Defined as an ornamental shoulder piece on an item of clothing. Epaulets are traditionally found on the coat or jacket of a military uniform. For the past few years now, epaulets have enjoyed significant overexposure. Like a Lady Gaga song played excessively, you will find these extra and unnecessary straps of material slapped on the shoulder of every shirt most major retailers will sell. Sometimes they can even get creative and will have buttons holding them in place.
The truth is, epaulets on shirts are unnecessary and gimmicky. The treatment is reminiscent of sequined jeans and t-shirts, something that one should avoid at all costs. I will say though, when their incorporation is limited, they can add interesting dimension to a shirt, especially if not all your shirts have them. Having said that, the assertive military resurgence in the temperament of a lot of what we see and continue to see on runways these days seems to have contributed to rendering them as ubiquitous and superfluous.
For the most part, let’s just say that unless you are actually in the military, keep shoulder flair for trench coats and military or vintage jackets.
