You may already be familiar with this story, but this reminds me of an interview I heard with the actress Sheryl Lee Ralph where she talked about her mother Ivy Ralph, the designer of the Kariba suit. Her mother wanted to design a suit for men who lived in warm climates to replace the European-style suit, but the style became controversial after it was adopted by Fidel Castro and other members of the communist party in Cuba. It’s another fascinating example of how politics affect fashion. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kariba_suit
So interesting--I've been delving into the connections between America and the IRA lately thanks to a rerun of Law & Order ("The Troubles")--highly fascinating to see how the M-65 was used here.
I can see the political connection, especially with the anti-war movement.
Another more personal view is that military surplus was incredibly cheap and widely available.
Attending college in the early mid ‘70’s in NC, anything affordable and utilitarian was a welcome stretch for a student’s budget.
M65 field coat-$5-10 anywhere.
Trousers- $1-5 depending on quality.
Etc.
I was an Army brat and never gave these items much thought politically. Actually made extra money transporting loads of surplus clothing and camping gear from hometown stores to an Army-Navy surplus store in my college town.
Navy peacoats were much warmer and brought premium prices. Mine lasted until it was lost by my son decades later.
"Considering how hard it would have been to get an M-65...". Ok, I know I'm showing my age here but honestly these jackets were easily available to buy in army surplus shops and the Dandelion Market in Dublin when I was a teenager in the late 70s. In my secondary school the cool lads who were into the Doors and prog rock wore these jackets, and in college they were pretty common student wear because they were relatively inexpensive, very hard wearing, and quite cool. They were probably more of a middle-class student jacket, and some of the working class lads wore the standard Irish Defence Forces / FCA jackets of the time instead. Personally I wore a West German army parka.
This series has been bringing many old memories to the fore. My stepfather had 3 army-navy surplus stores in Indianapolis. He opened his first store just a few years after he got out of the army in WW2. He always claimed it was just a natural continuance of the scrounging he learned to do while in the infantry. I got early dibs on all the best stuff with my prize possession being an Air Force Flying Heavy Shirt (for a short girl it made a great jacket) which I got in 1967 and wore all the way through college. Rummaging through the new acquisitions for like having an endless Hanukkah.
You may already be familiar with this story, but this reminds me of an interview I heard with the actress Sheryl Lee Ralph where she talked about her mother Ivy Ralph, the designer of the Kariba suit. Her mother wanted to design a suit for men who lived in warm climates to replace the European-style suit, but the style became controversial after it was adopted by Fidel Castro and other members of the communist party in Cuba. It’s another fascinating example of how politics affect fashion. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kariba_suit
woahhhh!!! thats so cool!!
Wow, I’d love to learn more!
So interesting--I've been delving into the connections between America and the IRA lately thanks to a rerun of Law & Order ("The Troubles")--highly fascinating to see how the M-65 was used here.
Interesting viewpoint.
I can see the political connection, especially with the anti-war movement.
Another more personal view is that military surplus was incredibly cheap and widely available.
Attending college in the early mid ‘70’s in NC, anything affordable and utilitarian was a welcome stretch for a student’s budget.
M65 field coat-$5-10 anywhere.
Trousers- $1-5 depending on quality.
Etc.
I was an Army brat and never gave these items much thought politically. Actually made extra money transporting loads of surplus clothing and camping gear from hometown stores to an Army-Navy surplus store in my college town.
Navy peacoats were much warmer and brought premium prices. Mine lasted until it was lost by my son decades later.
"Considering how hard it would have been to get an M-65...". Ok, I know I'm showing my age here but honestly these jackets were easily available to buy in army surplus shops and the Dandelion Market in Dublin when I was a teenager in the late 70s. In my secondary school the cool lads who were into the Doors and prog rock wore these jackets, and in college they were pretty common student wear because they were relatively inexpensive, very hard wearing, and quite cool. They were probably more of a middle-class student jacket, and some of the working class lads wore the standard Irish Defence Forces / FCA jackets of the time instead. Personally I wore a West German army parka.
Hi! Interesting! I’ve heard some conflicting views on this now. I’d love to talk to you about this if you have a moment. Mind if I dm you?
This series has been bringing many old memories to the fore. My stepfather had 3 army-navy surplus stores in Indianapolis. He opened his first store just a few years after he got out of the army in WW2. He always claimed it was just a natural continuance of the scrounging he learned to do while in the infantry. I got early dibs on all the best stuff with my prize possession being an Air Force Flying Heavy Shirt (for a short girl it made a great jacket) which I got in 1967 and wore all the way through college. Rummaging through the new acquisitions for like having an endless Hanukkah.