No, no, no…an epaulet is not a euphemism for a curse word although I’ve seen some that deserve to have curse words associated with them (the silver lame’ top with epaulets comes to mind…).
French Republican Guard, Bastille Day, 2007
Truthfully, I’m not sure why an epaulet (also seen as epaulette) would be listed as a type of sleeve. Perhaps it is because an epaulet was a shoulder decoration that originally hung over the sleeve to indicate military rank. Over the years, the epaulet evolved into the strap we most often see on military clothing with bars, stars, and other insignia attached to the strap to indicate rank.
General Ann Dunwoody receiving her fourth star
In the fashion world, we most often associate epaulets with trench coats. Since trench coats are descended from the military, it isn’t surprising that the epaulet remained a design feature.
According to fashion-watchers, military-inspired clothing was supposed to be making a comeback. Perhaps it is in other parts of the country, but I’m not seeing it here in Los Angeles (someone correct me if I’m wrong). I’m also not really seeing it in the catalogs either. Go figure.
I discovered a juicy little tidbit while researching this article: It seems that the army was not prepared to provide uniforms for the women joining the Women’s Army Corps during World War II. The quartermaster’s office had patterns created for the women’s uniform by men’s tailors! Naturally, since these guys weren’t used to having to create garments that go around curves, the uniforms were quite ill-fitting. Later iterations were better but the army was still futzing with the design of the women’s uniforms clear to the end of the war.
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