Balmoral Knitwear Ski Themed Vest

This great vintage vest can be filed under “great things found while looking for something else.”  I spotted an incredible vintage travel print on Pinterest and then realized that the photo links led to a dead end.  But there is that miracle called Google image search, and so I was able to locate the wonderful print on a website, and it was actually for sale, and not a photo from etsy from two years ago like so much of Pinterest consists of.

While contemplating the purchase, I decided to look at the other seller’s offerings and just fell in love with this wool embroidered vest.  All reason was lost at that point, and the vest and the travel print dress were soon safely tucked in my shopping cart.

The seller listed it as a 1940s sweater, and I’m pretty much inclined to agree.  I’d never heard of the Balmoral brand, but a quick search revealed that the company is still in business, making knitwear in  Galston, Ayrshire, Scotland.  They have been in business for over 100 years, and it looks as if today they mainly survive by selling to the private school and corporatewear trade.  And they still specialize in embroideries.

I found a few more, very similar Balmoral vests online, but all have been sold.  There is another ski themed one, but there is also a sailor themed one that I truly love.

Can you tell that the buttons are covered with the knit fabric?  The centers are covered with red fabric.  It’s a great little detail, the type of thing that makes vintage garments so special.