Balls, cotillions, suppers and collations were all great opportunities to strut one's epaulets.

FORBES: Life

Philippe Jernnard, from La Rochelle, France, was wearing a shirt with an Air France logo and a blazer with epaulets.

BBC: Frenchman 'posing as pilot' found in US jet cockpit

" Or the officer's epaulets, circa 1820: "embroidered with gilt-metal thread in scrolling foliate designs, six-pointed silver metallic stars and gilt-brass buttons.

FORBES: Magazine Article

As a boy, he made himself red epaulets, wore baseball pants and ran around with a French flag his mother made for him.

WSJ: Complex Napoleon Rivalry Heads for Its Waterloo

In the late 1980s, the egalitarian army retired the baggy olive-green pants and jackets and took on tailored uniforms, complete with stars, flaps and epaulets.

CNN: China's military modernization a cause for concern?

Jeannard, who was wearing a shirt with an Air France logo and captain's epaulets on his shoulder, had a ticket for a Florida-bound US Airways flight Wednesday and asked at the check-in counter for an upgrade, authorities said.

NPR: New Charges For Man Accused Of Impersonating Pilot

Jernnard boarded the plane Wednesday evening wearing a white button-down shirt with an Air France logo over the pocket and a black jacket with four gold stripes on the epaulets, akin to one worn by pilots, police said.

CNN: Pilot wannabe gets nonstop ride to jail

That day, the procession was coming down Fifth Avenue: the majorette twirled her baton in the air, the big drums banged, and the balloon giant, representing the Satisfied Customer, flew among the skyscrapers, obediently advancing on leashes held by girls in kepis, tassels, and fringed epaulets, riding spangly motorcycles.

NEWYORKER: The Daughters of the Moon