Military jackets have always occupied a strange place in fashion. Their origins are functional, regimented and connected to conflict, yet once removed from the battlefield they become something completely different: theatre, rebellion and personal style.

Think Adam and the Ants, Michael Jackson and the flamboyant military tailoring that dominated parts of the 1980s. Gold braid, stand collars, exaggerated shoulders, rows of buttons and cropped officer jackets turned military dress into pop culture.

Back in 2012, MenStyleFashion was already championing the military jacket. At the time, Zara offered an affordable way for men to experiment with the look without spending designer money.

Fourteen years later, Zara has returned to this territory in a way I could never have predicted.

ZARA Men 2012 below

John Galliano x Zara – The Military Jacket Comes Full Circle

John Galliano has officially returned to fashion through a two-year creative partnership with Zara. His first collection, Reform Zara Authored by the Couturier John Galliano, launches on 1 October 2026 and is based around taking existing Zara garments and completely reworking their proportions, construction and identity.

And for men interested in military dressing, this is where things become particularly exciting.

Galliano has gone straight back to the historical references that have followed him throughout his career. The collection includes men wearing cropped tailcoats, high collars and dramatically manipulated tailoring, with inspiration stretching back to the French Revolution and les Incroyables. There are even bicorne hats referencing Abel Gance’s 1927 film Napoléon.

This is important because Galliano understands something many designers miss: military style isn’t simply about putting brass buttons onto a navy jacket.

It is about posture, proportion and drama.

From Dior Galliano to Zara

Anyone who followed Galliano during his years at Dior will recognise the language.

Structured shoulders. Historical uniforms. Napoleon. Officers. Aristocracy. Tailoring that makes the wearer stand differently.

Galliano has spent decades taking historical dress and transforming it into contemporary fashion. His Zara project is not simply another celebrity capsule either. He describes the process as taking Zara’s existing garments and cutting, turning, enlarging and reconstructing them into something new. The partnership is scheduled to span four collections over two years.

That makes this particularly interesting for menswear.

Because sometimes the most exciting place in Zara isn’t the basic knitwear wall.

It’s the menswear tailoring section.

How Men Should Wear the Military Jacket in 2026

The biggest mistake is dressing like you’re actually wearing a costume.

If your jacket has braiding, elaborate buttons, a high collar or exaggerated shoulders, let it do the talking.

Wear it with faded straight-leg denim and a plain white T-shirt. Suddenly something theatrical becomes everyday menswear.

With black trousers, keep everything underneath extremely clean. A black military jacket with black trousers and boots can look incredibly sophisticated without becoming fancy dress.

And don’t be frightened of gold.

Gold braid against black, navy, burgundy or deep bottle green has been used in military uniforms for centuries for a reason. Against otherwise restrained clothing, it looks luxurious.

The 2012 Zara Jacket Versus Zara in 2026

Looking back at the Zara military jacket we featured in 2012 is fascinating.

That jacket represented exactly what Zara did brilliantly at the time: taking an established designer trend and making the idea accessible.

Zara 2012: military inspiration.

Zara 2026: John Galliano actually rewriting Zara.

That is a very different proposition.

Galliano isn’t simply putting his name onto existing products. His Reform concept started with ordinary Zara pieces — coats, shirts and other archetypes — which were then cut apart, repositioned, turned inside out and reconstructed. Vogue describes one oversized Zara shirt becoming a jacket through this process.

That is why I would look particularly closely at the men’s collection.

ZARA 2012

Don’t Be Afraid to Shop Across Gender

Galliano’s approach has never sat comfortably inside rigid menswear and womenswear boundaries, and the Zara partnership was originally described as going beyond gender and seasons.

So don’t automatically stay within the section Zara tells you to shop in.

Look at shoulders.

Look at tailoring.

Look at coats.

Look at cropped jackets.

Look at anything with officer detailing.

If the proportion works on your body, try it.

Galliano’s whole career has been about transforming the wearer rather than following rules printed onto a clothing label.

Adam and The Ants have a look at the 1980’s.

Why Military Jackets Never Really Disappear

Fashion keeps announcing the return of military style, but I would argue it never actually goes away.

A trench coat is military.

A bomber jacket is military.

A field jacket is military.

A pea coat has naval origins.

Epaulettes, brass buttons, cargo pockets, officer collars and khaki all continue to circulate through menswear whether designers explicitly call the trend “military” or not.

What changes is the degree of theatre.

And John Galliano understands theatre better than almost anyone in fashion.

His Zara collection returns to the same historical world that helped establish his design language decades ago: revolutionaries, dandies, military uniforms and exaggerated tailoring. His 1984 Central Saint Martins graduation collection was itself inspired by Les Incroyables, the flamboyantly dressed men of post-Revolutionary France.

So when Zara and Galliano collide in 2026, the military jacket doesn’t feel like a random revival.

It feels like fashion completing a circle.

Back in 2012 I told men to go to Zara and experiment with military jackets.

In 2026, I’m saying it again — but this time, go looking for Galliano.

Military Jacket With Jeans

This remains my favourite combination.

The jacket gives structure while worn denim removes the seriousness. Add loafers or worn leather boots rather than highly polished formal shoes.

It is the contrast that makes it work.

Try the Cropped Officer Jacket

Galliano’s new Zara silhouettes show why proportion matters. Some of the men’s looks use shortened tailcoats and dramatically raised collars, creating much more shape through the torso.

For men, a cropped military jacket can make the legs appear longer and gives even basic trousers much more impact.

Don’t automatically buy oversized.

Look at where the shoulder sits, where the jacket finishes and how the waist is shaped.