During the former president's impeachment trial, Rep. Jamie Raskin, R-Maryland, showed side-by-side photos of the April 2020 attack on the Michigan State Capitol and the January 6 Capitol riots. He said: "This Trump-inspired rioter may indeed look familiar, as well as the Confederate flag, Maga hats, weapons, and camouflage military uniforms, just like the rioters who showed up and invaded this Capitol on January 6." Shortly thereafter, "Late Show" host Stephen Colbert aired impeachment footage and asked UsWeekly, "'Who did treason better?

Trump followers, including the Capitol mob, boldly wore hateful symbols referencing the Holocaust and the Confederate flag. In an article for Fast Company, Elizabeth Segran quotes Robert Sanders, a former U.S. Navy judge and national security professor at the University of New Haven, on the symbolism of some of the protesters' attire. He condemned the camouflage pattern, saying that by wearing camouflage, the rioters "are trying to say that they are warriors for the white race." However, Segran wrote, "Not everyone who wears camouflage is a militia."

This made me wonder (let me give you a Carrie Bradshaw-esque narration): after the Capitol uprising, is it okay to wear camouflage?

Camouflage is in heavy rotation in my WFH wardrobe: easy cashmere sweatshirts (open with new tab), soft camouflage slippers (open with new tab), hold-up but stretchy leggings (open with new tab). (Camouflage was developed by the military to help hunters/soldiers/tanks/battleships avoid approaching or being noticed by their prey/enemy. Patterns and shades are based on the environment in which they are worn, such as sandy deserts or leafy forests. The prints range in color from high street to high fashion to authentic, including dark blues, neons, pastel pinks, and standard greens (which are known as "MARPAT woodlands"). While real military types wear camouflage to blend in with their surroundings (it makes the human silhouette invisible), in civilian life, a little camouflage detail can elevate an otherwise boring outfit.

I am not a white supremacist or a Capitol mob. I reject their racist and reprehensible views. I am not an ex-military man or a hunter. In summary, I have no functional reason to wear camouflage. When I wear camouflage, my only claim to fame is that I want something a little spiffy because my New York magazine editor's (not fashion editor's) basic black wardrobe of so-called timeless classics is boring. (Incidentally, I also say this: "I'm a little messy and spill a lot, so camo and tie-dye patterns are my friends.")

Indeed, since the rise of Trump, I never wear a red baseball cap, whether or not it has an actual scarlet letter. Red baseball caps are now a no-no for many people because of their Trumpian connotations. Robin Givhan summed it up in the Washington Post: "The red hat has become a symbol of us versus them, exclusion and suspicion. I certainly don't want people to see me wearing my favorite sweatshirt and think I'm a follower of White Power.

(Worth noting: the reporters commented on the fact that the Capitol crowd was wearing "tactical gear." This is not necessarily camouflage. According to the renowned fashion blog TheUSMarines.com, tactical wear and accessories are produced to equip military and law enforcement agencies. This includes vests with tons of pockets, steel-toed boots, backpacks, utility belts, and gadgets such as night vision goggles and killer pens (opens in new tab). In some states, convicted felons cannot legally purchase body armor; the doomsday prophet vibe was popular and business was booming

in the run-up to the 2020 election.

I spoke to several experts. First, I spoke with Vanessa Friedman, chief fashion critic for The New York Times. Read her column for a thoughtful treatise on the history of high-fashion military wear and what it means to wear camouflage. In brief: Madonna wowed the crowd at the Met Gala in a camouflage ball gown by Jeremy Scott, but as a civilian, perhaps I should avoid items that could be mistaken for military uniforms, such as camouflage cargo pants. Consider further: in her newsletter "Open Thread," Friedman quoted a reader's response to my first question, "Ask Vanessa." The reader, a veteran, wrote that wearing camouflage just for fashion is "terribly disrespectful" and "like stealing valor." The only exception I can think of is when a veteran gives a jacket or other item to a family member as a memento. Even in that case, I was instructed that the insignia and medals should be removed because they were not earned by the person to whom they were given. It is heartbreaking to think that my wearing camouflage would interfere with someone who has so bravely served our country.

I got a second opinion from a relative (who is typically dry and prefers to remain anonymous) who is retired from the Marine Corps: "I think it's a good thing to wear camouflage. I think it's fine to wear camouflage," he wrote in an email. But he draws the line at civilians wearing rank insignia or unit patches on their camouflage. Soldiers work hard to rise through the ranks and join elite units, and for civilians to wear them trivializes their accomplishments."

I then asked Marie Claire fashion editors Joseph Errico and Julia Gall to weigh in on the camouflage suspension. Their view is this: many items of military clothing have become detached from their functional origins. Bomber jackets, aviators, and army-green military jackets are now part of the identity of American fashion. The bomber jacket has gone beyond classic and transcended fashion. And it is spilling over into many other forms. Like jeans, they are now everywhere." [If Julia Gall walked down the street wearing Junya Watanabe camouflage, you wouldn't think she was revolting. Context matters." I don't know if camouflage necessarily conflates a person's ideology with MAGA or the far right. If it's camouflage and stilettos, I think it's fine."

So I contacted the makers of that fine sweatshirt (opens in new tab) that I wear until it's falling apart. White + Warren president Catherine Morrissey wrote in an e-mail, "Camo prints have been an important part of fashion for decades, as have other elements originally inspired by military uniforms." Like animal prints and simple stripes, camo prints "are great non-prints that function like a neutral color. It adds interest without being too assertive." This sweatshirt sold out twice last year," Morrissey says.

So what fashionista would give up camouflage? I used to wear Doc Martens and camouflage [Army Navy Store] a lot when I was a young gay kid," says Morrissey. But the reason to give up camouflage now, he said, is that it has been tarnished by "this terrible moment in American history," and "something as iconic as camouflage has already been worn by many different types of people and incorporated into street style for decades, I don't think the White Power people have the right to take advantage of that. They cannot make the pattern mean what they want it to mean."

Finally, we spoke with renowned costume designer Patricia Field ("The Devil Wears Prada," "Emily in Paris," "Sex and the City"). She admits, "Lately, I've been questioning the white supremacist associations." But she has been wearing camouflage for a long, long time.

Ultimately, I am still conflicted. I am a pacifist, not a fashionista. I love comfort and want to add edgy chic with minimal effort. I also respect my family and ancestors who served everywhere from Fallujah to the Argonne Forest, San Juan Hill, Chickamauga, and the Revolutionary War. In conclusion, I have decided to follow in the footsteps of one of the great style legends of our time, Field, and continue to wear camouflage as a fashion statement and as a tribute.