Vintage Canadian shoes were built to last. Thick, high quality leather, thick, nailed leather soles. They may not always be the fanciest or the flashiest, but as many of these shoes show, they will outlive you. And maybe outlive a second owner.
I was extremely lucky to find this Brown’s Beach Jacket in Woodside, Nova Scotia a few years back. It’s probably of 1950s manufacture, and with its Beach cloth, knit outside, fleeced inside, it is both warm and lightweight. This one is made of the blue beach cloth, rather than the more common gray. The jacket has Scovill snaps. As you can see by the pocket stitching in particular, the quality on these, at least by the ’50s, was somewhat hit or miss. It cracks me up with reproductions of items like this, which were utilitarian and mass produced. In so many cases the reproductions available today are of better quality and construction than the originals.
These jackets have become huge with workwear collectors. This one sold for around $1100.
A ’20s Stetson with “the fray” sweatband and wonderfully detailed logo. Double frayed edge bow and short, flattish brim.
This is a BIG hat. Tall crown. Wide brim. Likely made in the 1920s, it was sold by Moore’s of Santa Fe New Mexico and is Stetson’s No. 1 Quality, one of their western designations of the time.
A long-haired 1920s italian hat. Not quite a fedora, not quite a homburg, Very wide ribbon with intentionally frayed trailing edge.
This is a great example of a western fedora. It shows lines from where it was once creased as more of a cattleman, but the blocking and flanging are pure fedora. Dating is a bit more difficult for custom hats, but I’d place this one at sometime in the ’50s.
This 1940s dobbs homburg was originally owned by a doctor. It was sold to Dr. RCM by P.A. Meyer and Sons.
You don’t see derbies with this salt and pepper long nap finish anymore. Beautiful condition, and a very lightweight hat. Made in London England.
Here’s a great example of a late 1950s Stetson Open road, creased with a diamond crown. It’s the 3x felt designation, indicating quite high quality felt; much better than what Stetson is currently calling 3x. Size tag, sweatband color and imprint and design of liner point to a date in the late ’50s, possibly pushing into the early 1960s.
Here’s a ’60s Stetson in the style of the Dobbs Gay Prince. Whipstitched self-felt ribbon, overwelt brim edge. Black sweatband and color logo suggests a 1960s date.
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