Archival Release - Archival Trail Cap

Archival has just released our new lightweight trail cap in gray waxed cotton.  Classic, five panel design made with a Horween leather tab back adjustment.  Ideal for all-weather walking, fishing, and hunting.  Made of a 6.25 ounce waxed cotton that's durable and lightweight.  For more information, visit the Archival Web Shop.

 Family of waxed cotton trail caps

Archival Sample Sale

Note to end of season sale mavens: we are shipping out a batch of Archival Odds & Ends to the kind gents at French Garment Cleaners in Brooklyn.  Visit FGC at their Lafayette Avenue location to shop for Japan only Archival samples and end of season colorways.  Items available via the sale include Rolltops, Totes, Rucksacks and Flap Musettes.  Sale starts Thursday, July 25th.  If you stop by, catch and release some Herning and Engineered Garments for me.

Archival Coveralls

Via Archival pal and Unsung Sewing Patterns blogger, Andrea Cesari, here is an original pattern for sewing your own WW II era coverall.  Andrea notes that the fabric recommendations for this garment are Archival favorites: corduroy, denim or duck.   See Andrea's post for more details on the coverall pattern and historical photographs documenting its use.  

Shopping from the movies - The Bling Ring

I was the solo spectator at last night's Bijou screening of The Bling Ring (Coppola 2013 ).  Per my screen surrogates, I had my iPhone ready in anticipation of grabbing a few grainy snaps of our large Archival Field Bag on the big screen.  Not surprisingly, the Archival bag was promptly discarded for swag stolen from Paris Hilton.  

Wishful Shopping - Wakouwa Deck Shoes

Wakouwas in the window at Anatomica (Paris)

I'm heading to London in a week for London Edinburgh London, a 1400k randonnee.  I've just assembled all my bike gear (which includes many non archival, ziploc packed servings of powdered nutrition).  Sadly, I'm going to have very little space in my luggage for non cycling garb. At the moment I'm boiling my travel garb down into a single outfit I can wear on the plane and than for five days in London. What I'm missing is the perfect pair of comfortable canvas sneakers. Many of my pals prefer Superga, Tretorn or Chuck Taylors.  What I want is a pair of  made in Japan, Wakouwa deck shoes. I've been wishfully shopping for Wakouwas since I spotted them in the window at Anatomica in Paris.  You can buy them through a few US stockists but alas, most don't sell them in smaller sizes for women.  At Mohawk General Store, you can even buy them in Yves Klein blue.  If you have a secret Wakouwa source, or could suggest a stylistic alternative, let me know.
 

Shopping from 1982: LL Bean

On the subject of heritage garb for women, here is what was available from LL Bean in 1982. What I love about this era of LL Bean is how many items are offered in unisex sizes and colors (seriously...when was the last time you saw a contemporary catalog listing the exact same item, in the same colorway, "for men and women?").  While some of the clothing items are on the blandly prep side, I would immediately mail order the madras shirt, Chouinard shorts, tassel mocs and the anorak.  For a view of the full catalog reprint, see the venerable Heavy Tweed Jacket.

 

 
 Images courtesy of Heavy Tweed Jacket

Archival Garb for Women

It was great to see this article in the New York Times about the emerging trend of tailored, masculine clothing for women.  I've been championing the production of heritage style menswear sized for women since the earliest days of the Archival blog.  Of course, Japan, per usual, is ahead of the curve in this area.  Beams Boys regularly features snaps of of female customers sporting menswear inspired ensembles.  Here are a few of my favorite snaps from the Beams flickr feed:

 

 

Archival Hop Harvest

Here's an exemplary snap of summer work togs from the OSU Archives flickr set, Hop On, Brewing and Beer.  The caption of the image is Coeds with Hoes.  I'm going to shop from this photo for my upcoming trip the UK.  Look for me in London wearing slant stripes, head kerchiefs, rolled trousers and hop covered loafers.  Unsure whether TSA will permit hoe portage past Eugene security.

Shopping from 1945: LL Bean Shopping Bags

Archival is working on a design for a collapsible tote for light marketing.  We take our inspiration from bags like these plainly named, Bean shopping bags circa1945.  We love the idea of stowing bags within bags (in anticipation of  impromptu portage).  Although we cannot promise that our bag will fold neatly into a women’s handbag, it will be compact enough to stash in our standard Archival Rucksack.

Archival Alley Snaps

  

         

 

Before our Archival intern, Lauren, moved to the bay area, we took a few impromptu snaps of our bags in the alley behind Archival headquarters. We've been shooting so many products indoors, under softbox strobes, it was a relief to snap the bags in direct sunlight.  Here are a few outtakes from our shoot.  And introducing Val and Chase as our latest summer interns (and master bag wranglers).