7 Clothing Items You Didn’t Know Were Named After Military Figures
The world abounds with things named after popular military figures: buildings, streets, ships, strategies, weapons, and so on. But we also see these monikers in the clothes we wear, often without realizing the connection. After all, the practical demands of the battlefield — keeping soldiers warm, mobile, and functional — have produced many innovations in clothing that eventually filtered into civilian wardrobes. Here’s a look at how the history of military dress has been quietly stitched into everyday garments, with seven items that still bear the names of the figures behind them.
Cardigans
The humble cardigan is a knitted, open-front sweater that typically features buttons down the front, or in more modern versions, a zipper. It takes its name from James Brudenell, the 7th Earl of Cardigan, a British general who led the charge of the Light Brigade against the Russians during the Crimean War in 1854. (The cavalry charge was later immortalized in Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s stirring poem “The Charge of the Light Brigade.”)
Brudenell wanted his regiment to be smartly dressed and spent significant sums of his own money to make sure this happened — while also taking into account that warm clothing was vital for soldiers fighting in the Crimean winter. He supplied his troops with a type of knitted woolen coat or sweater, which, after the disastrous charge and Tennyson’s poem, became associated with the dashing if somewhat notorious Earl of Cardigan. The name stuck when the style later rose in popularity.
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Raglan Sleeves
A raglan sleeve, for those among us not so well versed in fashion, is a sleeve that has a continuous, diagonal seam extending from the underarm to the neckline, rather than a traditional seam that runs around the shoulder. Today, it is most associated with baseball jerseys and has become a common style of sleeve in many T-shirt designs. Its name, however, goes all the way back to the 1850s, and a one-armed field marshal named FitzRoy James Henry Somerset, 1st Baron Raglan.
In 1815, Somerset lost his right arm at the Battle of Waterloo, where the French defeat marked the end of the Napoleonic Wars. Later, Somerset’s tailor, John Emary (founder of the luxury fashion house Aquascutum) devised an innovative sleeve for the marshal that drew less attention to his disability while offering greater freedom of movement. The elegant design caught on and is now one of the most common jersey styles in the world.
Spencer Jackets
The spencer is a short, tailored jacket cut off at or just below the waist, similar to a gentleman’s riding coat but without tails. It gave rise to the modern mess jacket that is still worn by military officers at formal dinners today. It has not one but two colorful origin stories involving George Spencer, 2nd Earl Spencer, a British politician who served as First Lord of the Admiralty from 1794 to 1801.
Both stories agree that Spencer inadvertently invented the style, but in different ways. The first describes an incident in which the earl fell from his horse and tore the tails from his riding coat, while the second has Spencer backing too close to the fire while warming himself, burning off his jacket’s tails. Either way, Spencer apparently found the tailless riding coat quite comfortable and practical, and he had his tailor make several more in the same style. The jacket was adopted by officers in the British army, and also became a popular piece of women’s fashion, as it fit snugly and elegantly over the Empire dresses worn by ladies at the time.
Eisenhower Jackets
An Eisenhower is a short, waist-length jacket, still sold today by workwear brands and worn by civilians as a casual piece of streetwear. Its name comes from one of America’s most celebrated generals: Dwight D. Eisenhower. Eisenhower wasn’t a fan of the original World War II uniform, which he considered poorly fitting and restrictive. So, he asked his tailor to make some modifications, creating a jacket that could be worn by itself or over a shirt. The design was a success and became standard issue for U.S. troops in November 1944. The cropped, practical silhouette crossed into civilian fashion after the war and hasn’t entirely left since, retaining the Eisenhower name.
Wellington Boots
In the United Kingdom, and to a lesser extent in other English-speaking countries, rubber boots and rain boots are often called Wellington boots or just “wellies.” The name comes from Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, who, sometime in the early 1800s, asked his shoemaker to make a boot designed after the Hessian boots worn by and named for German mercenaries who fought alongside the British in the American Revolutionary War.
Wellesley wanted boots that went better with the lighter, tighter-fitting trousers being worn in Britain. His shoemaker removed the tassel found in the traditional Hessian boot, and cut the footwear lower to make them more comfortable for riding. During the early 19th century, the Duke of Wellington was a national hero and an iconic figure, and his new style of leather boots — casually known as Wellingtons — soon caught on. The name became so synonymous with boots in England that even the emergence of rubber rain boots couldn’t shift the “wellies” tag.
Blucher Shoes
A blucher is a style of lace-up shoe very similar to a derby, with characteristic open lacing (in comparison to the closed lacing of the classic Oxford shoe). The name of this particular style of shoe comes from the 18th-century Prussian Field Marshal Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, a commander during the Napoleonic Wars. He wasn’t satisfied with the shoes worn by his troops, so he sought a more comfortable design with a higher ankle and an open front that made them faster and easier to put on before battle. The design was a hit and was soon adopted by the British army and navy. Today, the blucher remains a common type of lace-up shoe in both business-casual and formal settings.
Havelock
The havelock is a cloth cover traditionally attached to a military cap, providing a long flap hanging down the back and sides to protect the neck from the sun. In the U.S., it’s most associated with the American Civil War, but it was named after General Sir Henry Havelock, a British officer who became a national hero during the Indian Rebellion of 1857. Havelock served extensively during the sweltering campaigns in India, and the neck-protecting cap cover became associated with his name during and after the rebellion. The havelock crossed into civilian use and was also adopted by Union soldiers in the American Civil War, in various styles. Havelocks have largely disappeared from everyday use but can still be seen in military history museums and battle reenactments.
