The NYPD gets a new addition to its wardrobe: The cargo pant. The Times' Shaila K. Dewan takes a look at how the need for more storage options (where to put gas mask, cell phone...), has ushered in the cargo era plus offers opinions of police officers and even a fashion designer. One important note: The cargo pocket's flap is decorative, because the flap looked awkward when an officer put a memo pad in it. According to unwitting NYPD fashion hound, Sergeant Joseph LaBarbiera at the equipment room of 1 Police Plaza, "It's called a nonfunctional cargo pocket. That was for appearances, to make it match the rest of the pant." Dewan also adds that women welcome the extra storage room (one officer puts her tissues, lip gloss, and cell phone in the cargo pockets) and offers that female police officers have come a long way - previously, they had been required to carry their guns not in holsters but in purses.
Old Navy has been flogging the cargo pants with the new Cargo Train ad. Yes, kill us now.
