The pockets announce usefulness; the belt changes the emphasis. Saint Laurent’s safari jacket holds those two thoughts together. I find the result more interesting than a simple borrowing from a uniform. Proportion and the way the garment meets the body give the familiar equipment a different inflection.
The museum’s account distinguishes the runway appearances from the famous 1968 photographic version. That distinction is worth keeping. A widely reproduced image can become more familiar than the varied garments around it. Saint Laurent’s safari jacket belongs beside Le Smoking for the intelligence of that translation, while its military and colonial associations deserve an honest account rather than romantic scenery.
The Burberry trench gives its functional details another long civilian life. In a Paris fitting room, a ready-to-wear advisor can bring both stories back to cloth, movement and proportion. Pockets may begin with a purpose; where they sit can change the whole garment.