Mr. & Mrs. Authority The Public Safety Blouse Coat

By Carol Brzozowski

Most blouse coat styles are perennial, having not changed over the several decades in which his company has constructed them, Lazar notes.

The fabrics have changed, but the styles basically have remained very much the same as they were long ago, he says. The greatest change is that theyve become more tailored, and while the average citizen wouldnt recognize that, the person wearing it knows it fits much better.

New trends focus on quantity as much as style.

The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 had an immense impact on the sale of the blouse coats, Lazar says.

We sold more from 9/11 until the next January than we sold in the three years prior to that, he says. People came not only from Pittsburgh but from all over the United States.

Hope Uniform has been selling a lot of honor guard coats. Belverio attributes that to police departments wanting to have a certain look when their members attend funerals or public presentations. Law enforcement departments especially favor the Marine Corps-style choker coats.

Hope Uniform also is selling a number of New York City-style fire suits and police uniforms as a result of Sept. 11, 2001.

It seems like everyone throughout the country wants to wear New York City-style uniforms now, Belverio says.

That style is what Hope Uniform calls #100 Navy Blue Serge, which comes with a full-lined notch lapel, two inside pockets with reinforcements, 14 oz. Dacron/wool serge, full hymo canvas front shoulder pads, four shoulder straps with false flaps, 14-inch zippered side vents to accommodate high-rise holsters, and a choice of buttons.

Fred Heldman, senior vice president for Fechheimer, also notes a greater demand for public safety apparel following the World Trade Center attacks and says theres a general trend toward more wool blends.

Theres more of a focus on the image of the department, and they generally look nicer in a better fabric, he says. You present a better image, and being authoritative is part of it.

Since Sept. 11, 2001, Brandes has noticed a demand for a firefighters single- and double-breasted, peaked lapel and fully-lined jacket with no outside pockets or vents, but two inside pockets and a combination of six, eight and 10 buttons on the double-breasted jacket.

In police jacket trends, Brandes says the hot style a single-breasted, four-button front coat with two upper-pleated patched, scalloped flap pockets, sometimes two lower scalloped flaps and sometimes swing backs, center vents and external belt hooks.

Brandes also has seen a resurging interest in Ike jackets, particularly in warmer climates.

A lot of departments are developing honor guards if they dont already have them, and they are favoring Marine Corp styles with a choker-collar type of uniform, Brandes says. Weve seen a tremendous increase in that type of production.

Brandes says since Sept. 11, 2001, theres been an increase in law enforcement officers wanting to look more professional, more dressed up.

As the men unfortunately had to attend all those funerals, there were many departments there – particularly the New York departments – where they were all decked out and looked really good, Brandes says. Smaller communities would send their contingent of men as an honor guard and they found themselves in shirts, ties and trousers and, even though they certainly looked good, they kind of felt self-conscious.

Now many departments are opting to emulate the New York City public safety look.