Here’s one from my collection, which is not for sale, but certainly is worth sharing.
I found this jacket at a Salvation Army thrift shop in Halifax Nova Scotia. It was custom made by Joseph Jaeger, a furrier in Berkeley, California, and is truly one of the most unusual pieces of vintage menswear I’ve lucked across. The detailing is odd enough that dating is difficult.
Most of my shots are done professionally in a studio by Michael G. Stewart, but those of you at home can get good looking results with a minimum of cost or effort.
Here’s how.
01: A hat stand of some description is important for photographing your hat while maintaining the shape of its brim. This purpose made one cost $5. The backdrop is a sheet of 18″x24″ paper from an art store.
02: To minimize shadows, shoot outdoors on an overcast day, or at the very least in shadow. Make sure what you’re shooting does not hang over the edge of the white.
03: In photoshop (or GIMP, it’s free), white balance to the lightest point of the white backdrop.
04: Use a brush tool to knock out all the non-white sections of the photo.
05: Select the shadows and white balance that selection separately to eliminate them.
06: Crop.
I found this vintage sweater in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. It is handmade from a pattern by the Canadian company, Mary Maxim dating to the 1960s, and depicts the sport of Five Pin Bowling, played only in Canada. Watch the video below to see another one of these sweaters in action.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/281078381329
This vintage shawl collar mackinaw was made under Montgomery Ward’s workwear label, Powr-House. This style was popular from the 1930s-1950s and the style remained basically unchanged during that time. It has a cotton shell, with a mouton collar and sheepskin lining. There are leather reinforcements at the corners of the pockets, and a throat latch under the shawl collar. The label and the quilted material in the sleeves make me think this is probably a ’50s version of the coat- earlier ones, while nearly identical on the exterior, would likely have had blanket wool linings in the sleeves. There is some light colored staining to the mouton collar, and at the bottom of the coat, some light colored staining, which cleaning has not been able to remove. The coat is labeled in the pocket as a size 42.
Chest (shoulder to shoulder): 24″
Shoulder to Shoulder: 20″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 24″
http://www.ebay.com/itm/281078341662
This vintage leather jerkin was made in 1952 for the Belgian military. It is a similar model to that used during WWII by British forces. This one has yoked shoulders, a four button front, and a blue-gray blanket wool lining. Tweed jacket pictured under the jerkin not included.
Chest (pit to pit): 23″ (doubled =46″)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/271172308225
This vintage jacket has some great detailing. It has two tone panel styling, with plaid wool on the front and on the underside of the collar. The topside of the collar, the sleeves and the back are all dark blue wool. The back has a halfbelt, and norfolk strapping, which also follows the color change of the paneling, switching over at the shoulders. The cuffs and ends of the belt back have knotted leather buttons. There is a contrast blue buttoned throat latch on the underside of the collar. The front of the jacket is closed with a spring loaded crown zipper, still in great working order. Inside, the coat is lined in plaid cotton, with a blue, white, yellow and tan color scheme. The sleeves are lined in tan flannel.
Chest (pit to pit): 26″
Shoulder to Shoulder: 20″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 24″
http://www.ebay.com/itm/281078373691
This vintage coat was made in the 1950s. It is made from a red and black double-stripe blanket material. This particular coat no longer bears its original label, so the manufacturer is unknown. The Hudson’s Bay Company was the most famous maker of these blanket coats, but I have not seen a red double-stripe by them. This coat is the iconic cut for this blanket material: double breasted, belted, with handwarmer pockets and patch cargo pockets. These coats descended from the blanket capotes worn by fur traders in the 18th and 19th centuries. Due to the costly blanket material, these coats were extremely costly new. They were the ultimate in outdoors garments at the time, particularly in Canada, balancing style and rugged practicality. This example bears evidence of a lifetime of heavy use at a cabin in Ontario.
Chest (pit to pit): 25″
Shoulder to Shoulder: 21″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 25″
http://www.ebay.com/itm/281078325621
This vintage coat was made by LL Bean. It is a classic striped point blanket style, made famous by the offerings of the Hudson’s Bay company. The HBC version had four stripes, of indigo, yellow, red and green. This version has broader stripes, of black, red and yellow. These coats were very expensive new, with their high quality blanket material, and were generally offered by the higher end outdoors outfitters of the time. This is a somewhat newer version, produced in the 1960s or 1970s, but its style is extremely classic with the biggest difference being its warm, bright red acrylic pile lining. It is a single breasted style with handwarmer pockets and flapped patch pockets.
Chest (pit to pit): 24″ (doubled = 48″ = size 44)
Shoulder to Shoulder: 19″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 25-3/4″
http://www.ebay.com/itm/281078392961
This vintage coat was made in the 1950s by Canadian company “Mac-Mor”. This is another striped blanket coat, ala The Hudson’s Bay Company. The multi-stripe and red and black are the most common combinations on these Canadian blanket coats, which makes this one somewhat unusual. It has a white background with black and yellow stripes in differing widths and combinations. With the white background of this coat, there are scattered stains, the worst of which is on the left shoulder. The jacket has a gray quilted lining.
Chest (pit to pit): 23″
Shoulder to shoulder: 18″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 17″
http://www.ebay.com/itm/271172356785
This vintage blanket coat was sold by Eaton’s under their “Gleneaton” label. It is made of a Canadian-loomed “Ayers” white and yellow point blanket. The coat has a double breasted front, and a quilted lining. It has a pleated vent, and knitted storm cuffs.
Chest (pit to pit): 20″
Shoulder to Shoulder: 16″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 24″
Vintage-Haberdashers Blog 