From left, Richard Poe, Kristine Nielsen, Laura Benanti and Amir Arison in Christopher Durang’s new comedy at the Public Theater.
On April 7, friend Brad W. noted the stage right presence of a Filson Original Hunting Vest in a page C6 review of the play, Why Torture is Wrong, and the people who love them. Indoors, out of context, the tin cloth vest looks newly minted and slightly out of place, like it just came off the shelf of the Portland Filson flagship store.
In past blog posts, I’ve noted the presence of Filson and Barbour in recent David Mamet movies. I’m wondering if the Mamet influence on Broadway has resulted in a copy cat trend of heritage brands and tin cloth fabrics in theatrical productions.
I’ve always aspired to wear heavy tin cloth fabrics indoors. In practice, I end up wearing softer cottons or performance woolens.
A slightly myopic view of a Filson tin cloth vest that I had modified by a local seamstress for additional pocketing and a brass grommet hole (not pictured). Garment was sold on ebay several years ago due to irreconcilable sizing issues (more A-frame than vest):
Refab Filson Hunting Vest
Early (198x?) Filson catalog featuring the original hunting vest