--- title: "Ralph Lauren is looking for a few rich idiots to drop nearly $500 on this jacket worth about $20" description: "When you want to look like you're part of Operational Detachment Abercrombie and Fitch" date: "2020-11-30" modified: "2020-11-30" authors: - name: "James Clark" job_title: "Editor-in-Chief" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/james-clark/" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/culture/ralph-lauren-military-knockoff/" categories: - "Culture" - "Mandatory Fun" - "Tactics" - "Tech & Tactics" --- # Ralph Lauren is looking for a few rich idiots to drop nearly $500 on this jacket worth about $20 ![]() Tacticool clothing, meaning marked-up military apparel, is a cottage industry, and brother, business is a'booming. ### Related: Next generation military camo Ralph Lauren, the king of "thank me for my almost service" swag is at it again, this time with a pricey new jacket that's best described as a high caliber fashion fail. ![To be clear: Every single part of this product was lifted from the military, even the sweater made from a poncho liner — or woobie, for you Army folks.(Ralph Lauren)]() **To be clear: Every single part of this product was lifted from the military, even the sweater made from a poncho liner, or "woobie" for you Army folks. (Ralph Lauren)** The [Field Jacket & Reversible Liner]() comes with a "stowaway hood with embroidered eyelets and a built-in brim," a smattering of pockets and a rip-off of the military's beloved poncho-liner styled as a sweater. At $498 it's also outrageously overpriced, and practically screams: "I never wanted to join the military — *I don't do mud* — but wearing camo makes me seem edgy." There's a lot to unpack here, but let's roll up our sleeves and give it a go. For starters, Ralph Lauren's "jacket" appears to just be an expensive knock-off of existing military gear. Stylistically, it bears a resemblance to the U.S. Army's Battle Dress Uniform top, which saw widespread use from the 1980s on into the early 2000s [before its retirement in '08](). Though, [as a reader pointed out after publication](), Ralph Lauren's coat may have been modeled after the M65 Field Jacket, which includes a hood as well as an inner lining garment made from the same fabric used in poncho liners. ![You can't put a dollar value on the disgruntled aura that emanates from real vintage military garb. (Wikimedia Commons)]() **You can't put a dollar value on the disgruntled aura that emanates from real vintage military garb. (Wikimedia Commons)** It's also wildly overpriced. An actual BDU blouse can be bought for a pittance — anywhere between $20 from online retailers, to [$32 from the Army-Navy store]() (surplus [M65s seem to go for roughly $90 online]()). Though if you want a *real* BDU top or M65 jacket top, you could always prowl the pawnshops that dot the landscape outside of military bases, where you're sure to find one that smells like JP-8, CLP, and Copenhagen. But hey, if you *really* want to join Ralph Lauren's Rangers, then you need to go all in. Fortunately, they've got you covered with their [Classic Tapered Fit Cargo Pant](), which is basically a $138 pair of BDU skinny trousers with some random dongles and a high cuff at the ankle. ![Look, if you want the tapered skinny-jean look, then consider buying the old BDU bottoms and bringing it to a tailor. You'll save a fortune. (Ralph Lauren)]() **Look, if you want the tapered skinny-jean look, then consider buying the old BDU trousers and bringing them to a tailor. You'll save a fortune. (Ralph Lauren)** As for the poncho liner sweater, I'd be impressed if it didn't *already exist* in the form of the [M65 liner](), or if *actual* military personnel [hadn't made their own better versions of it](). Like this jacket that was made by a GI during the Vietnam War, and came embroidered with the words: "When I die I'll go to heaven because I've spent my time in hell." ![It's so beautiful. (Smithsonian Museum Of American History)]() **It's so beautiful. (Smithsonian Museum Of American History)** However, if you've got hundreds of dollars to blow on both the trousers and blouse and *really* want to look like you're a member of Operational Detachment Abercrombie and Fitch, then be my guest. Apparel companies co-opting the military's style is nothing new, but in recent years there's been a surge in products catering to those with incredibly deep pockets — and in all likelihood, only a tangential connection to the military, at best. This faux military service catalog includes [Marine Corps Dress Blue knock-offs](), an [armory's worth of combat kicks](), enough [MOLLE to store the world's supply of chem lights](), and even [$30 reflective-belts](). ***Related: [Behold! A vintage woobie jacket from the Vietnam War]()*** Seeing as we're on the topic of shamelessly making a buck on the military aesthetic, [Ralph Lauren's latest foray into tacticool]() clothing gives me an idea. What if veterans decided to do this in reverse and started selling their old silkies and skivvy shirts on eBay at a markup? I mean, just think of the easy money! All you have to do is list your old undies as "military-grade" and "field-tested" which as we all know is just code for "old and shitty," then toss them online with a ridiculous price tag and watch those greenbacks roll in. ***UPDATE:** This article has been updated to note that Ralph Lauren's Field Jacket was likely modelled after the M65 Field Jacket.* ## Author James Clark is the editor-in-chief of Task & Purpose. He is a former Marine and a veteran of the War in Afghanistan. ### Author social links [Twitter]() [LinkedIn]()