When it comes to func tional, purpose-built gar ments trickling into everyday fashion, nothing is more eye-catching than camouf lage print. Whether it comes in the form of a military print or hunter’s camouf lage, it always seems to be a part of popular masculine style, never becoming overused or worn out.
This is for good reason, though. Most men certainly are not wearing camo to hide in their day-to-day environ ment. Quite the opposite — camouf lage tends to make a statement and make any outfit more visually inter esting. Even other patterns, such as stripes or plaid, can be outshone by smart use of camo. This is mainly due to the highly disordered varia tion in color of the print.
Similarly to other patterns, camo comes in a variety of styles. The most popular is woodland camouflage, which features large spots of brown, black and green. Desert cam ouf lage, which uses shades of brown and tan, is also relatively popular. There are many others, but not many make it into popular use.
The main strength of these camo prints is that they are made up entirely of earth tones. These colors tend to be dark and warm, and they go well with far more things than they clash with.
This can also be the largest downfall of camo, though, and is where most guys go wrong. A single piece made up of multiple, randomly ar ranged, earth-tones splotches will probably garner more attention than anything else worn in a given day.
Since it is already going to take center stage, why fight it? Downplay the rest of the outfit and simultaneously accentuate the print by wear ing neutral colors and plain textures. Basically, keep it simple.
Obviously, camo is a pop ular pattern in the fall and winter months. The colder weather warrants the thicker material such pieces are usu ally made out of. Do not dis count it for the coming spring and summer season, though.
Camouf lage shorts are a solid choice for the warm weather to come, as they bring much needed diversity to the season. The default for many men seems to be bright, saturated colors or pastels, but a subdued pattern can set you apart.
Another valid route to take is to wear accent pieces in camouflage. Shoes, hats, belts and the like are all easy places to integrate in a subtle manner. Backpacks and other accessories that are not worn full time are a particularly easy choice.
In general, only one piece of camouflage should be worn at a time, or if multiple pieces are worn, they should be of the same pattern. The adven turous can certainly experi ment with multiple patterns, but supreme confidence is a must have accessory to such an outfit.
Aside from simply making a fashion statement, military-issue prints have found heavy usage in a number of musical sub-cultures, most notably being the heavy metal, punk, hip-hop and reggae scenes. Typically in these cases, wearing military prints was used to send an ironic, anti-war message.
Then there is hunter cam ouf lage, which is perhaps more popular than military prints for casual wear. These prints have found their way into a relaxed, Southern style, typically accompanied by other rugged classics such as jeans and boots.
What started as a purely utilitarian garment has found its way into the mainstream and does not intend to leave any time soon. All trends have their rise and fall, and cam ouflage is no different, but it seems to have soldiered on more than most. So, whether your goal is to blend in or to stand out, camouflage is the way to go.
