Quantcast
Channel: Heavy Tweed Jacket
Viewing all 64 articles
Browse latest View live
↧

HTJ Archives: J. Press Fall & Winter 1996

October 31, 2012, 4:32 am
$
0
0
It is no secret that I like J. Press for it consistently honors its historical legacy by offering clothing that is both conservative in cut and traditional in style. This proven combination of both conservation and tradition results in clothing that looks timeless across decades. To say it another way, this kind of traditional style is actually more forward looking than trends, fads, modes and fashion because it implies that it will still be relevant in the future, whereas trends and fads will always looked dated in short order. J. Press isn't immune to trying new things, they have recently made some collaborative efforts, and only time will tell how they will fare. Fortunately, however, J. Press always seems to keep a steady hand on the tiller that keeps their ship on a decidedly conservative and traditional course. This is why I like J. Press. I know that I can rely upon them to offer what has been and what will be - a style that will always remain relevant because it somehow remains timeless.

1996 is just far enough in the past that one can get a sense of how little J. Press has really changed. Sure, there are some things in this small catalog that I wish were still available, such as the Donegal Mist tweed jackets. However, J. Press still consistently offers tweeds by Harris and Magee and this is much to their credit, because natural shoulder three button jackets in this style have become harder to come by. You see, this style is inherently youthful. It adds a bit of often needed maturity to a younger man, and a bit of youthful vigor to a more mature man.
















Classic J. Press. That one could shop out of this catalog from 16 years ago and come out little worse for the wear today, indicates the forward reach of clothing that is both conservative and traditional. Properly tailored and broken in, this clothing develops personality, taking on a life of its own. Which is to say, this style is not so much about dressing, but about living life, and for me, that is what makes it classic. Fall is here and winter is not far behind. Enjoy the seasons. They add up to a lifetime.
↧
Search

HTJ Archives: Prime Mover - John Clark Wood

November 5, 2012, 3:53 am
$
0
0

John Clark Wood (1901-1969) served as the president of Brooks Brothers from 1946 to 1967, and after retirement continued as honorary chairman of Brooks Brothers' board of directors until his death in 1969. The image above shows Mr. Wood in 1967 at the end of his tenure as president of the clothier and at a time when men's wear was changing rapidly. 

Forty-five years ago, in 1967, Brooks Brothers had only eight stores nationwide, two in New York City (346 Madison Avenue and 111 Broadway), as well as stores in Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Pittsburgh and Atlanta. As the Men's Wear article below points out, Brooks Brothers didn't as yet have a store in Washington, D.C., and of course, there were also as yet, no international retail locations (the first international store in Tokyo, Japan would come about twelve years later in 1979, under the leadership of then CEO, Frank Reilly). In 1946, when Wood became president of Brooks Brothers, there were only four stores and the annual sales volume was $4.75 million. However, at the time of his retirement in 1967, the annual sales volume had grown to $35 million. Further, Brooks Brothers had a mail order catalog, a mail-order business on many college campuses, and a team of "road men" whose trunk shows brought Brooks Brothers to cities where there as yet were no stores.

John Clark Wood was born in New Jersey in 1901 and graduated from Dartmouth College in 1922. His first job was with the advertising firm A. W. Erickson Company (later McCann-Erickson), and from there Wood went on to work for the retailer B. Altman & Co., becoming a vice president and director. During the Second World War, Wood served in the Specialist Corps and was a consultant to Secretary of War, Robert B. Patterson. In March, 1946, Julius Garfinckel & Co. purchased Brooks Brothers from the Brooks family heirs, and Wood became president, succeeding Winthrop Holley Brooks, the last Brooks family member to serve as president. In addition to his duties at Brooks Brothers, Wood also served as charman of the Retail Dry Good Association of New York, as chairman of the Fifth Avenue Association, and as an executive of the Better Business Bureau. He also served as president of the Union League Club of New York, and was a member of Burning Tree in Washington, D.C., Rolling Rock in Pittsburgh, PA and the Creek Club in Locust Valley, NY.




In summing up his long tenure at Brooks Brothers, Wood confided, "If anything, I made Brooks more Brooksy than before." Wood, however, was not afraid of innovation and Brookscloth, Brooksweave and Brooks-Ease were developed during his tenure as president. It was often asserted that Wood was old-fashioned in his approach to the clothing business, and in reply to such criticism, Wood responded that the public that he wished to reach would respect quietly stated announcements that were confined to bare-bone information on items offered for sale. Wood further exlained, "Underwriting and understatement make the [advertising] copy much more believable and, as a matter of fact, more accurate." Responding to critics who saw Brooks Brothers as stodgy and conservative, Wood quipped, "They call us conservative, but we think that our styles are simply lacking in the bizarre. We deal in what a man should wear, not what some women think he should wear." In 1967, when asked about the impact of the "NOW Generation," Wood replied, "None. We're stable and conservative. Our younger customers are stable. We've felt no impact for the low-rise trousers fad."

Though resistant to developing a full line of clothing for women, Wood was instrumental in the development of the pink oxford cloth button down shirt for women in 1949. The shirt, designed at the magazine, Vogue, was a huge hit with women, who had for years, been purchasing men's shirts for their own use. After the war, Wood also oversaw the redevelopment of the much-loved pink oxford cloth for which Brooks Brothers was famous, and explained the redevelopment stating, "When the war came, we had to discontinue the shirt, and afterward it took a long time to work our way back to the proper shade. For a year or so after the war our pink shirt was just a trifle too pink. We were very much concerned."

John Clark Woods served at the helm of Brooks Brothers for 21 years, longer than any other Brooks Brothers' president. His time in charge is a study in how Brooks Brothers grew during the postwar years, while maintaining a conservative and traditional approach to men's clothing, as well as actively developing new products that enhanced and helped to make Brooks Brothers the well-known clothier that it is today.


Sources:
A Chronicle Recording One Hundred Twenty-Five Years, 1818-1943. Brooks Brothers, 1943.
Coronet. September, 1950.
Men's Wear. June 9, 1967.
The New Yorker. September 17, 1949.
The New York Times. December 16, 1969.

↧
↧

HTJ Archives: L.L. Bean Freeport, Maine, 1977

November 11, 2012, 3:51 am
$
0
0
I was in the archive the other day and came across an article about L.L. Bean from years ago in 1977. It reminded me of the L.L. Bean that I remember from high school and college days. Men's Club published this now very nostalgic feature on L.L. Bean titled, "L.L. Bean Never Goes on Holiday: Heavy-Duty Survey." This article contained the images that follow below. In 1977, L.L. Bean had only one store, the famous Freeport, Maine store and headquarters. The store was famously open 24 hours a day, all year long. For many, arriving day or night, the trip to Freeport, Maine was nothing short of a pilgrimage. These images capture L.L. Bean at a time before TOPH and the preppy fad of the early '80s. L.L. Bean was still firmly rooted as an outdoors outfitter and clothier representing a Maine take on the New England tradition.

























By 1977, the original Abercrombie & Fitch was gone and though there were other outdoors supply companies, there was nothing like L.L. Bean. The Men's Club article stated, "It's different than Eddie Bauer and EMS; the inside of L.L. Bean smells like Maine." Right. So much of what makes a company successful is an ability to genuinely convey the feeling of a time and place through its products. One might never get to Maine, but one could put the products to use in a deep Midwestern snowstorm or hiking in the Sierra Nevada. The images above demonstrate L.L. Bean's compelling ability to convey this Maine sensibility, a sensibility that no doubt helped to build up a loyal customer base across the United States, and as far away as Japan. The article compared L.L. Bean with another institution, that of Brooks Brothers, stating, "L.L. Bean is the outdoors version of Brooks Brothers. The essence of 'Heavy-Trad' is located here." Today, this comparison may not seem an obvious one, but several decades ago, before indistinguishable outlet malls and the growing global mallification of urban and suburban life, shopping at a store's main location was still a unique and exciting experience. In the same way that Brooks Brothers had come to define a traditional style of American dress, L.L. Bean had also come to define a genuine outdoors lifestyle. Today, L.L. Bean is at its best as an outdoors outfitter when it is able to articulate through its products a sense of place that is, Maine and New England. I wish more of their products today were still made in Maine by them. I've had a lot of things from L.L. Bean over the years, and still have some aging and ancient items like a down vest from over 30 years ago. I cherish these things and have managed to hang onto them through life's various stages. Though I'm long past the collegiate road trip stage of life, I would drive to Freeport in an instant if I could buy a pair of boots at that general store-like shoe counter above, with the handmade display and signs. It just looks like L.L. Bean should look.

Source:
Men's Club #195 (8/1977)
↧

The Most Imitated Shirt in the World - Brooks Brothers' Candy Stripe Comparison, Pt. 1

November 13, 2012, 2:14 pm
$
0
0
This past weekend I knew I had to go up in the attic and put away the lighter weight warm weather shirts and clothing, and get out some heavier weight oxford cloth and flannel shirts. As it's been a while since I did one of these posts on shirts, just for fun, I thought it might be interesting to compare two new Brooks Brothers shirts from different eras. Though not a new idea, of course, the problem with this sort of thing is not having a new old stock shirt at hand to use for comparison. Fortunately, I have one. The shirt on the above left is a contemporary candy stripe button-down currently offered by Brooks Brothers. The shirt on the above right is a new old stock (nos) Brooks Brothers "Makers" candy stripe button-down, circa 1987.

I'm terrible at keeping off-season clothing of like types in the same cases, so I had to hunt all over the attic for the oxfords that I put away during the hottest part of the year. Once I got the oxfords all rustled together, I thought about figuring out how many I actually have, and though I wasn't able to get through all of the cases, the oxfords above are a pretty representative group. All are Brooks Brothers, most "Makers," and there are some unusual solid colors like stone, helio, burgundy and peach, as well as a couple of yellow and green candy stripes. Like many guys, I seem to have a fair amount of blue.

There are also pressed shirts from the cleaners that I should really bring down from the attic and put in the rotation of others shirts from the cleaners.

As I was going through some cases, I was reminded of some new old stock shirts that I still have such as the madras and bold stripe shirts above.

There are also some odd-ball new old stock shirts like the Brooksflannel and Brooksgate does workwear shirts above.

In addition there was a new old stock Brookscloth in blue broadcloth. These were great shirts. I vastly prefer them to the current non-iron shirts. If you can find new old stock broadcloth like this - it's great.

 Old style tag, too.

There were also some other new old stock shirts like the pinpoint oxford in blue above, along with another Brookscloth in a brown stripe, and a few candy stripes.

Right. So I thought it might be interesting to compare a contemporary new candy stripe shirt (right), made at the Brooks Brothers Garland, North Carolina factory, with a new old stock one (left) from around 1987 - from the golden age of the Paterson, New Jersey Brooks Brothers shirt factory. This older "Makers" shirt is still in the original packaging and had the pins still in it.

Neither had been laundered yet, so the plan is to get some first impressions here before laundering them, and then in a followup post, draw some conclusions about the current Brooks button-downs.

The nos Makers shirt has a slightly grayer shade of blue stripe than the contemporary shirt below. The collar is noticably thinner and lighter. The buttons are the older clear plastic buttons that one doesn't see much anymore. This is the gold standard by which Brooks Brothers shirts were, and should still be, measured by, so it will be interesting to see how the contemporary shirt below measures up. The tag reads "Brooks Brothers Makers 16-4 All Cotton Machine Wash No Chlorine Bleach Made in U.S.A." When I checked some 1987 era catalogs, other shirt labels read "Made in U.S.A. of Imported Fabric." It then occurred to me that perhaps the reason that this shirt does not use the word "imported" is that the fabric was also milled in the States. If this is true, the entire shirt, fabric and construction were made in the USA.

The contemporary shirt is a bit brighter hue of blue, and the collar is noticably thicker and heavily lined. The tag is obviously similar to the older Makers tag. This tag reads "Brooks Brothers Est. 1818 16-24 Makers and Merchants The Original Polo Shirt Traditional Fit All Supima Cotton Made in USA of Imported Fabric."A further word about labels: This shirt has separate labels in English, Japanese, Chinese, and Korean, and probably for the EU market, French, German and Greek in very small print on the English label. There is the size label that one sees above, there is a label for care and laundering, then there are three different tags in languages other than English. It has a total of five, count them, five labels and tags at various places near the hem. The older shirt above has just the one red and white label near the back of the collar.

So the shirts are out of the packaging and it's time to compare them a bit more.

Laying the shirts out on the floor of the attic, the first thing that one notices is that the contemporay shirt (on the bottom) has a much flatter shirt tail compared with the older Makers shirt. I have a theory about this, which may not be true, but it does make a certain amount of sense. Many men wear their trousers at their hips these days, so a flatter shirt tail will stay in place better than a higher curved one as on the Makers shirt above. If one is wearing their trousers at their natural waist or thereabouts, the Makers shirt tails should stay tucked in under normal circumstances.

The next thing that I noticed was that the armholes on the contemporary shirt (on the bottom) are much larger than the Makers shirt. The Makers shirt has higher armholes making for a closer and truer fitting shirt while still being full cut, and without much bunching of fabric in the underarm area. The shoulder width of both shirts was pretty spot on identical, so the extra room in the underarm area gives the current shirts a more "relaxed" fit.

Looking at the cuffs, I noticed was that the cuffs on the contemporary shirts are also considerably longer than those on the Makers shirt. I always liked the narrower cuffs on the older Makers shirts. They were unique amongst all of the other companies shirts that I've worn over the years - a bit more elegant. The current shirt cuffs are a bit more pedestrian.

Going further up the shirts, the next difference was a bit more worrisome. Both shirts are the same neck and sleeve size, but the contemporary shirt (again on the bottom) is larger in the collar than the Makers. Only laundering will tell if the sizes even out. My experience with the older Makers shirts is that they shrink very little.

The box pleat on the Makers shirt (on the bottom) is a bit deeper than the current shirt (on top).

Coming down the front, the pockets are nearly identical with that easy to spot Brooks Brothers curved pocket bottom. The placement of the top of the pockets were both at the third button.

Both shirts have seven button fronts, and the buttonholes on the plackets are also pretty similar in placement. Though not pictured (I figured this was enough pictures), the contemporary shirt comes with a couple of extra buttons sewn onto the bottom front of the shirt. The Makers shirt has no extra buttons.

So it was time to get things put away. In going through the cases in the attic, I came across an old well worn Huntington "G9" type jacket in navy. I got this around 1992 or 1993 and wore the heck out of it. I just can't bear to part with it.

A stack of warmer weather fun shirts and Brookscloth, Brooksweave and lighter weight shirts ready to go into cases for the winter.

I still don't know how many shirts are in the attic, and at this point I really don't care. Perhaps one day I'll make an accurate count, but it's not going to happen anytime soon.

Things are put away now and the attic looks better than when my wife saw me earlier in the middle of the project.

Well, so far there have been some significant differences between the contemporary Brooks Brothers shirt and the new old stock Brooks Brothers "Makers" shirt from 25 years ago. First impressions are that the two shirts are, of course, kin to one another - but more like a dapper easy going uncle and a chunky youthful college nephew, than that of siblings. So the plan is to launder the shirts at home a couple of times, and of course, wear them. Then send them out to be laundered a couple of times, take some measurements and then draw some conclusions. More to come.
↧

HTJ Archives: J. Press Fall & Winter 1978

November 26, 2012, 3:10 am
$
0
0
Over the recent years, I have come to hold the view that J. Press and O'Connell's currently do a better job of capturing the spirit of American traditional clothing than most other clothiers around today. This is hardly front-page news, but it has got to be a difficult task to offer clothing that remains unwaveringly traditional while not looking dated or anachronistic. Just keeping a selection of classic suits, jackets, shirts, ties, shoes, outerwear, etc. in stock has got to be logistically challenging. Though many men would probably prefer to have Shetland sweaters that are actually made in Scotland or oxford cloth button-downs that are made in the USA - in other words, "the genuine article" - not all companies operate on this principle anymore. Those who shop with such a style in mind probably purchase items for use over many years, if not decades, and therefore, take seriously fit, quality and, of course, economy. The catalog in this post, J. Press Fall & Winter 1978, provides an excellent benchmark of this classic style. Nearly everything in this catalog has not only aged well, but could continue to function as a template for this sort of traditional style. Actually, there are a number of items that, if still offered today, would probably sell very well: the Shaggy Dog Hopsack jackets and cable knit Shetlands quickly come to mind. Therein perhaps lies part of the dilemma, there are some items that are very hard to come by these days.

However, more than the offerings themselves, the traditional means of advertising - the catalog - seems to have fallen on hard times. I am of the mind that a well-edited catalog containing well-chosen offerings is probably a more effective sales tool than an internet site alone. It is easy to refer to and easy to compare items with a catalog, something that still isn't very convenient to do on a computer. But perhaps more than this, merely receiving a catalog like this in the postbox is something that is pleasing because it is a reminder that the clothier values its patrons and wants them to know what is currently being offered. One well-made catalog (as opposed to several in a season) is worth more than all the additional daily email advertisements that many companies send. Actually, I find the email advertising deluge at this time of the year a bit tiring. When I find myself deleting email advertisements nearly as fast as they arrive, I know that this can't be the best form of getting the customer's attention. It is irritating rather than pleasant. All of which reminds me of Lord Leverhulme's classic remark about advertising, "Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don't know which half." The catalog in this post is a reminder that well-made catalogs were often a significant part of a memorable purchase, and therefore, good value for the clothier. It is a bit amazing to me that this thirty-four year old catalog is still able to fire the imagination, something that doesn't always happen when looking for clothing at most internet sites today. Simply stated, this sort of catalog is just the kind of pre-holiday season advertising that one can still get excited about - even if one can't exactly place an order from it.
































↧
↧

The Most Imitated Shirt in the World - Brooks Brothers' Candy Stripe Button-Downs, Pt. 2

December 13, 2012, 4:23 am
$
0
0
It took longer to get this post up and running due to spending the better part of the last two weeks after Thanksgiving either sick or on the mend. Such is the time of the year. Wear more wool is my advice.

This is the second part in a two-part series about Brooks Brothers' iconic Candy Stripe button-down collar shirts. In Part 1, we took a quick look at two shirts, one contemporary and the other from the late 1980s. This is similar to a comparison I did a couple of years ago of Brooks Brothers' classic blue oxford button-downs. For me, the Brooks Brothers blue candy stripe oxford cloth button-down is one of the great classics that this company produced. It is the first shirt I remember purchasing over three decades ago at the old 74 E. Madison Street store in Chicago. The appeal of this shirt lies, I think, in its ability to go with nearly anything from suits and jackets, to khakis and Bermuda shorts. More than any other striped shirt this shirt seems to be able to manage breaking the rule of no striped ties with striped shirts. Even Brooks brothers advertised it paired with regimental striped ties.

Compared with broadcloth and pinpoint oxford, there is an inherent informality about regular weight oxford cloth that seems to appeal to men young and old. I remember the father of one of my college friends, who became a good friend and mentor, as almost always wearing a burgundy or blue candy stripe shirt, khakis or cords and Sperrys. It was just a part of who he was. The popularity of this shirt, of course, spread beyond men and became a beloved favorite among women wearers, as well. The popularity among women was so intense that Brooks Brothers actually had to make a women's model, commissioning Vogue to design it in 1949. The pink button-down is perhaps the most well-known example of this. It is truly a testament to Brooks Brothers that this shirt has been so long lived. In a world of constant change, the continued presence of the Brooks Brothers polo collar button-down candy stripe oxford is one of those comforting touchstones.

In this post I have added, just for fun and also because I can, a Huntington Clothiers blue candy stripe oxford. Though Huntington Clothiers no longer exists, it did make one of the finest ready to wear oxford cloth button-downs, and though the company was small it seems to have had a rather loyal following. The Brooks Brothers helio blazer stripe oxford on the right was a last minute addition purely at the whim of the HTJ Archive staff. It's a shirt that one almost never sees and for that reason alone it is worthy of inclusion. It also looks great with a brown tweed jacket - perfect for this time of year.

Our three main shirts for comparison are:
1) Brooks Brothers Original Polo oxford cloth button-down in blue candy stripe (contemporary).

2) Brooks Brothers pima cotton oxford cloth button-down (circa late 1980s, new old stock).

3) Huntington Clothiers Classic Pure Cotton button-down oxford (circa early 1990s, well-worn and loved by yours truly).

Collar thinness. Years ago, a Brooks Brothers button-down collar shirt could be instantly recognized merely because of its collar. The collar was constructed without an inner lining, meaning it was merely constructed of the inner and outer pieces of oxford cloth. When starched and pressed this gave the collar an elegant thinness that went well with a suit and tie. Worn unpressed, the collar rolled with a certain "Brooksy" casual nonchalance. In recent years, I have wondered why the current Brooks Brothers oxfords no longer have this kind of construction. The problem seems to lie in the fact that contemporary shirt collars all contain linings that are probably supposed to help the collar keep its shape, but which actually work against this kind of shape keeping. The fact of the matter being that the unlined collar was the original polo collar shape. Let's take a look below. Each shirt has been commercially starched and pressed.

1) Contemporary shirt. In part 1, we initially noticed that the contemporary model collar size was about a half inch larger than the late '80s new old stock (NOS) model. After washing and drying a few times at home, the contemporary model shrank a bit and was closer to its tagged size but it is still a bit larger than it should be. If one compares the thinness of the collar above with that of the NOS below, the relative thickness of the contemporary collar can be seen above. While it doesn't look terribly bad, the collar no longer has the elegance of the past.

2) Late 1980s NOS shirt. The unlined collar thinness is readily apparent. This made for a very comfortable wearing shirt. For men who wear a tie and a jacket, a comfortable shirt collar is of the essence. Brooks Brothers understood this and elevated collar construction to an art form.

Placed side by side, the differences are even more striking. Even after professional starching and pressing, the contemporary shirt on the left has wrinkles that indicate that the outer fabric and the inner lining will not stay pressed together. I suppose, today, it one wants that one has to go with the non-iron shirt, but I've tried it and it isn't the same as the pressed elegance of the NOS shirt on the right.

3) Huntington Clothiers shirt, circa early 1990s. Though I have just about worn this shirt out, it is one of the few Huntingtons that I still have around, and I refuse to part with it. I don't wear it much anymore, but decided to include it in this post. They say that imitation is the best form of flattery, and this speaks well of Huntington Clothiers. Their version of the oxford button-down was a well-made economical choice for many men in the 1980s and 90s, who probably had both Brooks Brothers and Huntington Clothiers shirts in their rotations. Huntington Clothiers' shirt collar paid homage to Brooks Brothers by its unlined thinness, something that is evident here in the photo above.

4) Brooks Brothers 'Makers' blazer stripe, early 1990s NOS. I included this because the blazer stripe shirt in blue is well known but this version in helio, or light purple, is less so. Again, the collar thinness is apparent. Simple and refined.

Cuff thinness. The same principles of construction mentioned above with regard to the collar can be said to apply to cuffs. Unlined cuffs, when pressed and starched are quite thin. When touched they sound a bit like parchment and added a bit of quiet calm to a suit or a jacket.
The two cuffs above are the contemporary shirt (below) and the NOS shirt above. The difference is striking. The NOS shirt with unlined cuffs is much thinner.

The top shirt is the Huntington Clothiers, NOS in the middle and the contemporary below. Again, the top two come out on top as far as thinness goes. The funny thing in my experience about starched cuffs is that, over the course of a day, the thinner ones hold their shape better than the thicker ones with containing a lining.

Summary:
1) Contemporary Brooks Brothers shirt.
Measurements:
Shoulders: 18.5"
Chest: 53"
Length: 32.5"
Weight: 392 grams (13.83 ounces)

This shirt is still made by Brooks Brothers in its Garland, North Carolina shirt factory. That Brooks Brothers has kept production of this legendary shirt in the USA is much to its credit. The fabric is substantial and the color is a slightly grayer shade of blue than the others below. That this shirt weighed the most was perhaps due to its slightly heavier fabric, larger proportions and linings. This is a well made shirt that will stand up to years of use. However, this shirt could be improved. Removal of the collar and cuff linings would do a lot to make this shirt more like the Brooks Brothers' shirts of legend. There is more to a shirt than its label. In part one we also noted that the width of the cuffs on the contemporary shirt were wider than those of the older model. These narrower cuffs were also a hallmark of a Brooks Brothers 'Makers' shirt. However, the contemporary shirt still represents good value for money. Grade: B+

2) Brooks Brothers NOS shirt, late 1980s.
Measurements:
Shoulders: 18.25"
Chest: 50.5"
Length: 31.00"
Weight: 339 grams (11.96 ounces)

This shirt was made at Brooks Brothers' old Paterson, New Jersey shirt factory. It probably dates from the late 1980s, as was noted in part one. As can be seen by the measurements, this shirt, while full size, was a bit trimmer than the traditional size of today. I have long thought that this was the case, and the measurements bear it out. This gives a bit of a trimmer silhouette without sacrificing traditional comfort. The construction of this shirt as noted above is what continues to set it apart from Brooks Brothers contemporary models. The unlined collar, starched or not, is unmistakably Brooks Brothers. The slightly smaller clear plastic buttons were also a small but significant part of the Brooks Brothers difference. Sadly, this shirt is no longer available. If one is fortunate enough to find one in good condition, it still is the gold standard by which all Brooks Brothers shirts are measured. Grade: A+

3) Huntington Clothiers shirt, early 1990s.
Measurements:
Shoulders: 18.75"
Chest: 47.5"
Length: 30.00"
Weight: 261 grams (9.21 ounces)

Huntington Clothiers made a great shirt for a fraction of the cost of a Brooks Brothers shirt. The fabric was not as heavy, but the construction was excellent. This shirt is well-worn, though when it is starched and pressed, the unlined collar and cuffs still manage to possess a kind of scruffy elegance. It is remarkable to me that two decades on from when this shirt was originally manufactured, and in spite of its well-worn character, it still does a better job of capturing that elusive sense of "Brooksiness" that the contemporary Brooks Brothers shirt struggles a bit with. Grade: A-

Brooks Brothers is the custodian of a company with nearly two hundred years of history. The button-polo collar shirt was invented by Brooks Brothers and the candy stripe oxford has become synonymous with an American style of clothing. I think that Brooks Brothers still makes a very good oxford collar shirt. However, it could be improved by revisiting this past history and reinventing it, thereby making a shirt for today that still contains much of the character of what made it famous for previous generations.
↧

HTJ's Kitchen - Blueberry & Bacon Bread Pudding

December 16, 2012, 5:25 am
$
0
0
This is a repost of an HTJ's Kitchen recipe. Someone kindly wrote in and asking for the recipe for this pudding. It was originally posted at Easter in 2010, though I think it would make a great addition to a Holiday brunch at this time of the year. The recipe is below.


HTJ's Blueberry & Bacon Bread Pudding

Ingredients (for one 9" x 13" casserole pan):
6 slices of white bread (double, if very thin slices)
1/2 large baguette (any French bread)
5 slices of bacon (this can be omitted if one prefers)
8 eggs
4 cups of milk
2 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons maple syrup
2-3 tablespoons brandy (I used Calvados)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
8 ounces (1/2 pound) of blueberries (fresh or frozen)
Butter for greasing the pans.

Topping ingredients and directions:
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
4 tablespoons butter
This topping goes on at the end and helps to form a crisp top layer to the pudding. Place the sugar, flour and butter in a glass mixing bowl and mix together with a fork until the butter is in small chunks well mixed with the sugar and flour. Set aside.

Directions:
1. Cut the bread into small cubes. Remove the crust from the white bread slices, but use all of the French bread including the crust.
2. Place the cubed bread into a buttered 9 x 13 inch glass or steel baking pan. Arrange so that the bread evenly covers the bottom of the pan, and comes about 3/4 of the way up the sides of the pan.
3. Cut the bacon into small pieces, place in a frying pan, and fry until golden. Drain on paper towels, then sprinkle over the top of the cubed bread.
4. Add the blueberries to the bread mixture.
5. Beat eggs, then add the milk one cup at a time constantly beating until the mix is frothy. Add the brandy, vanilla and cinnamon and mix well.
6. Using a ladle, spoon the egg mixture over the bread & blueberries in the baking dish. Then gently stir everything together in the baking dish so that the bread is evenly coated with the egg mixture and the blueberries evenly distributed.


7. The image above shows all the ingredients mixed. This works best if you can let it sit for about 20-30 minutes so that the bread soaks up the egg mixture.


8. Cover the baking dish with tin foil, and bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees (170 C) for 50 minutes. After 50 minutes, remove the foil and drizzle the top of the pudding with maple syrup. I know I wrote 4 tablespoons, but more is better. The image above shows the pudding after 50 minutes and drizzled with maple syrup.


9. After drizzling with maple syrup, sprinkle the top with the flour, sugar and butter topping to look like the image above.
10. Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees (200 degrees C.), and return the pudding to the oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until the topping mixture crisps up a bit. Don't burn the top. The baking time may take a bit longer - eggs and milk are kind of quirky.


11. Remove from the oven (check to make sure that the eggs are cooked). Spoon into bowls and serve hot with maple syrup. This was amazing. Serve with hot coffee or tea either as a dessert or as part of a brunch. Paper bowl from church brunch.
12. If there are any leftovers, microwave them later and serve with vanilla ice cream.

Give it a try. It's pretty easy and definitely good.
↧

Brooks Brothers Christmas Covers 1971-1991

December 21, 2012, 3:08 am
$
0
0
Over the years a variety of artists illustrated Brooks Brothers catalogs and advertising. The selection of catalog covers here date from 1971-1991, which was the last period of catalogs illustrated by Tran Mawicke (1911-1988). Frederick Pegram (1870-1937) and Paul Brown (1893-1958) also illustrated the catalogs and advertising of previous generations, but I guess I'm partial to the Mawicke covers because they are how I remember the catalogs that came to my parents' home when I was in my teens. I've said it before, but I think that these kinds of illustrations did a good job of expressing not only the various seasons of the year, but also the mood and nature of this clothier. These covers often displayed a playfulness that contrasted well with the conservative reputation of Brooks Brothers. While I don't have a lot of these catalogs, this is a small assortment of Christmas covers from this period. By 1991 the catalog covers were illustrated with photos, and something had changed. I miss these old covers, and that's why it's a bit nostalgic to give them a look again at this time of the year.










↧
Search

Merry Christmas

December 24, 2012, 5:10 pm
$
0
0
Paul Brown (1893-1958) illustrated many advertisements and catalogs for Brooks Brothers during the 1930s, 40s and 50s. His illustrations were usually line drawings in black and white that depicted sporting scenes, especially equestrian pursuits. The small group of images here are all from Brooks Brothers advertising that appeared in The New Yorker during the months of November and December from 1949 to 1952. I am fond of the festive spirit in these drawings that, sixty years later, remains timeless. I can think of very little advertising today that is in the same class as this kind of handmade artwork. Each of these would make great holiday greeting cards, and it is in that spirit that I include them here. I hope that those who have been kind enough to read this blog have a joyful and peaceful Christmas Season.





Merry Christmas, HTJ
↧
↧

Keep Calm and Wear Tan Cords

December 31, 2012, 3:17 am
$
0
0
In a world of constant change and uncertainty, often surrounded by unsound choices and poor advice, 'Keep Calm and Wear Tan Cords' is wise counsel. There's a group of Trads over on that Tumblr blogging site who demonstrate that tan cords are a sound foundation for life in a postmodern and highly diverse world. In an age when many traditional clothiers have disappeared, and those that are still around court the low rise trouser and the slimmest-possible-fit, men who still enjoy traditional shades of tan corduroy cut on a reasonable silhouette are quietly going about their business. When the weather gets cold, tan khakis are put away, and in their place, tan cords are taken out. More often than not, corduroy trousers in shades of tan are often seen with Shetland sweaters, tweed jackets and tartan flannel. Wearing tan corduroy imparts a mellow glow, like that second glass of red wine, or a cup of hot chocolate and a few cookies. It's sort of like the comfort food of Trad clothing. No seasoned Trad would think of leaving home without it on a weekend expedition to The Liquor Locker, the Weekend-Warrior-Craftsman-Center or Yesteryear's-Antiques-on Main-Street.

Like khakis, tan cords go through various life stages. The near new stage: These clean and crisp cords are often worn with a tweed jacket or Shetland sweater on the weekend to brunch or dinner or to keep one warm while sitting in a drafty pew. The broken-in stage: These cords get worn on those endless trips to the store, because somebody didn't write a shopping list, and hence forgot everything they were supposed to get. The well-worn stage: Cords in this stage, like their owners, are often balding and only good for raking leaves and generally getting in the way around the house - or taking a nap on the sofa.

Action shots from over at tumblr:
Heavy Tweed Jacket. Known as 'HTJ' because spelling 'Heavy Tweed Jacket' is a pain for everyone, including HTJ.

Maxminimus with Nantucket red socks and tassels. He knows the value of adding a bit of color. I need some cool socks instead a big drawer full of navy and grey.

Longwing with something nice from the cellar. See how relaxed a guy wearing tan cords looks? Sweet. I'd have time to sit down with a glass of wine, too, if I had raked all those leaves in the yard like I should have done two weeks ago.

PABblog. Out and about getting things done. A man in tan cordings is a man who Gets. Things. Done. Tan cords also keep a guy warm while out surging about the pond of life - and they look good with a favorite old hunting jacket to boot.

The Object Lesson. Tan cords with birds. Let's face it, Trad guys are Sportsmen. Even when they can't be outdoors, they can't help but convey that Sporting Spirit indoors. TOL looks mighty relaxed, too. See what I mean about tan cords? They are a stress reducer. I expect that someone will write a Ph.D. dissertation on the mental and spiritual benefits of tan corduroy. It's only a matter of time.

In a world where uniforms have fallen on hard times, Trad guys still wear a Weekend Uniform: Cords, sweater, oxford shirt, loafers. Repeat. This uniform is repeated wherever they go. Some folks roll their eyes, but these guys just keep moving onward to new Trad vistas.

Whether it's walking the dog,

standing in the supermarket parking lot on the mobile phone to see if anything has been forgotten (always a wise idea),

or making a trip to the post office to send Christmas cards, tan cords have been helping guys put one foot in front to the other for years.


No matter the shade, 'Keep Calm and Wear Tan Cords' is a sound and heartwarming attitude to bring to life's cold weather tasks.

Thanks for reading HTJ during 2012. All the best to you in 2013.
↧

Shetland Sweaters & The Genuine Article

January 3, 2013, 6:21 am
$
0
0
'Tis the season of resolutions, and a good one would, of course, be to wear more Shetland wool sweaters. Although I've got a feeling that most of the folks kind enough to read this blog already wear a lot of Shetland sweaters. Still, the coldest months of winter are yet ahead and staying warm has never sounded better. Tweed jackets along with flannel and corduroy trousers are to the fore of the closet, and all manner of foul weather gear and heavy shoddings are probably close at hand in the front hall. It is not surprising that during these coldest of months, Shetland wool sweaters get worn a lot. 

The Shetland wool sweater is a much loved garment with a long history. Brooks Brothers introduced Shetland wool sweaters to America in 1904. As the image above illustrates, Brooks Brothers offered Shetland sweaters in both men's and women's versions. The Shetland sweater can be easily dressed up or down, and therein lies part of its appeal. Worn with cords or flannels and loafers, it might be worn out to dinner or even to work in today's casual surroundings. Dressed down, it can be worn around the house, raking leaves or out and about running errands. I suspect that much of the appeal of this sweater lies in its warmth and adaptability. Like a tweed jacket, it takes the chill off, and is supremely comfortable. The elbows will bag, the cuffs and hem will eventually begin to fray, and the sweater will pill a bit, but this will only work to elevate its appeal. 

Over the past century, the Shetland sweater has been loved by both men and women. The images below offer a glance across the decades at the humble, yet ever present, Shetland wool sweater.

1939, Nantucket. It might be warm on the mainland, but here a Shetland cardigan offers warmth and adaptability. My wife, and I suspect that she is not alone, has been known to complain that such sweaters have become harder for women to find today.

1959, Brown University. Androgyny is a hallmark of the Shetland sweater. Is looks equally good on either sex. There have to be very few garments that one can say that about. Though in prep terms, there seem to be a terribly large amount of them: oxford cloth shirts, khakis, bean boots, engineer boots, Sperrys, down vests, duffle coats, turtlenecks, hunting coats, corduroy trousers, and the list goes on.

1979, East Coast Prep. Shetland sweaters were a key component of that scruffy prep style. Once graduated from college and out in the world, guys will often continue to dress like this on the weekends, even if they always can't during the week.

1979, East Coast Prep. Surging about the campus in the basic uniform, which will remained relatively unchanged for years to come. In cold weather, the khakis will be replaced with tan cords. Some hearty fellows will continue to surge about sockless, though I'm at an age when that is no longer a sound idea if I wish to remain in stout health during the winter.

1981, UNC Kenan Memorial Stadium. In a sea of casual collegiate blue jeans, the Shetland man stands out. He is an outdoors man, indeed, a Sportsman. Hunter orange or salmon, either way, it's an excellent color for a Shetland sweater.

1981, UNC. Outside of Kenan Memorial Stadium. Shetland sweaters also came in striped versions, some of them regimental, and of course that über-preppy version, the patchwork Shetland.

1981, UNC. This trio of lovely women show the classic Shetland sweater options for women: crew neck, cardigan and Fair Isle. Come to think of it, everything else is pretty well done, from loafers and clogs, to tartan and corduroy skirts.

1980, Cambridge, England. Simply lovely. Nothing else to say.

The advertisement reads "Only Brooks Brothers has real Shetland." Herein lies the problem: It is not as easy to find a genuine Shetland wool sweater today as it was in the past. The obvious question is: Are all "Shetland" wool sweaters the same today? Of course, the answer is, "No." To qualify as the genuine article, a Shetland wool sweater must be made in Scotland. The point might be stretched to include sweaters knit in Ireland, but I suspect that these couldn't be called "Shetland," unless they were made with Shetland yarns. The problem is that "Shetland" sweaters are so popular that the name has come to signify a style of sweater rather than a name that indicates its provenance. It seems like it was not very long ago when genuine Shetland wool sweaters were plentiful and inexpensive. However, today that is not the case. Genuine Shetland wool sweaters are relatively costly and somewhat hard to find.

The images that follow show a number of well known clothiers' offerings of Shetland wool sweaters over several decades.
Brooks Brothers, Christmas 1971. Over half of the sweaters offered on this page came from Scotland. The sheer number of colors offered for crew neck sweaters was staggering. Every guy needs a good shawl collar cardigan, too. Mine came from Inverness many years ago. It is still bullet-proof and still fits, too.

Brooks Brothers, Christmas 1979. Saddle shoulders were, and still are, a hallmark of a well made Shetland wool sweater.


Brooks Brothers, Christmas 1979. Made in Scotland. The color choices are very strong: Burnt red, yellow, heather green, Tartan green, chestnut brown, natural, old gold, navy, smoke blue, blue mix, rust and charcoal grey.


Brooks Brothers, Christmas 1980. Again, great color choices:  Scarlet, medium grey, Kelly green, yellow, natural, Tartan green, chestnut brown, navy and blue mix. Those patch tartan trousers are amazing.


Brooks Brothers, Christmas 1982. "The essential Shetland wool sweater" in colors of: Harvard red, blue mix, yellow, charcoal grey, brown, navy or Kelly green. Hard to have gone wrong here.


Brooks Brothers, Holiday 1991. This catalog was from the Marks & Spencer era, and there was no shortage of Scottish made Shetland. With eleven choices of colors, Brooks was the place to stop for Shetland sweaters: Tartan green, cavalcade, Black Watch, grey mix, navy, burgundy, camel, charcoal, red mix, loden, brown mix.


Chipp, 1952. "Chipp's Shetland Sweaters, made in Scotland" (The New Yorker, 12/6/1952). Postwar production was returning and Scottish sweaters were back in the rotation, as if they had never left.


Chipp, Fall & Winter 1965. "A comprehensive selection from the finest knitters in Scotland and Ireland, all British imports." This was an era when "imported" meant not only quality, but a tradition and culture of manufacture.


J. Press, Fall & Winter 1977. J. Press knew how to offer Shetland sweaters. There were four choices of solids, cable knit, patchwork, and stripes. I assume that "knitted in the "Crown Colony" meant Hong Kong, as in 1977 it was still a Crown Colony. Many British knitwear manufacturers had manufacturing in Hong Kong. I remember getting a couple such sweaters at the Aberdeen Market many years ago when I was a college student.


J. Press, Fall & Winter 1978. In 1978, J. Press offered a saddle shouldered Shetland cardigan with pockets. Try finding one today.


J. Press, Fall & Winter 1996. J. Press had their sweaters made in Ireland in this period. It has become very hard to find cable knit crew neck sweaters like these today.


L.L. Bean, Christmas 1985. Like J. Press above, L.L. Bean had their Shetland sweaters made in Hong Kong of Shetland yarns.

L.L. Bean, Fall 1989. Like J. Press a few years later, L.L. Bean had these sweaters made in Ireland of Donegal yarn, though they still called them "Shetland" sweaters.


Until very recently, O'Connell's offered genuine Shetland sweaters made by McGeorge of Scotland. Sadly, these no longer seem to be available.

Which brings us to today. Where can one find genuine Shetland wool sweaters today? J. Press, O'Connell's and Bahle's of Suttons Bay all offer the genuine article. Though I do not have any, The Andover Shop also offers both plain knit and cable knit Shetland wool sweaters, as well.
The Shaggy Dog from J. Press.


These are great sweaters. They are heavier and warmer than others, so may be a bit too warm in an overheated room. Do what my Dad did and said when we were kids, "Turn the thermostat down and 'Wear a sweater'."


O'Connell's Shetland wool sweaters. These sweaters come in even chest sizes and run pretty true to size. O'Connell's recommend ordering up a size. These are "just fit" for me, and can therefore be worn underneath a tweed jacket when I'm outside. Perfect.


O'Connell's also has perhaps the largest selection of colors available anywhere. They also offer that rarest version: the Shetland sweater for women. These are the genuine article, made in Hawick Scotland, and come in crew neck and cardigan styles, as well as in solid colors and Fair Isle yoked patterns.


This photo gives some idea of the different in thickness and loft between the J. Press Shaggy Dog sweaters (left) and O'Connell's Shetland sweaters (right).


Harley of Scotland is another sound choice for a genuine Shetland wool sweater. Many places offer them, but Bahle's of Suttons Bay is a great store with very friendly service.


Harley's of Scotland sweaters are saddle shouldered and very soft. They are also warm and very comfortable.


In an era of global markets and manufacturing that can blur what is truly genuine and what is not, finding genuine articles that are both well made and representative of various national traditions, such as the Shetland sweaters above, is no easy task. "The genuine article" will probably cost a bit more, but wearing or using such an article is a bit like owning a small piece of cultural history. I get the feeling that today, many people just want as much as possible, as cheaply as possible. There is nothing wrong with being economical and conservative in one's approach to daily life. It is a good and commendable habit. However, things that have been handmade in a place where there is a historical tradition of manufacture also represent value. This kind of value is harder to see, but it is representative of traditions that are older than either you or I, and that will hopefully outlive each of us. Far too often today, we forsake this kind of cultural legacy for the inexpensive and poorly made, which carries no inherent and vital link to the past. What is at issue is deeper than merely acquiring more stuff. One resolution worth considering this year is to value those things, traditions and institutions which carry a link to this kind of past. For it is through these tangible links to a shared past where we also experience more deeply our humanity and its connection to histories and cultures that are deeper than the many competing and quickly changing voices of our contemporary world. Resolve to believe in humanity and the power of genuine traditions to enliven and deepen daily life in an often cynical world. Resolve to believe. There's a resolution worth striving for.
↧

HTJ Archives: Brooks Brothers Christmas 1947

January 6, 2013, 2:57 pm
$
0
0
January 6th, the 12th Day of Christmas, marks the end of the Christmas Season in our home. On this day many people take down, or begin to take down, the tree and decorations and wonder where the time went. For anyone who has ever sung that carol 'The Twelve Days of Christmas', and thought that it was long, the actual 12 days may seem even longer. Also known as 'Three Kings' Day' or 'Epiphany', the end of the Christmas season is also a good time to look back upon seasons past. I had hoped to get to this earlier, but each of the 12 Days had something or other that demanded my attention: cookies, a glass of wine, walking the dog, cookies, luncheons, a cup of tea, cakes & cookies, dinners, naps, the dog and so the days went. There was also that Tan Cords Club thing that took up boatloads of time (btw, with the end of the holiday season, I also declare New Member Season now closed. Maxminimus, you got in the first time). 

When I was a bit younger I remember going to the post-Christmas sale at Brooks Brothers in downtown Chicago. There was always one of those restrained advertisements in the Chicago Tribune announcing it. If this was January 1948 and 65 Christmases ago, the contents of the catalog below are what you might find in that post-Christmas sale. 
This catalog came with a letter addressed "To Our Customers Old and New" from Board Chairman Winthrop Holley Brooks. Winthrop H. Brooks, great grandson of founder Henry Sands Brooks, served as President of Brooks Brothers from 1935 and oversaw it during the Second World War. Brooks Brothers has just been acquired by Julius Garfinckel & Co. the previous year in 1946, and John Clark Wood had taken over as company President. In the above letter, Brooks mentions the shortages that it faced during the war. Because so much of its inventory came from Great Britain, the war disrupted both production and the ability to stock certain items. As Brooks wrote, 1947 was the year that inventory began to get back to normal prewar levels.

If you remember what Brooks Brothers was like 25 or 30 years ago, or if you wonder what the Brooks Brothers of a previous generation was like, you might enjoy this catalog. If you long for a true men's clothier with clothing for men and boys and nothing in between (save some sweaters for women), you also might enjoy this catalog. There's something here for everyone.





















































There are a number of things from this catalog that I would like to purchase today. The barware illustrated by Paul Brown (above and below) is at the top of the list. Six of each might be an easier to justify number of glasses, but then the problem would be which ones to delete.

When I was a younger man, Brooks Brothers did not have a humidor or a tobacconist section in the store. That was before my time. Dunhill's walk-in humidor in Water Tower Place was were I went from time to time. Though I no longer smoke, I'm sure I could find a use for the rep striped tobacco pouch above.

'346' and 'Golden Fleece' cigars. Now, I think I might even briefly come out of cigar and pipe retirement for this.

And even without the tobacco, this smoking jacket looks like a sound investment.

This selection of belts caught my eye, for it demonstrates how little the canon of traditional belts has changed over the years. D-ring or cinch ring belts, braided, surcingle, and various leathers make up just about all the belts a man needs.

Whenever I see this selection of ties, I can't help but think of images of Dean Acheson in the 1940s and 1950s in foulard and paisley ties.
.
I probably wouldn't wear it enough to justify it in the wardrobe, but a tattersall vest would take the chill of when worn with a tweed jacket, and the additional four pockets would be welcome.

I really don't need another hunting jacket, but this looks like it was made from heavy canvas, the kind that would take several years to break in and become soft. Come to think of it, a fellow can never have too many hunting jackets.

I hope that your 12 Days were enjoyable. Back to taking down decorations.
↧

Tweed Jackets & Sweaters: A Classic Combination

January 16, 2013, 3:04 pm
$
0
0
Worn together, a tweed jacket and sweater is a classic combination that has been around for a long time. Many traditional tweeds lend themselves to being worn with a variety of sweaters, and it's a perfect way to beat the cold. It's a highly flexible combination; the jacket can be removed if one gets too warm, and outdoors the jacket can function in place of an coat. However, in some modern indoor settings, this combination of tweed and sweaters can also be too warm. It works best in colder climates, or if one is going to be outdoors. Some people might think that it's an old-fashioned style, but nothing could be further from the truth.

Dirty Harry (1971). Tough guy cop Harry Callahan, played by Clint Eastwood, was cast in this sort of straight edge style.

Three Days of the Condor (1975). Robert Redford also wore tweed and a sweater in this classic thriller.

Cambridge, England, 1980. Favored by university students in Britain,

 Julian's, Chapel Hill, 1981. and by university students in the States,

College Campus, 1979. And, of course, also by academic sorts.

Architect Robert Venturi seems to favor this classic style, which alone should make the case for tweeds and sweaters.

Ships in Tokyo has that Shaggy Dog thing going.

I suppose I often give old catalogs and magazines a nod for the inspiration, discoveries and connection to the past that they often contain. However, while the past can inform the present, it is also worthwhile observing the how traditional style is being interpreted in the contemporary press of today. The Japanese magazine, Leon, is one of my favorite monthly reference points. It's a magazine with a fun perspective that doesn't take itself too seriously. I enjoy that. The images below, from Snap Leon (Vol. 2, 6, 8), and show a variety of tweed & sweater combinations.





When the weather gets cold and stays cold, a tweed jacket and a sweater is an everyday combination that works hard at keeping one warm. Shetlands and lighter weight sweaters like Merino wool cardigans and v-necks pair well with tweed.




The coldest part of the winter is here and tweed jackets and sweaters are a good way to stay warm. Few combinations lend themselves to both comfort and practicality. Trends come and go, but the combination of tweeds and sweaters is a perennial classic.
↧
↧

The Mountain Parka and the Winter Tour of 1978

January 22, 2013, 4:47 am
$
0
0
I've wondered at times if the omission was intentional or merely an oversight. I mean, it was such an obvious part of the 1970s and the preppy style of that era, that it could be seen anywhere. High schoolers and college guys wore them with sweaters and hiking boots, bean boots, loafers and Sperrys. Older guys (in their 30s - what I thought "old" was back then) wore them over tweed jackets, a tie and cordovan bluchers or those early-era lime green Nike running shoes. The Mountain Parka was ubiquitous and that TOPH never acknowledged it is, in hindsight, remarkable. Perhaps it was because it originated in California, or because it was a part of that scruffy Deadhead back to the country preppy-hippy style that banishment from the canon occurred. Then again, it was probably just an oversight. L.L. Bean carried it in the form of the Baxter State Parka, and it didn't get more canonical than that. Come to think of it many outdoors companies made one: Eddie Bauer, EMS, L.L. Bean, REI, Wilderness Experience and of course, Sierra Designs, the company that invented the 60/40 cotton poly blend mountain parka. Sierra Designs invented this legendary shell that could be layered over anything from a sweater to a tweed jacket in 1968 (above), and the rest, as they say, is history.


 

I remember getting my mountain parka (below) in 1979 from Eddie Bauer in downtown Chicago at the old location on Wabash Street under the "L" tracks. I remember going to the store with my father after a cross country meet in Grant Park by Lake Michigan. I wore this jacket with everything from sweaters to tweed jackets, at home and abroad. It still hangs in a closet at my parents home, and I wear it along with some old Maine Hunting Shoes from the garage, if the weather is chilly or wet when we visit. 
Mountain parkas were a staple part of the "Heavy-Duty Ivy" look that was so popular in high schools and colleges from the mid-1970s into the 1980s. However, when I was in high school, we never used the term "Ivy," and TOPH had yet to be published. The term "preppy" was actually used a bit derisively, as I recall. My father had an old tan Barracuda style jacket with a red tartan lining that I remember my mother wearing on family vacations to keep the chill off in the evenings. I somehow inherited that Barracuda and wore it until it fell apart, often layering it under this Eddie Bauer parka with the tan/stone Levis cords, button-downs, Sperry's or Wallabees that were pretty much the unwritten uniform of my high school. 
This parka has a large interior pocket that I also remember using a lot. The lower bellows pockets have felt lined hand warmer pockets behind them. That it is still around is a testament to one well-made garment and one guy who refuses to part with it.


L.L. Bean, Early Fall, 1983. L.L. Bean made both lined and unlined versions.


 
Glengarry Sporting Club posted a great image of L.L. Bean's lined Baxter State Parkas from this era on his tumblr.


Mountain parkas were pretty much everywhere in the late '70s-early 80s. Beginning with Dartmouth in 1977 (above and below) the images here cover the period of 1977-1982 from various West Coast and East Coast schools. Images: Men's Club #195 (8/1977); #204 (4/1978); #226 (12/1979); #240 (2/1981); #252 (2/1982); #253 (3/1982).











 
University of Oregon, 1978. This image reminds me of a very specific era, and of course of the music that was a part of it. During the fall of 1977 though the winter of 1978, the Grateful Dead played a number of remarkable shows. May 1977 is often cited as a very special month, but over a sustained period covering October 1977-February 1978, the Dead played one amazing show after another. Certain songs that debuted in the spring of 1977, like Terrapin Station and Estimated Prophet really came into their own during these colder months.

All these thoughts about the Mountain Parka stir other old memories of some fine recordings. The five shows below are my picks for the winter 1978 tour:

1/18/78 Civic Auditorium, Stockton, CA
I've had this recording for quite some time, and the tape has suffered in the lineage somewhere. However, it features one of the strongest Terrapin Stations>Playing in the Band ever played. It is massive. Worth. a. listen.

1/22/78 McArthur Court, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR
The word 'legendary' is used a lot about the Dead, but this show truly is just that. I received a cassette of set 2 of this show first back in about 1981. It contains, hands down, my favorite Terrapin Station, and a roaring Other One is followed by a Garcia solo that features the Close Encounters film theme will caffeinate you without drinking a thing. This show exists in a crisp soundboard linked above, and a fine audience recording by Reinhart Holwein here. The matrix mix of this has spent a lot of time in the car recently.

1/31/78 Uptown Theatre, Chicago, IL
Not enough good things can be said about this show. Set 1 is a corker and set 2 contains just about all one could wish for: A well jammed Scarlet Begonias>Fire on the Mountain, and a Terrapin>Playing in the Band>Jam>Drums>Black Peter>Truckin' sequence that contains some mighty fine exploratory playing. The Midwest was pounded by two large snowstorms in late January and early February of 1978, and I can only imagine what it was like getting to these Midwest shows. After the storms left the Midwest they carved a swath through the East Coast.

2/3/78 Dane County Coliseum, Madison, WI
This show and the one below have both been officially released as Dicks Picks #18. It's worth seeking out, as the soundboard recordings aren't streamable on the Internet Archive. A very good audience recording is, however, linked above. Set 2 of the Madison show contains an excellent version of Estimated Prophet followed by a beautifully energetic Eyes of the World. The Playing in the Band>The Wheel>Playing reprise features some of the finest improvisational playing of the tour. Hypnotic.

2/5/78 Uni-Dome, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA
One can only imagine the cold and snow in Cedar Falls, Iowa in the winter of 1978. This show, however, will warm you up with a very hot Scarlet Begonias>Fire on the Mountain. It is huge and overpoweringly satisfying. Perfection. Because this has been officially released the soundboard is also unstreamable, so the excellent audience recording is linked above. It is for all practical purposes almost as good as the soundboard. It has that feeling of being there - and you know that's a good thing.
The Grateful Dead, University of Oregon, January 22nd, 1978 (Photo: Bruce Polonsky). 
↧

Shawl Collar Cardigans - 150 Years of History

January 28, 2013, 3:43 am
$
0
0
It's perhaps not a bad time of the year to revisit the shawl collar cardigan. Many clothiers are having sales at this time of the year, and with a bit of searching and prudence, one might find a great sweater that will be serviceable for years to come. I have a green lovat shawl collar cardigan that has been with me for 26 years. My siblings gifted me with this as a remembrance of their travels in across 'the pond' one summer. This sweater was purchased in Inverness, Scotland and when I received it, it already had a ticket for Edinburgh Castle in one of the pockets. They told me later that they used the sweater as it was cold, thereby breaking it in a bit and giving it a bit of a story, as well. This sweater was made by the UK manufacturer, Peter Storm, in the 1980s. Though the name Peter Storm is still in existence, the company no longer makes this kind of high quality knitwear. This is an incredibly heavy, thick sweater and came with that company's "A1" waterproofing, which they claimed would last the life of the garment, as long as it wasn't dry cleaned. To the best of my knowledge, I've never sent this to the cleaners, so I should be set for anything in this.

Peter Storm was founded by former Royal Marine, Noel Bibby after the Second World War in 1954, and made very high quality foul weather gear. As close as I have been able to understand, Peter Storm was sold after Bibby's death in 1989. The company made very good rain jackets and cagoules (anoraks). I also have one of their raincoats, which is lightweight and perfect for spring walks with the dog in the rain.


The Peter Storm tag on my sweater displays the "W1 Proofed Made in Gt. Britain" - the mark of the genuine article. 


These are not my sweaters, though I wouldn't mind having any of them! I found this image on the internet somewhere, and have kept it tucked away in a file. Peter Storm also made heavy gauge crew neck sweaters with the same W1 waterproofing. Man, how I wish this company was still doing this.


About 25 years ago. My clothing choices haven't changed a whole lot: tan cords, tattersall button-downs, and a black wool tie that I wish I still had. 


I have a few cardigans with collars. The ones on the left and in the middle are from my wife, and whenever wear them I am reminded of the lovely person who gifted them to me. The history of the shawl collar cardigan is connected with Lieutenant General James Thomas Brudenell (1797-1868), 7th Earl of Cardigan, who served as a British officer in the Crimean War. In 1854, during the Battle of Balaclava, he was ordered to lead a cavalry assault against a well-defended Russian cannon emplacement. The calvary assault, though it ended with high casualties and retreat for the British, was immortalized in Alfred, Lord Tennyson's poem "The Charge of the Light Brigade." As a part of his uniform, Brudenell supposedly wore a knit jacket with a fur shawl collar and gold braids. Brudenell returned to England from the war, a national hero, and the sweater version of his uniform, minus the fur and gold braids, became a popular success. Since then, for over 150 years, many makers have offered the celebrated sweater.


Brooks Brothers, Christmas 1971. (207) "Our exclusive hand-knitted ribbed bulky Shetland wool cardigan in a hip length model with shawl collar. Knitted exclusively for us in Scotland in mustard mix, white, medium grey, or navy."


Brooks Brothers, Christmas, 1979. (C) "Handsome shawl collar cardigan of ribbed 3-ply Shetland wool with leather buttons. Can easily serve in lieu of a sport jacket. Natural or grey."


 L.L. Bean, Christmas 1985.


More recently, other makers have offered the shawl collar cardigan. Chester Barrie and Tie Your Tie (made by Fedeli, perhaps) are two great examples above (Image: Zino, 10/2007).


Cruciani and Pringle of Scotland also offered excellent examples of the shawl cardigan (Image: Zino, 10/2007).


Japanese select shop, Septis has offered a handknit version by Intervallen.

Berk also offers a very traditional version of the shawl cardigan in a heavy rib knit.

White of Hawick, as well, offers a heavy gauge rib knit version.

Orvis also offers a heavy weight version of this classic.

O'Connell's heavy gauge version looks to be about the closest in weight to the Peter Storm version. I have no idea if it is "A1 Proofed" or not.


Ben Silver offers a choice of colors and this sweater looks both heavy and soft.



Peter Johnston also offers a very heavy looking version with a heavy price tag.


If I was going to get another, however, my choice would by this Drake's of London version, in either flannel grey (above) or, 

 the navy, above, that is pictured on their tumblr.

Of course, the navy version looked great on President John F. Kennedy, but then, nearly anything did.

A shawl collar cardigan is a very versatile sweater and will keep one warm and dry. It can be worn instead of a sport coat, with or without a tie; and it can also be worn under a hunting jacket, as above. It is no wonder that this ideal sweater quickly gained a following that has continued for over 150 years. So, if you wear a shawl collar cardigan, remember the Earl of Cardigan, and his famous 'charge of the light brigade' - even if the only charging you are making is a dash across town to pick up a repaired Black Watch umbrella.
↧
Search

Cordovan Straight Tip Balmoral & Blucher Oxfords

February 3, 2013, 1:54 pm
$
0
0
One of the pleasures of cordovan is the variation of color and patina that this leather gains as it ages. Unlike shoes made from calfskin, which tends to age fairly uniformly, cordovan shoes, even of the same pair, often age very differently. This is usually more noticeable on shoes that are made from several pieces of cordovan, for example wing tips and cap toes. The straight tip, or cap toe bluchers above are a good example of this aging process. Some folks may not like this type of color variation over time, but I happen to like it. It reminds me that leather is always undergoing an aging process that is often out of my control.

On a day to day basis, I usually don't do more to cordovan shoes than to give them an occasional buffing with a cloth or horsehair brush. Though cordovan shoes really don't need the kind of regular polishing that calfskin requires, they do benefit from occasional polishing to help bring out the inner shine of the leather. I recently noticed that my oxfords and bluchers above were in need of a little attention, so early morning one morning after a couple cups of tea, and a walk with the dog, I went to work on them. There are a variety of approaches to polishing cordovan, and I think that it needs to be stated up front that one needs to find an approach that works for them and for the specific pair of shoes that they are working with. Newer shoes require less maintenance, but older ones seem to require a bit more elbow grease and polishing. I usually begin work on any pair of shoes, from loafers to lace ups by attending to the edges of the soles. I know I should use edge dressing, but it's a bit of a pain to work with, so over the years I have found that a black permanent marker works perfectly well for touching up those areas of the edges of the soles and heels that are nicked or showing wear (a brown marker for soles with a brown finish also works just fine). After which, I then simply apply a bit of polish to the edges and heels, buffing them for a bit of a shine. Unorthodox perhaps, but it works.

I like to leave the trees in the shoes when polishing because it is just easier for me to apply polish and to buff them. After removing the laces, I lightly wipe down the shoes with a well-wrung out damp cloth, and then immediately wipe them with a dry cloth. I usually use two polishes when working on cordovan: Alden's paste wax and Alden's boot cream. Paste wax works best when applied in a very thin coat, and allowed to dry  for a couple of minutes before polishing it off. I usually do the shoes in sections, i.e., the caps, the vamps, and the eyelet and quarter areas. I have found this is easier than doing the shoe all at once. Paste wax takes no small amount of elbow grease to remove, so time and diligent polishing is of the essence. I then sometimes will follow this with a very thin coat of Alden boot cream, which also must be thoroughly buffed off. The result is a glossy sheen that is quite different than that of calfskin.

Polished Alden Perforated Tip Balmoral Oxfords (#9015) in burgundy. These shoes are made on Alden's Hampton last, which has a very traditional and elegant silhouette. I like the Hampton last quite a bit. Shoes made on this last are very comfortable and easy wearing even when one has to walk a fair amount over the course of a day.

Polished Alden for Brooks Brothers, Straight Tip Blucher Oxfords in burgundy. These shoes are made on the Snap last, whereas the Alden version of this shoe is made on the Aberdeen last. The Snap last has a bit more toe room than the Aberdeen last, making these extremely easy wearing shoes. These shoes also have a double sole and may be about the most comfortable pair of shoes that I own.


Though both shoes bear different imprints, the stamping near the heel and the sole stitching attest to their being finished in the same factory.

In direct sunlight, color variations, imperfections and stains, such as the small water spots, are readily apparent. I usually don't wear cordovan if rain is forecast, but sometimes the weather forecast has been wrong and I have gotten caught in the rain. The spots only add to the patina of cordovan.

I'm not sure if Brooks Brothers still offers this style or not, as their website no longer features it. I hope that this does not mean the abandonment of this style. These shoes are real workhorses, and another pair wouldn't be a bad idea.

Placing both styles side by side is a good way to compare these two classics. Though they are both the same size and width, side by side the basic differences between the Snap and Hampton lasts become readily apparent. The Hampton last is trimmer with a narrower toe than those made on the Snap last, and the bluchers are a bit heavier and wider in appearance than the Balmorals made on the Hampton last. I wear both with suits as well as with odd trousers and jackets. The bluchers, however, also work well with cords and khakis for more casual occasions. However, both styles are excellent choices for everyday wear. They are comfortable, versatile and well designed. There are some who may perhaps find them a bit boring and staid, but I believe this is part of their enduring appeal. These are classic shoes that will last for years, quietly going about their business thereby transcending the come and go trends and fads of fashion. If that makes these shoes boring, then I wish only to continue in this style for years to come.
↧

Matters of State: That 'Brooksy' Button-Down Collar Roll

February 15, 2013, 8:34 pm
$
0
0
The origin of the button-down collar shirt is always recounted as having its beginnings in 1896 when the grandson of founder Henry Sands Brooks, John E. Brooks, saw polo players in England wearing shirts that had buttons on the collars to keep them in place. This shirt, with its aptly named "Polo Collar," is probably Brooks Brothers most enduring and famous contribution to the classic American style. Throughout its history, Brooks Brothers introduced a number of shirting innovations such as Seersucker, Madras, Brookscloth, and Brooksweave, but it was the actual garment of the shirt itself that simply changed the way men wore shirts. Not only has the button-down collar shirt been copied and modified by more times by more companies than nearly any other piece of clothing, it revolutionized shirts, making them more casual, thus leading the way to a more casual American style of dress. 

Prior to the button-down shirt, shirt collars and shirts were sold separately, with the heavily starched separate collars resembling heavy card stock. The comfort of unlined collars guaranteed the success of the button-down collar. Brooks Brothers' 1947 Christmas catalog (see below) points to this change by calling these newer shirts, "Collar-Attached Shirts." These "Collar-Attached" button-down shirts had a collar that was inherently softer and more flexible than the older separate heavily starched collars. The image above shows a Brooks Brothers button-down collar shirt prior to the 1958 Textile Fiber Products Identification Act, which mandated that manufacturers identify the fiber content of garments. Prior to 1958, the Brooks Brothers label (as above) simply read "Brooks Brothers New York." However, after 1958, the words "All Cotton" were added to the label, and the name "New York" was eventually replaced with the term "Makers" at some point in the mid to late 1950s. There are many things about these older shirts that are different than the contemporary Brooks Brothers shirts of today: The earliest version was a pullover long-sleeved shirt, which was later changed to a 5 button "coat style" shirt, which, in turn, was changed to a shirt with a 6 button front. These older shirts also had extremely long and full shirttails, and unlined collars. The 6 button front was changed in the late 1980s to today's 7 button front. Many of us rarely give putting on and buttoning up a "coat style" shirt a second thought, but it was this shirt, with its attached soft unlined collar, that came to revolutionize the way men wear shirts today. 


It is, of course, impossible to know if Dean Acheson is wearing a Brooks Brothers shirt in the photo above, which dates from September 1945. However, the collar alone would seem to suggest a Brooks Brothers button-down collar shirt because of the casual elegance it conveys. This was something that Brooks Brothers' president, John Clark Wood, called "Brooksy." Though Acheson is wearing a natural shoulder glen check suit, his choice of an unlined button-down collar shirt, rather than a straight point collar, lends his appearance a casual formality that is the hallmark of a classic American style. The almost bandana-like design of the tie doesn't hurt at all, either. This is an extremely well-played combination that still manages to look startlingly fresh nearly 70 years later. It is because of this soft roll that the unlined button-down collar became both well-known and well sought after by men (and women) around the world.


The item descriptions in the 1947 Brooks Brothers Christmas catalog are helpful in understanding the shift from separate collars to attached collar shirts. I can only imagine how convenient this new style of shirt must have seemed, with its attached collar and collar buttons. It must have seemed an incredibly rational step in the right direction to many men and boys accustomed to using separate collars and collar studs.


The New Yorker (9/24/1949). Note that the label includes the name "New York." This advertisement calls attention to the "soft generous roll" of the Brooks Brothers button-down collar. The advertisement is also helpful in understanding the shift from a pullover style to a "coat style" shirt. The "coat style" of shirt is, of course, the style that we are all familiar with today. The pullover style of shirt always seems to undergo revivals, but it is nearly always for the short-sleeved version. I have a Brooks Brothers burgundy candy stripe short-sleeve pullover in the attic, though I wish it were an old long-sleeved one instead.


The New Yorker (11/15/1955). In 1955, the shirt label now read "Makers" rather than "New York," and the pullover style was no longer advertised (though it shows up again in 1962 below). The newly developed Brookscloth and Brooksweave blends were also prominently featured. This advertisement mentions "the full roll and 'set' of the collar," for which Brooks Brothers button-downs had become famous. It is this "full roll and 'set' of the collar" that I would like to look more closely at below.


The 1962 Spring & Summer catalog featured button-down (Polo), tennis and club collars. Brooks Brothers still apparently continued to offer the pullover style shirt in white oxford cloth, though the trend toward the coat style was probably already a done deal by that point. However, there must have been men who were unwilling to change their sartorial habits and make the shift to a coat style of shirt. Oxford cloth was offered in white, blue, pink, grey, yellow or stone. With the exception of grey, these color choices would continue to be offered through the late 1980s.

The 1979 Christmas catalog offered the oxford cloth button-down in white, blue, peach ecru, pink, yellow, and stone, in addition to yellow and blue candy stripes. These shirts had 6 button fronts and unlined collars with that distinctively casual collar roll.


Fall & Winter 1980 also featured the same color palette. Note the bend on the left side of that collar in the illustration. This was part of that casual informality that this collar came to be known for. I think that it's significant that Brooks Brothers actually began to illustrate this kind of collar roll in its catalogs, rather than a simple and uniform "bell" like collar roll. It was the irregularity of the unlined collar roll, rather than a cookie-cutter regularity, that was part of its success in conveying a sense of casual formality.


Summer 1981. The collar above featured a wider button stance than that of today's shirts. This distance between the collar buttons greatly affected how the collar would eventually roll and "set." Some pundits might argue that a button-down collar shirt is too casual to be worn with a suit, however, Brooks Brothers advertised them with suits in their catalogs. And this is the point: The casual button-down collar is at its best when worn with natural shoulder suits and sport jackets. This sort of easy and informal elegance is what set the American style apart from the more formal elegance of Savile Row.


Spring 1982. The collar roll here has that classic bell shaped roll. 


Fall & Winter 1988. The images here and below from this catalog really capture the essence of the Brooks Brothers collar roll in all of its unruly and asymmetrical glory. Because the collar was unlined, there was little to keep it from curving or collapsing depending upon the wearer's own physical posture and they manner in which the necktie was worn.


Fall & Winter 1988. Brooks Feathertweed.

 Fall & Winter 1988. Glen check suit.


Fall & Winter 1988. This mantra was true.


Fall & Winter 1988. This sort of lopsided roll is classic Brooks Brothers. It's subtle, but both sides of the collar aren't doing the same thing. There seemed to be great variation in collar rolls and this is part of what I like about them.

Of course, the open collar button-down needs to be mentioned in this context. Perhaps the most famous image that comes to mind is that of Cary Grant in the Hitchcock film, North by Northwest, wearing a white oxford cloth open collar button-down, grey trousers and tassel loafers. Though I can't prove it, I would be very surprised if the shirt in the image above was not a Brooks Brothers button-down. The distance between the collar button and the second button is a bit longer than that of today, but this was normal for the 5 or 6 button front shirt. However, it's the unmistakable roll of the open collar that suggests that it is really a Brooks Brothers shirt.


The shirt above is a sibling to the shirt that Cary Grant is wearing in the previous image. It has a 6 button front, an unlined collar and that same open collar roll.


The same can be said of this yellow bold stripe oxford cloth shirt from the late 1950s-early 1960s: It has that same open collar roll.


It also has very deep shirttails that are a hallmark of this well-made shirt.


This pink bold stripe oxford cloth shirt from the same period also has that unmistakable open collar roll that has become such an easily recognizable part of the American style.

The pink bold stripe and the white Brookscloth shirts with ties (below).


Yankee Magazine, October, 1979. The bell shaped collar roll (above and below) is perhaps the button-collar that is most well-known and most easily achieved by nearly every shirt maker.


However, look closely at Dean Acheson's collar (above) in this photo taken in June 1952 with General Eisenhower. Acheson's collar displays an absolutely unruly, bent and collapsed sort of perfection. This is something altogether different than the bell shaped roll. The illustrations in the 1988 Fall & Winter catalog above captured the spirit of this sort of asymmetrical collar roll.

I've included some photos below from the past couple of weeks. Many of my favorite Brooks Brothers shirts have a bit of this sort of unruliness about them. 




 
For me the image above of Dean Acheson displays the ideal collar roll. It is unbalanced, unruly and perfectly imperfect. It is everthing that a button-down collar should be. (Image: voxsartoria)


Earlier this past week: A wonderfully bent out of shape Brooks Brothers Brooksweave button-down collar. 


Looking at these images, it occurs to me, however, that somewhere along the way the spirit of what made the button-down collar truly "Brooksy" has been lost. Today's button-downs (and I am casting the net beyond only Brooks Brothers here), though often very well-made shirts, fail to achieve this sort of asymmetrical perfection because the collars have been rendered lifeless through overly heavy lining. Moreover, the non-iron shirts of today have basically forfeited this spirit because though they never wrinkle, they also never actually look lived in. To say it another way, one might say that contemporary shirts of today are almost too well-made. A bit of rumpling and wrinkling was an important aspect of the American style's casual elegance because it looked alive, imparting a bit of informality, playfulness even, in an often serious, uncertain and difficult world. It's this playfully casual elegance that was the secret to Brooks Brothers' button-collar shirts. It is an open secret that is still invites imitation and renewal by a new generation willing to look bit more closely at what makes traditions truly alive and genuine.

(Images: Google LIFE archive, and others as indicated above).
↧
↧

HTJ Archives: Shirts of Every Stripe

March 4, 2013, 3:00 am
$
0
0
I recently had the privilege of access to a collection of original copies of the The New Yorker, and was pleasantly surprised by the advertising during post war period of the late 1940s-1960s. American industry was not only healthy and vibrant, but also possessed the ability to advertise with grace and humor. It was indeed a different era, one not without its own Cold War challenges, but certainly also one of ambition and confidence. Legendary clothiers and shops such as Brooks Brothers, J. Press, Chipp, F.R. Tripler & Co., Abercrombie & Fitch, Paul Stuart, Alden, L.L. Bean, The Talbots, Trimingham's, The Bermuda Shop, The Tog Shop and others all advertised regularly in The New Yorker. Thumbing through the pages of The New Yorker during this period, I have been constantly amazed by how timelessly "American" and "classic" the style is that has been historically associated with the names of these clothiers. 

With these kinds of thoughts on my mind, I was also recently asked by fellow blogger, Glengarry Sporting Club, if I could help make sense of the myriad of names that clothiers have used over the decades for striped patterns of men's dress shirts. The question is a good one, but the minute it was asked, I knew that it would take some time to collect my sources, as well as my thoughts. I also knew that a "definitive answer" was probably out of the question, because different clothiers have called the same types of patterns many things over the years. It's not like men's traditional clothiers all got together at some sort of 'Round Table Summit' and jointly decided on the names of shirts with 1/16", 1/8", and 1/4", etc. stripes. Rather, they each seem to have either chosen names that became part of their historical repertoire of offerings, or alternatively, they changed or abandoned certain names over time.
Perhaps the best example of this kind of change over time is the pattern of striped oxford cloth known as either "Candy Stripes" or "University Stripes" (above). Historically, the term "Candy Stripe" is older and much better attested to than "University Stripe." For example, from the 1950s-1980s, that well-known trinity of traditional clothiers - Brooks Brothers, J. Press and Chipp - all called striped oxford cloth shirts "Candy Stripes." Only sometime after the 1980s, perhaps in an effort to better advertise their shirts, did J. Press break ranks and begin to call this type of fabric "University Stripe." Though J. Press stopped referring to oxford cloth striped shirts as "Candy Striped," they continued to use the term "Candy Stripe" for striped shirts made from broadcloth. This is only one example, but it is a good one, for it shows how names change, or are even abandoned, over time. Today, even Brooks Brothers no longer calls oxford cloth shirts with this pattern "Candy Stripe," but rather "Oxford Stripes." Due to the internet, I suspect that many people today may feel more comfortable with the term "University Stripe," rather than the term "Candy Stripe," even though the later is older and historically more "correct." However, I also can't let the subject of striped oxford cloth shirts go without mentioning oxford cloth "Bold Stripe" shirts (below). 
Though I don't know what these shirts were actually called, this pattern contains stripes that are of the same size and spacing as Brooks Brothers "Bold Stripe" broadcloth and gingham fabrics. Brooks Brothers, unfortunately, no longer offers this pattern of oxford cloth, nor do they offer the "Bold Stripe" gingham shirts.

In addition, however, there are a great many other names that should be mentioned such as: Hairline stripe, pencil stripe, banker stripe, bold stripe, British stripe, Bengal stripe, butcher stripe, crayon stripe, block stripe, chalk stripe, blazer stripe, peppermint stripe, cable stripe, barber stripe, even 'willow stripes'. This list is not exhaustive, but merely a reflection of the great variety of names that clothiers have creatively used over the past fifty or sixty years. The images above and below show an assortment of Brooks Brothers 'Makers' shirts in a variety of stripings. The image above would include patterns such as banker stripe, pencil stripe, hairline stripe, Bengal stripe, and some multi-stripe shirts. The image below, of course, shows Brooks Brothers shirts in a bold stripe gingham fabric. This fabric was used to make the well-known "Fun Shirt."


Advertisements & Catalogs:
Rather than construct a list of shirting fabrics by stripe names, I have chosen to present advertisements by individual clothiers, so that a better perspective might be gained on the development of each clothier over time. I have rather arbitrarily chosen to look at the postwar era of the 1950s into the late century 1990s, because though the prewar period is interesting, arguably, something changed after the war, and the postwar period is when the modern versions of what we know as "Ivy," "Preppy" (and later "Trad") came into being. Organizing the images in this manner also allows a bit more of the character of each clothier to come to the fore. The images that follow have come primarily from advertisements in The New Yorker and catalogs, and in addition to documenting the offerings of each clothier, these images also open a window upon an era that really no longer exists. I feel sort of fortunate to have at least been around at the end of this era during the 1970s-1980s. By the 1990s, something had changed again, and it is perhaps reflected in the changes of terms used to describe these striped fabrics. The recent development of non-iron shirts is another major change that further distances the present from the period examined here. Clothiers have been listed by date of establishment: Brooks Brothers (1818), J. Press (1902), Paul Stuart (1938), Cable Car Clothiers (1939), and Chipp (1947).

Brooks Brothers:
The New Yorker (11/29/1958). This advertisement shows the full line of Brooks Brothers shirts in 1958. What is notable is that the striped shirts are described in very simple terms such as, "woven stripes" (oxford cloth), "pin stripe Madras" (perhaps end-on-end Madras), and "fine stripes" (English broadcloth).

The New Yorker (5/6/1961). Brooks Brothers introduced their "Brookscloth" Dacron and cotton blend in 1952, and offered them in solid colors as well as stripes. Again, a typically restrained Brooks Brothers advertisement.

Spring & Summer 1962 catalog. This type of "British Broad Stripe" would become a Brooks Brothers staple for years to come. The stripes are a bit wider than the later 1980s "Bengal Stripe."  The "British Broad Stripe" was, however, probably a direct ancestor to the "Bold Stripe" shirts of the 1970s, 80s and 90s.

Spring & Summer 1962 catalog. Again, this catalog simply described striped shirts as "woven stripes" (oxford), and "fine stripes" (English broadcloth). It seems that until the 1970s, Brooks Brothers did not use as many clearly defined names for striped shirts.

Fun Shirt, circa late 1970s. In the 1970s, the "Fun Shirt" was originally made from randomly striped broadcloth as seen in the image above. The later 1980s version of this shirt was made from "Bold Stripe" gingham of uniform stripe width. I've always liked the sheer asymmetry of the earlier 1970s version.

Christmas 1971 catalog. In addition to the Fun Shirt (106), the "Bold Stripe"shirt (110) makes an appearance in Scottish broadcloth. This button-down collar shirt was available for years to come as the "Bold Stripe" shirt, and was later offered in gingham.

Fall & Winter 1980 catalog. I'm not sure exactly when Brooks Brothers began to refer to striped oxford cloth as "Candy Stripes," but by the late 1970s this was the term used to describe this fabric. It was offered in brown, yellow, wine and dark blue, and in addition in later years, it was also offered in green and red.

Christmas 1980 catalog. What is noteworthy is that Brooks Brothers also employed the term "Candy Stripes" for end-on-end broadcloth (Madras) fabric in both the all cotton and the Brookscloth (above) versions. I've long been a fan of end-on-end in solids and stripes for the warmer weather months. It's a fabric that's not often seen today, though Mercer & Sons is a good place to still find it today.

Fall & Winter 1981 catalog. Cotton broadcloth "Candy Stripes" in blue or wine on white. This may be either end-on-end broadcloth or regular broadcloth. I've had versions of both, so I know they exist.

Fall & Winter 1981 catalog. Hairline stripes (A) make another appearance as well as a "Multi-stripes" (C) pattern. Brooks Brothers offered many different versions of shirts with multiple stripes, but didn't seem to refer to them with anything other than a utilitarian name like "multi-stripes."

Christmas 1981 catalog. Another classic pattern was the "Hairline Stripe" (A, above). J. Press (see below) has also offered a similarly named fabric for decades. Item B, described here as "crisp new stripings," was probably similar to the late 1980s Bengal stripe, which was narrower than Brooks Brothers' "Bold Stripe" shirts.

Christmas 1981 catalog.  The "Bold Stripe" pattern (F) can be seen in the above image from this catalog, along with oxford cloth "Candy Stripes" (H).

Fall & Winter 1982 catalog. In addition to Brookscloth "Candy Stripes" (A), Brooks Brothers also offered a '"Fineline Stripe" cotton broadcloth shirt in wine or blue. The "Fineline" broadcloth was probably a bit wider than "Hairline" broadcloth.

Christmas 1982 catalog. In addition to their "Candy Stripe" oxford cloth shirts (C), Brooks brothers also offered a "Fineline" oxford cloth shirt (B). 

Spring 1983 catalog. The "Candy Stripe" broadcloth shirt (F) makes another appearance.

Fall & Winter 1983 catalog. Oxford cloth "Candy Stripes" in burgundy, blue, yellow and brown.

Fall & Winter 1983 catalog. The catalog reads, "New Bengal stripe own make shirts of Brookscloth...blue or red on white." The "Bengal stripe" was a bit wider than the "Fineline" but narrower than the "Bold stripe" pattern.

Fall & Winter 1983 catalog. The "Bengal Stripe" (G) and the Brookscloth "Candy Stripes" (H) continued to be offered in 1983.

Fall 1987 catalog. Brooks Brothers had been offering a boldly striped shirt for decades, as we saw in the "British Broad Stripe" from the 1962 catalog. By the early 1970s, "Bold Stripes" had become a staple, and the "Fun Shirt" was another classic that was  made from this fabric. The colors also changed a bit from year to year.

Autumn 1989 catalog. The catalog read, "A proven favorite, our cotton oxford blazer stripe shirt. Yarn-dyed stripes in white on blue, pink on white or blue on peach." The Blazer Stripe has long been a personal favorite of mine. It is a shirt that, when starched looks great with grey trousers, a navy blazer and a club tie, and it also wears just as well with a pair of rumpled old khakis.

Summary:
It would seem that Brooks Brothers' policy of very spartan advertising kept it away from effusive descriptions and claims about merchandise. This was a probably a good thing. It probably helped to keep their public persona conservative and somewhat timeless, because at the same time, they were constantly pioneering new fabrics and products. In other words, though Brooks Brothers was always developing new products, and hence changing, a conservative approach to advertising helped to position this sort of change within a context of "timeless" traditionalism. Though many shirts were merely described as "striped," there were some names for striped patterns that Brooks Brothers made consistent use of over a significant span of time. Terms such as "Candy Stripe" and "Bold Stripe" are the classic examples of sort of 'naming'. These terms were used so consistently, and over such a long period of time, that they also shaped how I refer to these patterns today.

J. Press:
J. Press Spring & Summer 1954 Brochure. J. Press has always had an abundant offering of shirts in different collars and fabrics. This catalog shows a poplin "Pinstripe" in blue, grey and tan stripes on white. 

The New Yorker (2/7/1959). Though this advertisement didn't name the three striped patterns offered here, they were surely what J. Press called "Candy Stripes," Pencil Stripes," and "Hairline Stripes."

The New Yorker (11/9/1960). The offerings for 1960 included "Block Stripes" (oxford cloth), Hairline Stripes" (cotton Madralyte), "Candy Striped" (cotton Madralyte), and of course, that classic that is rather hard to come by today, solid blue "End-on-End Madras." "Madralyte" was a fabric very much like end-on-end Madras, but without the box weave pattern that characterizes that fabric. 

The New Yorker (4/28/1962). This amazing little advertisement contains patterns that J. Press would carry for the next twenty years: Block Stripes, Pencil Stripes, Hairline Stripes and Candy Stripes.

Fall & Winter 1977 Brochure. Multi-striped shirts were popular back in the '70s, and J. Press carried these kinds of stripes shirts, calling them "Random Stripes," "Twin Stripes and "Pavilion Stripes." 15 years after the previous advertisement above, J. Press was still offering classic stripes which included "Crayon Stripes," "Candy Stripes," "Hairline Stripes," "Pencil Stripes" and "Block Stripes." These were offered in a variety of fabrics such as oxford cloth, broadcloth and Madralyte.

Fall & Winter 1978 Brochure. In addition to the above 1977 offerings, the 1978 brochure also offered blue and white "Chalk Stripes" in end-on-end Madras.

Fall & Winter 1980 Brochure. Again, "Hairline Stripes," "Pencil Stripes," "Block Stripes," "Crayon Stripes" and "Candy Stripes." For decades, J. Press was pretty consistent about these patterns. It is hard to think of a better example and approach to traditional conservatism. I suspect that many men liked to be able to go back and get the same shirts that they had enjoyed and eventually worn out. It probably made shopping or ordering by phone easy.

Spring & Summer 1997. By the 1990s, P. Press had changed some of the terms used to describe fabric design for shirts. "Banker Stripes," "University Stripes," and "Butcher Stripes" had replaced older terms such as "Pencil Stripes," "Block Stripes," and "Candy Stripes." I don't know what caused this shift in the naming of patterns, but many of these newer terms are still used today.

Spring & Summer 2000. It is interesting that the term "Candy Stripe" did not disappear, but rather than indicating oxford cloth, it referred to a thinner broadcloth like fabric. The Fall & Winter 2000 catalog (not shown) also contains both "University Stripe" oxford cloth shirts with a flap pocket, and "Candy Striped" shirts in a broadcloth like fabric.  J. Press remains just about the only clothier that still makes use of the term "Candy Stripe."
Spring & Summer 2001. The striped shirt offerings in this catalog were "University Stripe" (E), "Pencil Stripe" (H & Q), "Candy Stripe" (J), "Spaced Stripe" (M), "Blue Stripe" (R).

Summary:
J. Press very consistently named and differentiated its shirting fabrics and patterns over a very long span of time. Consistent use of terms such as "Crayon Stripes," "Candy Stripes," "Hairline Stripes," "Pencil Stripes" and "Block Stripes" gave J. Press advertising and catalogs a kind of precision that probably appealed to many customers and no doubt made ordering by phone a simple matter. If an item was out of stock, an easily identifiable alternative could be suggested in its place. Though J. Press changed the names of many of these patterns in the late 198os or early 1990s, they have consistently used the renamed patterns into the present. If nothing else, J. Press has a tradition for consistent naming of products that many traditional customers probably found, and find, reassuring. The terms "Presstablishment," "Pressidential," Presstige," and "Pressclusive" that J. Press has used over the years to indicate the different grades of suits and jackets is another example of this. Even if the supplier of shirts, jackets and suits changed, the consistent use of the same terms over time helped to give the appearance of changeless conservatism.

Paul Stuart & Cable Car Clothiers: This post would be incomplete without a couple of references to Paul Stuart and Cable Car Clothiers. The recent sale of Paul Stuart to Mitsui only amplifies the "family-owned" business style advertising seen in the early 1960s. I'm sure that Mitsui will be a good caretaker of the brand, as Paul Stuart is an enormously well-known clothier in Japan, but the era shown in these advertisements from the early 1960s is long gone.
The New Yorker (5/20/1961). I included these Paul Stuart advertisements (above and below) for the rather whimsical terms used to describe stripes: "Barber Stripes" and "Willow Stripes." I can't think of anything but The Kingston Trio when I look at that pullover above.  This advert is from a time when Paul Stuart was a New York clothier, rather than an internationally known brand. The "Willow Stripes" below would have also been good in long sleeves.

Cable Car Clothiers Summer 1983 catalog. This Cable Car Clothiers catalog deserves a mention for its simple descriptions without much of any "naming" of striped patterns. Though not presented here, Cable Car also deserves further mention for still offering in 1983 that rarest of oxford striped button-down collar shirts, the long-sleeved pullover. I always wanted one and never had the common sense to just order one when I had the chance.

Chipp:
Finally, a few images from the legendary clothier Chipp during the 1950s and 60s.
The New Yorker (9/27/1952). This advertisement shows Chipp's rather remarkable offerings in 1952. Striped shirts were offered in "Candy Stripes" (oxford cloth and broadcloth) and "Peppermint Striped Madras," which I assume was end-on-end Madras.

The New Yorker (10/16/1954). In the fall of 1954, striped shirts were offered in "Cable Stripes, "Hairline Stripes," "Peppermint Stripes" and "Candy Stripes." This sort of easy to remember naming is reminiscent of J. Press advertising.


Fall & Winter 1965 catalog. However, the 1965 Chipp catalog simply used measured stripe widths for the naming of striped shirts fabrics. I don't know if this was an abandonment of the above names, but it probably means that I need to search out Chipp advertising from the mid-1960s to find out. However, like J. Press, Chipp seems to have had a good policy of names for shirt fabrics that probably helped customers easily identify and remember the names of patterns. Names like "Cable Stripes" and "Peppermint Stripes" were unique as well as appealing. (Image link here for the rest of the catalog.)

Conclusion:
There is an Albert Einstein quote that goes like this: "Once you can accept the universe as being something expanding into an infinite nothing which is something, wearing stripes with plaid is easy." I might also add, "and so is calling a 'candy stripe' a 'university stripe,' or calling a 'broad stripe', a 'bold stripe,' a 'butcher stripe'." I get the feeling that many names were merely convenient ways that clothiers had of marketing and differentiating their offerings in a competitive marketplace. Brooks Brothers was probably the least descriptive when it came to the naming of shirts, relying upon a very basic description and an accompanying image that gave customers an idea of the garment in question. More than Brooks Brothers, J. Press and Chipp had a greater tendency to consistently use the same descriptive names for shirts of every stripe over an extended period of time. This was probably not bad thing. Customers probably liked the reliability, and the terms consistently used did accurately describe the patterns involved. As has been suggested above, consistent use of pattern names also probably gave the impression of changelessness, even though manufacturing methods and suppliers may have changed over time. With J. Press, the consistent use of terms probably helped it maintain an image of conservatism in the midst of not only socially and politically turbulent decades, but also in the midst of a change in ownership to the Onward Kashiyama company in 1986. 

Today, clothiers continue to use names that signify not only certain patterns, but also certain social, professional and historical affiliations. "Banker," "University," "Oxford," "Bengal" are all terms that not only describe stripes but also point toward a certain lifestyle with its socio-historical aspirations. These terms carry more content and provide a thicker description than merely descriptive measurements such as '1/16" stripes' or "1/8" stripes'. 

Though Brooks Brothers continues to refer to striped shirts with such terms as Bengal, Pencil, Bold, and Oxford, one doesn't sense the use of description that, as in the past, pointed to a conservative Brooks Brothers style. Sadly, they also no longer offer the Blazer Stripe and Bold stripe shirts of old. J. Press continues to make consistent use of names in a way upholds their approach to traditional menswear. Though they have started York Street, a new line of clothing aimed at a younger age group, one hopes that they will continue to offer their traditional line as they have in the past. Though not mentioned above, shirtmaker, Mercer & Sons may be about the only place to still find truly traditional shirts that are constructed in a traditional manner without linings in the collars and cuffs. Their fabric offerings are very wide and they use easy to identify terms such as Banker, Pencil, Broad, University, Bengal, Butcher, etc. Mercer & Sons may also be about the only place to order end-on-end Madras striped shirts, as well.
Finally, certain patterns, such as the "Blazer Stripe" have sort of disappeared. The 'Makers' blazer stripe (above) worn with a thrice patch-pocketed flannel blazer (above) reminds me that certain shirt patterns naturally go well with certain suits and jackets. It's not Einsteinian physics, but once you accept this, then wearing a striped shirt with a striped club tie is also pretty easy.
↧

Lazy Lightning: Outerwear for the Spring

March 15, 2013, 4:24 am
$
0
0
The early spring season often requires outerwear that is both waterproof and fairly lightweight. Though it is no longer extremely cold, early spring thunderstorms often bring wind, rain and lightning. A look in my closet reveals a number of useful coats that perform well over suits, sport jackets and sweaters in this kind of weather. I have to admit a liking for a basic single breasted fly-front raincoat. For years the Burberrys' pictured above has been a workhorse of a coat.

Of course, when it comes to a field jacket, Barbour's Beaufort waxed jacket is singularly useful. Surprisingly warm over a tweed jacket, it will keep one dry all day going in and out of the wind and the rain.

The Prince of Wales has been known to favor this type of jacket. (Image: Tim Graham/Getty Images, Men's Precious 2011 Spring).

A few years ago, however, I decided to give Barbour's "Breathable and Waterproof" Beaufort jacket a try. I liked the navy one above so much that I also picked up one in stone. These are both extremely well made jackets that will keep one dry in wet weather. Slightly longer than my waxed Beaufort, these both can easily be worn over suits and jackets.


The light tan or stone color Beaufort is a good jacket for the spring due to its lighter color. The fabric of both of these jackets is a very fine weave that, in addition to being waterproof, is also surprisingly resistant to the wind.

The warmth of a waxed jacket is very welcome in the colder months, but as the weather moves towards spring, the breathability of these lighter jackets is also welcome.

The Prince of Wales also seems to favor this sort of jacket, as well. The form and function of these jackets is as timeless as tweed caps. One significant difference that these non-waxed Beauforts have with their waxed counterparts is that the non-waxed jackets do not have a rear game pocket. I'm usually in a jacket and tie when wearing these Beauforts, so I don't really miss the game pocket. (Image: HEMEDIA).

Like many guys, I've had a number of raincoats over the years. I currently have two that I use a lot in the rainy months, for example, when walking the dog. One is a yellow fleece lined L.L. Bean jacket that is a good jacket in the cold rain. Unfortunately, this jacket also came with fleece-lined sleeves, which made putting it on over a sweater or sweatshirt feel like I was trying to put on a velcro-sleeved jacket. Not the best design, really. I eventually tired of this velcro-like experience and performed the surgery of removing the fleece from the sleeves myself. It is now a much better jacket. The other raincoat is an old British classic made by Peter Storm (above). I found mine as dead stock from Peter Storm's eBay store, but I don't think that these are available anymore. This is a very simple and functional raincoat. It is perhaps proof of the maxim that "simple is best."

For years I wore an L.L. Bean Field Coat. I really liked their all cotton lightweight Upland Field Coat in ripstop cotton. This coat was lighter than the standard field coat, and was perfect for the early spring months. It was just long enough to wear over a blazer or a tweed jacket, and it had a lot of pockets, however, I wore mine out. However, several years ago when I went to purchase a replacement, I was surprised to find that L.L. Bean no longer made the Upland Field Coat in the old style. I kicked myself for not buying two, but how was I to know that L.L. Bean would stop making it?

So instead, I got the current version, and while it is a very functional jacket, it's just not the same as the old all cotton one. Sometimes L.L. Bean has a tendency to tinker too much with a good thing. However, I've gotten used to this coat and can say that it is a very hard wearing jacket and extremely wind resistant. It has a large game pocket that is easily accessible from the front, and while I don't hunt, it is great for carrying all sorts of things. I've worn this over a down vest, sweaters and fleece jackets. It is a very serviceable jacket.

Coats and jackets that perform well in the wind and rain are often well made and last a long time. Where can one go today for this kind of outerwear? I have listed several coats below that I find appealing. Though I have not tried all of these coats and jackets, they would probably function well for a long time in all sorts of circumstances.
Mackintosh Spencer Raincoat (O'Connell's). This is a great looking coat from a traditional British company. If and when my old Burberrys' wears out, I would consider this coat from Mackintosh.

Barbour Beaufort (J. Press). Very serviceable in all kinds of weather.


Trail Model Rain Jacket (L.L. Bean). A simple and classic raincoat.

Upland Field Coat (L.L. Bean). Not the same as the old classic, but hard wearing and functional.

Survivalon Classic Jacket (O'Connell's). I've been tempted to try this jacket, but have never been able to figure out how I would use it. A legendary jacket, and surprisingly, still made in the USA.

When the seasons are changing, the weather can be unpredictable. It may be sunny and cool in the morning with lightning and rain in the afternoon and evening. In the early spring with easily changeable weather, lightweight outerwear makes good sense. Layered over a tweed jacket, blazer or a sweater, this kind of outerwear will keep one dry and comfortable as one goes about daily tasks in the wind, rain and perhaps even a bit of lightning.

Another classic that I associate with spring is the couplet Lazy Lightning > Supplication. The Grateful Dead played it very well in the 1977-1979 period and I've listed three of my favorites below.

5/8/77 Barton Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
Matrix blend (Hunter Seamons matrix)
Steve Maizner master (Sony ECM-990 mic>Sony TC-152 master).

5/11/78 Springfield Civic Center, Springfield, MA
Moore, Maisner & Spitalny master (Nakamichi CM-700 mics> Nakamichi 550> Sony TC-152).

5/11/79 Billerica Forum, Billerica, MA
Steve Rolfe master (Nakamichi CM-700 mics>Sony TC-158 cassette master).

Keep some of these on an ipod in the pocket of a good weatherproof jacket like those above, and you'll forget all about the wind and the rain. Just stay out of the lightning.
↧

HTJ Archives - L.L. Bean Spring 1982

April 10, 2013, 7:20 pm
$
0
0
Spring is arriving slowly. Some days are warm, and just when I think I've worn the last tweed and flannel for the season, it turns cold and damp with gale force winds. Such is spring. However, I recently took a look through L.L. Bean's 1982 spring catalog and was taken back to another time and place, a spring of some 31 years ago. Could it really have been so long ago? Much in this 1982 catalog was made in the USA, and nearly everything has both that utilitarian and preppy outdoors "spirit" about it. That said, this sort of "spirit" is also an elusive sort of thing, though I recognize it when I see it. However, because a company once possessed this sort of spirit does not mean that it will always possess it. Like a good camp fire, this spirit needs to be tended to, lest the flame go out. I wouldn't say that L.L. Bean's fire has gone out, leaving only cold ashes, but the flame burns a bit less brightly these days. This old catalog was not slick, nor was it over-produced. It has a regional homespun quality to it, and unlike today's catalogs, this catalog also contained very few "location" shots (save the one of the hammock on page 55, and some of tents that I didn't include). The catalog basically contained only images of clothing and outdoor related supplies. Simple as that. L.L. Bean knew that customers could supply the locations themselves, so no help was needed there.

This reminds me of a book by Tom Mahoney and Leonard Sloane titled, The Great Merchants (Harper & Row, 1966 enlarged edition). This book contains a chapter on L.L. Bean, and should be required reading for anyone interested in the history of this company (the same book also contains a chapter on Brooks Brothers, as well). The book describes Bean's roots as an outdoors supplier, touching on the company's famous 24 hour a day service,"Regardless of the day or hour, you will find the place open and somebody on hand to sell you a hunting or fishing license or any of several hundred items for the sport, dress or comfort of hunters and fishermen...'We've thrown away the key to the place,' the bronzed booming-voiced founder [Leon Leonwood Bean] explains. 'A lot of our customers drive up from New York and Boston. Many leave right after work and are so eager to start hunting or fishing that they drive all night. This brings them through Freeport in the middle of the night or even on Sunday. Where else can you get a hunting or fishing license on Sunday?'" (pp. 299-300). This description of L.L. Bean reminds me of how much of an outdoor equipment company L.L. Bean once was. Clothing was meant to be used outdoors, and for those who didn't hunt or fish, at least the clothing and equipment carried with it a real deal spirit of the outdoors. Even if one didn't use the hunting coat for hunting, the game pocket could still be let down and used to sit on, even is all one was doing was sitting outside waiting in line to buy tickets to see the Grateful Dead.

The Great Merchants also described "Bean's prescription for success" as: "Sell good merchandise at a reasonable profit, treat your customers like human beings, and they'll always come back for more" (pp. 308-309). In my experience, L.L. Bean's consideration of the customer has changed very little. It is still one of the most pleasurable companies to purchase anything from. Customer service is helpful and responsive to questions, and on the few occasions that I've ever had to return anything, L.L. Bean has always made the return easy and no-fuss.

The problem for me is that though L.L. Bean is a company with great customer relations skills, there are fewer and fewer things from them that I find appealing. To my way of thinking, an American company of this stature and history should produce and offer an overwhelming amount of merchandise made in the States that reflects a culture and tradition of the outdoors. Catalogs used to be brimming with items that were unique to and only available at L.L. Bean. Today, however, much of what is offered is hard to distinguish from other companies' offerings. To say it another way, much of what is offered today does not have that elusive L.L. Bean "spirit" about it. This little catalog is, of course, a window upon a time that no longer exists - which makes me wonder what L.L. Bean would look like today if it had retained more of this hard to grasp American spirit of the outdoors.





When I look at this catalog, I am reminded of just how much good stuff L.L. Bean offered back in 1982. I have to admit that I only really glance at the current L.L. Bean catalogs when they arrive. Yet from time to time I still find myself looking at these old catalogs. I have no easy answer for how this situation might be remedied, and L.L. Bean is not the only company that has changed. Companies change to meet the needs of competing tastes and changing conditions of the marketplace. That L.L. Bean is still around and doing seemingly well must mean that they are successful at what they do. I just wish that when I opened the current catalogs I would feel that I could still order the "genuine article" from L.L. Bean. I long for a catalog that is a window into a 'living tradition' of American clothing and outdoors gear. Traditions are much like a flame that needs constant attention lest it go out. Living traditions are more than simply "brand names;" living traditions possess that hard to describe reality that is both old and new at the same time. Living traditions produce things of meaning within a place where history and culture intersect. This hard to describe reality, that is the "spirit" of tradition, always evokes a sense of continuity with the past while inviting participation in the present. L.L. Bean used to do this for me. Perhaps this will happen again, but in the meantime there's always an old catalog to remind me of what once was and what still could be: The L.L. Bean of tartan gingham shirts and checked gingham shirts (the kind that wrinkle), of surcingle and web belts, of pork pie hats, brown zippered duffle bags, made in Maine bluchers and camp mocs, Bean's "Business Man's" shirts, and madras trousers. This catalog evokes a tradition that is still a relevant and present possibility - I remain hopeful.
↧
Viewing all 64 articles
Browse latest View live
Search
<script src="https://jsc.adskeeper.com/r/s/rssing.com.1596347.js" async> </script>