Olathe ? Vintage prison stripes are back in fashion at the Johnson County jail and other smaller community jails around Kansas.

The change back to striped prison uniforms most recently has occurred at the Johnson County Adult Detention Center in Olathe and the Fred Allenbrand Criminal Justice Complex at the New Century AirCenter near Gardner, where new jail uniforms now have broad stripes of denim blue and white. The new uniforms replace the orange garb inmates have worn for 14 years.

“The main reason for the change was because of security,” said Capt. Bret Cortright, operations officer at the Olathe detention center.

The Sheriff’s Department decided to change the jail uniform colors when orange became too vogue – especially among teens – and not bold enough to easily spot inmates if they escaped into a crowd.

Orange clothing can be purchased at retail stores and malls, including some items with “county jail” lettering on them.

“It’s getting more and more popular,” Cortright said Friday.

The department bought about 1,400 new broad-striped uniforms, ranging in sizes from small to a few extra-extra large at a total cost of $18,571. The new uniforms became standard issue to the jail population Dec. 1.

But for most inmates across the state, orange remains standard issue. It’s the current color in Saline, Miami, Franklin and most other Kansas county jails, according to a spokesman for the Kansas Sheriffs Assn. in Salina.