Clothing Definitions — definitions of garments and clothing terms from Apparel Search
Khaki is a type of green-tinged brown fabric, or the colour of such fabric. The name comes from the Persian khak, meaning earth-coloured or dust coloured, through Urdu, and the cloth itself is a closely twilled cotton or linen. Brigadier Sir Harry Burnett Lumsden began the use of khaki for British Army regiments serving under him in India in 1848, and by 1885 all British troops in India had adopted it in place of white as the tropical colour. This page explains khaki's military career, its use as camouflage, and how 'khakis' came to mean tan cotton twill trousers in civilian dress.
Brigadier Sir Harry Burnett Lumsden began the use of Khaki for British Army regiments serving under him in India in 1848. All British troops in India adopted khaki in 1885 having previously used white as the tropical color. The Boers used khaki clothing as camouflage in the first Boer War; in the second Boer War the British did as well.
The United States Army adoped khaki, where it means a greenish tan or sand color, during the Spanish American War . It has become de rigeur for military uniforms of militaries the world over (e.g. the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps), but has also spread to civilian clothing, where "khakis" since the 1950s has meant tan cotton twill trousers.
"Khaki" has also become a common slang term in the United States Navy that refers to chief petty officers and officers (who wear a khaki-colored uniform, also referred to as "khakis".)
| The above article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/khaki). 5/11/05 Modified by Apparel Search. |
Khaki was a practical answer to a laundry and visibility problem. White tropical uniforms showed dirt quickly and made soldiers conspicuous; a dust-coloured cloth blended with the Indian landscape and hid soil between washings. The Boers used khaki clothing as camouflage in the first Boer War, and in the second Boer War the British did as well, learning that a uniform the colour of the ground was protection in itself. The United States Army adopted khaki during the Spanish-American War, understanding it as a greenish tan or sand colour, and khaki became standard for military uniforms around the world, including the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps.
The civilian garment kept the cloth and dropped the uniform. Khakis as trousers are cut like other flat-front or pleated cotton trousers, but the fabric is the point: a hard-wearing cotton twill in the tan khaki shade, related to chino cloth. Pronunciation varies by place: traditionally 'KAR-kee', which remains common usage in Canada, today more often 'KAH-kee' in Britain and 'KAA-kee' in the USA. The trousers sit in the trouser family alongside chinos and suit trousers, and the colour name now covers a whole range of dusty green-brown shades in many fabrics beyond the twilled cotton where it began.
Khaki comes from the Persian khak, meaning earth-coloured or dust coloured, reaching English through Urdu. It names both the green-tinged brown colour and the closely twilled cotton or linen fabric dyed in it.
Brigadier Sir Harry Burnett Lumsden began the use of khaki for British Army regiments serving under him in India in 1848. All British troops in India adopted khaki in 1885, having previously used white as the tropical colour.
In civilian clothing, khakis since the 1950s has meant tan cotton twill trousers. In United States Navy slang, 'khakis' also refers to chief petty officers and officers, who wear a khaki-coloured uniform.