I have a weakness for men in military clothes, and I'm not alone. I'm not sure if it's the clichéd "uniform" aspect of, say, army shirts and bomber jackets (I also can't keep my eyes off men in firefighting outfits); or maybe I like the offbeat, counterculture feeling of men buying them from less expected places like the Army-Navy store or an out-of-the-way vintage shop. Regardless, I guarantee that if you're wearing some kind of military-inspired clothing (the more original the better), a watchful woman will give you a proper once-over.

I couldn't find any pictures of men before the 1960s wearing war-inspired looks, unless they were actual soldiers--this must have had something to do with Vietnam. And while inspiration can be taken from the more official wearers, like former Chinese president Chiang Kai Shek, a forties British Royal Air Force pilot, or even Elvis Presley during his induction into the Army, it was actually peace advocates--John Lennon most iconically--who popularized the military look as an acceptable form of streetwear.

These days Army, Navy, and Air Force looks seem to be more popular than ever--Vietnam redux? The span runs from the most expected (but still great-looking) khaki-green multi-pocketed shirt or jacket to Freemans Sporting Club's double-breasted coat made from specially fabricated cotton developed during WW II to insulate pilots if they had to bail out into the cold sea. As if that weren't cool enough, it's also lined with a vintage-stock Army blanket. Regardless of the era or specific style, these clothes project an all-purpose uniformity--and the irresistibly masculine message "I'm a soldier: Don't get in my way."

A clean and simple interpretation of a nylon bomber jacket. Madison Avenue, New York, September 2007.

British merchant seaman George Meegan, the first man to walk the entire western hemisphere (it took him seven and a half years), wears an army jacket on the trail. 1982. (Getty Images)

An army jacket that could keep you dry--this one's rubberized. Brooklyn, NY, September 2007.

Filmmaker Steven Spielberg wears a leather Air Force jacket (with a Stuntman's Association hat to top it off). 1990. (Getty Images)

English journalist Julian Keeling wears a military-inspired waxed-cotton coat. I wish you could see the red flannel lining. England, June 2007.

William S. Burroughs, captured here by Allen Ginsburg, pairs the authenticity of an Army shirt with the formality of a tie. You can't do much better than this. 1984. (Corbis)

A modern-day, minimal interpretation of a uniform shirt. Spring Street, NYC, September 2007.

I don't usually include film stills because I feel that they project a character's style as opposed to a real person's. That said, this one of Robert Redford as Major Julian Cook in the World War II drama A Bridge Too Far is too good to leave out. 1977. (Getty Images)

Full disclosure: My editor Ned Martel snapped this dude in Copenhagen. He thought I'd like the fedora, but it was the jacket that caught my eye. September 2007.

Mexican General Pancho Villa wore a tailored, more formal version of a military coat in 1918. I hate to use the word chic to describe a man, but it's hard to avoid in this case. (Getty Images)

I've already used a version of this photo in my tie blog, but I'm putting it out there again to show how much personality his coat adds to his otherwise basic office look. London, June 2007.

Director Francis Ford Coppola was clearly feeling the war vibe on the set of Apocalypse Now. The Philippines, 1976. (Getty Images)

I like the addition of epaulets on an otherwise completely unmilitary denim blazer. Prince Street, NY, October 2007.

John Lennon, in his signature look of round glasses and military jacket, belts it out onstage in NYC. 1972.
(credit: Getty Images)

My friend Sebastian in his Marc Jacobs version of a street-wear classic. NYC, May 2007.

I don't know who looks better in his formal military-wear, Pancho Villa or Chiang Kai-shek. You decide. 1957. (Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)

This guy seems like he walked straight out of an anti-Vietnam War film. Despite the outdated facial hair, he knows how to look good in clothes. Bleecker Street, NY, September 2007.

This is my favorite Elvis photo (I'm not a big fan of his rhinestone-studded jumpsuits). That's probably because his clothes aren't a costume--he was actually being fitted for his Army private's uniform at the Fort Chaffee reception center. Arkansas, 1958. (Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)

This is the coat I talked about above that's made from super cool high tech WWII military fabric and lined with a vintage army blanket. It's hard to take my eyes off Martin, a member of the Freeman's Sporting Club posse, long enough to actually look at the coat. Chrystie Street, NY, October 2007.