Military Style Duty Shirts/ Casually?

[Sonero]

I used to love 5 11 tactical clothing but fell out of that phase awhile ago. Recently I came across a company called Blauer. I absolutely fell in love with the quality of their items. IMO far superior than 5 11.
I picked up these duty shirts. They are very unique in both quality and fit. They also include a zipper and ventilated mesh sides. The fit is tailored. I couldn't help but think of high end " safari " shirts when I saw these. I think they are brilliant with jeans. The ultimate travel shirt with 70s flair.....or am I nuts ?
Anyone else into duty shirts

 

[Pandemic]

I dig it. I like epaulets and the whole safari shirt vibe. Kinda reminds me of Magnum PI when he wasn’t in a Hawaiian print.

They look pretty slim - the baggy fit of most ‘tactical’ clothing kills it for me.

Except when I have to wear it at work. They I go with Helicon pants, which are a bit slimmer than American brands.

 

[Flanderian]

They're handsome, quality shirts, and if you like the look, IMHO there's no reason not to wear them as casual/sports wear. Though personally, I'd always make a point of pairing them with trousers that are an harmonious contrast in color or tone, so as to avoid them looking a bit too much like a service employee uniform.

 

[Sonero]

They look pretty slim - the baggy fit of most ‘tactical’ clothing kills it for me.

I totally agree. That's why these shirts caught my attention. The fit. I will take a picture with them on tomorrow.

They're handsome, quality shirts, and if you like the look, IMHO there's no reason not to wear them as casual/sports wear. Though personally, I'd always make a point of pairing them with trousers that are an harmonious contrast in color or tone, so as to avoid them looking a bit too much like a service employee uniform.

Thanks !

I agree. The only one I would play with all one color is black. The khaki would look great with blue jeans and maybe natural color Timberland work boots.

 

[Cornelius]

I don't necessarily mind the look in terms of the pattern/tailoring, but it's the synthetic fiber that kills contemporary "tactical" wear for me. Just insufferable for me, at least in this climate (higher-humidity Midwestern USA). In the particular case of these shirts, I believe the zipped front & vented sides are to more comfortably accommodate the wearing of body armor for law enforcement. Not a feature I personally need.

I suppose all of the above may be why I tend to gravitate more toward repros of early/mid-20th Century clothing of this this type - a semi-formal presentation built for utility/durability, and out of far more breathable natural fabrics.

That said, I have a pair of "covert" trousers by Propper which are nice for the wide array of discreet pockets & gusseted crotch. Some of the utility of BDU trousers/"cargo pants", without That Look.

 

[Sonero]

Another Blauer duty shirt I wear casually is their Armour Skin base shirt. It comes in a few colors. Here is navy. Really super cool looking fashion forward. Something Tom Ford might come out with. I like the sunglass/microphone loop.
Also me in the black uniform shirt. Tail is long but rises a bit with undershirt underneath.
Base shirt in navy and chocolate brown.

 

[Bfd70]

Blauer makes a good product as far as duty wear goes. I have a lined V-neck sweater and its the warmest item (non outerwear) i own by a lot.

 

[MichaelRhB]

I have two of the same dark green German Bundeswehr uniform shirts made by Mil-Tec of ripstop cotton. I don't think they are standard issue, but I'm not certain. They look good with epaulets and flap pockets. Very sharp.

 

[GHT]

Tina is in the process of making me a faux camouflage shirt like this:

You can buy one if you like it, not that Tina is in business. https://divisionroadinc.com/products/gitman-vintage-camouflage-pin-up-print-revival
What I am wondering is what to wear with the shirt. My shirt fairy will be making me a period style pair of khaki trousers, I shall probably wear a black fedora, but what about shoes?

Originally I was going with either green and grey correspondants or green and cream Oxfords. Having seen these camo sneakers, I am undecided.

 

[Sonero]

Great find on Ebay. US Navy wool polyester workshirt.

 

[Wigwam Jones]

As a US Marine veteran from the 1980s, I do not wear certain types of military-style gear. I'm not really into the 'look-alike' stuff, and I would never wear actual duty items of another service - nothing wrong with it, just seems incorrect for me. Heck, I love US Navy Peacoats and I can't bring myself to wear one (LOL).

As to actual Marine duty wear, I wear vintage 1980s woodland camo trousers when working in the yard, and my M-65 field jackets in both sateen and woodland camo are often worn as general outer attire if I'm not dressed up. They seem OK to me because they were issued gear; I earned them. I don't wear dress uniform attire because in my day, we were told it was a no-no to wear mixed with civilian clothes, and I'm no longer meet weight or grooming standards to wear a complete uniform.

About the closest I come is I wore my medals with my tuxedo when I walked my daughter down the aisle when she got married. That's technically OK for veterans.

To be clear, I have nothing against anyone wearing the 511 or Propper or whatever near-military tactical gear listed above. It just doesn't fit into my range of desired clothing. If I were not a veteran, I'd probably feel differently; it's a great look.

 

[AeroFan_07]

Wigwam Jones - Thank you for your service! It is very appreciated!

 

[Wigwam Jones]

Wigwam Jones - Thank you for your service! It is very appreciated!

Thank you! It was a very long time ago. Honestly it was a privilege and honor to serve and I'd gladly do it again.

 

[Peacoat]

As a US Marine veteran from the 1980s, I do not wear certain types of military-style gear. I'm not really into the 'look-alike' stuff, and I would never wear actual duty items of another service - nothing wrong with it, just seems incorrect for me. Heck, I love US Navy Peacoats and I can't bring myself to wear one (LOL).

As to actual Marine duty wear, I wear vintage 1980s woodland camo trousers when working in the yard, and my M-65 field jackets in both sateen and woodland camo are often worn as general outer attire if I'm not dressed up. They seem OK to me because they were issued gear; I earned them. I don't wear dress uniform attire because in my day, we were told it was a no-no to wear mixed with civilian clothes, and I'm no longer meet weight or grooming standards to wear a complete uniform.

About the closest I come is I wore my medals with my tuxedo when I walked my daughter down the aisle when she got married. That's technically OK for veterans.

To be clear, I have nothing against anyone wearing the 511 or Propper or whatever near-military tactical gear listed above. It just doesn't fit into my range of desired clothing. If I were not a veteran, I'd probably feel differently; it's a great look.

As you are a Marine veteran, I can understand your reluctance to wear the US Navy peacoat. Jarheads were getting shorted somewhere down the line as the Navy spent $$$ on the nice peacoats for their people.

I still wear my M-65 even though it is patched the same as it was when I was on active duty. I earned it; I'll wear it.

Semper Fi Brother.

 

[AbbaDatDeHat]

As a US Marine veteran from the 1980s, I do not wear certain types of military-style gear. I'm not really into the 'look-alike' stuff, and I would never wear actual duty items of another service - nothing wrong with it, just seems incorrect for me. Heck, I love US Navy Peacoats and I can't bring myself to wear one (LOL).

As to actual Marine duty wear, I wear vintage 1980s woodland camo trousers when working in the yard, and my M-65 field jackets in both sateen and woodland camo are often worn as general outer attire if I'm not dressed up. They seem OK to me because they were issued gear; I earned them. I don't wear dress uniform attire because in my day, we were told it was a no-no to wear mixed with civilian clothes, and I'm no longer meet weight or grooming standards to wear a complete uniform.

About the closest I come is I wore my medals with my tuxedo when I walked my daughter down the aisle when she got married. That's technically OK for veterans.

To be clear, I have nothing against anyone wearing the 511 or Propper or whatever near-military tactical gear listed above. It just doesn't fit into my range of desired clothing. If I were not a veteran, I'd probably feel differently; it's a great look.

Hey Wig:
Welcome to the lounge.
I had the same feelings about wearing a peacoat. Just could not bring myself to wear some Navy stuff (unless i took it from them). I mean come on...Navy!!
Some 47 yrs later after reading all the @Peacoat stuff and lounge jackets i broke down and bought two. How stupid was i. Best coats ever and wish i would have been less green all those years. They win hands down M-65 vs Peacoat but....that’s it!!!
No way their overcoats or anybody else’s come near our wool overcoats. I still wear mine every winter and the untouched sleeve creases will cut you like a knife. That coat has gotten more compliments over the decades then anything i ever owned. It’s hard not to feel the aura of the oorah when you button it up and It takes you back in time. The peacoat gives a bit of that too.
Try it.
Oorah
B

 

[Tiki Tom]

At the Defense Language Institute, we used to wear khakis and garrison caps. Always Liked the short sleeved shirts with epaulettes and patch pockets. Now I often wear them with jeans. The ones I have are 100% cotton. Always have my eyes out for a good source. Thanks.

 

[Peacoat]

Hey Wig:
Welcome to the lounge.
I had the same feelings about wearing a peacoat. Just could not bring myself to wear some Navy stuff (unless i took it from them). I mean come on...Navy!!
Some 47 yrs later after reading all the @Peacoat stuff and lounge jackets i broke down and bought two. How stupid was i. Best coats ever and wish i would have been less green all those years. They win hands down M-65 vs Peacoat but....that’s it!!!
No way their overcoats or anybody else’s come near our wool overcoats. I still wear mine every winter and the untouched sleeve creases will cut you like a knife. That coat has gotten more compliments over the decades then anything i ever owned. It’s hard not to feel the aura of the oorah when you button it up and It takes you back in time. The peacoat gives a bit of that too.
Try it.
Oorah
B

Would love to see an image of your Marine overcoat.

Hooah
PC

 

[AbbaDatDeHat]

Would love to see an image of your Marine overcoat.

Hooah
PC

Will do my friend...will do.
B

 

[Edward]

I've been wearing a lot of old milspec stuff since the eighties. Originally it was stuff that was in the surplus stores - so usually designs that were about one or two steps behind current issue. Nowadays, it's more stuff that is either 50s and earlier repro, or still carries an earlier cut. Most of it isn't obvious what it is unless you know, always incorporated into a civilian look now. My days of military dress tunics worn over bondage trousers have receded into the long, good night of history by this point. The biggest plus is trousers, as it's often a great way of getting a pair of accurately vintage-cut trousers at a much lower price than buying civilian repro. It can, of course, just mean a slightly restricted colour palette for obvious reasons. Axis forces repro help a little there, though much less so as they tended to have more obvious military details to them, particularly buckles and such at the ankles being much more common among that stuff. Across most forces, early-war and pre-war period designs seem better that way.