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An Anthology of American Militaria
In this second issue, An Anthology of American Militaria, AVANT explores military clothing with a focus on the U.S. armed forces during the great wars of the 20th century.
We converse with Paul Milbury, Bob Chatt, and Jeff Spielberg — vintage dealers and collectors driven by history, research, and preservation. We also speak with eight experts about how social media has transformed the vintage market, and we tackle the ethical questions that come with collecting militaria.
Along the way, we take you to the West Coast Militaria collectors show in Pomona, a key gathering for enthusiasts, and we teach you how to decipher the labels attached to military garments — the kind of details that separate a great piece from a guess.
What’s inside (highlights)
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Denim Nation Army: why U.S. Army and Navy units adopted blue denim in the early 1900s
Full Painted Jackets: the story of aviators customizing A-2 jackets with bold art and personal symbols
USMC P41: one of the most iconic military workwear uniforms of the 20th century
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Max Sardi (The Real McCoy’s London / Sanforized): one of the early online voices sharing militaria knowledge
Charles Lemons: author of Uniforms of the US Army Ground Forces 1939–1945 — a reference for collectors
Jeff Spielberg: 30+ years in the field and one of the world’s largest collections
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Distant Rain: exclusive cover painting by Brett Allen Johnson created for AVANT
Memories of War: WWII images from Nick Soderstrom’s personal collection
Private Military Collection: 32 rare garments from the collections of Eric Maggiori, Tom Gruat, and Gauthier Borsarello
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Iconic Daisy Mae
How military uniforms influenced menswear
The best repro brands
Masterpiece: the 1908 U.S. Army CAC denim shirt
