Shopping from Japan - Shoes Like Pottery

Thanks to Archival readers who suggested Shoes Like Pottery as an alt to my obsession over Wakouwa Deck Shoes.  As was noted in my original post, the Wakouwas are not sized for women, cost over three hundred dollars and are difficult to find in the US.  In contrast, SLPs are unisex, comparably stylish, and easily sourced in the US via favorite shops like Hickorees and Mohawk General Store.  The shoes are made from best quality canvas duck and rubber.  And like a nice pair of Aldens, they are hand sewn and hand assembled.  The SLP moniker refers to the vulcanizing process in which the shoe rubber is fired in a kiln for 70 minutes to make it more soft, durable and flexible.  I still haven't purchased a pair of canvas shoes but I'm wishfully hoping to find these on sale upon my return from London.  

  

Archival Find - Hunting World Jacket

Superwax Forester Jacket in Hunting World catalog

Tom's report: I love thrifting because there's no common denominator of quality like you see at fancy vintage stores or high end (and high priced) flea markets. Usually when I go through the outerwear at the thrift stores in Eugene, it's just a fuzzy cake of cheap polar fleece. But when I was in town last month, a sliver of hunter green caught my eye between the day-glo layers, and I pulled out a immaculate condition Hunting World jacket.


Though the jacket looks waxy, it's actually made with a 60/40 fabric treated with a polyamid finish.

Both collar and cuffs are lined in best quality corduroy.

Raglan sleeve construction - ostensibly for freedom of movement in the field.

Deep bellows pockets. Not wild about the velcro, although I admit to liking the elastic gathering.

Heavy duty, two way YKK zipper.

Partial wool lining with internal drip strip (ala Barbour Bedale).

If you like this jacket here's your chance to bid on a size medium Forester via ebay. And what a price!

Archival Dog Collar: Danzig Bros.

As a kid, despite not owning a horse, I used to mail away for equestrian supply catalogs. I would browse through the pages of bits, bridles, silks and saddles, kitting out my imaginary Man O War with a full set of racing tack. Over time, horses morphed in bicycles, but I recently found a source for dog collars and leashes made by custom thoroughbred harness goods company, Danzig Bros. I just purchased one of the Amish-made, laced leather collars for my pony sized Weimaraner, Chaz. Designed for the rigors of the track, the lace leather style collar is made from best quality bridle leather and brass hardware. The leather is hand finished and edge polished. I've cycled through a number of dog collars but this is the first one that actually looks like it's going to survive our wet Oregon winters.

Chaz modeling his collar

Archival Finder: Andy's jacket, Woody's shoes & Italian motorcycle trousers

In the last few months, I've received a number of emails from people trying to a) locate out-of-production clothing b) identify clothing worn in movies or c) track down a clothing type or style w/no identifiable brand or vintage. I'm reprinting a few requests today to see if others might be able to assist in identifying and/or sourcing of these ephemeral items.

Andy in China

First up is a request from Daniel M. from London. Daniel is trying to identify the make and model of a fishing/photog jacket worn by Andy Warhol in the book, Andy in China. Daniel writes:

On scrutinizing the images I could not make out the manufacturers name but it looked like it ended 'oma' Could you advise what the manufacturers name is or where a copy could be purchased from?

I have to admit that I'm not a fan of synthetics. But I do love the pocketing on this jacket. I'd just have mine remanufactured in a nice light cotton poplin. Closest modern reissue might be this Woolrich Relaunch.

I wouldn't be surprised if Andy's outfit was inspired by some of the modern angler's wear ("khaki mist silicone treated gabardine") sold by Hunting World, a high end Manhattan sportswear and Safari outfitter popular in the 1970s.

Hunting World Catalog 1975

Another email request comes from an anonymous reader pining for a pair of work-type shoes worn by Woody Allen in Annie Hall. He writes:

The shoes appear, to my untrained eye, to look like welted, moc toe work... shoes? They look nearly identical to some crepe sole red wing boots I own. Have you ever known of a such a shoe? This was Woody in the 70's, so I'm sure it was American made. I'd appreciate any info you could share. - an anonymous (thankful) reader.

Annie Hall (Allen 1977)

I feel like I've seen these shoes a thousand times on the racks in Goodwill (not that they're not worth tracking down again). But I have no clue about their make or model. Apologies. Any general suggestions or ideas?

Vintage Italian Motorcycle Trousers

Finally, Indigo Slims blogger Jennifer sent in a request on behalf of a friend and motorcyle enthusiast. She reports that her friend is trying to find some stylish trousers to match his new Belstaff jacket:

He’s a keen bike rider, and has invested in a traditional Belstaff jacket with metal protective plates etc (that weighs about a ton), but can’t find trousers to complete his planned kit. He’s a traditional chap (a fan of Old Town in Norfolk, who I see you’ve found before me as they’re already on your approved list!), and has found pictures (attached) of vintage Italian army motorbike trousers. He’s asked if I have any suggestions as to who might be willing to re-create these, and I'm wondering if you in turn had any ideas? I’m going to suggest he talk to British Millerain as they may have some ideas, but other than getting a pair made specially by a tailor, I couldn’t think of [other possible resources].

Personally, I'd recommend shopping from the past. I love the old, 1950s-era Barbour motorcycle suits shown in reprints of the older catalogs (below). I'm wondering whether it would be possible to have Barbour create a custom pair of motorcycle trousers based on one of their vintage patterns. They may even have a pattern in their archives that closely resembles the details of the Italian motorbike trousers

Barbour Catalog Reprint

Archival Finder: Ben Silver Collection Vest

Male model, lifestyle ("weekender") packaging and prohibitive price point aside, I really like this cashmere trimmed nylon vest by online catalog clothier, Ben Silver. Friend Tom remarked that it looks like a luxury edition of the Patagonia Retro-X vest. If it were my design, I'd swap out the cashmere (too shapeless and prone to pilling) for a more robust tweed and perhaps reverse the total role/ratio of wool to nylon in the garment. And of course, I'd retain the shiny metal zipper but give it two-way functionality.



Ben Silver was considerate enough to produce a version of this vest for women which appears to have the same cut/styling and lacks any token, feminizing details. However, illustrating the need for a future Archival Clothing petition, the women's version only comes in two tragic colorways: fuchsia and white (which would be OK, I suppose, if there were at least one more traditional color option such as grey, brown or loden).