Lifestyle > Fashion |
Arresting Looks
September 30, 2016 / by Zhang Mengyi
Around the world, most police officers can be easily identified by their official uniforms. But while their outfits convey a unified message of power and authority, the styles and colours certainly vary from place to place.
One of the major turning points in the apparel of police officers was in 1829, when the London Metropolitan Police developed a paramilitary-style uniform for its “Bobbies” (the nickname for British police officers). To distinguish themselves from the British army in red and white, the London police decided to make the uniform dark blue. Later, other countries followed suit and the style was widely adopted around the world. In London today, police officers are dressed smartly in an open-necked tunic with a white collared shirt underneath.
Times have changed outfits, too. After the 1997 handover in Hong Kong, the police force’s iconic green uniforms were redesigned in blue by local firm G2000 in 2001 – the full outfit comprises staples including the navy blue jacket, as well as light blue and white shirts. In the US, powder-blue shirts with navy trousers were abandoned by the New York City Police Department in the mid-1990s for a look The New York Times described as “less Mr Goodwrench, more Terminator 2” – dark blue shirts with matching cargo trousers were used to present a tougher look.
Read More
Across Europe, many top fashion designers have created uniforms for police organisations. Paris has two national police forces in graceful blue uniforms: the Police Nationale and the Gendarmerie Nationale. Prominent designer Pierre Balmain created an American-esque uniform with a military-style peaked cap for France’s Police Nationale in 1985.
The Italian Carabinieri (the national gendarmerie of Italy, policing both military and civilian populations) have different types of uniforms, such as black apparel with a red stripe on the trousers and a dark blue one with silver braid around the collar and cuffs. Rumour has it that some of the designs came from top Italian fashion houses Valentino and Giorgio Armani.
The Russian police have also worked with top designers, though not always to success. Renowned fashion designer Valentin Yudashkin created a dark blue look with red trimming on the sleeves, pockets and lapels in 2010. Unfortunately, the good-looking outfits turned out to be a disaster – they just couldn’t stand up to Russia’s cold temperatures and ripped apart very quickly.
The majority of police uniforms are produced in darker hues such as blue, black, brown, green and grey. There’s a psychological reason – these colours are associated with security, power and strength. But there are certainly exceptions. For example, the North-West Mounted Police of Canada wear a uniform including a red jacket, dark trousers and high-top riding boots.
The uniform functions like other clothes – as an extension of who you are, revealing your social status and influencing the way people perceive you. For the police, functionality always comes before fashion. But looking at some of these charming cops, you wouldn’t be faulted for thinking that a routine patrol could easily be turned into a fashion runway.
