pick a Pendleton triplet
it’s a coat * it’s a robe * it’s a dress
triple triumph to wear free-flowing or belted…your dream duster with 3 lives, done in superlative Pendleton virgin woolens…so richly, softly warm, yet light as a breath. Tailored with decisive flair, from bold shoulders to skirt sweep, in gorgeous tartans, little checks, nailheads or solid tones…all in the country’s happiest colors.
Okay, I’m sold. It sure looks like a perfect travel garment.
One question. What is nailhead?
The Vintage Traveler 
The Oxford English Dictionary defines Nailhead such: (the third entry under Nailhead)
c. Dressmaking and Tailoring. A stud resembling a nail head, used as a form of decoration. Also: a fabric whose weave resembles a pattern of nail heads. —
so in the case of your advertisement nailhead is the textile, woven in a pattern of nail heads.
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I think its a large plaid? Not sure but that flow and cut are right in style now!
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The overall pattern is like a plaid but the nailhead weave which you can’t see because it is an illustration could be the main woven construction. The weave can create different effects and can look solid or textured. There might be a good technical description on how it is produced somewhere online.
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I was most enamored with the cut and not the plaid actually. The cut is au courant !
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A coat or dress, maybe, but a robe? Too scratchy! Though I remember wool robes…I guess people were wearing big nighties back then. And people were more used to wearing wool next to the skin.
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Pendleton still makes wool robes. Today with central heat we are more interested in cozy than we are in warm. I find vintage Pendleton men’s robes from time to time and I’m always surprised that they are so soft. I think people were not afraid to wash them, which would devrease the itch factor!
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Indeed! This is marvelous! I’ve been looking for a coat just like this lately! But haven’t found the right one at the right price yet!
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Nailhead is a type of woven cloth…Agnes hit it on the head (pun intended:).
This Taylor offers a nice explanation: http://www.levinerwood.com/2010/02/23/night-and-day/
…his picture is blurry but it looks like a wool with a crosshatch weave, lighter weight than a tweed, and according to Mr Wood, smaller than a birdseye weave. Here’s a better photo of nailhead fabric: http://www.harrysuits.com/pants/london_brown_nailhead_wool_pants.
I actually have some of that fabric in my stash, but I’ve just been calling it wool suiting. I didn’t know its specific proper name until now, so thanks!
And I love that Pendleton Triplet. I only wish modern day housedresses were as effortlessly elegant as that.
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Thanks so much for the links. And thanks to all who helped explain what nailhead weave is. The photos in the links show it quite well.
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It’s my kind of garment! Love it, and love the illustrations too. 🙂
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Sigh. Those pockets!! xxx
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I’m just staring at that plaid…and she has a matching hat! I wonder if Pendleton made those, too.
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Karen – I wonder if Pendleton made those hats, too! I sometimes stop in the Pendleton outlet in Portland (it might be in Milwaukie) and they still sell yardage of great wools left over from production – I will look for a nailhead next time and try to imagine it as a housecoat!
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I’m pretty sure they made the hats, and hand bags to match as well. I’ve seen them in other ads of this era.
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I think this would be a great garment for Pendleton to bring back, especially in Black Watch plaid (hinting…).
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