March 9, 2017

Men’s Style: Camouflage

By Laurie Brookins

This story originally appeared in the March/April 2017 issue of Elite Traveler.

Military themes ruled the spring/ summer 2017 men’s runways – from camouflage prints, to bomber jackets and Top Gun-centric jumpsuits. Aviators and a bomber jacket: It’s currently the must-have look for striding across tarmac.

Left: Dior Homme khaki trench coat, $3,900, shirt, $540, cropped combat pant, $1,200, available at Dior Homme in New York, +1 212 931 2951, dior.com. Middle: Hermès reversible blouson, $13,700, shirt, $490, trousers, $750, Odyssey sandals, $710, available at Hermès in New York, +1 212 751 3181, hermes.com. Right: Valentino couture menswear, available by special order at Valentino in New York, +1 212 355 5811, valentino.com.

For spring 2017, menswear designers have unquestionably adopted a fighter-pilot frame of mind, starting with Valentino, where Maria Grazia Chiuri (in the season prior to her departure for Dior) and Pierpaolo Piccioli offered up a heavy dose of military-inspired pieces – including an exquisite camoprint overcoat – modernized with deconstructed details. At Dior Homme, Kris van Assche’s bomber jackets and trench coats were among the best of the season, infused with just a touch of punk styling but never veering beyond a highly wearable sensibility. For the especially adventurous, military-inspired jumpsuits could be found at Paul Smith and Public School – just in case you feel like strutting like Tom Cruise while discussing “the need for speed.” The Eisenhower jacket, meanwhile, made a chic comeback at Bottega Veneta; and Hermès, the house known for iconic silk prints, put a modern spin on a graphic camouflage pattern.