haggar: "the best i've had anywhere in the united states"

This is a must-watch video and 1964 recording of LBJ speaking with the folks at Haggar about the rather intimate details of his trouser requirements.

Put This On: LBJ Buys Pants
http://vimeo.com/18864216

In fact, I just picked up these 1969 kinda brown-kinda green Young Executive Haggar slacks.  Permanent crease and cuff, 34" waist.  Tag intact.

in stock this weekend

Several of the mens items new to the shop...

Wool-blend camel toggle coat, size extra-large.

Pendleton 'High Grade Western Wear' tribal print cardigan with shawl collar, zipper and lined pockets, size large.

Sears Roebuck wool button-up, size large.

McGregor 'Mooragha' wool/mohair cardigan with zipper and leather elbow patches, size large.

maine folklife center

While researching for a possible upcoming project, I've come across the Maine Folklife Center archives at the University of Maine in Orono.  The collection centers around the "documentation of occupations, foodways, community histories, lore and legends, traditional music, social activities, ritual and worship, material culture, and expressive arts."

Although an appointment with the collection is in the near forecast, it is also an excellent online resource.  My search began with traditional foods in Maine, and of course, I got lost in the website. In particular, I am fond of the interactive Maine Song and Story Sampler Map, which provides sound clips and transcripts. I recommend listening to the song entitled "Guy Reed," which tells of the tragic death of a young lumberjack in 1897. The poignant intonation in this 1961 recording leaves no question as to the emotional relevance of the story this song tells.

bundling up

Picked up along recent travels in Maine, New Hampshire and upstate New York, these are a few staples for this winter's wardrobe.

Woolrich cable knit sweater with shawl collar and brown leather knot buttons.

I'm always on the look out for good thermals that balance worn-in comfort with a good measure of secondhand neatness. Maybe not the star of the show, but simple finds like this make me happy... an ivory henley, soft and clean with a label faded into anonymity.

Women, you are not forgotten...

UK-manufactured pale peach pointelle long underwear, very delicate and feminine. Size small.

Late '80s/early '90s - made in the US - wool tribal print coat. Hooded and tied at the waist to wrap up for optimal lovability.

Wool plaid shirt that is cut long like a jacket, making it the perfect layering piece.  Better yet, it's equipped with suede elbow patches. Unlabelled, small-ish in size.

selected workwear in store

Woolrich heavy wool pants with suspender buttons, 36 waist

Pointer Brand indigo Chore Jacket, size medium... made in the USA by a company that has continuously operated in Tennessee since 1913.  I just discovered the Pointer Brand People page of their website and love that there is a similar format to the new portrait series here on the blog.

Perfectly worn-in leather boots, marked size 9 but run a bit big.

Wool-lined Levi's denim jacket, size medium.

portrait 1.

A collaborative series with Portland photographer, Natalie Conn

Jessica
Preservation Carpenter
Portland, Maine

“At work, I dress primarily for weather, primer, and dirt. After work, I usually wear what's comfortable first, and interesting second. Ninety percent of my clothing is used. I once sewed a lot of it too, but now carpentry takes up a lot of that time. I was a younger sister, and I've always loved castoffs because back then, they reminded my of my beloved big brother, and now, they remind me of my friends far away. I wear thrift store clothes because they are less expensive and because my job isn't very demanding style-wise, I don't need to contribute to the wastefulness of the apparel industry. I also like to find things no one else will be wearing, and things that were the pinnacle of style in the past.”

In stock at County Seat Supplies:

Tweed jacket, 1980s

Accordion pleated dress, 1960s

Two-tone oxfords, new-used

Leather horse saddle bags, date unknown 

a field trip in textile history

Last week, I paid a visit to the American Textile History Museum in Lowell, Massachusetts, which houses one of the largest collections of its kind. After three hours (and only because the museum was closing), I had spent most of that time soaking in the comprehensive permanent exhibition, which includes everything from clothing, samples and household textiles to the full gamut of tools and machinery, as well as a wealth of information regarding the development of individual materials, factory architecture, and labor.

This is a selection of some of the objects that I was drawn to (no flash photography, of course). As an excellent online resource, the collection can also be accessed through The Chase Catalogue.

Pennsylvania floor looms with heavy timber framing of German and Flemish traditions.  Men were professional weavers in Pennsylvania, while women were responsible for spinning.  When women began to learn the craft during the 19th century, it was only for producing work for their families.

Womens' linen pockets from the late 18th/early 19th century, a separate garment tied around the waist under, and accessed by slits in the side of, the skirt.

Mid-19th century student sample notebook from England, noting the results of solutions, times and temperatures on the printing process.

Mens wool cap, mid-19th century

This 1844 bed cover from New Hampshire represents a unique body of work in this same color palette whose provenance was unknown until recently.

An 1848 cotton ginghams sample book from Lancaster Mills, Massachusetts, one of the early factories where cotton lent itself to the invention of power spinning and weaving.

A variety of undergarments became available in stores or in catalogs like this one from New York, 'Chemises,' for the Spring and Summer collection of 1887.

Hand sewn linen and silk sewing bag, 1917-1925, representative of the Arts and Crafts movement aesthetic.

An 1873 lithograph of Harmony Mills in Cohoes, New York which shows the belting system used to transfer power between floors. 

"An anaemic little spinner in a New England cotton mill," a 1910 photograph by Lewis Hine who documented child labor for the National Child Labor Commitee, which advocated for laws ending employment of underage children and shortening work days to eight hours.

Also from 1910, The Royal Tailors (New York and Chicago) sample book.  A bit difficult not to think of the little girl in the proceeding photograph and consider the workforce that made at least the dress shirt in this look possible.

A room including power looms and bobbin machines dating from the 1920s to the 1940s. A video explained how they individually operate and showed them in action.

a happy customer

I ran into Kelly Sue Rioux, fellow Merchant Company vendor (she reworks found jewelry) and friendly face at the Local Sprouts Cooperative cafe, and was excited to see her in a pair of boots I had put in the shop several days before.  She looked so great - also sporting a perfect pair of vintage knickers (that I only wish I had sold her) and a vest she had screen-printed herself - that I just had to take her picture.  

I'm keen on the half-prairie, half-boxer styling of these boots... and glad they went to Kelly.

meet your cheese maker

This Sunday, October 9th, is the Maine Cheese Guild’s annual Open Creamery Day, which provides the opportunity for touring and tasting with fifteen participating cheese makers across the state.  As they recommend, the perfect day to pepper in stops at orchards and breweries (and for some of us, flea markets and thrift stores).  See their website for a map and details.

fall layers

...including a selection of Pendleton wool.

time/bank: time/food in new york

One of many events and installations involved in Creative Time's exhibition, Living as Form, a survey of socially engaged art which is currently located around and about the Lower East Side.

T:STYLE

T Magazine: Stirring the Pot | Time/Food at Abrons Art Center

By By KEVIN MCGARRY

Published: September 23, 2011

Now serving at a pop-up restaurant, downtown: free lunches, of dishes designed by a long list of very accomplished visual artists.

Julieta ArandaAn alternative currency for Time/Bank, designed by Lawrence Weiner.

westward, c. 1960s

Midwestern Sport Togs deerskin jacket
(with wool camp blanket, unlabeled)

Below are a few images from a 1959 catalog for Midwestern Sport Togs, currently for sale on eBay. Founded in 1869 and based in Berlin, Wisconsin, the company accepted skins from hunters, which they processed into various styles of jackets for men, women and children, hand bags and gloves.

Guilmox moccasins

In absolutely perfect condition, these embroidered moccasins haven't quite seen the 'adventure' that an advertisement in Desert magazine suggests.