Posted on 01/21/2010 8:06:14 PM PST by TigerLikesRooster
A Look That’s Bulletproof
By RUTH LA FERLA
JACK BAUER is in play again, and so is his hard-guy attire — sweaty T-shirt, leather jacket and that government agent’s staple: a bulletproof vest.
The tactical gear that lends special agent Bauer his menacing mien on “24” is the hidden armor of counterterrorist operatives, heads of state and paranoid plutocrats. It has also been appropriated by Hollywood dignitaries and hip-hop moguls, enhancing the rogue personas of artists like 50 Cent.
So it may have been only a matter of time before aspiring hipsters embraced the style — the sartorial equivalent of a safe room — as a badge of cool.
A stepped-up demand for vests, blazers and hoodies tough enough to deflect a .22-caliber blast but sleek enough for a night of clubbing suggests that body armor is not just for the security-conscious. Fake or real, it exerts a pull on those inclined to flaunt it as a flinty fashion statement.
“The trend to protective gear is pretty strong right now,” said Richard Geist, the founder of Uncle Sam’s Army Navy Outfitters in downtown Manhattan. “It’s big with rappers, alternative types and even some women.”
Uncle Sam’s sells protective gear to the military. But most of its clients are civilians who snap up authentic bulletproof vests for as much as $1,000 or trade down to look-alike versions stripped of their armored lining ($24). Real or fake, “the look is tough,” Mr. Geist said, “and customers love it.”
/snip
That extra fierceness appears to be the inevitable, if unsettling, expression of a defensive mind-set intensified of late by concerns about terrorism, escalating crime rates and economic instability.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
LOL. There goes the pinko's relentless promotion of metrosexual males and girly men. On the other hand, it is hillarious to see some folks walking around wearing a fake bulletproof vest as a fashion statement. These guys are so lame.
It goes well with my plastic bayonet on my rubber glock.
Ballistic armor is *cheap* now. www.bulletproofme.com for example.
Buy the panels and stuff them inside your car doors and interior panels (lots of room hidden in there).
The fake bulletproof vest goes well with the airsoft rifle....
Who’s idiotic enough to wear a fake vest? That’s just stupid. You play cowboys and indians and use cap pistols when you’re a kid.
bulletproof (kevlar) umbrella - $100 (colonial heights)
i purchased an umbrella from “Quark Spy Equipment” shop in New York City about 9
years ago for my business there for $600.oo, along with a lot of other security
equipment. the top of the umbrella has kevlar reinforcement for over the first half
of the total circumference, which if you open the umbrella and place it in front of your face
and/or upper body, it will protect you from bullets (if you happen to be in a “questionable”
neighborhood and people are shooting at you). when i purchased it, i told the seller i
wanted proof that it worked, and they showed me to their firing range and fired 9mm
hollow points at it. none of them got through out of 20 shots. ideal for the “executive
on the go” in “not-too-nice” areas, repo-men, etc. reply to octogroup@aol.com. I have
never needed it but you might. $100.oo firm, cash-only.
Only an idiot would buy a Kevlar article that was already shot 20 times. Hence, there is a market for phony bulletproof vests.
I noticed that too, it made me wonder about the original sellers and/or the story.
Years ago, in the 1980s there was a company that sold first class gear for a high end market, they had bullet proof umbrellas, briefcases and such, I think the word Executive was in their name. This was the only mention that I could find that at least confirmed that such type umbrellas, had been made.
Sig? WTF, bro? I’m not sure which is sillier, your comment or your tagline. Please do elaborate on one or another, or better yet both.
Cuz gangstas and homeys never use anything bigger than a .22 in a drive-by. Fo' shizzle!
Well, it may not save their lives, but it will make them FEEL safer. At least until they take a 9mm slug to the chest.
Seems like an awfully silly way (and expensive) way to appear trendy-macho.
Then again, I tend to dress like the guy on a roll of Brawny paper towels (what? I love my flannel shirts!). So maybe there’s no accounting for taste. :-)
Not sure what mean streets these are for, but in San Antonio, most of the gangstas don't carry .22's, unless they are going hunting for possums.
You’re supposed to retire a vest that was shot once because it compromises the fibers. This umbrella is not as heavy as a vest, and they shot it twenty times. It would be worthless. Only a fool would want it.
My tag line is self explanatory.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.