14/10/2026

LYFE WEDNESDAY | OCT 14, 2026

/thesuntelegram FOLLOW / Malaysian Paper

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Bling of war o Even on battlefields, looking good has never been less than important

Scottish Highlander infantrymen in kilts and feather bonnets. Note the riflemen in

the far left, dressed in green, an

example of camouflage. – PICS FROM WIKIPEDIA

Ű BY NOEL WONG YAN MING lifestyle@thesundaily.com

charging into battle on his war chariot. Even his horses are dressed to the nines, with large feathered plumes atop their heads. Meanwhile, in Qin dynasty China, officers would don elaborate headdresses, not dissimilar to Roman centurions who wore plumes atop their helmets. These decorative, distinctive pieces of attire made it easier for soldiers to rally around their leaders and to know from whom they could get orders from. That said, if your soldiers could recognise you by your armour, the enemy could too, as evidenced by how Roman consul Gaius Flaminius was recognised and slain at the battle of Lake Trasimene (217BC). Colours of Middle Ages Films set in the Dark and Middle Ages tend to have the bad habit of depict clothing as being drab and dull. In truth, people living back then were not too different from people now – they loved mixing and matching colours just as much. Well-to-do nobles had the best access to expensive dyes but even peasants could resort to local, natural dyes for their best clothes. This would thus carry over onto the battlefield, where nobles took the opportunity to show off their status and wealth via their armour and weapons. During this time, most European armies consisted of individual retinues loyal to their lord. To show where their allegiances laid, soldiers

A T first glance, fashion and fighting seem to be worlds apart. After all, what connection is there between models strutting their stuff on runways and soldiers fighting in muddy trenches? Surprisingly, fashion, whether it be colourful uniforms or decorated weapons, has always had a place on the battlefield. Why would anyone want to look nice when they are about to be drenched in blood, sweat and tears? In truth, there are many reasons for it and just as many examples throughout history. Ancient times, fashionable times In ancient times, beneath their armour, most soldiers would wear clothing not too unlike what they would wear as civilians. That said, there was still some degree of standardisation, especially among the armies of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. Shields and helmets were often decorated and distinct, making it easy to tell friend from foe in the heat of battle. Meanwhile, military leaders, even then, often made it a point to stand out on the battlefield. In Egyptian reliefs celebrating Ramses II, the pharaoh can be seen wearing his blue crown while

Ramses II (far left), wearing his distinctive blue war crown, charges into battle on his chariot.

would often be equipped with heraldry that indicated which lord they served. One notable example is how soldiers fighting for the English crown during the 100 Years’ War (1337–1453) would often wear the red cross of St George on their armour. That said, it was not always foolproof, with sometimes similar-looking heraldry leading to confusion, with deadly consequences. Meanwhile, in the Aztec Empire, elite Jaguar and Eagle warriors were also fearsomely dressed, likely to intimidate enemies. The former wore jaguar skins, believing the strength of the feline would accompany them, whereas the latter wore ornate helmets with an open beak hanging overhead. In Japan, wealthy samurai could afford expensive, beautiful armour, made of lacquer-coated iron or leather plates, held together by silk laces. Colour and decorations were not uncommon, with emblazoned family crests, and beautifully decorated helmets and war masks. Obscured by smoke Gunpowder weaponry would arrive in Europe at the tail-end of the medieval period and it would change warfare, even in terms of fashion. To understand why, it is useful to know that up until the 19th century, firearms produced a lot of smoke that would linger and obscure the battlefield. Additionally, armour had ultimately become far less useful, with cannonballs tearing through armour like paper. Instead, a need to easily identify friend from foe became more urgent. One of the first armies to embrace uniforms was the Swedish army during the 30 Years’ War, under the leadership of King Gustavus Adolphus. Due to the small size of the Swedish army, it was feasible to give its soldiers a rough uniform. The 18th century would be the age of colourful uniforms, with most

European countries having a colour scheme of sorts. British soldiers wore red, hence why they were called “redcoats”. The French and the Austrians typically wore white, the Swedes blue and yellow, the Russians green and the Prussians... Prussian blue. Like in previous centuries, certain elite units were allowed to wear distinctive attire to mark their status. Highlander regiments recruited in Scotland had the right to wear kilts into battle, while Hungarian troops in Austrian service noticeably wore blue trousers instead of the usual white. Fashion also retained some intimidation value, with grenadiers, the assault troops of their time, being given tall mitre caps. The logic behind this was that towering over the enemy might make them think twice about fighting you, especially when you are charging right for them with bayonets fixed. The Napoleonic Wars probably saw military fashion at its peak, with brightly coloured and beautifully uniformed soldiers gunning and The armour of 16th century samurai warlord Date Masamune. – REDDITPIC

A German infantryman of World War One, dressed in a drab grey uniform.

cutting down each other.

Changing times As guns improved in terms of range and with reduced smoke, colourful uniforms began to be a detriment rather than an asset. This began to become obvious starting with the First Boer War (1880-1881), where the redcoats made easy targets for rifle-armed insurgents. And during the first year of World War One (1914-1918), French infantrymen, dressed in bright red pants, took heavy casualties, sticking out like sore thumbs. Colourful uniforms had no place in the mud of war, when drab colours would help soldiers blend in better. Camouflage patterns would also start seeing widespread use, a feature that remains relevant even to this day. As to what future soldiers might wears, who knows? Advances in technology may see infantry in heavy combat armour make a return in the near future. It is not impossible. After all, warfare, just like fashion, can work in cycles.

A reconstructed suit of armour belonging to the Winged Hussars, an elite Polish cavalry unit. – PIC FROM TWITTER @WASHGHOST1