Archival Odds & Ends Sale

  

Check out the Archival Web Shop for our three day Odds & Ends sale.  This is your chance to secure seasonal items, one-off samples and special closeout items.  In many cases, our inventory is limited to a single size or sample so place your order early.  Here are a few items you might want to grab before they disappear from view...

Archival Roll-Top in olive duck

 

Archival Dopp in brown waxed cotton

Armor Lux Pull Marin

Archival Shawl Collar in navy multiweave

 

Rising Sun Outdoor Vest

Archival Rucksack in Cobalt canvas duck

Archival Campus Day

UW Campus Photograph Collection

With apologies to my home institution, the University of Washington wins the award for the best documented, most stylish and frolicsome campus day (a day for university students to perform grounds maintenance, wear shawl collar sweaters and pose for photos). For more evidence that past was better (or at least better dressed), visit the UW historical campus photographs page. Not pictured: tub racing, high diving and countless refreshment breaks.

Archival Update: Stripe Cardigan

Archival Stripe Cardigan

We have a few remaining Archival Stripe Cardigans available from our Fall pre-order. Our Stripe Cardigan is machine knit by our friends at Centralia Knitting Mills using 3-ply worsted wool. The end result is a tight, flat weave that is warm, durable and pill-resistant, with an American sportswear fit.

This historical sweater design features a standard collar and a five button placket. The cardigan is made from a slightly lighter weight, 3 ply wool which makes it more suitable for indoor/outdoor wear.

Centralia Knitting Mills have been knitting sweaters of superb quality since 1939 in Centralia, Washington. The wool used in these sweaters is sourced from New England.

Shawl collar cardigans in multi-weave and solid gray also available.

Archival Shawl Collar Cardigan in gray multi-weave

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

Archival Knitwear Update

We're assembling our knitwear order for the Fall. We will be restocking our pure new wool, shawl collar cardigans. As we have reported before, these cardigans are made for us by Centralia Knitting Mills on circular knitting machines from the 1930s. The sweaters, based on historical patterns, feature updated fits, unique finish details and our signature multiweave colorways.

If you would like to reserve a sweater, you may pre-order now via the Archival web shop.

AC Shawl Collar Cardigan in navy multi-weave

In the Fall, Archival will also be introducing a new cardigan in a snappy, candy stripe knit, gray with black. The cardigan is made from a slightly lighter weight, 3 ply wool which makes it more suitable for indoor/outdoor wear. Pre-order here.

Candy stripe cardigan

Archival is also considering two additional styles for later November delivery--the cardigan in a lighter gray candy stripe:

and my (Lesli's) favorite, a traditional shooting sweater:


For our shooting sweater, we have specified melton wool rather than leather pocketing, a brass two-way zip and our unique olive multi-weave (a mix of olive, gray, brown and white yarns).

If you're interested in pre-ordering any of these styles, please email us at info@archivalclothing.com.

Shawl Collar Summer

Mrs Burt Bishop (LOC flickr archives)

Beach Tango-Brighton (LOC Flickr archives)

Before you store your woolens for the summer, consider keeping out a few pieces for cooler nights, hiking trips or sun protection at the beach. Summer weather does not preclude wool in many parts of the country. Since I work in a basement, I wear my shawl collar year round given that the temperature and light cues in my workplace never vary. A friend keeps one at her desk to ward off the chill of the air conditioner.

My wool jackets and heavier sweaters are getting the cedar block and zippered bag treatment this week. But I'll be keeping out some year round favorites like my Stark cardigan and Centralia multiweave.

Before you reach for your cotton hoodie, consider a wool wrap instead. Performance will be the same but you will cut a much finer figure.

Archival Football Uniforms

Lawson Fiscus (one of the first professional football players)

Here's a quick survey of exemplary historic football uniforms from the late 19th and early 20th century. The photos sum up my ideal of the perfect sports uniform: basic solid or striped tunics, all wool knit cardigans or pullovers and knickerized canvas duck trousers. Belts, lacing systems and leather boots complete the look. Although the uniforms are over a 100 years old, I propose they be adopted for modern use--by athletes and non-athletes alike. All the figures below could exit the field, ditch their metal cleats, and wear their outfits to work or campus. With a few rotating layers, one could have a single, signature uniform made from long wearing, best quality materials.

All images courtesy Library of Congress' Flickr Photostream.

Archival Restock: Shawls, Caps & Bags

We just took delivery of a new batch of multi-weave shawl collar cardigans by Centralia Knitting mills. We're offering the shawls in two new multi-weaves: navy/black/gray and gray/black/white. We have limited stock of our original, gray/black multi-weave. We also received our order of solid and mulitweave cardigans in smaller sizes for women and slim gents. In a month or so, we'll have our second restock of solid shawls in navy and gray in larger sizes.

These cardigans are truly stunning. I wear mine daily in lieu of a blazer. It's now part of my signature uniform.

Here are a few new items in the AC web shop:

Archival Clothing multi-weave shawl cardigans

$10 buck, deadstock, Columbaknit cotton caps (factory direct)

Chester Wallace tote restock

Filson Double Mackinaw Hats