In an odd intersection of my hobbies - I have a pet theory that tacti-cool goes much farther back than 20th century mountain climbing, and it's because I used t

In an odd intersection of my hobbies - I have a pet theory that tacti-cool goes much farther back than 20th century mountain climbing, and it's because I used to write for style magazines in another life. Beau Brummel is credited with creating modern mens style of dress, and his whole motif was taking his cavalry officer's uniform and adapting the elements to every day wear, like the shadbelly, waistcoat, and dress boots. Literally, cavalry tactical clothing worn in civilian settings. Riders still dress like Brummel did then, both in competition (shadbelly is still part of upper level dressage competition) and the "equestrian look," has evolved from being the pinnacle of 18th century dandy style, to one that is almost exclusively feminine today. Equestrian gear was the original tacti-cool as invented by Beau Brummel, and the only mountaineering he ever did was of the social kind. Today, one of the things that turns men off getting into (english) riding is few are attracted to dressing as though they were a golf pro on the set of Downton Abbey, or wearing clothing that is interchangeably unisex. Simply, most boys don't want to be seen as dressing like their mothers, so there isn't a positive aesthetic reference for them to emmulate that attracts them to the art and sport. I've got a side project where I'm testing what parts of modern tacti-cool clothing are actually useful and stand up to the needs of working outside with animals. Pants from Carhartt and Duluth Trading are about as good as it gets without adding leather patches to them. Arcteryx makes the best upper body wear for riding, particularly their long sleeved base layers and sun shirts and hoodies, and these come right out of their LEAF (actual tactical) look books. The line I'm looking to reference in a new product without crossing is when it crosses over into a stolen valor costume. But really if you are a serious rider, you have a depth of competence in the discipline equivalent or greater than most soldiers and fundamentally, these aesthetic references are signals of peer-acknowledged competence. I think taking key notes from other competence disciplines is fair game. If that sounds cavalier, yes, it's because we are what the word means. I would say tacti-cool is a signal of competence and of valuing competence, but it gets cringey when it is not an honest signal. See "mall ninja." There is just an essential element of masculinity where we can't become something merely by dressing up like it, and that's what makes a lot of tacti-cool, camo, and hunter aesthetics seem cringey out of their natural contexts. If I have really cracked it, maybe my next startup will be a clothing brand.