No way to camouflage the new military campaign under way in movies, TV and fashion

E-mail this article Print this article

The few, the proud, the fashionable?

That's an affirmative. In movie theaters, on television and down fashion runways, we're marching to the cadence of men and women in uniform, particularly if they have designer labels. Or if stars like Jude Law ("Enemy at the Gates"), Ben Affleck ("Pearl Harbor") or Nicolas Cage ("Captain Corelli's Mandolin") happen to be dressing the part.

On the tube tonight you can fall in with TBS Superstation's two-hour special "War Games," a back-door pilot that debuts at 7 p.m. At ease, civilian, while watching Fox's newest reality show "Boot Camp," premiering at 9 p.m. on KCPQ-TV. Recently, USA Network announced that former "Survivor" Rudy Boesch will wear the stripes of "camp commander" for the cable channel's "Combat Missions," another reality project set to air in September.

And whether you shop department stores or boutiques, you're bound to encounter more than a few ready-to-wear collections influenced by combat drab. Camouflage patterns splatter club wear, accessories, even evening gowns - usually embellished with sequins, glitter or rhinestones. Miguel Adrover, Daryl K, Marc Jacobs and Kenneth Cole are among the many designers streamlining field gear, flak jackets and cargo pants for clothes-horse consumption.

A pop-culture military bombing is nothing new. Battles are The History Channel's bread and butter, and war movies are a genre unto themselves. Kids have long been raiding army-surplus shops for old jackets and fatigues to spice up average garb. Look no further than the covers of most hip-hop CDs, and you'll figure out where today's generation picked up the trend.

Still, as the Bush administration has pledged to add more to military coffers and people are questioning the current generation's combat readiness, it's interesting to see this convergence.

"The timing is perfect because it's on everybody's minds now," said Phil Paolantonio, one of the executive producers of "Boot Camp." "Everybody's got an idea of what boot camp is. They've either gone through it themselves, or know someone who's gone through it ... there's a built-in icon of what boot camp represents to each individual."

As with many entertainment-related trends, the arrival of "Boot Camp" on the same night as "War Games" is pure coincidence. "For us in reality TV, it's just another form of reality that hadn't been tapped into," explained Christy Kwon Kreisberg, vice president of series original programming for TBS Superstation. "And it fits in perfectly with our audience - we do TV for regular guys."

Fashion experts explain the trend by pointing to the crisp, clean cuts of uniforms - or our idea of them, anyway. "We are coming out of the minimalist '90s, when the style was all black. There was nothing on it, as we took it as far as we can go. Now people want details," said Nordstrom fashion director Carol Steele, as she explained our current armed-forces fashion fixation. "It's an understandable approach to fashion, and an easy way to look tailored and put together."

Funny thing, though: It seems the people least likely to become soldiers of fashion may be those who are actually in the armed services. Maj. Anna Sullivan, a public-affairs officer in the 446th Airlift Wing of the Air Force Reserve, laughed when she saw camouflage colors on a mannequin in a store window. "We've had to wear these, and they're not the most flattering colors in the world. And it would take a lot to make me wear something like that in my civilian life."