The 1941 Montgomery Ward catalog reads like a menswear manifesto from the heyday of heritage clothing. I usually repost images of Ward product offerings. But this time, I’m lingering on the soothing, info dense pages at the back of the catalog. Here, I’m imaginging myself as a skitterish, 1941 shopper, short on cash, scanning the …
Under quarantine, I’m consoled by livestreams of apartment concerts with Ceceile McLorin, free access to Met Opera broadcasts and Blossome Dearie playlists on YouTube. Soundtrack secured, I’m browsing comfort print catalog content and ephemera via Google Books, Flickr Commons and the Library of Congresss Digital archives. Beyond that, I’m turning back the clock to a …
Revisiting Archival posts from the past (published August 10, 2010) In 2010, the Archival team met with Thorogood in Denver, Colorado, to discuss a project to scan some of their historical catalogs. At the time, we were hoping to collaborating on our own Archival boot model, preferably, a Moc Toe Oxford. Here are some of …
Patchwork (and multi panel) garb is hard to find these days. A few cool examples kick out of eBay, Etsy and Japanese web shops. For me, these items live as visual reminders of the endless ways to create variations on a classic design. Lesson learned: don’t bring out a million products, just find ways to …
In the late ’80s and ’90s, field coats ruled the casual heritage market (before heritage had a name). Affordable, stylish, canvas duck options (heavily pocketed and trimmed in fine wale corduroy) could be found through LL Bean, JCrew, and a slew of lesser known, hunting supply catalogs (including Cabela’s, which was much less the sprayfoam …
Browsing the Minnesota Historical Society flickr stream, I found this fantastic denim chore coat from the 1960s. Metadata from the site identifies the jacket as belonging to Selmer Sauglow, a Norwegian farmer. While I’m a little denim jaded these days, I love the patchwork of this chore jacket which was created by Anna Sauglow, Selmer’s sister. Featured on …
On the subject of heritage garb for women, here is what was available from LL Bean in 1982. What I love about this era of LL Bean is how many items are offered in unisex sizes and colors (seriously…when was the last time you saw a contemporary catalog listing the exact same item, in the …
Brown’s beach fabric, a unique wool-cotton blend, was developed in 1901 for general outdoor use. This hard wearing, water repellent, slightly elasticized fabric was sewn up into simple vests and jacket styles which are still being made today by Japanese repro brands like Okayama Denim and Sugar Cane Co. One can also …
PDX messenger and Jack Taylor enthusiast, Joel Metz, forwarded along this amazing french catalog for Unis-Sport, an early sponsor of the Tour de France. I’m reposting product highlights in case you’re in the market for a tailored ensemble for bike camping or cyclo-tourism. My own mail order form – post marked 1938 – will include …
Andrea Cesari of Unsung Sewing Patterns guest posts on her most recent find: men’s and women’s anoraks and ski pants patterns from France. Collecting vintage home sewing patterns that are designed primarily for function rather than fashion takes me down some interesting paths. In twelve years of collecting I’ve managed to acquire what may be …