Pendleton Double Faced Wool Coat, Circa 1975

I know I write an awful lot about Pendleton, but it really is such a favorite of mine.  Last week in a last minute trip to the Goodwill Clearance Center, I happened on the coat pictured above.  I knew immediately it was a good one and my first thought was Bonnie Cashin.  But something about the way the leather was sewn just did not look like her work.  I began to look for clues.

Because the coat is reversible, at first glance there was no label.  But with any two sided garment, always look in the pockets.  Often the label will be placed there.  And there it was!

Not only was the coat reversible, the wool was double faced.  What that means is that it is actually one fabric that is two fabrics somehow joined together, so that one side is solid grey and the reverse is a grey and white plaid.  It is top-notch quality fabric, and I’m not even sure if Pendleton still makes it.

I’ve tried to photograph how the two sides are joined, but I’m afraid this will take a bit of imagination for you to picture it.  I’ve pulled a section of the two fabrics apart, and if you look very closely you can see how the two are joined by the solid grey yarns.

As is often the case with vintage wools, there was a series of unfortunate holes near the hem.  Because they were contained in that area, I took a chance.  The problem with moth holes is that sometimes it takes a cleaning before the full extent of the damage is revealed.  I strongly suggest that you have any wool garment (except sweaters, which can be hand washed)  cleaned before you get your heart set on wearing it.  In my case, there was no extra damage, but I knew the coat was unwearable as is.

If you are a regular reader of the Vintage Traveler, you know that I am not a big fan of altering and “up-cycling.”  However, when it comes to a mass produced, damaged item, I have no problem working toward making it wearable.

In this case, though, it was not a simple matter of just cutting off the damage and hemming the coat due to the leather binding.  I had to cut off the damaged bottom, remove the leather binding and then hand stitch it to form the new bottom edge.  You cannot machine stitch leather that already has old stitching holes, as it would weaken the leather and actually cut through it.  So I hand stitched it, working my needle through the old holes.

The end result is a knee length coat that is just the right weight for my climate.  I can see myself wearing this 20 years down the road, and if I can keep the moths away, it will out live me.  This is the kind of quality fabric and garment that typified  the American sportswear industry.

All the edges are either French seams or are bound in leather.

On a similar note, I was tickled pink to discover this week that Pendleton Threads, the Pendleton Mills blog actually has The Vintage Traveler in their blog role.  So if anyone from Pendleton is reading, thanks!

A Good One from the Pendleton Archives

I posted this photo of this jacket last year after I discovered its twin resides in the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  Now it appears that Pendleton probably has one as well, and they have reproduced it for the up-coming fall and winter season.

They have only posted the one photo, but with the exception of an additional line of stitching on either side of the front opening and the type of buttons, it looks to be pretty much the same.  I am quite impressed that the stripe  is actually matched better on the new one.  Note the top of the sleeve.

According to the sales page, this is their “famous Glacier Park stripe,” and the coat is pictured in the 1930 catalog.  I’m not crazy about the neutral colors, but maybe they will offer it in red as time goes on.  And now I’ll have to spend time looking through the Pendleton site, looking for more faithful reproductions.

photo copyright Pendleton Woolen Mills

An Early Pendleton Jacket

There are times in my life that I’ve been very happy to be wrong.  That statement will come as a shock to those of you who think I’d never admit to ever being wrong, but that’s another story.  Let’s just say I was wrong about this jacket, and I was thrilled to discover my error.

The jacket has been in my possession, and actually in my closet, for at least 15, and probably closer to 20 years.   There are no labels, and when I found it I thought it was most likely from the 1940s, and maybe from a Southwestern US weaver, or possibly Mexican.  Was it the colors that made me think this?  I’m not sure, but I was definitely not as experienced at evaluating a garment then.  To be honest, I have not even thought about it , nor worn it, since 1997. My father always complimented me on the jacket whenever I wore it, and after he died in 1997, I just haven’t had the heart to wear it.

Last week I was sitting here wasting time on that huge time-suck otherwise known as Tumblr.  If you don’t know Tumblr, it is a photo blogging site, where people post anything and everything, most of it taken from other sites.  One blogger does vintage and antique clothing posts, pulling dozens of photos from around the web, all on a theme.

Last week she was posting coats and jackets.  As I was scrolling through them, I found myself feeling envious at some of the wonderful skiwear in the holdings of various museums.  Suddenly there was a photo of a jacket, labeled as 1929-1931 Pendleton,  that looked very familiar.  It looked like… my jacket!  I clicked through to the Metropolitan Museum of Art‘s site, and there it was – not exactly my jacket, but one that is so similar that I’m sure it is indeed a late 1920s Pendleton.

As you can see, the only differences are in the stripe and in the collar.  Every other detail is identical.  Even the buttons are the same.  Mine, however is missing the label.

If I were to have found this jacket today, I would have suspected that it is earlier than the 1940s.  But as I’ve pointed out in the past, we often see what we think we have, rather than what is really there.  I’m quite content to be in the wrong.

Of course, this really does point out the value of a label.  The graphic is clearly from the 1920s, though it could have been used a bit later.

The label also contradicts a bit of often-read information that is even alluded to on the Pendleton website, and that is that the 49er was the first women’s garment made by Pendleton.  The 49er was certainly the beginning of Pendleton developing a line of sportswear separates, but it is pretty obvious it was not the first garment Pendleton made for women.

Jacket and label photographs copyright metmuseum.org

The Auto Duster

Clothes come and go from fashion, usually because the fashion creators need for you to buy something new, occasionally because the public gets bored with an item, and from time to time because a garment becomes obsolete.   Such was the case with the automobile duster.

The duster was a coat, usually lightweight, that fully covered the wearer from the neck to the ankles.  It was developed out of necessity.  In the late 19th century the auto was new, and roads were rarely paved.  Driving a car stirred up all kinds of dirt and dust, and to add to the problem, cars were open to the elements.  By the time motorists arrived at their destinations – which were usually just a few miles in the early days of cars – they would be covered with the road.  So the duster filled a real need.

As the 1920s approached, the  problems associated with motoring were solved.  Roads were paved, cars were enclosed, and the duster fell from favor.  Women often threw on a lightweight coat over their frock when motoring, but the neck to foot protection was no longer needed.

From a 1910 Abercrombie & Fitch catalog.

A duster in my collection.  Note the grease stains on the side.

By the 1920s, the duster was fading fast, but ladies still wore motoring coats.  This linen coat looks pristine, but there are grease spots on the back.

And thanks to Kate Mathews at Folkwear patterns for reminding me that you can make your own motoring coat. This is their Model T Duster:

Picasso for White Stag

I’m still working on gathering info on White Stag, and to make it even more interesting I got an email from a researcher at a museum who had seen my Picasso for White Stag label on the VFG Label Resource.  This museum has a blouse in the same print as my rain jacket, though their label is dated 1962 and mine is dated 1963.

According to some ads I have from 1963,  White Stag secured the exclusive right to reproduce some of Picasso’s work.  There were at least four designs, and I’m assuming more than that.  My jacket is like the parka in the last ad with a different print.

The museum is currently researching the line, about which I’ve been able to discover practically nothing.    So if any of you knowledgable readers have any information to share, I’ll be glad to pass it on to the museum.

Comments:

Posted by Karen/SmallEarthVintage:

Now THAT is cool! How wild.

Saturday, September 19th 2009 @ 8:39 PM

Posted by Hollis:

Great story, great prints and what an innovative thing for White Stag to have done

Sunday, September 20th 2009 @ 8:02 AM

Posted by Joules:

What an unlikely and unexpected pairing! I had not been aware of this marvelous mix.

Friday, September 25th 2009 @ 7:52 AM

Posted by June:

I love it!!

Friday, November 6th 2009 @ 8:53 PM

Posted by dawn:

that is so cool!!!! thanks for sharing! the hunt is on!

Sunday, November 8th 2009 @ 8:33 PM

Posted by The Red Velvet Shoe:

I’ve always seen “White Stag” and thought “yuck, Walmart”. I had no idea the label dated back far before the monster~store took over the planet! I’ll have to pay more attn to the labels now!

Wednesday, November 3rd 2010 @ 4:33 AM

The Elegant, and Warm, Coat

I’ve been doing gift wrapping for Sarge’s Animal Rescue at a local store, and I’ve noticed how few people actually wear coats any more.  We’ve been having some very cold weather, and still 90 percent of the people that came by my wrapping table were not wearing a coat of any kind.  One woman commented that coats were bulky, and hard to manage while shopping.  That was after she stopped shivering long enough to actually speak!

That’s true, but I can’t help but think that the shopping mall is what has “killed” the coat.  People are used to shopping in a climate controlled atmosphere, so so don’t remember to wear something warm when actually on the street.  Against all odds, the downtown of Waynesville, NC, where I was wrapping, is thriving.  With so many small towns all but shuttered due to business moving to strip malls and big boxes, Waynesville is a bit of a weekend destination and has lots to great little shops that cater mainly to tourists.  It makes for a great Christmas shopping experience, but please remember the coat.

Comments:

Posted by Inky:

I agree that I rarely see people wearing coats, especially living in California, but it does get cold enough for at least a nice wool coat – I have 2 wool coats, a swing in cream, a bright pink 60’s with lovely multi-gem buttons, a black cocktail coat and a 40’s short shawl-collard/big shoulder wool car coat. 

If only there were more room in the coat closet!!

Monday, December 15th 2008 @ 9:08 AM

Posted by Holly:

Good post. 

I was out couple of weeks ago here in Chicago and you know what? It was about 20 degrees and kids are wearing JUST hoodies!

Have to say, I love coats and if I had more room, I’d have more of them. I cannot imagine going out without one. I bet there are only three months of the year when I don’t wear one.

Love that cat trimmed coat!

Tuesday, December 16th 2008 @ 8:54 AM

Posted by Lizzie:

Holly, that is just insane! Personally, I don’t like feeling cold, and if it drops below 50* I wear a coat. 

Friday, December 19th 2008 @ 6:55 PM

Ethnic Inspiration ~ 1920s

This is a dress and jacket from the House of Madame Babani.  Babani was located in Paris, on the rue haussmann, in the heart of the shopping district.  Babani was to Paris what Liberty was to London, selling a mix of fabrics, home decor and fashion, much of it inspired by the East, and all of it “Bohemian” in nature.   She was known for her embroidered silk velvets, which look to be a variation on the stenciled silks that were produced by Fortuny around the same time,  This set is gold metallic thread embroidered on gold silk velvet, and is very  representative of the type of garment made and sold at Babani.