Military uniforms
Military uniforms, or military dress, and military styles have gone through great changes over the centuries. Initially, warriors and soldiers wore clothing suited for combat, such as armour, but as the centuries progressed, military uniforms became ornate, due to the elite status that the military had held in society. The ornamental peak of the military uniform was reached in the early XIXth Century in Western Europe, particularly in France under Napoleon, but also in Prussia and Russia. The officers of the American Civil War, too, could boast of superbly decorated uniforms.
Equally ornate were the beards and moustaches worn by the officers of the day, which complemented their rank and age. Some of the styles still bear names paying homage to this age (e.g. imperial, royale, musketeer).
With the advent of military technology and equipment in the late XIXth Century, however, the soldier returned to a more strictly functional attire, usually characterized by the use of camouflage and khaki materials. The glory days of the military uniform and the pomp and ceremony of the military had yielded to the utilitarian necessities of war and economic frugality.
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