Thursday, May 06, 2010

Archival Kerchiefs




(hankies above are from the highly-endorsed DISCHARGE STYLE)

Handkerchief, bandanna, hankie, or kerchief. Whatever you call it, it's essential. I keep one with me all the time, for nose-blowing, glasses cleaning, a rag for when your bicycle chain drops, tying things, bundling things, a headband, or, in the woods, as a sieve (try it - you can even drain rice). Lesli and I both won't go on a cycling outing without at least two handkerchiefs. Keep one in your handlebar bag for all contingencies. Along with a good knife, a bandanna is an everyday necessity.

Try out your bandannas as neck wear:




Or as head gear:



Or as baggage:


Make sure to keep an eye on your hankie:


Shopping possibilities:



Archival Clothing is thinking about designing and producing a limited-edition hankie. If we keep the price low, would anyone be interested? They'd be made in the USA, of course, and available in a few colors.

28 comments:

orc said...

How large would you be thinking? I almost always carry a standard pocket hankerchief (10x10?) because the large you-can-use-them-as-a-hat railwaymans hankerchief is hard to wad into a pants pocket. And all of my hankerchiefs are disintegrating. So if you made them in the handy pocket size, I'd certainly be interested in a few.

GREYORY said...

very

andrea.at.the.blue.door said...

Yes, please, I'll take one in every color/pattern combination.

afeman said...

I'd be interested.
RBW stocks a classic US-made bandanna, though availability seem typically sketchy.

Anonymous said...

Yes please. I love to carry a kerchief for misc uses. I use them the most during the summer when I wet them and drape them over my neck while outside.

Anonymous said...

i bought a dozen hankies from rei, only to find that they'd all been made in china. what archival-approved manufacturers are here in the states?

james at 10engines said...

huge fan of "pocket ballast" (lifted that phrase... from aroundtownwithmrbrown.blogspot.com, a good'un)

sign me up.

Mike A said...

Yes, I carry one every day.

Matt Strickland said...

I'm in if the design retains a nice simple, vintage style.

lynnef said...

yes! I've got a huge collection; I wear them under my helmet during summer rides

Reference Library said...

yes.

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a great idea. But keep em rugged, varied, and inexpensive.

Anonymous said...

Here are 162 different bandanas.
You're welcome!
http://fastcolorworks.com/newfastcolorworks2_010.htm

Lesli Larson said...

Thanks for all the strong comments in support of the post and future archival clothing kerchief project. Research and development is under way.

If you happen to be a historical hankie expert and know a bit about historic dye methods, cotton quality issues, etc, send an email to info@archivalclothing.com. We'd love to get additional, deep tissue feedback on best, custom specifications for our product.

Otherwise, we'll be consulting product descriptions for "best quality" handkerchiefs from our Wards catalog and related historical print ephemera.

Anon--

Thanks for the new link and comment requesting that we keep our kerchiefs "rugged, varied, and inexpensive." We'll try!

Unknown said...

Sure would, I don't carry one on me everyday, but they are always good to have around. And if they looked better than the standard generic patterns, that would be a plus.

http://memphistravler.blogspot.com/

lynnef said...

multicolored paisley. Make em interesting!

Joel said...

I love Tintin!

Joey said...

That sounds fantastic! I'm definitely in.

Anonymous said...

accepting preorders???!!!

mtor82 said...

Sign me up!

Wendy B. said...

Yes, yes and yes. I'd gladly carry an Archival Clothing handkerchief, maybe even two (one for the pocket and one for the bag)!

Emily said...

What a great idea. Just today I was plotting to revamp my handkerchief collection.

sterlingreign said...

Interested for sure

Daniel said...

I am so interested! Count me in for a couple.

W. Hines said...

I would be interested if the patterns are unique and the price is right.

Tone Loki said...

100% interested.. I've bought two in the last month: Hill-Side and Neighbourhood...

Anonymous said...

Orvis had some nice bandanas allegedly modeled on designs used by Teddy Roosevelt. They need to be big enough to cover your head in a pinch as well as tie around your neck.

Kate F. said...

Interesting that your souvenir from Scotland may or may not involve navy cotton with polka dots, pocket-sized.