Archival Uniform - November Edition

Per Archival Resolution #9, here is the November edition of my Archival uniform. While our resolutions recommend that you come up with a signature uniform that you wear once a week, mine has seen active use on multiple days.  

Archival striped tee women and Centralia multiweave cardigan.  Here, per usual, I follow my own rule of wearing at least two layers on top.  In another month, I might add a kerchief or a fine gauge wool scarf as a neck garnish. 

Engineered Garments Upland Vest.   Inspired by the Japanese, I love to finish my uniform with a vintage Upland style hunting vest (the pocketing doubles as a purse).  Since I'm so small, it's hard to source an authentic hunting vest that fits properly so I opt for updated versions - sized for women and petite gents - by Rising Sun, Post O'Alls or Engineered Garments.

Red Cloud & Co. Denim.  Howard Gee, the denim guru at Ab Fits, introduced me to Red Cloud premium denim made in mainland China.  The Red Cloud cut is close to a pair LVC Levis 1947, my go to denim on alternative outfit days.

Alden Cape Cod Beefroll Penny Loafer.  Not much visual variation here.  I wear Alden Cape Cod loafers - in black and brown - nearly everyday of the year.  My statement on loafers.

If you have a signature uniform, please post your notes to our Archival Facebook page or send me a note at lesli@archivalclothing.com.  I'd love to repost more visual examples (other than mine) on the AC blog. 

Review: Dickies x Palmer Trading 1953 Jean

Dickies 1922 has been, yet again, very generous to us. This time our care package contained a pair of denim designed in collaboration with New York's Palmer Trading Co.

I'm loving these jeans since they use a stout 13.5 ounce Cone denim and don't bother with using selvage, which - let's be frank - is largely decorative. When's the last time your jeans gave out by unraveling at the side seam?

Great contrast stitching but nothing unnecessary or fancy. Rivet reinforcements where they're needed. Laser-sharp sewing throughout.

The fit is said to be spot-on 1953. I do love the relatively high waist, though I wouldn't say no to a bit more room in the thigh for my biker legs. Compare to these gents from a 1950 Ward's catalog, who seem like they're rocking a slightly straighter cut.

I gave these a wash and air-dry, and they didn't shrink more than half an inch in the waist. Excellent - I definitely think that Sanforizing denim is a good thing. Washability is part of practicality in my book!

My only complaint is the intense vanity sizing - my waist measures 34", but I had to get a pair of size 30s. I know that's par for the course for many denim brands, so it's less a complaint regarding these jeans than with (cough) a well-entrenched status quo. But I keep hoping that someone will take a stand and make their pants true to size! Seems odd to use a rational system irrationally. In the meantime, call Palmer, check measurements, and snag a pair soon - limited quantities!

Archival Field Trip - Portland

Snap views from last month's field trip up to PDX.

Coffee at The Fresh Pot

Pina in 3D - Cinema 21

House of Vintage

Print ephemera at the S. Glass household

Jarom at Reveille (great source for Rising Sun & Mister Freedom)

Engineered Garments and Tellason denim at Blake

Made in USA daypack at Levi's store

Jordan testing fit on my Post O'Alls vest - little t american baker

Pendleton Woolen Mill Store

Shopping from the 1930s: Montgomery Ward

Exemplary outerwear

I've been on an ebay shopping spree for Montgomery Ward catalogs (the Archival bible). I've secured a few new Fall editions from the 1940s which I'll be reprinting here--in bits--in the next few months. Copies of the 1930s catalogs are more tricky to source. Inspired by Spokesniffer and Reference Library, I'm capturing auction images as placeholders for items I did not buy. Here are a few frame grabs from vintage catalogs from the 1930s that were beyond my "buy it now" pricepoint. If I could make it so, these would all Archival offerings for Fall 2011. Smitty "Whata Sweater" would be announced as our new Archival mascot.

Smitty Sweater

Heavy weight shawl collar sweaters and cardigans

All wool blazers

Denim jackets, overalls and trousers

Canvas duck field jackets

All wool shaker sweaters

Heritage workwear for women

Pendleton blankets

Shopping from 1958: Montgomery Ward Denim

I'm ambiguous about premium denim. I love brands like Rising Sun, Mister Freedom and Sugar Cane that manufacture jeans using historical patterns, vintage sewing equipment and top quality raw denim. I'm also attracted to denim's labor intensive care requirements (akin to our own waxed fabrics). But truth be told, I hesitate to pay more than $200.00 for jeans. That's a price point I reserve for Barbour jackets, Scandinavian knitwear and cold forged bicycle parts.

To save money, I'm shopping from the Montgomery Ward catalog from 1958. I'm looking for Sanforized, vat dyed jeans w/generous, functional pocketing. My preference is for a five pocket model with a high rise and wide, tubular legs. Although Wards offers denim for adults, I'm shopping the "sub-teen" department where clothing is made with extra sturdy materials to better accommodate "rough and tumble outdoor play".

My favorite pair of denim is on the far right. Check out the front swing pockets and extra large rear pockets. I eagerly await the demise of slim fit denim. Here, that style is reserved for "slim, rangy boys". Waiting for the day when companies bring back the tubular legs and full seat of Wards traditional "husky" fit ("cut extra full in waist, seat, thighs for top comfort").

Cutting edge in 1958: plaid cotton flannel lined and water repellent denim. At $2.49, makes for an affordable alternative to the leading competing brand.

At Archival, we design products that will wear until they dissolve. We follow in the tradition of companies like Wards who offer a free pair of jeans if the double knees outwear the pants themselves.


Ladies, I'm sorry to report that there's not much denim on offer at Wards in 1958. Wool skirts and plaid corduroy pants were the preferred fashions of the day. However, I can recommend a pair of cropped "play pants" in a nice, 9 oz vat dyed denim, "bartacked at points of strain."

Archival Mountaineers

This spring mountaineering season: Pull on your knickers, grab your rucksack, lace up your tallest boots, help your pals with their bowlines-on-a-bight, and head for the hills. Here in Oregon, I'll limit archivally-equipped outings to big, basic mountains - South Sister would be ideal, but the bold could go for Three-Fingered Jack, named after an infamously disfigured 19th century bandit. Archival Clothing is not responsible for the failure of wooden ice axes or hempen ropes.

Shopping from Arthur Miller: Work Jackets

by Lesli Larson

Sara Krulwich/The New York Times

Readers of the online edition of the New York Times might have missed this 1950's era work jacket worn by Liev Shrieber's longshoreman character in the current revival of Arthur Miller's A View From the Bridge. The thumbnail image that accompanies the online review occupies a full half-page in the print edition. In this version of the production still, you can study the jacket's collar, cut, fabric (including wear marks), pocketing and buttons. (These details disappear into a generic, blue collar worker's garment on stage). I love the high placement of the slash pockets and loose fit of the sleeves (no cinch at the cuff). Another post could be dedicated to Scarlett Johansson's side buttoning wool skirt.

I'm assuming Schreiber's jacket was custom tailored for the Broadway production based on archival patterns and photographs. But if you're shopping for your own version, here are a few options in heavy duty Sanforized 8 oz fabric from the Ward's catalog:

Montgomery Wards

Economical, modern day option by Ben Davis