tweedydon
Call Me a Cab
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VINTAGE 1960s CROMBIE COAT.... THE SORT STOCKED BY J. PRESS!
Made by Kilmaine of Ireland--suppliers of Crombies to J. Press when this coat was made!
c. 40, 42. Measurements:
Chest: 22 1/2
Sleeve: 24 3/4
Shoulder: 19
Length: 37
This is a fantastic coat with lots of history--and a clear connection with Ivy Style!
This coat is a classic 1960s British Crombie--and as authentic a Crombie as you can could have bought in the 1960s for it is made with Crombie cloth woven in Aberdeen.
This coat was made by Kilmaine of Ireland. Founded in 1925 (and closed in 2004) they were one of the premier traditional clothiers in Ireland and one of 11 chosen by the Irish Export Board in 1965 to meet with Norbert Ford, a pioneer of lightweight woolens in the US, to modify traditional Irish clothing for export to the US. These meetings bore fruit, and in 1966 Kilmaine was supplying J. Press (then located at New Haven, Cambridge, and NYC) with tweed jackets, tweed suits--and Crombie overcoats.
This Crombie is thus likely to be precisely the same as those that could be had at J. Press in 1966... especially as this was made for Bryan Bros. of Athy, Co. Kildare Ireland--an Irish version of J. Press. (Founded in 1946, and famous for its overhead pulley system which moved money from the cashier to the safe. Bryan Bros. closed in 1995.)
It is a classic 1960s Crombie--precisely the cut loved by Mods, diplomats, Members of Parliament, and, later, Skinheads who, like the Mods before them, loved its elegant and classic silhouette.
As such, it is a single breasted overcoat with a three button front and wonderfully narrow mid-century lapels. It has a single center vent. It is fully lined and fully canvassed. It has two deep slash handwarmer pockets on the front.
Of course, it is made from classic Crombie cloth--here, a black solid-tone herringbone weave that appears solid unless you pay very careful attention to the weave.... and even then the herringbone is hard to see!
The cuffs are lined in beautiful velvet in midnight blue--a wonderfully elegant (and comfortable) touch!
Likely dating from the 1960s--the period when Kilmaine was supplying these coats to J. Press--this coat does have some minor issues. (It is, after all, over 50 years old!) First, it has a pair of tiny moth nibbles on one sleeve--these were found after close examination in bright sun. It also has a single moth nibble on the front. It has some minor collar creep--fixed by a good press. It also has some fraying to the lining at the hem and at the shoulder. It also has two button cuffs where it seemed three buttons were originally. (Again, a point that won't be noticed at all when this is worn.) And it has two surface blemishes--one on the lapel and one by the collar at the back. These should be easily removed by dry cleaning.
Finally, it has some minor tears in the thick cotton duck of the two slash handwarmer pockets.
As such, this coat is in Good/Very Good condition... and so is a bargain at just $45, or offer, boxed, shipped, and insured in the USA!
Made by Kilmaine of Ireland--suppliers of Crombies to J. Press when this coat was made!
c. 40, 42. Measurements:
Chest: 22 1/2
Sleeve: 24 3/4
Shoulder: 19
Length: 37
This is a fantastic coat with lots of history--and a clear connection with Ivy Style!
This coat is a classic 1960s British Crombie--and as authentic a Crombie as you can could have bought in the 1960s for it is made with Crombie cloth woven in Aberdeen.
This coat was made by Kilmaine of Ireland. Founded in 1925 (and closed in 2004) they were one of the premier traditional clothiers in Ireland and one of 11 chosen by the Irish Export Board in 1965 to meet with Norbert Ford, a pioneer of lightweight woolens in the US, to modify traditional Irish clothing for export to the US. These meetings bore fruit, and in 1966 Kilmaine was supplying J. Press (then located at New Haven, Cambridge, and NYC) with tweed jackets, tweed suits--and Crombie overcoats.
This Crombie is thus likely to be precisely the same as those that could be had at J. Press in 1966... especially as this was made for Bryan Bros. of Athy, Co. Kildare Ireland--an Irish version of J. Press. (Founded in 1946, and famous for its overhead pulley system which moved money from the cashier to the safe. Bryan Bros. closed in 1995.)
It is a classic 1960s Crombie--precisely the cut loved by Mods, diplomats, Members of Parliament, and, later, Skinheads who, like the Mods before them, loved its elegant and classic silhouette.
As such, it is a single breasted overcoat with a three button front and wonderfully narrow mid-century lapels. It has a single center vent. It is fully lined and fully canvassed. It has two deep slash handwarmer pockets on the front.
Of course, it is made from classic Crombie cloth--here, a black solid-tone herringbone weave that appears solid unless you pay very careful attention to the weave.... and even then the herringbone is hard to see!
The cuffs are lined in beautiful velvet in midnight blue--a wonderfully elegant (and comfortable) touch!
Likely dating from the 1960s--the period when Kilmaine was supplying these coats to J. Press--this coat does have some minor issues. (It is, after all, over 50 years old!) First, it has a pair of tiny moth nibbles on one sleeve--these were found after close examination in bright sun. It also has a single moth nibble on the front. It has some minor collar creep--fixed by a good press. It also has some fraying to the lining at the hem and at the shoulder. It also has two button cuffs where it seemed three buttons were originally. (Again, a point that won't be noticed at all when this is worn.) And it has two surface blemishes--one on the lapel and one by the collar at the back. These should be easily removed by dry cleaning.
Finally, it has some minor tears in the thick cotton duck of the two slash handwarmer pockets.
As such, this coat is in Good/Very Good condition... and so is a bargain at just $45, or offer, boxed, shipped, and insured in the USA!
