Appropriateness of Khaki

[Canadian]

Okay,

When is it appropriate to wear a khaki field shirt, khaki pants and tall boots? Aside from jumping out of airplanes into occupied Holland that is. I've long liked the look of wearing head to toe khaki (no forage cap, but sometimes a newsboy or a fedora) and occasionally with an OD safari coat. I realize this ventures into "Adventurer Gear", but I've got some specific questions I wanted mentioned in a separate thread.

1. Is this too close to "military" or "reenactor gear"? I mean, I don't wear my old rank insignia on the epaulets, and I don't wear a wedge cap or other military style headdress.
2. Where is it appropriate? I occasionally wear this ensemble to work (I own four different khaki ensembles and two safari coats).
3. Can I dress it up with a blue blazer or OD blazer? Or does this look too much like a Royal Navy officer or a C-1 uniform?
4. Is it disrespectful to dress this way while camping or hiking in the mountains?
5. And for a modern touch, could I wear blue cargo pants with a khaki shirt for that post WWII, early 1950s ex-navy look?

Where do you all wear your khaki gear?

Thomas

 

[dhermann1]

If you're not wearing any military insignia I don't see anything wrong with wearing all the khaki you want. It's really a very standard dress style for any warm climate outdoor activity. Look at old pics of archaeologists in the field. Nothing wrong with it at all.

 

[Geronimo]

When is it appropriate to wear a khaki field shirt, khaki pants and tall boots?

Khaki is good. Brown is not. You don't want to look like a brownshirt... though in this day and age, most people would probably think you were just a UPS man with a shoe fetish.
Be prepared for "you going on safari?" comments. The tall boots will get the most attention, so polish them if possible.

And for a modern touch, could I wear blue cargo pants with a khaki shirt for that post WWII, early 1950s ex-navy look?

Sure. Dark/navy blue and khaki go well together, IMO. Navy blazer or blue pants ought to work nicely to dress up your rig.

Is this too close to "military" or "reenactor gear"?

I don't think so. 'Military' today conjures up images of guys with camo uniforms, big packs, helmets, and vests. Not guys in Class A's - aside from the US Marines.

 

[bobalooba]

4. Is it disrespectful to dress this way while camping or hiking in the mountains?
5. And for a modern touch, could I wear blue cargo pants with a khaki shirt for that post WWII, early 1950s ex-navy look?


Thomas

4.could you explain how wearing this hiking or camping would be disrespectful? I'm just confused, unless there are easily offended mountain goats I don't see why not.

5.I think the blue needs to be dark(I'm assuming this is what you meant since you said ex-navy) but just a word of caution.

 

[Creeping Past]

Wear what you're comfortable wearing.

 

[Solid Citizen]

To the POINT

Wear what you're comfortable wearing.

SHORT & SWEET Solid Citizen

 

[Edward]

Okay,

When is it appropriate to wear a khaki field shirt, khaki pants and tall boots?

Whenever you want! Well, within reason. Probably not ideal for weddings and funerals....

1. Is this too close to "military" or "reenactor gear"? I mean, I don't wear my old rank insignia on the epaulets, and I don't wear a wedge cap or other military style headdress.

Nowadays, I should expect most folks will think of a certain "part-time teacher" long before they'll think military.

2. Where is it appropriate? I occasionally wear this ensemble to work (I own four different khaki ensembles and two safari coats).

In a "business casual" environment, I see no problem with that.

3. Can I dress it up with a blue blazer or OD blazer? Or does this look too much like a Royal Navy officer or a C-1 uniform?

Khaki trews look superb with a blue blazer, especially db. I often go for this combination - in the summer, I'll even wear a navy blazer with a pair of natural coloured linen trews.

When in China, always during Summer months, I've worn a lot of khaki and related colours. While I'm not convinced of the notion that colour of clothing alone can affect heat retention (I remember reading reports of research some years ago that claimed to debunk that), khaki just looks great to me in a hot climate. It certainly didn't stick out too far in downtown Beijing - sure, I got 'hey soldier, come see' a lot in the markets, but I think that had a lot more to do with being there alone, the shaved head and my height (at 5'10" I'm relatively tall out there - more so than the average, although if the kids I teach are anything to go by, that's fast changing as the Chinese are getting taller). Oh yeah.... and it's immediately obvious I'm a lao wai out there. lol

4. Is it disrespectful to dress this way while camping or hiking in the mountains?

I don't think it's disrespectful full stop. If you think it might be, though, then surely it must be less so out there being active than sitting at home, couch potato stylee, in front of endless war movies, thinking you're MacArthur or Patton or whoever. [huh]

5. And for a modern touch, could I wear blue cargo pants with a khaki shirt for that post WWII, early 1950s ex-navy look?

I don't see why not. I used to practically live in cargo pants (we called 'em 'combat trousers' ) back in my Uni days. Nowadays I don't own any, but I'm tempted to pick up a couple of pairs of WW2 style examples, as they are extremely practical if you're on the move and need to carry a lot of stuff. I wouldn't wear them to the office or out for the night, but great on holiday - especially in hot weather when one is not wearing a jacket.

Where do you all wear your khaki gear?
[/QUOTE]

Someone who should comment on here is Diamondback - he seems to live in khaki trews / shirt/ A2, and from what few photos he has posted to the FL, he doesn't come out looking like he's playing "dress up soldier", which is, I think, what you're worried about? Sixty odd years ago it might have looked like you were imitating military, but not nowadays, IMO. The one thing that will stand out will be the tall boots, if you wear them over your trousers. Grand for hiking etc, though if you don't want to stick out, maybe tone it down for day to day wear. You can still do boots, maybe just something subtler like a garrison shoe or an Indy boot.

Actually, I suspect you're more likely to get Indy related comments rather than military...

Khaki is good. Brown is not. You don't want to look like a brownshirt...

Like these guys...

.... I don't think there's much danger of that, even to the few folks nowadays who know what a brownshirt is/was.

Be prepared for "you going on safari?" comments. The tall boots will get the most attention, so polish them if possible.

Oh, yes. Along with "where's your gun?", "the tiger went that way", etc.

 

[Mrs. Merl]

I too am curious why it would be inappropriate for camping and hiking? Being a mountain girl, I have seen things I would deem inappropriate on many occasions, but khaki wouldn't figure in that. Unless you were talking about technical issues. I mean I wouldn't wear it during the winter here, obviously.

 

[avedwards]

3. Can I dress it up with a blue blazer or OD blazer? Or does this look too much like a Royal Navy officer or a C-1 uniform?

I often wear khaki trousers, a khaki shirt, blue blazer, white pocket square and a grey fedora. The hat and pocket square don't clash as badly as it sounds like they might. Perfect for smart casual IMO, and a tie can be added if necessary to smarten it up. It doesn't look like a Navy officer unless you were to wear a DB 8 on 6 blazer, which I have never seen in civilian use before.

 

[ThesFlishThngs]

One of the finest uses of khaki in the great outdoors is Miss Jane in her birding uniform. Unfortunately, I couldn't find the image to share, though it's clear as day in my head.

 

[BellyTank]

WoW.
And there was me thinking that Khaki was just about
the most inoffensive clothing colour.
I'm just a khaki person, I guess(in the voice of Reginald Perrin's son in law).
It's quite likely that contemporary pedestrians don't recognize Khaki as the colour of some WW2 uniforms. Khaki has been the colour for so many civilian uniforms/workwear and such a popular clothing colour, for so long.

"Neither Mrs. BT nor I ever wasted our time worrying about wearing Khaki."

Brownshirts, shmrownshmirts, bah!
I have been known to wear a vintage tan shirt, with a black tie-
I like that combination! Nobody would ever make any connection with
the SA in that getup, unless I was very unlucky.
Maybe if I wore a swastika armband, black breeches and high boots,
then they would make some kind of mental connection.
Average Joe, on the street is so dumb and numb and looking-at-a-mobile- device-whilst-crossing-the-road nowadays, they probably wouldn't notice and possibly haven't heard of Hitler.

Khaki rules my small world.


B
T
(and Mrs.
B
T)

 

[avedwards]

I personally think a khaki shirt and black tie is more likely to get you called Indiana Jones if anything, since he wears that in The Last Crucade.

 

[BellyTank]

I said TAN, not Khaki. Big difference.

Don't think so- it's just the hat that causes "the Jones problem".
Contemporary pedestrians think proper hats are fwckin' weird sh!t.

If you wore the hat, a diaper/nappy and nothing else,
you'd get Young Indiana Jones comments.
And perhaps, arrested.


B
T

 

[Creeping Past]

That's certainly the way it goes in parts of England.

Man in hat=LOL wierdow

Man in hat and non-standard, unexpected jacket/trousers=LOL wierd-o nutter

I guess we're saying that the more khaki you wear at once, the thicker skinned you may need to be.

 

[BellyTank]

Gee- what if you had a ginger beard, as well as the weird hat and weird clothes...
what would the contemporary pedestrian call you then..?



B
T

 

[BellyTank]

Man in hat and non-standard, unexpected jacket/trousers=LOL wierd-o nutter

Oof! Oy!, unexpected trousers! almost put my eye out!!!


B
T

 

[Creeping Past]

A fellow of that description would surely need to keep his wits about him.

 

[BellyTank]

Ra-ther!


B
T

 

[Paisley]

I wouldn't think khaki inappropriate for general wear, just that all khaki lacks any pop.

 

[Geronimo]

Gee- what if you had a ginger beard, as well as the weird hat and weird clothes...
what would the contemporary pedestrian call you then..?

Erik the Red.