The crew at Triple Aught Designs have been busy remodeling their San Francisco show room. It turns out that wasn’t the only thing they were making over. Their new web site features a whole new look and is visually stunning. Make sure you stop by and check it out.
Our friends at Mil-Spec Monkey have been working on a secret project for some time and they have just unveiled the results.
Starting with a FlexFit cap as a foundation, they have removed the top rivet and applied ample amounts of velcro loop. The loop is color matched so it doesn’t stick out but the shapes are different than what you have seen in the past. This is because MSM specializes in patches and have built the cap to accommodate some of their more exotic designs.
In the photo you will also notice a set of earplugs. Rather than showing up at the range without earplugs, they are stored in a small garage on the sides of the cap. The earplugs are on leashes that are connected to auto-retracters and with a gentle pull go right back into storage mode.
Available in S/M 6 3/4†– 7 1/4†and L/XL 7 1/8†– 7 5/8†in Khaki, Loden (GreenishBrown), and Black. Get them from milspecmonkey.com.
We first published this article back in June of 2008 and it is a reprint of an article from “The Morning News“. The info is just as fresh today as it was in 2002 when it was originally published by them.
The Morning News
Opinions
Men’s Fashion: Part 1, Suits
It’s the one thing every man should own: a suit. THE EDITORS salute the suit’s ability to withstand expiration, bask in its enduring appeal, and offer advice on what to look for when you’re off to buy your own. If only we could be there to say, “Suits you, sir!â€
On Suits
Everyone wants to be Cary Grant. Even I want to be Cary Grant.
—Cary Grant
Without suits, men would have nothing. In the hierarchy of style, a good suit remains a man’s only trump card. Even in this sad age of casual-wear, the suit still carries an air of success, taste, and sophistication. It is designed to make you look better, to break boundaries between social classes, to make a small man tall with pinstripes or a fat man rich with soft wools. The suit looks good in restaurants, trains, dinner parties or Paris; in short, everywhere you want to be. It is, in its best forms, a complete outfit that will never fail you.
And that is exactly what it will do, if you treat it right. Unfortunately the majority of suits you see look awful. This isn’t necessary. Even if you work ten hours with your jacket on, being mindful of your clothing will keep you ready for cocktails after work. Too many men either don’t care or don’t know how to wear a suit, and, suitably, look like shit. This is worth avoiding.
To start us off, a few general rules should be observed when approaching a suit, and most apply to good dressing in general:
The suit, no matter the style, needs to fit your body, closely. This means all pieces should be cut and tailored appropriate to your form. Surprisingly, this doesn’t require a lot of money ($500 can, in fact, get you a good suit) but it does take an eye, and the strength to ignore any saccharine compliments from salesmen.
Trends have six-to-eighteen-month shelf lives. If you plan to retire your suit in this window, feel free to splurge. Otherwise, shop considerately.
Suits are made of wool or cotton, and their variations. Additional fabrics need not apply.
You are an interesting, confident, multi-hued man. Let others learn that from how you behave, not from the label on your jacket.
A suit jacket goes with suit pants, not with jeans or chinos. If you want a casual jacket, buy a sport-coat or a blazer. Stand-up comedians are regularly shot over this rule.
If you’re not comfortable—if you don’t feel the suit’s appropriate for you—the salesman’s looking out for his commission, not your style.
A modestly, well-dressed man has never failed to impress. Yes, never.
Assuming you’re not an investment banker, you don’t need ten suits; you only need four. This means you can be a discerning shopper and spend time accumulating, then keeping your suits in good condition (dry clean once a year, then more for spills; don’t you dare iron it yourself). Think of the process in terms of collecting, spending years searching for that one original-packaged Chewbacca.
The Fab Four
1. The Standard Blue: Great for business, lunches, New York Mayors, summer dinners, or casual parties. Can be worn with black or brown shoes, even white if you’re daring. Reflects well by a pool. Standard blue means navy, with no room for paler shades, even if you went to U.N.C.
2. The Classic Gray: Appropriate for everything and even makes a red-head look dandy. Grays also are the best with patterns, especially anything in the chevron family. Start with plain, move to window-pane. Even such, the gray is never controversial. It’s the Switzerland of suits.
3. The Basic Black: Our favorite and the perennial classic, it’s a fit at the Oscars or your sister’s wedding, the perfect compliment to a good white shirt, beloved by gangsters, designers, and undertakers (those jobs with the highest doses of fashion-conscious aptitudes; respectively, aggression, vanity, and wisdom). If you only own one suit, this is it. You can even be buried in it.
4. Any of the above, with pinstripes.
The Jacket
So. You’ve picked your color and you’re ready for the fit. First comes the jacket. Never was a suit bought for the pants and repeatedly worn afterwards. Pants are easily adjusted by a tailor, jackets can only have minor improvements. Think of true love: it must be close to just-right at first, with a slight thrill when you put it on, the coup de foudre as the French say.
First off: are you a single-breasted man or a double? While both styles can fit most body types, single-breasted jackets tend to flatter the slim while double-breasted jackets make the broad look mighty. This doesn’t imply being “skinny&†or “fat,†it’s simply about your tits; hence the term “breasted.†Choose the jacket style that you can best fill out—from there you’ll always look best. David Letterman, who can rarely be found not wearing a double-breasted jacket, skirts this rule by sitting behind a desk. Notice how uncomfortable he is during the monologue, fussing with his buttons while standing full-view before the camera.
To those opting for the single-breasted jacket, you’ll have to choose how many buttons you want. One? Hmm. Two? Excellent. And returning in popularity. Three? Certainly good, and was much sought-after in the recent past though it’s now reached near total market saturation. But, still classic, and hopefully always available.
Of course, jackets also come in four-, five-, and six-button styles, each with their own fifteen minutes of fame. Four-button jackets have been sported by everyone from The Beatles to Steve Harvey. Can you sport one? Of course! But no, not this season…
Last, the fit. Like we said before, close to the body, but no wrinkles when you button. Vents, double or single, are preferred to the vent-less jacket that, nine times out of ten, looks like a giant condom from behind. Shoulder pads should be avoided—you’re no linebacker—but a tailor will gouge you if you show up post-purchase and ask him to reduce the heft.
Finally, before we move onto trousers, there is one ticklish in-between: the vest. We can put this simply. If you’re ready to buy a vest, you’re either old enough to sport one or dangerously disillusioned. A good rule of thumb: Alfred Hitchcock looked great in vests. Young Jimmy Stewart looked out of his league. Pick your man.
The Trousers
You must now choose a trouser style. There have been, in the history of men’s trousers, a few trends that fucked with a good thing: bell-bottoms, bibs, clam-diggers, “cargo.†Unfortunately, all of these styles eventually found their way into suits.
Men, generally, will take any pants that come with a jacket. Being men, we want some control over how they look—“How they work,†thinks the man—but not too much. Hence, the cuffs-or-no-cuffs debate. Ask a man what he thinks of his pants and he’ll say, “Yeah, I had to go no-cuffs.†We won’t help you here except to say: cuffs are older, no-cuffs are not. Choose according to your image of yourself.
Next comes the pleats question: The only times pleats are wanted is in the single-pleat case, on a pair of wool pants. The case should be that the pants look crisp and well-folded, rather than puckered. How to tell the difference? Think of a pair of pants recently back from the dry cleaner. Remember the line down the middle of the leg. Does your new pleat-to-be look like that? If not, drop the hanger and run.
After cuffs and pleats, you need to worry about waist, swish, drape, belt-loops, ass-hugging, crotch-dangling, and whether or not you need a watch pocket. This is beyond our advice. Suffice to say, your ass is probably less than marble, though it shouldn’t be treated like a towel hook. Pants shouldn’t blow like a scarf in the breeze. The best way to judge a pair of pants is to ask yourself, “Would I wear these pants on a date without the jacket?†If so, they’re fine. If not, move on.
Finally, a salesman will often ask if you’d like to buy two pairs of pants for the suit. The idea is you can alternate pants with the jacket so they wear evenly over time, but since pants can be so easily ruined, you always have a back-up pair. This is similar to electronics store people trying to sell you insurance on an air conditioner; if you have the money, it’s not a bad idea, but it also isn’t necessary.
So now that you’ve picked out your suit, you have to know how to wear it. We’ll assume you know the basics of putting the thing on. (Yes, the jacket part goes on top.) And this brings us to buttoning. It is a historic dilemma, faced by every man. Here, for you, is our easy-to-remember rulebook:
Two-button jacket: Button the top button, only, ever. Button the bottom button and you’ll look like a stooge. That’s really all there is to it.
Three-button jacket: Button either the middle button alone or the top two. Important: the bottom button does not meet its hole. It will plead before a date, just when your stomach’s boiling, “Hey! Friend! Button me once, please. I’m sure we’ll look fine. Come on! Just once!†But you will not give in, you will be strong.
* * *
Now the suit’s on, and you’re ready to go. Comb your hair, have a cocktail, head out for the evening. Travel lightly when you go, meaning don’t bulge your pockets with a Bible-sized wallet. Your outside jacket pockets, in fact, should never be used unless your companion asks; at that moment chuck your pretensions and stuff them full. When you get home, brush down the suit, hang it evenly, and keep it in a bag. Wear it often, with pride, and don’t take shit for looking good. After all, no one can be Cary Grant, but everyone can try.
Oh yeah, another thing: Don’t roll up the jacket sleeves Miami-Vice style. We say this now, but then again, considering the fickle nature of fashion, don’t hold us to it.
—Published April 15, 2002
Copyright 2002, The Morning News
ICE Tactical introduces the first of their new Firestorm line. It is a FR Short Sleeve T-Shirt Made from 65% Mod-acrylic, 25% FR Rayon, and 5% Spandex. It also features a permanent wicking treatment for warm weather comfort. This product is Berry Compliant and is offered in Coyote.
DuPont’s Spruance facility in Richmond, Virginia recently hosted SSD for an in depth look at Fire Resistance and Ballistic Protection.
Back in the 60s a new class of fabrics was developed, called Aramids with DuPont at the forefront of their creation. Two fabrics in this class have become the cornerstones of modern Soldier Survivability; Kevlar and Nomex. They provide Ballistic and Fire protection respectively. Kevlar was initially developed by DuPont for tire belts but not put to its current use until the early 70s. Nomex on the other hand was quickly integrated into flying and space suits not long after its creation.
The most compelling portion of the visit was the ThermoMan lab. Composed of 122 sensors, ThermoMan was designed with the assistance of NC State. In addition to the mannequin, there is also a skin burn injury model that takes data collected at the sensors and displays how a thermal threat would equate to an injury to the human body. One interesting aspect of the ThermoMan over other testing methods such as the commonly used vertical flame test is that the ThermoMan tests not only the material’s performance but also the garment’s overall design and construction. This is a critical factor in protecting a wearer from thermal threats. If a flame can get inside a garment then the wearer might as well not be wearing FR at all. Interestingly, the pocket configuration of the issue flight suit is designed to provide additional protection for the wearer by doubling the layers of Nomex in certain key areas. Testing has revealed that most injuries actually occur after the flame threat is removed and the wearer is subjected to residual heat retained by the garment.
We witnessed two burns consisting of a 3 second burn delivering 6 calories. It is intended to replicate a JP4 fire. In the first burn, an issue CWU-27/P US issue flight suit manufactured from Nomex III.
As you can see, minimal damage was sustained by the ThermoMan due to the material and design of the flight suit. it is important to note that while the ThermoMan does a great job predicting injuries, actual injuries may vary due to a wearers body and the fit of the garment. Experience has shown that 1% injury equates to 1 day in the hospital. In this case, the ThermoMan indicated 7% injuries.
In the second, a similar looking flight suit manufactured from 65/35 PolyCotton was subjected to the same threat. PolyCotton, a mixture of 65% Polyester and 35% Cotton is commonly found in Chinese made garments. There IS a place for this fabric, but as you will see in the video, it isn’t in a flame threat environment. Rather, PolyCotton is a cool fabric and very good for use in warm climates. The choice of materials goes back to our recent article concerning knowing your equipment, the threat, and environmental conditions and making an informed choice about which equipment to choose. As you can see the PolyCotton not only caught on fire but it continued to burn even after a direct flame was removed. In this case, the ThermoMan sustained 75% injuries.
During our visit to the ballistics lab we witnessed a demonstration of testing of an armor vest and were introduced to the various apparatus used during testing. Additionally, we were given the opportunity to try out first hand correctional armor which is designed to stop stab and puncture threats. We were amazed at how much differently ballistic and correctional armor reacted to the icepick type of shiv commonly found in correctional facilities. The bottom line is that correctional armor works.
We were fortunate enough to be able to discuss a variety of current Soldier Systems issues with the DuPont team but probably the most important message we got was that DuPont is constantly looking at new ways to use their flagship products. Adaptability is the key as they not work to improve the performance of their materials but also as they seek new ways to use their products as well as combine them with other fibers.
While in years past many vendors would have pushed monolithic solutions to threats, it makes more sense now to develop hybrid solutions that combine multiple fibers into a more robust material. This way, the best characteristics of different materials can be combined into a common solution.
Overall, the meeting was excellent and we left with a greater appreciation of the level of commitment DuPont has to protecting our troops and public safety professionals.
The Air Force Personnel Center has launched a new website dedicated to uniforms. While it highlights all of the Air Force’s Garrison uniforms, the most appropriate ensemble in the inventory looks to be the Informal Uniform. Seemingly designed for their endless Casual Friday, it consists of a blue polo shirt and khaki slacks (yes, we said slacks). In reality it is intended for select Air Force organizations while traveling or under conditions where the other uniform combinations would not be appropriate. No mention is made of any of the service’s combat uniforms unless you count the poorly monikered Airman Battle Uniform.
www.afpc.randolph.af.mil/dress/uniforms.asp
Apparently, ’tis the season to upgrade websites. Fortunately, all of the ones we have seen are very well done and the new site from Excalibur Products is no exception. We have mentioned their packs in the past and they also offer a couple of sleep system options but according to the main graphic on the new site, they have quite a bit on their plate and we are looking forward to seeing some more of their products.
www.excaliburproductsgroup.com
Yesterday, SSD participated in a teleconference with PEO Soldier’s LTC Mike Sloane and CSM Bernard McPherson. Also on hand was SMA Kenneth Preston along with several Subject Matter Experts from PEO Soldier. The press event was in conjunction with the Army’s initial fielding to a Brigade of 19 items in the new OEF Camouflage Pattern (OCP) at Camp Shelby, MS. Up to 3600 Soldiers will be equipped with the new gear over the remainder of the week before shipping off to Afghanistan. From here out, all OEF bound forces Brigades will be fielded Organizational Clothing and Individual Equipment in OCP before deploying from CONUS. Beginning in November, units with more than 120 days left in theater will also receive the kit. PEO Soldier is poised to conduct limited early fielding for deployed Battalion and smaller units who require the enhanced camouflage based on their mission. They are also developing plans to ensure that Individual Augmentees are taken care of. Additionally, Army SOF will be issued gear in the new pattern.
The ambitious fielding schedule would not have been possible without the dedicated work of two communities; the contracting office at Natick and industry. LTC Sloane commented, “The American Industrial Base is leaning forward, flying items in and driving them here.” The other side of this coin is the Army’s contracting strategy. In three months, the contracting office at Natick issued 11 contracts with another six to eight pending. Very impressive.
This fielding marks the implementation of phase III of the Army’s Congressionally directed search for enhanced camouflage for troops in Operation Enduring Freedom. Within less than a year, the Army conducted an extensive down select of 57 to five patterns that included an in-theater data collection effort and a comprehensive photo simulation study and wear test. This culminated in the selection of the Crye Precision developed MultiCam pattern as the new OCP.
When asked if he felt that, based on his experience if Soldiers were better protected with the new OCP, SMA Preston commented, “Based on testing…Yes, I believe they are safer.”
So what’s next for OCP? In February 2011, Tier II items including the Aircrew Advanced Combat Uniform, Improved Combat Vehicle Crewman Coverall, Aviation Life Support Equipment, and Fire Resistant Environmental Ensemble items will be introduced in the MultiCam pattern.
Finally, LTC Sloane announced that the Army’s Phase IV of the Global Camouflage effort will not be as short term as initially described. Instead, the TRADOC-led project will not be ready for the Army leadership to make a decision until the end of FY13. This three year effort sounds now to be more of a science project than focused on presenting a near-term warfighting enhancement. On the plus side, the Air Force is participating, and both the Navy and Marine Corps are monitoring the program so there is a slight possibility that the project may deliver a true joint solution. The down side is that for at least the next three years Soldiers must continue to rely on the limited capability of the so-called Universal Camouflage Pattern that caused this whole program in the first place. Perhaps commanders in other theaters will begin to insist that their troops also require enhanced camouflage and we will see increased fielding of MultiCam.
