Spaide-Lox was an early maker of half-zip workshirts. They sported early no-hole Hookless zippers.
Although half-zip shirts were made for a number of years, like This One, they never supplanted buttons, as zipper manufacturers hoped they would.
An early menswear usage of the Hookless fastener. Union suits were the most common type of mens underwear from the 1900s-1920s. For years, manufacturers experimented with new designs to reduce the number of buttons, and the complexities of the design. More often than not, these solutions actually made the designs significantly more complex, and did not catch on.
The fully separable zipper was invented in 1927 by Gideon Sundback. It’s covered by patents 1813433 and 1813432.
From the invention of the zipper in 1913 until that point, zippers had been limited in their usage by an attached end. It was suitable for coverall suits, luggage and pullovers. But it made it inconvenient for applications in jackets. The new unlockable/ fully separable bottom end of the zipper allowed for its easy usage on jackets. By 1930, zipper fronted jackets were well on their way to becoming common.
1925. Typical 1920s style. Button front, marketed as a windbreaker, specifically for the sporting set. Suede was extremely common in this era.
1929. Before the modern separable bottom to the zipper, this pullover style was the workaround.
1930. Early zipper front style.
Headshot, 1946
It’s only appropriate that Hank Snow wore a Hudson’s Bay Blanket coat. This style of blanket coat was a Canadian icon, as well as being favored by cowboy star, Tom Mix. His coats can be seen here. Like Mix’s coat, Snow’s was custom tailored, and had the unusual detail of the sleeve stripe running lengthwise. Early in his career, Snow wore a similarly styled and creased cowboy hat to Mix. Both also favored bow ties.
Christmas with Hank Snow, 1967
By the 1960s, Snow was wearing a new coat, also custom tailored. It had four pleated patch pockets with an unusual round shape. The coat had a 4×8 double breasted front, and a wrap-around belted back.
Hits Covered by Snow, 1969
For much more on Hank Snow and western style please visit Golden West Clothing.
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