Shopping from the Past: Archival Plus Fours

 

  

 

 

Images courtesy Pillpat, Flickr Commons, Zombikombi1959 and my personal archives

Shopping from the movies: The Queen (2006)

Next to Montgomery Wards and Mamet's State and Main, the Queen (Frears 2006) is my favorite shopping opportunities. I love to browse all the classic Barbours, Range Rovers, silk scarves, leather brogues, tweed keeperwear, cashmere crewnecks and matching dog breeds. Like a mail order house lost to time, The Queen stocks a small but deep selection of classic items - unchanged by fashion or consumer demand. Here are a few pages from my favorite catalog:

Archival Keeperwear

Shopping from 2001: Barbour Keeperwear Jacket

I don't hunt but I love the purpose-built features of a well made shooting jacket. Juliette, owner of Hub & Bespoke, recommends the Barbour quilted nylon Keeperwear, a jacket that has been in the Barbour product line for over a decade. The Keeperwear resembles the classic Liddesdale but comes with features that make it handy for both hunting and bike commuting: a rear carrying pocket, snap closures, raglan sleeves for ease of movement, protective shoulder patches to prevent bag abrasion, large hand warmer pockets and rear snap gussets. Barbour wax jackets can be too warm for cycling. The Keeperwear quilt, on the other hand, provides rain repellency while remaining highly breathable. I buy my quilts a size up so I can layer them over multiple sweaters and vests.

Updated Barbour Keeperwear (2011)

Stud fastening rear game pouch

Discontinued Keeperwear jacket for women via Sierra Trading Post

Waistcoat version also available

A decorative pin for your lapel (via ebay)

Archival Ebay: Hebden Cord Shooting Jacket

by Lesli Larson

Archival Clothing readers are well acquainted with my obsession for Hebden Cord, an out-of-business UK clothier. Hebden Cord offered made-to-measure jackets, trousers and breeks in a selection of moleskins, cottons and tweeds. Upon request, Hebden Cord mailed out a sizing guide and matchbook sized fabric swatches (some quite shopworn or sun damaged). From overseas, one could spec the size, cut and finishing details of any garment in the Hebden Cord line. At the time Hebden Cord went out of business, I was plotting my order for double seated cycling shorts in heavyweight twill whipcord.

The nearest contemporary match to Hebden Cord is Old Town Clothing where one can still customize the fabric on a fixed range of garments, but not the fit.

Hebden Cord print catalogs were simple, rarely changing from year to year. For this reason, I like to collect ebay images of Hebden Cord items to monitor how patterns were customized over time. Here is a recent tweed shooting jacket which would be perfect for either game poaching or Tweed Ride use.

Hebden Cord Tweed Shooting Jacket (ebay item: 180458736173)

Coming soon: full Hebden Cord catalog reprint. Shopping from 2004!