1960s Hudson’s Bay Point Blanket coat

Posted on February 21, 2014 by Spencer Stewart

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271404687198
This vintage coat was made in the early 1960s by the Hudson’s Bay Company from their iconic multi-stripe point blankets. It is their “Olympic” model, a belted, double breasted style with tab adjusters at the wrists, handwarmer pockets at the chest and patch pockets on the hips. The style was made, essentially unchanged, since the 1920s. Whereas some blanket mackinaws of this style were made using the Hudson’s Bay fabric by other manufacturers, this one was made and sold by Hudson’s Bay themselves. This is the same style and era as was worn by the Canadian Olympic team at the 1964 Innsbruck Winter Olympic games. The stripes on this one are inverted from what most are – usually you see the indigo stripe on the bottom. However, even looking at the photos of the Canadian Olympic team all wearing matching versions of this coat, a percentage have this rarer flipped design. The position of the stripes relative to the features of the coats differ in nearly every coat in those pictures as well. I suppose each cutter had their own way of positioning the pattern. The coat is fully lined, which, along with the particular style of label, distinguish it from earlier manufacture coats.

Chest (pit to pit): 24″ (doubled = 48″)
Shoulder to shoulder: 20″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 26″
Length (base of collar to hem): 35″

1940s green Maine Guide blanket coat

Posted on February 16, 2014 by Spencer Stewart

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281267936264
This vintage coat was made by Congress Sportswear under the “Maine Guide” label just after the end of WWII. The coat is made from green wool blanket fabric, in a four pocket, zipper front style. The zipper is of the mid to late 1940s design, with a square cornered puller, and a “Talon” marked stopbox. The tag is of Maine Guide’s pre-1947 design. The coat is mostly unlined save for the shoulders. It has shirt style cuffs.

Maine Guide was known for its elaborate Hudson’s Bay point blanket cots. This one is simplified and does not bear the HBC label, but putting it side by side with the other green Maine Guide coat I have currently, the two are nearly identical. Maine Guide made heavy use of the black stripe portion of their blankets for trim. I wouldn’t be surprised if they had this slightly simplified line to make use of the surplus background blanket wool.

Chest (pit to pit): 24″ (doubled = 48″)
Shoulder to shoulder: 19″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 24-1/2″
Length (base of collar to hem): 30″

1940s Maine Guide Hudson’s Bay Point Blanket mackinaw coat

Posted on February 10, 2014 by Spencer Stewart

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271397856838
This vintage coat was made in the USA by Congress under the Maine Guide Sportswear label. It is made from English-made Hudson’s Bay point blanket material, one of the highest quality and most expensive wools on the market for this type of coat at that point. These coats were most popular in red and black stripe, and in multi-stripe (green red, yellow and indigo stripes on a white background). The green and black is rare.
The style of the Hudson’s Bay label and the (R) symbol on the Maine Guide label help to date this to the late 1940s, although the overall pattern of the coat belongs more to the 1930s. I like the way the Maine Guide coats use the pattern of the blanket to accentuate the details of their coats. The “points” of the blanket are right up front. The sleeves are defined by the stripe, as are the handwarmer pockets and the buttoned sleeve adjuster belts. The hip pocket flaps contrast against the main stripe. Some manufacturers of point blanket coats merely tailored their standard mackinaw pattern in a different material. Maine Guide went the extra step to take full advantage of everything the iconic Canadian fabric had to offer. It makes sense, as the company had a lot of experience with blanket coats. In the early 1930s, Maine Guide produced a model with a double breasted chest and a zippered bottom. A really unique look.
This coat is double breasted and belted, and has a stylish peaked collar that I’ve only seen on blanket coats made by Maine Guide. Another unique feature to Maine Guide is the bottom hem, which uses the edge of the blanket, instead of having a bottom seam. The coat is unlined, which is more typical of pre-war patterns. The blanket wool is thick and has a long nap, which is also more typical of earlier production blankets.

Chest (pit to pit): 21″ (doubled = 42″)
Shoulder to shoulder: 18″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 25″
Length (base of collar to hem): 34″

1930s Shanhouse Hudson’s Bay Point Blanket Mackinaw Coat

Posted on February 9, 2014 by Spencer Stewart

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281263182073
This vintage mackinaw coat was made around 1936 by W. Shanhouse and Sons of Rockford, Illinois. Shanhouse Sportswear was a well known maker of the time, producing high quality mackinaws, like this one, as well as a variety of leather jackets. At the time, the Hudson’s Bay Point blanket wool option was the most expensive mackinaw available from Shanhouse. Hudson’s Bay blanket wool was prized for its extreme warmth, wind blocking, vibrant color and luxurious nap. This red and black color scheme was probably the most popular, followed by the multi-stripe.

I’ve sold a lot of these blanket mackinaws, and I think this one may be my favorite design so far. It has wide, pointed lapels, with the black stripe positioned underneath for a bit of extra “pop”. This one retains its original hood, attached under the collar with a red knit wool panel for a bit of stretch when worn. The hood spreads when not in use, doing up with a Talon zipper with a rare sunburst bell-shaped puller. Whereas many of these coats had pressed metal buckles, or leather covered ones, this one has a high quality, heavy duty cast buckle. The buttons are original and have a nice red swirl pattern to them. The ones on the sleeves have turned a bit more brown over the years. Instead of regular patch pockets, this one has fancy saddlebag pockets, and uses the red and black of the stripe nicely for contrast.
As is typical on these earlier mackinaws, this one is unlined. The blankets used on these earlier Hudson’s Bay Blanket coats were of much higher quality than later ones, thicker, denser and with a deeper nap. Compare a 1930s coat to a 1970s one and you’ll see what I mean. The points on this coat are located on the side seam. This one features an extra-large version of the Hudson’s Bay label, and a wonderfully designed “Shanhouse” label. The coat bears a United Garment Workers of America “Duck Goods” union label.

Chest (pit to pit): 22″ (doubled = 44″)
Shoulder to shoulder: 18″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 26-1/2″
Length (base of collar to hem): 33″

1950s Rice Sportswear Coureur De Bois blanket mackinaw

Posted on January 20, 2014 by Spencer Stewart

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281249717086
This vintage mackinaw coat was made in Canada in the 1950s by Rice Sportswear under the Coureur de Bois label. Although made with blankets from a different woolen mill, the styling is nearly identical to what was being produced and sold by the Hudson’s Bay Company at the time. These striped blanket mackinaws were, and are, a Canadian icon, as well as being stylish and practical. The blanket pattern on this one has a red background, with a broad black stripe and a skinnier black stripe. It is double breasted and belted, with handwarmer pockets on the chest and patch pockets on the hip, in the traditional manner. It is fully lined, with an excellent graphic on the label. While the tag is stamped, “38”, with a 52″ chest measurement, I would say this would probably fit a size 44 or 46 better. Tagged sizes are notoriously unreliable. For the best fit, compare the provided measurements with a coat you own which you feel fits well.

Chest (pit to pit): 26″ (doubled = 52″)
Shoulder to shoulder: 19″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 26″
Length: 35″

Brown and Camel Hudson’s Bay point blanket coat

Posted on January 20, 2014 by Spencer Stewart

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271378596257
This vintage mackinaw coat was made by the Hudson’s Bay Company in the 1940s from their iconic point blankets. This is a particularly rare model, made in a tan point blanket, instead of the more typical red and black or multi-stripe. It has the classic mackinaw cut: double breasted, belted, with patch pockets on the hips and handwarmers on the chest. The lining of the coat is a transitional style, which helps date it. Generally, mackinaw coats like this made in the 1920s and 1930s were completely unlined. In the 1940s, half linings like this one has started to come into fashion. By the 1950s, most were fully lined. The original owner’s name. “G. Lasker” is written in the lining.

Chest (pit to pit): 22″
Shoulder to shoulder: 18″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 25-3/4″
Length: 34″

1920s Hudson’s Bay Company point blanket coat

Posted on January 13, 2014 by Spencer Stewart

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281244175192

This vintage mackinaw coat was made in the 1920s. It is tailored from red and black Hudson’s Bay Company point blankets, in a classic double breasted cut. The coat is belted, with flapped hip pockets and slash handwarmers on the chest. The belt has buttons instead of a buckle, a typically 1920s detail. As with most mackinaws of this era, this example is unlined, with finished interior seams. This blanket material was highly sought after in this era for serious outdoorsmen. Upgrading to point blanket material over standard mackinaw wool could almost double the price.

Chest (pit to pit): 20-1/2″
Shoulder to shoulder: 16″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 23-1/2″
Length: 27″

1950s Hudson’s Bay car coat

Posted on January 12, 2014 by Spencer Stewart

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281243854821
This vintage coat was made in the 1950s. It is a Hudson’s Bay point blanket style, though this particular pattern of blanket came from a different woolen mill. This single breasted car coat style was made in this blanket material during the 1950s by a variety of makers. I’ve had ones very similar to this made by Lakeland and by Albert Richard. Unfortunately, this one has lost its tags, and the details, while close to the others, are not exact, so I can not be certain on the manufacturer. It has knotted leather buttons, and belted cuffs with a very nice loop detail. The coat has a quilted lining.

Chest (pit to pit): 23-1/2″ (doubled = 47″)
Shoulder to shoulder: 18″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 25-1/2″
Length: 33-1/2″

Also see: https://vintagehaberdashers.com/2013/11/17/1946-albert-richard-blanket-coat/

1920s point blanket Carss Mackinaw

Posted on January 12, 2014 by Spencer Stewart

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281243862765
This vintage coat was made by Carss Mackinaw, probably in the 1920s. It is made of striped point blanket material, with four patch pockets and a belted back. It has a squared off shawl collar, and caped shoulders, both distinctively Carss details. The coat is unlined, as is typical of mackinaws of this era.

Chest (pit to pit): 24″ (doubled = 48″)
Shoulder to shoulder: 18-1/2″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 25″
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 (although this one feels lighter), 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.

Also see: https://vintagehaberdashers.com/2013/12/21/1920s-carss-mackinaw-coat/

Jeffrey Banks / Lakeland blanket coat

Posted on December 31, 2013 by Spencer Stewart

This coat was made in the late 1970s by Lakeland, and was designed by Jeffrey Banks, in the early days of his career. It is a classic double breasted peacoat/mackinaw style, made in red and black striped blanket material. The coat draws heavy influence from earlier decades and Lakeland products, like the 1947 “Jackinac”. The silhouette and material are straight out of the 1930s or 1940s, but updated with more modern luxuries like a quilted liner. The Lakeland x Jeffrey Banks line of the late 1970s and early 1980s was made up of these reproduction pieces, in the same way the current Ralph Lauren RRL line is today. Another can be seen here: https://vintagehaberdashers.com/2013/12/16/jeffrey-banks-lakeland-shawl-collar-mackinaw/

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