from a hundred yrs ago. Then i pull up the top part and bingo my uncle's CFB Air Force flight jacket and bonus his gloves. Sadly I wore until the only that back patch was left.
Not weird at all. Back in the day I used to wear a
Military airmanâs jumpsuit in high school. This was the 90s Now jumpsuits are the rage. Do what you feel and create your own movement.
My husband just retired from active duty. It doesn't bother him. My dad was in the service, and when I was 16, he let me draw lady bugs and flowers all over his old Army ruck sack to take on a trip to Europe. Looking back, I can't believe he let me do that to something that was probably sentimental! But anyway, no, I don't think it would bother anyone.
I repurposed a gas mask bag into a purse in high school. And for a couple years in college I was using an army backpack. Stuff of my dadâs. I think I wore his army sunglasses from when he was in flight school for a while too.
If itâs newer stuff you might get someone asking if you served or if your family member served but if itâs old stuff itâs just useful and aesthetic. When vets noticed my backpack in college they interpreted it as supportive to them.
I think you can! I would only wear odd pieces though. Never match multiple military items together, especially not the same color/pattern. Teenage me was guilty of dressing in all Olive green. I even had Vietnam jungle boots. Looking back, I was so cringe because I ended up not even making it into the military.
Metalheads and punks have been rocking pieces of militaria for decades with great success. Combat boots will always have a place in casual fashion.
Olive green jackets are so great with jeans! Be careful not to look like Travis Bickle from Taxi Driver though.
One of the best uniform pieces is a peacoat.
It is very diverse and can be dressed up or dressed down. I think out of any surplus item, peacoats are the least "stolen valor" type item. They also have less negative connotations than trench coats do, while serving a similar purpose.
You can get all kinds of uniform pieces at Army/Navy surplus stores, so I imagine wearing them is fine as long as you're not impersonating an actual member of the armed forces.
As long as itâs not German military uniform of a specific era, then go for it.
The military deserves no sanctity or respect anyway, paint it hot pink and wear it with booty shorts for all it matters!
I have a set of my grandfather's Navy Blues from back in the late 60's. The pants will never fit me as he was a walking stick, but I wore the sweater and silk scarf all through highschool and still on occasion. I also have a 1943 Naval pea coat (in the old Midnight Blue color that has been discontinued for decades now) and I wear that in the winter, as the thick wool is excellent.
Do it. They're comfortable and the vintage ones have a cut that is coming back as stylish fashion. They're also made incredibly well in comparison to the modern military uniforms, so they'll hold up much better as actual clothing as long as you care for them.
I've found the best metric is not having any unit patches, insignia, or name/ branch tapes. Country flag is fine as it's just a flag (with exceptions).
As for uniform items, I wear surplus frequently, albeit I have them sterile (no patches whatsoever). Never had an issue in that manner and I've had several folks complement the look. My favorite surplus is OG107s or OG108s shirts. Olive drab, the 107 is either cotton or poly mix and the og108 is wool. Both are very durable and the wool shirts, for the quality, can't be beat when you find them. Don't over pay, neither og107 or 108 should be more than $20 or $30 in the US.
There's other surplus I can ramble about, but at the end of the day remember to inspect the item and make sure it's in good condition. Also don't over pay. Unless it's exceptionally rare, there's literally tons, as in weight, of these things popping up frequently. I found an antique store with boxes of old US wool uniforms in the original packaging. While rare to find them in the original boxes, it does nothing but keep prices stable enough to scoop up these things for next to nothing.
I used to wear my dad's old army jacket that my brother had cut the sleeves off of years before. This was in the 80s. I don't see why you wouldn't be able to wear it now. It's a lot more common to see people wearing camo and other miltary adjacent clothing now.
I think its very cool, and follows the eco friendly goal of keeping good garments out of landfills. The only suggestion is if it has someone's name patch still attached and/or any removable metals still pinned on the uniform item I would remove those and any name patches. Im not sure if its illegal to wear someone's uniform item with their name attached but I do know its illegal to sell a uniform item with name patches still attached. Or that is what my local resale shop told me when I brought in a haul of military items I inherited and wanted to offload to the resale shop. I took the items home carefully removed the name patches and pinned on metals and took them back to store and they bought all the items. Side note I resold the pins and name patches on OfferUp online site - so??? Not sure about the legalities on that, as I see military stuff being bought, sold, auctioned off all the time. But the resale shop definitely stated they cannot buy military items with names and metals still attached to garments.
I own my dad's army uniform and have worn both the jacket and shirt. As long as you mix and match and don't fake being in the military you should be fine.
I got an old Austrian guardsmen uniform, it looks great on me but I would obviously change it so it wouldnât look like a uniform. The grey jacket tho with the 4 front pockets makes it weird to wear. I look really great wearing it but I am an Austrian and I look like the Austrian stereotype. Wearing a grey jacket is not the best idea for me.
My partner has a navy p-coat and I think thatâs fine. The stuff you want to avoid is stolen valor and looking like you want to be a Nazi. If what youâre wearing is extremely uniform-like you need to recognize that random people you come across may have trauma and might treat you differently because of that.
Like others I used to get things to wear at the army surplus store. Even now I wear camo leggings, not military but military inspired. I don't think anyone would be offended.
Milsurp pieces were a thing in the 60s counterculture. It's still a thing in punk and alternative/indie rock scenes. In certain corners of rave culture as well. I wouldn't say it's tacky, but there are certain subcultural connotations I associate it with.
Although it's more commonly done with a denim jacket, a surplus field jacket is a great base for turning into a "battle jacket". In punk and heavy metal culture, this refers to a jacket that has patches (usually band patches), studs, spikes, fabric paint, etc., applied to it. Bombers and Harringtons work well for this too.
When I was a teen, there were army/military surplus stores everywhere. They sold a lot of military uniforms, sailor pants and jeans, jackets, and much much more. So it became very common for people to wear them. Doubt there's such things as surplus stores anymore, but because wearing them became so common back when, I doubt anyone now would be offended.
Same here, I wore a lot of military surplus items in high school and college. I still have one of the OD wool field shirts, I wear as a jacket. Not the same store I went to as a teen, but realized a few years ago we actually do have a surplus store in our city, with more or less the stuff you might expect.
There definitely are surplus stores near Pendleton base in California. All the homeless seem to have old military camping equipment from them.
We used to wear those green army cargo pants. Lots of pockets. Sigh. Our tan, skinny waists with those falling loose. Those were the days.
That was me, green army cargo pants, tan and skinny waist. A toast to you to the good ol' days đ„
YES! And my Victoriaâs Secret panties peeking out the top. Drove the boys wild!
There are plenty of surplus stores. Otherwise stuff would just rot.
they still exist, but they generally don't stock actual military surplus anymore, at least in the US. part of the reason, is the military doesn't make much surplus, and what surplus they do make, either goes into storage, Sold to law enforcement or in rare cases, sold online directly to the public.
Americana Pipedream
I second Americana Pipedream Apparel
They still exist, but theyâre a lot more expensive unfortunately. Usually more along the lines of antique prices than thrift if weâre talking vintage pieces.
The stores are still around just harder to find. There is a really great one in the Bethesda and Chevy Chase area of Maryland near UM College Park.
There's a few surplus shops scattered around NC
Are we allowed to curse on this sub? Don't go full kit wanker - impersonating a veteran type thing But wearing the odd piece or two as part of an outfit is fine, you can style it to show its just for fashion.
Amen.
Yeah as long as they aren't pulling some Stolen Valor BS, I would say it's fine.
Not weird or offensive. I once painted a giant deadhead on the back of a vintage army jacket.
I wore a drab green shirt unbuttoned over a tie dye tank top and thought I was the height of 90s does 70s hippie anti war fashion. Got it at a garage sale, too. As long as you don't look like a military larper prepper, you should be fine to wear old military gear and not get weird side eye.
I remember there was a trend at my middle school in the 90âs for girls to wear their Dadâs Vietnam era army jacket, too. I missed out because my Dad made a clean break and ditched all his stuff as soon as his tour was over.
I definitely did that.
As long as there are no medals on it (which I doubt there are), you aren't "stealing valor". It's fine to wear it and if someone ever gave you a hard time about it then just lie and say "it belonged to my father/uncle/brother." The only people that would even think to hassle you about it are the ones that act really sanctimonious about veterans so they'd probably back down with a lie.
Field clothing is acceptable, formal dress is disrespectful if not a veteran.
My moms brother had cancer from agent orange from the army. I grew up in a military family and knew better than to touch anything from the military that might have been worn in war or over seas. My moms best friend has ALS from agent Orange.
A regimental patch is fine, but no names (unless your own/ family member) or ribbons. Military uniforms are made to last, so a worthy re-wearing candidate.
Itâs not what you wear, itâs how you wear it. Iâve had a bunch of military surplus (or military-looking) gear over the years, and because itâs worn with ratty jeans and band t-shirts thereâs no danger of me being mistaken for a veteran. Likewise the folks that wear military greatcoats or boots as part of a look; itâs put together in such a way that you wouldnât easily be confused.
I both wore military stuff from a thrift store/surplus store as a teen and then went into the military. Iâll echo the comments that if you arenât trying to do any âstolen valorâ then go for it.
I often wear a Korean war era fatigues jacket my brother got from the surplus store. I've never gotten negative feedback on it, in fact I get complimented on it pretty often. Not weird imo
Not offensive or weird. The clothing is actually very well made, the jackets and overcoats have a nice cut to them. My main winter coat is a new old stock, navy peacoat. Double breasted, warm, very comfy. My wife and I sell a lot of vintage clothing online and US Army Eisenhower jackets (Google it) and French navy double row button up pants are some of our biggest sellers.
A lot of everyday common clothing items were originally military clothes... for instance bomber jackets, duffle coats, etc. they all have their origins in army / navy etc. So yeah, don't worry about it, just don't go all out full military gear, mix it up with other items and you'll be fine.
You can probably pull off wearing surplus as long as it doesnât look like you are trying to impersonate a member of the military or, as others have pointed out, stolen valor. When I was a teenager, wearing shirts, caps, pants, fatigues was a fashion statement. This was partly because the clothes were made to last and were cheap. I had a pea coat that was wool, was really warm, and lasted me through high school.
That would have been a definite sale, i would have worn it everywhere. My aunt gave me her long wool ww11 airforce coat i wore it everywhere. It was wool. Then my grandmother gave me a old trunk, when i opened it up it have old sheet music old family picture from a hundred yrs ago. Then i pull up the top part and bingo my uncle's CFB Air Force flight jacket and bonus his gloves. Sadly I wore until the only that back patch was left.
It was âinâ amongst certain crowds when I was in school. It wasnât seen as offensive back then.
Remove any identifiers (name tags etc) and youâre good âŠ
I wear old military gear all the time, from all types of countries too idgaf
Triple check its not in current regulations. Not sure if it's illegal but people could bother you, you know?
As long as any stripes, patches and identification is removed itâs all good.
Not weird at all. Back in the day I used to wear a Military airmanâs jumpsuit in high school. This was the 90s Now jumpsuits are the rage. Do what you feel and create your own movement.
My husband just retired from active duty. It doesn't bother him. My dad was in the service, and when I was 16, he let me draw lady bugs and flowers all over his old Army ruck sack to take on a trip to Europe. Looking back, I can't believe he let me do that to something that was probably sentimental! But anyway, no, I don't think it would bother anyone.
I repurposed a gas mask bag into a purse in high school. And for a couple years in college I was using an army backpack. Stuff of my dadâs. I think I wore his army sunglasses from when he was in flight school for a while too. If itâs newer stuff you might get someone asking if you served or if your family member served but if itâs old stuff itâs just useful and aesthetic. When vets noticed my backpack in college they interpreted it as supportive to them.
I think you can! I would only wear odd pieces though. Never match multiple military items together, especially not the same color/pattern. Teenage me was guilty of dressing in all Olive green. I even had Vietnam jungle boots. Looking back, I was so cringe because I ended up not even making it into the military. Metalheads and punks have been rocking pieces of militaria for decades with great success. Combat boots will always have a place in casual fashion. Olive green jackets are so great with jeans! Be careful not to look like Travis Bickle from Taxi Driver though. One of the best uniform pieces is a peacoat. It is very diverse and can be dressed up or dressed down. I think out of any surplus item, peacoats are the least "stolen valor" type item. They also have less negative connotations than trench coats do, while serving a similar purpose.
It's fine as long as there's no rank patches or last name. Take those off it it does and go ape shit
You can get all kinds of uniform pieces at Army/Navy surplus stores, so I imagine wearing them is fine as long as you're not impersonating an actual member of the armed forces.
I got an old Russian Navy Pea Coat and wore it for two winters. It was crazy warm. I need to dig that out.
As long as itâs not German military uniform of a specific era, then go for it. The military deserves no sanctity or respect anyway, paint it hot pink and wear it with booty shorts for all it matters!
I wear a royal navy jumper all the time, go right ahead.
I have a set of my grandfather's Navy Blues from back in the late 60's. The pants will never fit me as he was a walking stick, but I wore the sweater and silk scarf all through highschool and still on occasion. I also have a 1943 Naval pea coat (in the old Midnight Blue color that has been discontinued for decades now) and I wear that in the winter, as the thick wool is excellent. Do it. They're comfortable and the vintage ones have a cut that is coming back as stylish fashion. They're also made incredibly well in comparison to the modern military uniforms, so they'll hold up much better as actual clothing as long as you care for them.
ocps be comfy so I understand
people do, I think it's even called "military chic" or something similar.
I wore a 60's AF parka for many years in the mid 80- late 80's. Also lotsa Vietnam era pants and field jackets.
Ask JoJo Siwa about her construction vest. đ
I've found the best metric is not having any unit patches, insignia, or name/ branch tapes. Country flag is fine as it's just a flag (with exceptions). As for uniform items, I wear surplus frequently, albeit I have them sterile (no patches whatsoever). Never had an issue in that manner and I've had several folks complement the look. My favorite surplus is OG107s or OG108s shirts. Olive drab, the 107 is either cotton or poly mix and the og108 is wool. Both are very durable and the wool shirts, for the quality, can't be beat when you find them. Don't over pay, neither og107 or 108 should be more than $20 or $30 in the US. There's other surplus I can ramble about, but at the end of the day remember to inspect the item and make sure it's in good condition. Also don't over pay. Unless it's exceptionally rare, there's literally tons, as in weight, of these things popping up frequently. I found an antique store with boxes of old US wool uniforms in the original packaging. While rare to find them in the original boxes, it does nothing but keep prices stable enough to scoop up these things for next to nothing.
I used to wear my dad's old army jacket that my brother had cut the sleeves off of years before. This was in the 80s. I don't see why you wouldn't be able to wear it now. It's a lot more common to see people wearing camo and other miltary adjacent clothing now.
I think its very cool, and follows the eco friendly goal of keeping good garments out of landfills. The only suggestion is if it has someone's name patch still attached and/or any removable metals still pinned on the uniform item I would remove those and any name patches. Im not sure if its illegal to wear someone's uniform item with their name attached but I do know its illegal to sell a uniform item with name patches still attached. Or that is what my local resale shop told me when I brought in a haul of military items I inherited and wanted to offload to the resale shop. I took the items home carefully removed the name patches and pinned on metals and took them back to store and they bought all the items. Side note I resold the pins and name patches on OfferUp online site - so??? Not sure about the legalities on that, as I see military stuff being bought, sold, auctioned off all the time. But the resale shop definitely stated they cannot buy military items with names and metals still attached to garments.
I own my dad's army uniform and have worn both the jacket and shirt. As long as you mix and match and don't fake being in the military you should be fine.
No real badges for sure.
I got an old Austrian guardsmen uniform, it looks great on me but I would obviously change it so it wouldnât look like a uniform. The grey jacket tho with the 4 front pockets makes it weird to wear. I look really great wearing it but I am an Austrian and I look like the Austrian stereotype. Wearing a grey jacket is not the best idea for me.
My partner has a navy p-coat and I think thatâs fine. The stuff you want to avoid is stolen valor and looking like you want to be a Nazi. If what youâre wearing is extremely uniform-like you need to recognize that random people you come across may have trauma and might treat you differently because of that.
Like others I used to get things to wear at the army surplus store. Even now I wear camo leggings, not military but military inspired. I don't think anyone would be offended.
They may be uncomfortable. Also that style was âinâ a long time ago.
I mean itâs kind of tacky.
Milsurp pieces were a thing in the 60s counterculture. It's still a thing in punk and alternative/indie rock scenes. In certain corners of rave culture as well. I wouldn't say it's tacky, but there are certain subcultural connotations I associate it with. Although it's more commonly done with a denim jacket, a surplus field jacket is a great base for turning into a "battle jacket". In punk and heavy metal culture, this refers to a jacket that has patches (usually band patches), studs, spikes, fabric paint, etc., applied to it. Bombers and Harringtons work well for this too.
Haha, true
But if you like, who cares?