Flak Jacket (22)

Flak jacket

A flak jacket or flak vest is a form of body armor designed to provide protection from case fragments ("frag") from high explosive weaponry, such as anti-aircraft artillery ("flak" a German contraction for Flugzeugabwehrkanone), grenades, some round shot used in shotguns and land mines and other lower-velocity projectiles. It is not designed to protect against bullets fired from small-arms such as rifles or handguns. However, certain flak jackets are able to sustain certain gunshots, dependent on the armor, the gun, and the distance that the bullet has travelled.

The term "flak jacket" is often colloquially applied to newer body armor featuring protection against small arms projectiles, but the original usage predated the existence of functional bulletproof vests and the two are not interchangeable in performance.

History

Anecdotes describing garments designed to protect the wearer from penetrating weapons can be found far back into recorded history. Two types of protective garment from the American Civil War in the 1860s had a basic design similar to the flak jacket or ballistic armor of modern times in that solid plates were used as the main ballistic protection. The "Soldiers' Bullet Proof Vest" was manufactured by the G. & D. Cook & Company of New Haven, Connecticut. It consisted of two pieces of steel inserted into the pockets of a regular black military vest. Versions for infantry weighed 3 ½ pounds while a version for cavalry and artillery weighed 7 pounds. They sold for $5-$7. A more medieval-looking type of armor was made by the Atwater Armor Company, also of New Haven. It consisted of four large plates of steel held on the body by broad metal hooks over the shoulders and a belt around the waist. The Atwater vest was heavier than the Cook models and cost about twice as much.

During World War I, a number of British and American officers recognized that many casualties could be avoided if effective armor were available. Isolated efforts at developing armor were made, and soldiers could make individual purchases or efforts, but there was no armor issued to the troops. As it is today, issues of weight, cost, availability of materials and/or environmental stability complicated the issue of developing armor that would also be effective. For example, soft armor made of silk was tried on a small scale based on Japanese designs, but this material did not last well under the harsh environmental conditions.

The first usage of the term “flak jacket” refers to the armour originally developed by the Wilkinson Sword company during World War II to help protect Royal Air Force (RAF) aircrew from the flying debris and shrapnel thrown by German anti-aircraft guns' high-explosive shells (flak itself is an abbreviation for the German word "Fliegerabwehrkanone" (anti-aircraft gun)). The idea for the flak jacket came from Col. Malcolm C. Grow, Surgeon of the US Eighth Air Force in Britain. He thought that many wounds he was treating could have been prevented by some kind of light armor. In 1943 he was awarded the Legion of Merit for developing the flak vest.

Unfortunately, flak jackets proved to be too bulky for wear within the confines of the RAF's standard bomber aircraft, the Avro Lancaster. The Royal Air Force subsequently offered the jackets to the United States Army Air Forces, which adopted them as a Defense Standard. The UK subsequently supplied the USAAF with 9,600 flak jackets under reverse lend-lease.

Vietnam War 

During World War II, flak jackets and steel helmets were worn by US Navy personnel on aircraft carriers during battle, since the ships and especially their flight decks offered little protection for their crew. The jackets were supposed to protect against shrapnel and heat.

Ballistic protection

Col. Grow’s request to the Wilkinson Sword company was to develop a vest that could stop a .45 caliber round fired at close range. Although flak jackets offered some basic protection against small caliber bullets and shell fragments (which was obviously welcomed by their users), ultimately they proved to be less effective than hoped. Flak jackets are now generally considered to be inferior to body armor.

It was claimed that the M-1951 field jacket could stop a 90 grain 7.62×25mm Tokarev pistol round at the muzzle of the gun. However, even the Vietnam era revised flak jacket was not really designed to stop an AK-47 round (a 7.62×39mm) fired at close range. Nevertheless, it did a good job of stopping shell blasts, rocket fragments, and slower bullets fired at a moderate range.

It was not until 1970 that the U.S. National Institute of Justice, which now publishes test and performance standards for body armor, began a deliberate program to develop body armor for law enforcement personnel that would be effective against specific threats that were common causes of officer injury and death. At the time that included .38 Special and .22 Long Rifle bullets, in particular, and also bullets from 9 mm, .45, and .32 caliber firearms.

Materials

The first flak jackets consisted of manganese steel plates sewn into a waistcoat made of ballistic nylon (a material engineered by the DuPont company); therefore, flak jackets functioned as an evolved form of plate armour or brigandine. The first flak jacket weighed 22 pounds.

During the Korean and Vietnam wars, the flak jacket was changed and the manganese steel plates were replaced by other materials. The U.S. Army's vests (Body Armor, Fragmentation Protective, Vest M69) weighed under eight pounds and were made of several layers of ballistic nylon. The vests used by the U.S. Marines (Vest, Armored M-1955) weighed more than ten pounds and were a combination of ballistic nylon layers and fiberglass plates known as Doron. Doron was made of the fiberglass fibers in an ethyl cellulose resin under high pressure. It was named after then Col. Georges F. Doriot, then director of the Military Planning Division, Office of the Quartermaster General.

The generation of armor developed in the 1970s through the National Institute of Justice incorporated layers of soft armor in the form of DuPont’s Kevlar fabric, which has since become synonymous with ballistic protection and a general term used for several similar (aramid-based) materials.

Eisenhower Jacket (21)

Eisenhower jacket

The Eisenhower jacket, or "Ike" jacket, is a type of milita

ry uniform blouson, or shortened coat, terminating in a waistband.

Overview

Until the late-1930s, the United States Army’s field uniform consisted of a wool shirt, mid-hip-length "all-purpose service coat" and wool overcoat. Save for its belted waist, the single-breasted service coat resembled a suit or sport coat more than a uniform. Little changed since World War I, it featured notched lapels and five metal buttons from its open collar to its belted waist. Made of heavy wool serge, it touted two flapped and button-through patch pockets at the breast and two 

identically styled patch pockets below its belted waist – its four pockets either box-pleated or bellows-styled-pleats.

Using civilian "windbreakers" as its ideal design objective, the army began a four-year study in 1935 to develop a more practical and effective combat jacket to replace the service coat.

M-41 Field Jacket or "Parsons' Jacket".

Parsons' Jacket

In 1940, it first adopted the first pattern field jacket, the "Parson's Jacket" named for Major General J. K. Parsons who helped with its development. This was quickly followed by an updated pattern, using the same nomenclature. Simply designed and modeled after a civilian windbreaker made by John Rissman & Sons of Chicago, it was a short, button-front weatherproof jacket with a tight fitting waist and two flapped and button-through front pockets.

In early 1943, front-line skirmishes in North Africa and Europe proved the Service Coat, as well as the field jacket, inappropriate for combat. The Service Coat was re-designated for garrison and parade duty and the field jacket was replaced by a new and completely redesigned Field Jacket, M-43

Field Jacket, O.D. ("Parson's Jacket")

Although the Field Jacket, O.D. (more widely known as the "Parson's Jacket" or the modern term "M41 Jacket") was widely used in many theaters during World War II, it was found to be an unsatisfactory solution for the soldiers using it. The War Department created a new field jacket based on the layering principle to give greater flexibility for the numerous environmental conditions encountered in the world-wide war.

Field Jacket, M-43

Field Jacket, M-43

Built around the layering principle, the M-43 became the basic building block of a multi-environment, all-season combat uniform being developed by the Office of the Quartermaster General (OQMG) for worldwide combat.

On May 15, 1943, the Air Transport Command (ATC) recommended development of a short, waist cropped woolen field jacket that could be worn under the M-43 as an added insulater.

Field Jackets, Wool, O.D.

By mid-1944, the OQMG finalized the several layering components of its multi-environment combat uniform, anointing the M-43 Field Jacket its basic, universal building block. A dramatically revised version of the M-41, the M-43 touted a wind-proof, olive drab colored cotton poplin outer shell with internal layers that could be added or eliminated depending on local battle conditions. In cold environs, its notched lapels converted to a stand-up, storm-flap for added neck protections. A pile jacket liner and fur-edged hood could also be added.

During the Autumn of 1943, the Army Air Corps prototype jacket was sent to Chief Quartermaster of the European Theater of Operations for review and possible adoption by ETO commanding general, Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Eisenhower had already requested a waist-cropped style; his based on the British battle jacket, "but with more distinctive style." Eisenhower was a partisan advocate of the British jacket’s functional sensibilities.

The Eisenhower jacket may have been designed by William Marler, a tailor from New York.

Designed to be the second, insulated layer, the Ike jacket, a.k.a. M-44, was created to be worn underneath the M-43. In extreme cold, a sweater, flannel shirt, and wool-cotton T-shirt could be worn under the Ike jacket.

In November, 1944, the M-44, or Ike jacket, was classified standard issued. The Ike jacket featured a roomy, bloused back with action pleats and oversized sleeves, its fit large and loose to accommodate the several added insulating underlays without compromising either comfort or freedom of movement.

Immediately after its issue the Eisenhower jacket was assigned double- duty. Besides being a combat field jacket it was also appointed the Army’s dress and parade uniform.

Whether the standard issue, M-44 Field Jacket or its sveltely re-tailored, Ike jacket sibling, their shared common denominators are an olive drab, 18-ounce wool serge. Once turned up and buttoned over, its notched lapels became a convertible, "storm collar" that protected the neck and throat in chilly environs. Staggered cuffs buttons created adjustable cuffs that could be relaxed or cinched tight at the wrist.

To prevent equipment from catching on its buttons, a "fly front" flap concealed its button front, a shrewd design ploy that also prevented snagging in dense underbrush, whether walking or crawling. For the same reason, its flapped, bellows breast pockets touted hidden buttons.

The Epaulets corralled shoulder hung equipment. Adjustable buckles at left and right sides cinched the waist-band tight at the hips, delivering added warmth and accentuating its masculine, broad-shouldered lines. "Action-back" pleats, one at each shoulder, extended to the waistband, assuring a slim and trim shape but generously providing ample room for unrestricted freedom of movement, even when firing a raised a rifle or pistol.

According to Paul Fussell’s Uniforms, "Eisenhower had a reputation among his troops as an eminently decent man, friendly and sympathetic," an admiration that Ike elevated even further, tells Fussell, by having the bravado to casually rest his hands inside his pocket and "violate the sacred Army injunction." That anecdote, tells Fussell, explains why Eisenhower refused to adorn his personal jacket with gilded buttons: He considered his jacket an every-warrior’s combat uniform.

The post-WWII redesigns and adaptations

Post World War II development of the U.S. field jacket was momentous. In 1947, the Army introduced a shorter and better tailored version of the M-44. Designated the MQ-1 and designed solely as a dress and parade uniform, the jacket was again refined in 1950 and re-introduced as the M-1950 Field Jacket, but without button cuffs. With the later introduction of the "Army green" U.S. Army service uniform in 1957, the Ike jacket gradually began to disappear domestically but was still a uniform option for troops stationed in international theaters.

In 1947, The United States Air Force (USAF) added still another Ike jacket design iteration, the M-47, and continued its use for the next two years, before changing its color to "Air Force blue" in 1949, where it remained a signature of the USAF, until being retired in 1964.

The design of the M-1943 jacket was to prove so successful, that many military forces around the world still wear field jackets that closely follow its original designs. During the 1950s, a modified version, called the M-1950, was issued to U.S. forces in Korea. It had a button-in liner instead of the separate liner garment as in the M-1943. During the next year, the sometimes permanently hooded, M-1951 coat came into use. It was another very similar design, but now had both a zip instead of buttons under the front fly and metal snap closures for the pockets. The M-1951 field jacket was actually not sent to the forces in Korea until after the 1953 armistice and so was not seen during the Korean War. It thus remained in service until replaced by the M-1965 field jacket in 1965.

Thanks to its greater comfort and the unobstructed ease it offered while operating a vehicle or brandishing a side-arm, the Ike jacket design became a popular post-WWII uniform staple among Federal and state law enforcement agencies as well as with countless numbers of municipal and civilian police departments throughout America.

To this day, uniforms of the U.S. Border Patrol, along with most allied agencies within its broader, umbrella department, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency (USCBPA) and the National Park Service (NPS) have a dress jacket that is nearly identical to the Ike jacket original.

Durumagi Jacket (20)

Durumagi

Durumagi is a variety of po, or overcoat in hanbok, the Korean tr

aditional garment. It is usually the topmost layer of clothing that is worn over jeogori (jacket) and baji (pants). Durumagi means "closed all around", and is also known as jumagui. Durumagi is worn not only to fend off the cold, but also for ceremonial purposes.

History

The origin of durumagi traces back to at least the Goguryeo period, although Mongolian influence during the Goryeo period caused changes in its appearance.[2] Not only was the waist belt changed into a [hanbok|goreum], the traditional po's short length and wide sleeves were lengthened and narrowed to the style of the Mongolian coat xurumakci, of which the name durumagi is said to be derived.

During the Joseon Dynasty, the durumagi was less worn as an overcoat but more of a housecoat for the noble class, whereas it was worn outdoors by the commoners. In 1884, King Gojong promulgated the unification of clothing for all social classes through reform laws.  However, this law was met with much resistance and it was only until ten years later, after the Gabo Reform of 1894, that the durumagi became common as formal attire.

Types and characteristics

Blue durumagi worn by female model, white durumagi worn by male model

Different fabrics and materials are used in making durumagi: calico, wool, cotton, and various silks for winter; ramie, fine ramie and silk gauze for summer; various silks and calico for spring and autumn. White, grey and navy blue are commonly used.Various types include hotedan durumagi, single layer, gyup durumagi, double layer), som durumagi, and kkachi durumagi  or obangjang durumagi- five colors for children.

Modern use

2005 APEC World leaders in durumagi

The 'durumagi' is still considered an important part of traditional attire for formal occasions, but a variety of colors and designs are being used. Colorful durumagis were given as gifts to the world leaders of the 2005 APEC Summit in Busan.

Doublet Jacket (19)

Doublet Jacket

A doublet is a man's snug-fitting buttoned jacket that is shaped and fitted to the man's body which was worn in Western Europe from the late Middle Ages through to the mid-17th century. The doublet was hip length or waist length and worn over the shirt or drawers. Until the end of the 15th century the doublet was worn under another layer of clothing such as a gown, mantle, or overtunic. The term also refers to a formal jacket worn with highland dress, a variation of which is called an Argyll jacket or Prince Charlie jacket (or coatee).

Originally it was a mere stitched and quilted lining ("doubling"), worn under a hauberk or cuirass to prevent bruising and chafing. Doublets were frequently opened to the waistline in a deep V. The edges might be left free or laced across the shirt front. If there was space left it might be filled with a stomacher. By the 1520s, the edges of the doublet met at the center front. Then, like many other originally practical items in the history of men's wear, from the late 15th century onward it became elaborated enough to be seen on its own. A similar jacket, the sherwani, is worn today in India.

Throughout the 300 years of its use, the doublet served the same purpose: to give fashionable shape and padding to the body, to support the hose by providing ties, and to provide warmth to the body. The only thing that changed about the doublet over its history was its style and cut.

History

The doublet developed from the padded garments worn under armour, such as the gambeson, aketon, arming doublet.

Doublets of the 14th and 15th centuries were generally hip-length, sometimes, shorter, worn over the shirt and hose, with a houppelande or other form of overgown.

From the late 14th century, doublets were cut and padded to give the wearer an egg-shaped or pigeon-breasted silhouette, a fashion that gradually died out in favor of a flatter natural fit.

Through the Tudor period, fashionable doublets remained close-fitting with tight sleeves, but acquired long skirts and elaborate surface decoration such as pinks (patterns of small cuts in the fabric), slashes, embroidery, and applied braid.

In the early Elizabethan period, doublets were padded over the belly with bombast in a "pouter pigeon" or "peascod" silhouette. Sleeve attachments at the shoulder were disguised by decorative wings, tabs, or piccadills, and short skirt-like peplums or piccadills covered the waist of the hose or breeches. Padding gradually fell out of fashion again, and the doublet became close-fitting with a deep V-waistline.

Double-Breasted Jacket(18)

Double-breasted

In clothing, the term double-breasted refers to a coat or jacket with wide, overlapping front flaps and two parallel columns of buttons or snaps; by contrast, a single-breasted coat has a narrow overlap and only one column of buttons. In most modern double-breast

ed coats, one column of buttons is decorative, while the other functional. The other buttons, placed on the outside edge of the coat breast, allow the overlap to fasten reversibly, right lapel over left lapel. To strengthen the fastening, a functional inner-button, called the jigger (or anchor button), is usually added to parallel-fasten the over-lapped layers together from the inside.

Suit jackets and blazers typically have one to four rows of buttons (each row containing two buttons), one or two of the rows functional. Each fastening method is identified using "number-on-number" terminology; the first number is the total number of front buttons, the second is the number of fastening buttons below the lapels (i.e. the second number also is the number of corresponding buttonholes). Six-on-two and six-on-one (as shown in the picture on the right) are the common button stances, but others exist. Stylistically, double-breasted suit jackets usually have peaked lapels, and fasten left lapel over right lapel as usual for men's jackets.

The original double-breasted jacket has six buttons, with three to close. This originated from the naval reefer jacket. Because shorter men may find that six buttons overwhelms their shorter torso, a four or six button configuration in which only the bottom one fastens may be a better option. The four-button double-breasted jacket that buttons at the lower button is often called the "Kent", after the man who made it popular—the Duke of Kent

Double-breasted suit jackets were popular from the mid-1930s until the late 1950s, and again from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s. Today, double-breasted jackets are not as popular, and it is difficult to find them at many retail clothing stores; however, they continue to be produced for and advocated by the high-end menswear lines of Joseph Abboud and Ralph Lauren, as well as by bespoke tailors such as Thomas Mahon; they have also seen a small comeback in European and American youth fashion, albeit in a slimmer, more modern cut.

Moreover, the overcoats—Pea coat and trench coat—are traditionally double-breasted; the single-breasted versions being civilian interpretations of a military fashion. Due to the double-breasted jacket's construction, it is usually not recommended to wear a double-breasted lounge suit unbuttoned, unlike the single-breasted jacket, which can be left open or unbuttoned. This is because the large amounts of overlapping fabric on a double-breasted jacket tend to gather at the sides when unbuttoned. There are, however, formal jackets which are designed to be worn unbuttoned, with a vest: These are designed to avoid the perceived unsightly gathering

Donkey Jacket (17)

Donkey jacket

A donkey jacket is a short buttoned coat, typically made of unlined black or dark blue woolen material; originally worn as a work jacket in the United Kingdom.

Design

The donkey jacket is derived from the wool sack coat worn by workers in the 19th century, and the Oxford English Dictionary references the term as first used in 1929: "one with leather shoulders and back". There is often a plastic panel covering the shoulder-blade areas. This panel can be plain black or grey, or fluorescent orange or yellow for conspicuousness and for night use. When used as a work jacket, it sometimes bears the name of the company which supplies the jacket, or the name of the company for which the wearer works. The jacket usually has two capacious side pockets, and sometimes an inside "poacher's pocket".

Social significance

The donkey jacket is regarded as typical of the British manual laborer and trade unionist as well as members of the political left. It is also favored by traditionalist skinheads. Former British Labor Party leader Michael Foot was criticized for supposedly wearing a donkey jacket at a Remembrance Day wreath laying ceremony and he was shown wearing one on several covers of the satirical magazine Private Eye; it was a "very expensive short overcoat" chosen by his wife.

Cut-off Jacket (16)

Cut-off

A cut-off, also known as a kutte or "battle jacket" / "battlevest" in heavy metal subcultures, is a type of vest or jacket which originated in the biker subculture and has now found popularity in the punk and various heavy metal subcultures. Biker, metal and punk subcultures differ in how the garment itself is prepared, what decorations are applied, and how this is done.

Cut-offs are usually made from leather or denim jackets with their sleeves removed, or cut very short, and often adorned with patches, badges and painted artwork that display motorcycle club affiliations known as colors, or alternatively band names, political affiliations, beliefs or sexual acts performed.

In the 1970s and 1980s, cut-offs were almost always blue denim. Thrash metal fans favored heavily washed denim, while members of one British motorcycle club bleached theirs until they were almost white. From the mid to late 1990s, some punks and metalheads have worn multi-pocketed hunting or fishing vests, both in plain colours and camouflage patterns, and leather cut-offs—always popular with punks, and with bikers in recent decades.

The word Kutte (plural: Kutten) is a German loanword which literally references the religious habit of a Christian monk (from the Latin cotta, cf. Engl. coat) but that is also, in a tongue-in-cheek fashion, used for Cut-offs.

Punk and hardcore

In punk subculture, cut-offs are often leather (but can also be denim). Typical decorations are metal studs and badges (often painted-on) of bands or political causes, with cloth patches being secondary, ultimately because of the difficulty of doing the required needlework on tough leather. In addition, sleeves are more likely to be kept attached to the body of the jacket. As part of the DIY philosophy of the hardcore punk scene, the vests may be home-repaired with heavy thread, dental floss, or safety pins, and the band logos may be put on using paint and crude home-made stencils. Some wearers also drape chains or other paraphernalia from the vest

Cut-offs in the heavy metal scene are often adorned with patches of logos and album covers of bands, ranging in size from small square patches to large patches that fill the back panel of the vest. Patches are the main decoration; however, some Heavy Metal kutten have studs on them, particularly for fans of crossover thrash bands such as mid-1980s Discharge or of thrash metal.

Cooper A-2 jacket (15)

Cooper A-2 jacket

The Cooper A-2 (flight jacket or flying jacket) is a leather jacket, made by Cooper Sportswear, worn by United States Army Air Forces and United States Air Force pilots, during World War II. It was replaced after World War Two by nylon versions of the jacket, though it continued to be worn operationally during the Korean War by World War II veterans called back into service. It was re-introduced by the military just prior to Operation Desert Shield, with a modification to allow for modern insignia on the front of the jacket, and has been in service ever since.

Key features of a military-specification jacket (as opposed to a civilian version) are one-piece back (some knock-off jackets have a seam across the shoulder blades; this seam causes discomfort during long flights in a confined position) and lack of side-entry hand-warmer pockets under the large snap-down patch pockets (apparently, the military designers did not want their pilots to be seen standing around with their hands in their pockets and believed that a lack of hand-warmer pockets would force pilots to be more productive and appear more professional) and no interior pocket.

Other key features include horsehide or goatskin leather for the shell, dual-knit waist and wrist cuffs, full-length brass zipper, two brass grommets under each armpit for ventilation, a metal hook under the collar to fasten the top of the opening, and snap-down collar so the tips won't blow around from propwash and jetwash. Seams on the arms of the jacket run along the backside of the pattern, so as not to interfere with movement of the arms along the sides of the torso in confined spaces. Military specifications did not provide for insulation of the A-2 model.

New-build A-2s for USAF members include a velcro patch on the left breast for removable insignia, whereas World War Two models had a thin 1-inch high by 4-inch long leather name tag sewn or glued directly to the leather jacket.

Cooper Sportswear ceased production in the late 90's and retailer inventories were exhausted some time afterwards. Even though the A-2 is still a military-requisitioned item and contracts have been awarded to other USA suppliers using the A-2 pattern, the Cooper label is considered collectible and highly sought after by World War II re-enactors and historians. A vintage Cooper A-2 in excellent condition can be worth more than the market rate of a new-build A-2 from a current manufacturer.

Coatee Jacket (14)

Coatee

A coatee was a type of tight fitting uniform coat or jacket, which was waist length at the front and had short tails behind. The coatee began to replace the long tail coat in western armies at the end of the eighteenth century, but was itself superseded by the tunic in the mid nineteenth century.

A coatee, worn with a waistcoat or vest, remains part of formal Highland dress

Chugha Jacket (13)

Chugha

Chugha (variant of Shuqa) is a coat worn over clothes, usually during the cold winter months. Usually worn by men, these coats are adorned with intricate threading and come in a variety of colors and patterns. It is worn in Central Asia, including Chitral, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and other surrounding countries. Outside of Afghanistan, readers may be familiar with the Pakol (Kaphor, Pakhor, Chitrali cap) often worn by poet Rachitrali.

Chapan Jacket (12)

Chapan

Chapan (variant of caftan) is a coat worn over clothes, usually during the cold winter months. Usually worn by men, these coats are adorned with intricate threading and come in a variety of colors and patterns. It is worn in Central Asia, including Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan and other surrounding countries. Outside of Afghanistan, readers may be familiar with the chapan cape often worn by Afghan president Hamid Karzai.

A kaftan or caftan ( قفطان qaftân) is is a variant of the robe or tunic, versions of which have been worn by several cultures around the world for thousands of years. The kaftan is often worn as a coat or overdress, usually reaching to the ankles, with long sleeves. It can be made of wool, cashmere, silk, or cotton, and may be worn with a sash. The caftan is of ancient Mesopotamian origin.

Through its dissemination and evolution, the kaftan has acquired different styles, purposes, and names depending on the culture. In many regions with a warm climate, the kaftan is worn as a light-weight, loose-fitting garment. The kaftan has served as a symbol of royalty in some cultures and as a symbol of marriage in others during some parts of history.

Caraco Jacket (11)

Caraco

A caraco is a style of woman's jacket that was fashionable from the mid-18th to early 19th centuries. Caracos were thigh-length and opened in front, with tight, three-quarter or long sleeves. Like gowns of the period, the back of the caraco could be fitted to the waist or could hang in pleats from the shoulder in a "sack-back". Caracos were generally made of printed linen or cotton.

The caraco emerged as an informal style in France in the 1760s, based on working-class jackets. It was worn with a petticoat and, if open in front, a stomacher or decorative stays. The English caraco was generally closed in front. A similar garment with a wrap front, called in English a bedgown or short gown, was the standard working woman's costume of the later 18th century.

Cagoule Jacket (10)

Cagoule Jacket

A cagoule, cagoul, kagoule or kagool (from the French cagoule meaning hood) is the British English term for a lightweight (usually without lining), weatherproof raincoat or anorak with a hood, which often comes in knee-length. The American English equivalent is poncho. The Canadian English equivalent is windbreaker or K-Way.

Variants

Boy's

A cagoule which can be rolled up into a very compact package and carried in a bag or pocket was invented by Noel Bibby of Peter Storm Ltd. in the early 1960s. It has an integral hood, elasticated or drawstring cuffs, and a few poppers (snap fasteners) or a short zip at the neck. It does not open fully at the front and must be pulled on over the head. In some versions, when rolled up, the hood or front pocket doubles as a bag into which the rest of the coat is pushed. It became very popular in the United Kingdom during the 1970s, going by such trademarks as Pack-a-Mac & "Cag in a Bag".

cagoules is the same for all styles and brands, these garments can be made from a wide variety of materials. Choosing the right kind of material depends on the type of weather where it will be worn and the preferences of the wearer. The most common fibres used to make cagoules are polyester and nylon

Girls

cagoules for summer are typically thin and lightweight, providing just enough protection from drizzles without being heavy or bulky. Polyester or polyester-cotton blends are perfect for this purpose. Nylon can also do the job, especially those designs that feature cotton lining to improve breathability. Meanwhile, cagoules with woollen linings are best worn in winter because they are excellent at preventing cold from permeating the garment, thus keeping the body warm. A nylon outer layer is also ideal because it is resistant to moisture and stains, things that are inconveniently plentiful in the cold months

Brunswick Jacket (9)

Brunswick (clothing)

A Brunswick gown or Brunswick is a two-piece woman's gown of the mid-eighteenth century.

The Brunswick comprises a hip-length jacket with a high neckline and a hood, worn with a matching petticoat. The jacket sleeves consist of an upper sleeve with flounces at the elbow and a tight, wrist-length lower sleeve.

The Brunswick is one of several informal jacket-and-petticoat costumes popular in the later 18th century, derived from working class costume but made up in fine fabrics.


Originating in France (based on a German fashion), the Brunswick was also popular in England and the United States as a traveling costume.

Blouson Jacket 8

Blouson

A blouson or blouse jacket is a coat that is drawn tight at the waist, causing it to blouse out and hang over the waistband. Some of them have a hood. It takes most of its modern traits from the American flight jacket and police blouson. It is related to the Eisenhower jacket. It is considered to be both sportswear and casual civilian clothing.

History

The MA-1 bomber jacket was originally designed for the US military during the 1950s. The MA-2 bomber jacket has now taken its place. The Black jacket was popularized by Yves Saint Laurent and was donned by some music groups in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Modern flight jackets have been popular with skinheads and scooterboys from the 1980s onwards.

In 1993, the blouson was worn as the national costume of the United States for the APEC meeting held in Seattle, Washington. In the early 2000s, the jacket was popular casual wear in hip hop fashion. The blouson jacket has been worn by several police departments in the  United States, Austria, Israel New Zealand, Germany and the United  Kingdom due to its sturdy design, and heavy insulation. The NYPD has used a form of them as of 2010.

Blazer Jackets(7)

Blazer  jackets

A blazer is a type of jacket resembling a suit coat cut more casually, typically with metal buttons. A blazer's cloth is usually durable (14oz.), as it is intended as an outdoor jacket. Stylistically, blazers often are uniform garments, e.g. for airline, school, and yachting and rowing clubs.

A blazer is generally distinguished from a sportcoat as a more formal garment and tailored from solid color fabrics. Blazers are often made with naval-style metal buttons, reflecting their historic boating club association.

blazers for Men

History

The sartorial term blazer originated with the red 'blazers' of the Lady Margaret Boat Club (1825), the rowing club of St. John's College, Cambridge. The Lady Margaret club jackets were termed blazers because of the bright red cloth; the term survived the original red coat. A writer to the London Daily News (22 August 1889) commented that "In your article of to-day‥you speak of ‘a striped red and black blazer’, ‘the blazer’, also of ‘the pale toned’ ones.‥ A blazer is the red flannel boating jacket worn by the Lady Margaret, St. John's College, Cambridge, Boat Club. When I was at Cambridge it meant that and nothing else. It seems from your article that a blazer now means a coloured flannel jacket, whether for cricket, tennis, boating, or seaside wear."

These early blazers were like later sports jackets, but this term has never referred to blazers, instead describing jackets derived from the later innovation of wearing odd jackets for land-based sports. Assertions that the name is derived from HMS Blazer are not borne out by contemporary sources, although it is reported that before the standardisation of uniform in the Royal Navy, the crew of HMS Blazer wore "striped blue and white jackets", apparently in response to the sailors of HMS Harlequin being turned out in harlequin suits. As late as 1845 the gig's crew of HMS Blazer were dressed by their Captain in jackets of blue and white stripes and it is from this that the word "Blazer", meaning a striped jacket, has entered the language.

The reefer jacket was of naval origin, and described the short double breasted jacket worn by sailors in harsh weather, when they perform duties such as reefing the sails. It is descendants of this which are now commonly described by the term blazer. Originally with black horn buttons, these jackets evolved to the modern dark blazer, now single as well as double breasted, and with metallic buttons.

Striped blazers became popular among British Mods in the early 1960s, and again during the Mod revival of the late 1970s — particularly in three-colour thick/thin stripe combinations, with three-button single breasted front, five or six inch side or centre vents and sleeve-cuffs with multi-buttons. Various photos from 1964 and 1965 show London mods in boating blazers. Photos of mod icons The Who from 1964 (as the High Numbers) variously show Pete Townshend, Keith Moon and John Entwistle wearing boating blazers. Another mod band, Small Faces, and other bands liked by mods — such as The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, The Kinks, Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames, The Animals, The Yardbirds, The Moody Blues and The Troggs — had band members wearing striped blazers/boating jackets or later, brightly coloured blazers with wide white or other light edging. Buttons on these later blazers often became non-metal, sometimes in the same colour as the edging. The earlier style of striped blazers can be seen in the film Quadrophenia. The later bright style of blazer was affectionately adopted by Austin Powers as part of his Swinging London look. By the late 2000s the blazer had been adopted as a popular fashion trend amongst females, often having shorter lengths, rolled up sleeves, various lapels, and bright colors.

for Women

Wearing a blazer

Blazers are worn with wide variety of other clothes, ranging from a shirt and tie to an open-necked polo shirt. They are seen with trousers of all colours, from the classic white cotton or linen, to grey flannel, to brown or beige chinos as well as jeans.

A fitted, classically cut, double-breasted navy blue blazer with navy-style buttons is a popular design and sometimes referred to as "reefer" blazer. Particularly in North America and the United Kingdom, it is now frequently used in business casual and business informal wear and by some as suitable attire for any situation.

Blazers are worn as part of school uniforms by many schools across the Commonwealth, and in a wide range of colours is still daily wear for most uniformed pupils in Britain, Australia and New Zealand. These are blazers in the traditional sense, single breasted often of bright colours or with piping. This style is also worn by some boat clubs, such as those in Cambridge or Oxford, with the piped version only on special occasions such as a boat club dinner. In this case, the piping is in college colours, and college buttons are worn. This traditional style can be seen in many films set in the Edwardian era, such as Kind Hearts and Coronets.

Where the blazer is part of the dress of a school, college, sports club, or armed service veterans' association, it is normal for a badge to be sewn to the breast pocket. In schools, this may vary according to the student's standing in the school; whether a member of the junior or senior school, being a prefect or having been awarded colours, in recognition of particular achievement in some academic or sporting field. In the Commonwealth, many regimental associations (veterans' organisations) wear 'regimental blazers' which also sport a similar badge on the breast pocket, usually in the form of a wire badge, and sometimes also regimental blazer buttons. In the British army officers do not normally wear badges on their blazers (or boating jackets). Any two regimental blazers will very rarely be the same, as they are made up from different civilian sources and are not issued by any authority. This has come to be representative of the fact that the members of the association are now civilians, but retain the bond that the badge represents. The standard colour is navy blue, although in some associations different colours are worn, such as rifle green for the associations of rifle regiments.

Bell-boy Jacket (6)

 Bell-boy Jacket (6)

The Bell-boy Jacket is modelled on uniforms traditio
nally worn by hotel bell-boys and messengers, consisting of a very fitted waist-length jacket and a band collar, often double-breasted and trimmed with fancy braid or piping, and rows of close-set brass buttons. The cuffs of the jacket often have similar decoration. The style is based on 19th century military dress uniforms and drummer boys.

image credit to its original owners

Bed Gown Jacket(5)

Bed-gown

A bedgown (sometimes bedjacket or shortgown) is an article of women's clothing for the upper body, usually thigh-length and wrapping or tying in front.

Bedgowns of lightweight printed cotton fabric were fashionable at-home morning wear in the 18th century. Over time, bedgowns (also called in this context shortgowns) became the staple upper garment of British and American female working-class street wear from the 18th to early 19th centuries, worn over petticoats and often topped with an apron. Made of sturdy cotton, linen, wool or linsey-woolsey, these bedgowns were simply cut to a T-shaped pattern, and were worn overlapped in front or with the front skirts cutaway.

Bed Gown and Petticoat

In the Welsh spelling betgwn, the bedgown is part of Welsh national dress.

Bedgowns lingered as fashion garments into the mid-20th century, usually under the newer name bedjackets, in the form of short robes or wrappers worn over a nightgown or negligee for warmth and modesty while sitting up in bed for breakfast, reading, or similar pursuits. They had mostly fallen out of fashion by the 1960s.

Woman in a bedgown and patched petticoat, 1764

Bed Jacket

Bed Jacket (4)

The bed jacket is lightweight jacket worn to cover the chest, shoulders and arms while sitting up in bed. Its short length and cape-like cut allows for it to be put on (or removed) while reclining. Originating in the 19th century as a garment worn for warmth, bed jackets could be home-made from practical materials such as knitted wool, flannel or cotton, or more expensive garments designed to exchange a measure functionality for elegance. They were popularized in 1930s Hollywood films, featuring glamorous settings and female starlets lounging languorously in silken bedrooms. Such bed jackets were often made from sheer or lacy fabrics and displaying very feminine trimmings and details, considered an alluring item rather than used for warmth or modesty. Ostrich feather tips, swan’s down, pleated tulle and shirred lace were just a few examples of the extravagant materials that could be used in creating these confections.