R.H. Macy 1930s plaid workshirt

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281262488148
This vintage plaid wool workshirt was made in the early 1930s and was sold by R.H. Macy & Co., Inc. They later simplified their name to Macy’s. The design of the shirt, in particular the distinctive pocket flaps, are consistent with what was being produced by LL Bean at the time. It’s likely they had the contract for this Macy’s store labeled shirt.

Chest (pit to pit): 22″ (doubled = 44″)
Shoulder to shoulder: 17″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 24″
Length (base of collar to hem): 32″
Collar: 16″

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1940s Belt back double breasted mackinaw

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271391492640

This vintage mackinaw coat was made in the mid to late 1940s. Going by the style and the lining, it’s likely that it was sold by Sears under the Hercules label. Whereas most plaid jackets were made for the hunting market, this one is of the type marketed in the 1940s as workwear. It has a double breasted front, handwarmer pockets on the chest and large flapped pockets on the hips. The large zipped pocket on the right side is a nice and rarely seen detail. It does up with a bell shaped Talon zipper, which helps with the dating. This has a half-belt back. The coat has a blue plaid lining

Chest (pit to pit): 25″ (doubled = 50″)
Shoulder to shoulder: 21″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 24″
Length: 29″

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1920s Carss Mackinaw coat

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271352494287
This vintage coat was made by Carss Mackinaw, probably in the 1920s. This is a rare version. Most were made in striped point blanket material, with four patch pockets and a belted back. This one is made from a wool plaid. It has a squared off shawl collar, with patch breast pockets and handwarmers in a shape which would eventually inspire the D-Pocket found on motorcycle jackets. There are access flaps to an internal game pocket, and adjuster belts, mounted high on the back. The shoulders have pinked capes.

Chest (pit to pit): 24″ (doubled = 48″)
Shoulder to shoulder: 18-1/2″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 24″
Length: 30″

A bit about the company, from a history piece I wrote for “The Fedora Lounge”: Carss Mackinaw made blanket coats in Orillia, Ontario from at least 1897. Their signature model was single breasted with caped shoulders and a squared-off shawl collar. They are most commonly seen in red, green, and khaki, all with a blanket stripe at the base. The fabric used in these coats was advertised as a whopping 44oz, and was sourced from a variety of trade blanket manufacturers, including Hudson’s Bay and the Bird Woolen Mills. They were advertised as “The Only Genuine Mackinaw Made In Canada”. They were retailed by the Hudson’s Bay Company, as well as other stores.

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1920s plaid Big Indian Shirt workshirt

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271352508597
This vintage plaid wool workshirt was made by the Big Indian Shirt company. This is their early yellow and black label with tipis, which was used in the 1920s through the early 1930s. There are two breast pockets. The left one is cut to hold a pen. The collar has a nice shape, with a dramatic undercurve. The tails have gussets.

While most plaid shirts like this were made by outdoors companies like Woolrich, Big Indian was exclusively a workwear company, producing primarily in chambray. Their popularity peaked in the mid 1920s.

Chest (pit to pit): 22″
Shoulder to shoulder: 17″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 23-1/2″
Length: 28″
Neck: 15″

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Mid 1930s Woolrich Mackinaw

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281204853617
This vintage Woolrich coat was made in the mid 1930s in Woolrich, Pennsylvania. After extensive research and collecting, I have put together a comprehensive guide to dating the labels and details of these coats. This style label, with a green border and the text “All Wool” was used briefly, from about 1935-1937. Still produced today, this model of Woolrich mackinaw has changed very little since the turn of the last century, so details must be relied upon to give accurate dating. The label is the big one, definitively pinning it down. The jacket features the early style asymmetric breast pockets. Woolrich switched over to two large breast pockets in the 1960s. The coat has the early style of United Carr snaps with a meander pattern on them. During WWII, Woolrich switched briefly to plain-topped ones, then to ones branded with their company name for the 1940s and 1950s.

The coat has a large, rounded collar with a buttoned throat latch. It has covered buttons save for the top. All the pockets have snaps. The vertical pockets on the front pass through to the internal game pouch, which can also be accessed from the rear. The coat has a full mustard colored lining.

Chest (pit to pit): 24″
Shoulder to shoulder: 20″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 23″
Length: 29″

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1950s Woolrich plaid shirt

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271317611899
This vintage plaid shirt was made in the 1950s by the Woolrich Woolen mills of Woolrich, Pennsylvania. It was sold by the Goodwear Company of 177 Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, NY. The shirt is made of wool plaid, and has shrunk-down versions of the buttons found on the heavy hunting coats. Pockets have pointed flaps. The collar is lined in black twill.

Chest (pit to pit): 22″
Shoulder to shoulder: 19″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 24″
Length: 31″

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Button Front short Woolrich Jacket

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281204240511
This vintage jacket was made in the early 1940s by the Woolrich Woolen Mills of Woolrich PA. It is a waist length, button-front model, with side belt adjusters and a single breast pocket. The jacket has reverse “D-pockets”, and is unlined. This jacket was also made in a zipper version- see here: https://vintagehaberdashers.com/2013/11/10/zipper-front-woolrich-jacket/

Chest (pit to pit): 25″ (doubled = 50″)
Shoulder to shoulder: 20-1/2″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 24-1/2″
Length: 25″

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Zipper Front Woolrich Jacket

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281204250052
This vintage jacket was made in the years immediately following WWII. It is the zipper fronted version of Woolrich’s cossack style. In another listing, I have a slightly earlier button front version of the same style. The zipper is of a transitional style used immediately after WWII, with a Talon branded stopbox and a square sided slider. The jacket has a single patch breast pocket with a cateye button, and handwarmer pockets. The jacket is tagged a size 36, but measures more like a size 40.

Chest (pit to pit): 22″ (doubled = 44″)
Shoulder to shoulder: 18″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 23″
Length: 24-1/2″

Soo Woolen Mills plaid surcoat

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281198324999
This vintage plaid mackinaw coat was made by the Soo Woolen Mills of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan immediately after WWII. It has a surcoat zipper attachment and length. The main zipper is a rare transitional talon- with a Talon marked stop box of the type used in the mid-late 1940s. The main zip has a square sided, square holed puller, a type used very briefly as they were transitioning between the square edged pullers with a small hole and round ended pullers with a larger hole. The pockets zip with bell shaped, round holed Conmar zippers. The overall cut of the coat is interesting, with its long rear pleat topped with triangle reinforcing stitching and a belted, buttoned back. Most plaid mackinaws were of very traditional designs which changed very little over the years. This particular Soo model was very modern and sport for the time it was made. It is lined in red flannel, and is marked young adult age/size 20, which going by the measurements, is about a men’s size 44 short.

Chest (pit to pit): 25″ (doubled = 50″)
Shoulder to shoulder: 19″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 23-1/2″
Length: 28″

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1930s Woolrich hunting coat

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271277514189

This is a rare early variant of the classic Woolrich hunting coat. Most Woolrich coats you see are from the 1950s or 1960s. Coats of that era have snaps withe the “Woolrich” name on them. They have labels with a slimmed down sheep and a (R) registered trademark symbol in the corner. This one dates from the late 1930s, and has a number of details which differentiate it from the later, more common versions. The pocket snaps on this one are of the style used in the 1930s and before, with a meander pattern encircled by dots. The label is of the style used from the mid-late 1930s, with a blocky sheep, green text and a green border. Woolrich was an early adopter of zippers on their hunting garments. This one has twin double-marked Talon zippers on the game pocket. This is the style used in the late ’30s- early 1940s, with a beveled edge puller with a small hole, the Talon name on the component which attaches the slider to the puller, and the full “Made in U.S.A.” text on the back of the slider. By the 1940s, Woolrich had abandoned the use of zippers on their game pockets, in favor of a simpler and more easily repaired (though less secure) single button. With purely functional workwear and hunting items such as this, they were passed down for generations and worn hard, as there was no regard for changing styles, and a deer is unlikely to call the fashion police. The coat has a fair bit of mothing to the shell, but is in better shape than most I’ve seen from this era. Although there is some, there is also much less wear and staining than usually seen to the liner, the neck and the cuffs, the areas generally most heavily hit.

Tagged size: 42
Chest (pit to pit): 22″ (doubled = 44″)
Shoulder to Shoulder: 17″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 24-1/2″
Length: 30″

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