Vintage Workwear

I would have to agree that Brian is up there with his clothes. He is known to have rooms full of top-notch 50's R&R digs that is off limits to people not named Brian.

Larry has the best "rugged" 20's - 50's collection, but Brian definitely has the best 50's collection in the US. Take my word for it. However, Larry did break the sound barrier on Hawaiian shirts and will probably spend the most to get something he wants.

Try sending an email to Rin and see if he'll sell you one. I think the distributor is the guy selling the book. Could be they are shelling them out to try and recover some of the $ for the Inspiration show?

Strongarm NYC

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The rarest of all vintage Golden Era newsboy caps: it's made of leather. http://cgi.ebay.com/20s-vtg-Leather...ptZVintage_Men_s_Clothing?hash=item1e5a8a3866


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Hey, I ran across this post. Great photos of women working on the subs and workwear in general. Is the person who writes a Continuous Lean on the Fedora Lounge?

BTW, I like the red chambray, but I'm still not sold on the $100 price tag from a large store. Although the red would look great on my guy...
I would like to find some nice chambray to sew with, I'm wondering if anyone has sourced it?

Real Workwear: French Carpenter's Pants

Something you won't find in today's mall":

"The bigger the trousers, the stronger the man", as carpenters like to say.

Two factors are at the source of the baggy velvet trousers known as the largeot – first, flottard trousers, which were in fashion in the first half of the 19th century, which led to the wearing of so-called "hussar"-type cavalry trousers. The second factor was the adaptation of these types of trousers to carpentry work and to labourers.
Adolphe Lafont can be considered the father of this traditional garb. He was a tailor from Lyon who patented the first brand of French clothing in 1896. His first piece of clothing was the largeot worn by the "coteries", i.e. by compagnons in the building trade. Its particularity lay in its characteristic shape. Either it flared at the thigh and tightened at calf level (the so-called "demi-hussard" model), or it was very flared at the thigh and even more so at calf level, but tight around the ankle (the "demi-balloon" model). The largeot was made of very rugged Cosserat velvet, which has an impressive 650 g per sq. metre, or of moleskin.

More than a piece of clothing, the carpenter's outfit is nearly a house.

These trousers are monumental, and a coating of bone glue on the inside further reinforces their stiffness. A joke from the period had it that, thanks to their largeots, those who worked in construction could still stand upright even when completely drunk. This piece of clothing should never be washed, but only beaten and brushed. It is adaptable to the various positions of a carpenter working on a roof. – carpenters need ample trousers to be able to squat down, but ones that are tight at the ankle so they don't trip. The piped pocket on the right thigh holds a folding ruler, a pencil and a gauge. A strap in the back is used to hold a hammer, while the gusset pocket holds a piece of chalk for making lines and even a clove of garlic for soothing insect bites.

In addition to the largeot, a carpenter wears a coltin – a jacket that closes at the neck – and sometimes a vest.

More than a piece of clothing, the carpenter's outfit is nearly a house. In any case, it has taken on a emblematic significance for young compagnons on the Tour de France, who have elevated this garment to the level of ceremonial outfit, often completed with the walking stick and guild scarf.

some more images


"Advertising postcard for velvet woven and embellished at Amiens by Henri Monnier. An example of "demi-ballon" trousers."


"Advertisement for the "Falzar", made in Amiens, early 20th century. The largeot also appealed to an urban, bourgeois clientele, who liked the unusual billow of the demi-balloon shape."

Nice stuff Mothfighter!

Thanks, Mothfighter-
Clothing in this style can be had here and here.

www.lelaboureur.fr
www.lelaboureur.se

among others...


B
T

David Conwill said:

Most of the vintage safety frames have side shields, making them in effect goggles with arms.

-Dave

Click to expand...

1930'S WORK GOGGLES

Those are perfect. I am a bit wary though, would the plastic still be strong enough? (asks someone who has seen a hospital nurse scoop metal grinding out of another person's eye)

He ones I've seen have had a tight metal mesh on the sides instead of glass/plastic. And, of course, I'm talking about having the lenses themselves replaced with polycarbonate.

-Dave

BellyTank said:

Thanks, Mothfighter-
Clothing in this style can be had here and here.

www.lelaboureur.fr
www.lelaboureur.se

among others...


B
T

Click to expand...

Thanks BT, I'd seen the Laboureur site before,
nice classic stuff there.
Do you know if they sell to foreign customers?

MF

Yes, I was sure you had seen it before-
it was for the benefit of the others, who may be interested.

I don't know about foreign sales- but we're all European-
well. most of us who live in Europe. Should do.


B
T

Check out these insane workshirt ideas from the early part of the last century.

Click on the photo's to see more.



Also, check out the wild cigarette pocket ideas

Couple of real old chin straps (photos by Wolcott from the late 30's):

Really beautiful post on A Continuous Lean.

Workwear patterns. Any sewing gals out there willing to make me a shirt?

http://www.acontinuouslean.com/2009/04/03/how-to-make-vintage-workwear/