He may not know it outright, but Simon James Cathcart is here to serve swing dancers – that is, serve up classic, rare, and sought-after reproduction menswear pieces in great fabrics. His latest offerings are all cotton, which means it’s all breathable and washable for us sweaty dancer types.
The workwear cotton stripe is being offered in four pieces, a belt back jacket, a waistcoat, a pair of trousers, and a cap, all inspired by 1920’s workwear. From the website:
“SJC has woven this exclusive cloth, which recreates the striped pattern from a pair of genuine 1920’s work-wear trousers in the company’s collection of vintage clothing. The cloth has been brushed on the inside for warmth…”
The details on these pieces are wonderful, as per usual – notice all the careful seams and generous use of pockets. Of interest to dancers would be the note about ample room in the thigh of the trousers, which translates to more room for your legs to move about unrestricted.
Finally, you just need some basics and SJC is, again, delivering the goods – what’s more basic than a pair of chinos or a pair of jeans? The workhouse chinos come with all the casual air of a weeknight DJ’ed dance, but have all the details you expect from period trousers, such as buttons for braces, a cinched back, and a nice V at the back of the waistband.
Cotton = breathable = sweat and dance to your heart’s content! Keep it comin’, Simon!
Ready for a spring afternoon at a Lindy exchangeI love a trouser in denim!
Digging the 1933 with the cinch in the back. Braces optional.
Continuing an exploration of vintage workwear and denim, I’ll thank David Lochner for directing me to Levi’s Vintage Clothing website, which features reproduction jeans with the fits, fabrics, and details of the past, based on Levi’s own archives. I think the greatest thing is the spread of photographs denim styles from 1890 to 1978, and you can see the differences and tweaks in the cut, proportions, and details just in the 501 style. The website also sets out the history of these changes, so you can read about each style’s history and design details. Unfortunately, you can’t order them directly from this website, but they do provide a list of retailers.
So, would you prefer a 1922, 1933, 1937, or 1944? 🙂
I see that Wearing History will be one of the vendors at Cal Bal (the California Balboa Classic) and thought this would be a good time to review the clothing I received from Wearing History as a result of backing their Kickstarter in August. It’s been fascinating following the manufacturing process after funding, with owner/designer Lauren Maringola giving frequent updates on the status of the fabric, printing, and the manufacturing timeline for each garment, among other details about working hands-on producing her made-in-the-USA line of 40’s-inspired clothing.
I backed Wearing History at the level where I would receive a pair of the Smooth Sailing trousers in denim (yes, I bought pants! Also available in plus sizes.) and the Norma Jean blouse in a must-own-or-perish musical note print. The package arrived in the mail and was waiting for me when I got home from the holidays and Lindy Focus. It was my intent to wear the outfit dancing, but the Lindy Focus plague (née the flu) and my cat getting sick prevented me from attending any local dance nights between then and now – but I wanted to make sure my Cal Bal ladies and all of you could know about this great line of clothing!
So instead of dancing, I decided to put my Wearing History outfit though another intense experience – a whirlwind trip to Hot Rhythm Holiday in Austin, Texas, where my band, the Mint Julep Jazz Band, would fly in, perform, and fly out in a period of 32 hours. 4 airports, 4 flights, shuttles, carrying baggage/equipment, eating my weight in Tex Mex food, and touring a bit of Austin before playing the Fed that night.
A close-up of this adorable print!
Just in case the glockenspiel case and traveling with 6 dudes carrying odd-shaped instrument cases wasn’t enough, the eighth-noted Norma Jean blouse would let everyone know that I was a musician and this was a band flying to a gig (and I was so excited, I’m sure I annoyed the crap out of everyone nearby). The blouse was actually a great travel piece and I imagine, for similar reasons, would be for dancing – it stayed tucked in with the darted waistline and high waisted trouser combo, the arm holes and slight dolman sleeve allowed for a wide range of movement, the tencel fabric was soft and durable, and the blouse could be dressed up or down, depending on the occasion.
Trousers and blouse dressed up a bit more
The Smooth Sailing trousers got the double travel treatment – I only wore the blouse on the first day, but wore the trousers for both traveling days. The weight of the denim is just perfect – not too thick, not too thin, and soft without losing its denim qualities. The cut is flattering, and I love the way a high waisted trouser makes your bum look. After two days on airplanes and sleeping on planes and in the airport, the trousers managed to retain their shape really well, with no stretch bubbles at the knee, and the only noticeable change was perhaps a little loosening at the waist, which may have been a casualty of my Tex Mex food baby. Two days in these pants and they performed like champs. I even slept in them when I got home – after a 23 hour day and 3 hours of sleep (with intermittent airport/plane sleeping) there was really no need to get into pajamas when the trousers were just as comfortable.
And there you have it – Cal Bal ladies, do go by the Wearing History booth and check out this wonderful new collection of clothing and remember that Wearing History is just getting started! Everyone else, please visit the Wearing History website, where you can order these lovely garments, plus some other adorable garments from Wearing History’s first clothing line. I can’t wait to see what else Wearing History has up its sleeve and would back another Kickstarter in a second. Quality goods with great style!
Classic men’s jeans – high waist, straight leg, cuff or hem. Looks good to me!
This post was written by Lindy Shopper.
I’ve been hearing a lot about Freddie’s of Pinewood lately, usually coming up in conversations about vintage or reproduction jeans. This UK-based company has taken a practical approach to dressing vintage, providing reproduction clothing you’d mostly wear just out and about, rather than getting gussied up – lots of great separates, shirts, jackets, and denim. While I generally dislike denim, I understand that most of you live in jeans – perhaps Freddie’s could be a gateway to a more vintage, casual look? There are a lot of versatile pieces on this site, to either dress up or dress down (or both), so take a gander!
Here’s what I’m loving on the website:
High waisted denim with buttons down the side, just the way I like ’em!Lovelovelove a men’s knit pullover“Saddle” sweater – can I please have one of these in every color?Because dudes need this classic stripe tee shirt X 3 to make it through a danceThese red denim capri pants are super sassy!
I’ve been following Allure Original Styles for a while, from her initial offerings through eBay as seller buddhaboogie (which is still used to sell what appears to be samples), to a full-fledged Etsy store where you can purchase custom made reproduction swing era garments. Allure Original Styles distinguishes itself from other reproduction sellers by creating an extensive line of pants and complimentary blouses. The fabrics range from wool gabardine to light-medium weight denim, to cover both dressy and casual pants needs. I am probably most excited about having wide leg denim options – while I love to dress up, sometimes you have you wear jeans for more casual occasions and shopping for jeans is only a step above shopping for a swimsuit on the loathsome activity scale. What could be more comfortable for everyday wear than a pair of flattering wide leg lightweight denim jeans?
There are also some great dresses and other separates from the store. So much to love here…I might learn to love wearing pants again:
Adorable - high waist belted denim trouser with contrast top stitching, complimentary seersucker blouse with neck tie *drool*1940's reproduction overalls - so stinkin' cuteClassic wide leg trousers with side buttons30's/40's belted skirtDesperately want this dress in my size...1930's blouse - love the bow and the zig zag seam below the bust line1930's sailor skirt with fantastic seam detailSailor shorts! There are also pants available in a similar style
There are certain things that people associate with Lindy Hop. When you associate Lindy Hop with a garment or object, that term can yield some interesting results.
As I was pilfering through the Etsy listings a few months ago for 1940’s dresses, I happened upon this jumper, which had the words “Lindy Hop” in the item’s title. Something about this jumper does evoke Lindy Hop and the youthfulness of the swing era in the 1940’s, which made me think, “How appropriate to list this particular item with the words ‘Lindy Hop’ in the title!” I’m sure there are other communities that may be looking for 1940’s jumpers for adults, but something about this was just spot on for a Lindy Hopper (or at least this Lindy Hopper) to want and have in her wardrobe. Needless to say, it has been a match made in heaven. 🙂
Can this success be replicated by searching for items listed under “Lindy Hop” on Etsy? For the most part, yes. There are a few irrelevant items, such as some random non-swing era jewelry, a child’s dress, and some Hello Kitty hair clips (arguably dance functional, but not necessarily evoking Lindy Hop specifically); however, there were some really great listings and item associations with the phrase:
Shoe bags! A staple for most swing dancers I know.Classic wide leg trousers - I can't say enough good things about the comfort and style of a good pair of wide leg trousers.Wide leg adjustable back denim pants - again with the wide legs, and paired with an adorable blouse FTW!A fantastic red skirt in wool crepe.White 1930's peeptoe shoes with cutouts, size 7.5 - LOVE!There's even some Lindy Hop photography for sale.
This one is for the gents – while Old Woogies has some adorable women’s shoes, the focus of the company’s apparel, accessories, and footwear is men. Old Woogies is based out of Italy and sells men’s shoes, pants, suspenders, belts, jumpers (aka short sleeve sweaters), hats, jeans, caps, and other menswear items inspired by the swing era and the 1950’s. There’s much more on the website, but here are some of my faves (which may turn out like your mom dressing you…). 😉
Take a break from your white Aris Allens and sink your feet into these white lovelies.Classic pant, wide leg, cuffs...yes, please.Two tone in white and brown.The website offers a variety of patterned suspenders in classic color palettes. Mesh and leather...I'd like to see more of these on the dance floor.Caps in many fabrics!Some burly looking denim.
Lindy Shopper 