Throw away your deeep v-necks, forget about that see-through mesh 50/25/25 AmApp jacket that is so light it decomposes minute by minute as you wear it…
As the world gets “scarier” and violence becomes more “street-cred”ible, fashion is starting to reflect such attitudes. Introducing THE BULLETPROOF VEST, for FASHION’S SAKE.
The NY Times has more:
JACK BAUER is in play again, and so is his hard-guy attire — sweaty T-shirt, leather jacket and that government agent’s staple: a bulletproof vest.
The tactical gear that lends special agent Bauer his menacing mien on “24” is the hidden armor of counterterrorist operatives, heads of state and paranoid plutocrats. It has also been appropriated by Hollywood dignitaries and hip-hop moguls, enhancing the rogue personas of artists like 50 Cent.
So it may have been only a matter of time before aspiring hipsters embraced the style — the sartorial equivalent of a safe room — as a badge of cool.
A stepped-up demand for vests, blazers and hoodies tough enough to deflect a .22-caliber blast but sleek enough for a night of clubbing suggests that body armor is not just for the security-conscious. Fake or real, it exerts a pull on those inclined to flaunt it as a flinty fashion statement.
“The trend to protective gear is pretty strong right now,” said Richard Geist, the founder of Uncle Sam’s Army Navy Outfitters in downtown Manhattan. “It’s big with rappers, alternative types and even some women.”
Uncle Sam’s sells protective gear to the military. But most of its clients are civilians who snap up authentic bulletproof vests for as much as $1,000 or trade down to look-alike versions stripped of their armored lining ($24). Real or fake, “the look is tough,” Mr. Geist said, “and customers love it.”
Tough enough to push a fascination with military styles — from the fall men’s wear unveiled in Milan this week to the windows of the Gap — to new levels of ferocity. “Anything macho has extra appeal right now,” said Jeremy Gutsche, the editor of Trend Hunter magazine, an online publication. “Adding a little shock or aggression to fashion makes things that much more interesting.”
That extra fierceness appears to be the inevitable, if unsettling, expression of a defensive mind-set intensified of late by concerns about terrorism, escalating crime rates and economic instability.
“When people are feeling less secure, there is more demand for armor,” said Nick Taylor, who is the manager of BulletProofME.com, a Web site selling tactical gear to police officers, security guards and journalists in war zones. Sales of antiballistic jackets, vests and even backpacks have risen by some 20 percent this year, Mr. Taylor said. Recently he has found himself fielding requests from real estate agents involved in foreclosure eviction proceedings, repo men, convenience store clerks and “regular folks from all walks of life who’ve kind of had a brush with crime.”
» Read more of the article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/21/fashion/21BULLET.html?hp
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I don’t know whether to be scared or just amused/confused. Could this be American Apparel’s new big break?? Would love to see some of those AmApp models looking super anorexic wearing only bulletproof vests. Hopefully soon I can just run into Urban Outfitters and grab myself a sexy overpriced one that will probably make me look fat.
I wonder how this will fare with the ever-important tween/teen demographic… could be the next big thing in the middle schools. If only they came in cool colors, maybe that’s coming soon.
