A Continuous Lean. » Work Wear

The US Forest Service.

Michael Williams — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:23:45 +0000

All images via The U.S. Forest Service Archive

Weekend Video | Mainline USA

Michael Williams — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 17:16:20 +0000

A dose of nostalgia and workwear for your weekend. This 1950s film about the development of the U.S. railroad system is a great looking little piece of history. “America is the living symbol of the miracle of modern production.” Well said Mr. Industrial Propaganda Film announcer. Check out those brand new Caterpillar dozers at the 2:03 mark, the plaid work shirt at 6:19 and all of those factory scenes. Great stuff.

ACL in the San Francisco Chronicle

Michael Williams — Thu, 07 May 2009 17:47:16 +0000

This past weekend The San Francisco Chronicle and writer Aaron Britt weighed in on the work wear trend. Aaron was kind enough to speak to your humble blogger about the specifics and even included a photo from my trip to the Post O’Alls factory a few weeks back. Many thanks again to Mr. Britt and also to Annie Wilson for going to the trouble of mailing me copies. Print version below, online here.

LIFE Archive | Brooklyn Navy Yard

Michael Williams — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 16:41:48 +0000

When it comes to the Life photo archive I seem to be stuck in the year 1942. The mining always begins at random places and seems to inevitably end up around WWII. The Brooklyn Navy Yard has long been a fascination of mine, and these pictures of war-time industry help to scratch that itch. One day when ACL is a massive corporation (with interests in everything from ladies undergarments to heavy equipment; just like the Japanese!) the world headquarters will hopefully be at the navy yard in good ole Kings County, Brooklyn USA.

More LIFE posts here.

Field Trip | The Post O'Alls Factory

Michael Williams — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 13:30:46 +0000

To relax, some people play golf or some people go sailing; I like to visit factories. Maybe it was all those Mister Rogers “how it’s made” segments I watched as a child. Or it could just be my insatiable curiosity about what goes into things. Provenance and all that sort of good stuff. POST OVERALLS started making its own line of work wear back in 1993, well before anyone ever thought about reproducing authentic American goods like chore coats, dark denim jeans and chambray shirts. Long before people were arguing about dressing blue-collar on the internets. Respect and credit is due to Post for paving the way for all of the work wear brands that are out there today.

Items from the POST O’ALLS autumn / winter 2009 collection.

From the Post O’ALLS bio:

“Since its inception, POST O’ALLS’ idea has been remain unchanged-Authentic in details and constructions, eclectic in fabrications with some extra ideas and characters built in, and each garment is made in U.S.A.

POST O’ALLS has its primary design idea deeply rooted in vintage work clothes and other functional garments-such as military outfits and outdoor garments-which are all evolved from work wear platform.

Takeshi Ohfuchi, the designer, has huge respect towards anonymous American vintage work clothes designs, especially from 1920~30s which he considers ‘the very best’- a great marriage of old-world craftsmanship and then emerging Machine Age inspired American industrial design. He believes many of the great American original designs have emerged and flourished in that era.

By wearing and collecting these vintage pieces daily since early 1980s, he became naturally aware of beauty in their patterns and constructions, unmistakable designs and unique fabrications -the elements that make those vintage pieces ultra cool and eternal. Those essences were all thrown into the manufacturing of POST O’ALLS.”

The day I visited the factory Post had just wrapped up a huge production run which explains why many people are not pictured sewing in these photos. It is also the reason that the factory looks a slightly more disheveled. I personally love the POST O’ALLS collection, so it was a treat to see everything being made. Most of the goods are sold in Japan, but you can buy POST in New York at Barneys and Steven Alan.

How to Make Vintage Workwear

Michael Williams — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 17:46:29 +0000

There are people that love vintage workwear and then there are people that make vintage workwear. The blog Unsung Sewing Patterns is a treasure trove of old school garmento ephemera. It would be interesting to see someone go ahead and reproduce garments to these specs, of course maybe someone already is. Either way it is cool to check out the way it was way back when. More detailed instructions and specs after the jump.

All images via Unsung Sewing Patterns.

In the Wild | Civilian Conservation Corps

Michael Williams — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 16:12:51 +0000

One of FDR’s first programs enacted under the New Deal was the establishment of the Civilian Conservation Corps or CCC as it came to be known. The program enlisted thousands of out-of-work young men throughout the United States to “focus on natural resource conservation” at National, State and local park-lands. Oregon State University has a beautiful archive of images from the days of the CCC. Some of my favorites below.

LIFE Archive | Electric Boat

Michael Williams — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 16:00:36 +0000

Another great LIFE archive find are these color shots from Electric Boat in Groton, Connecticut during the 1940s. Electric boat is the premier submarine manufacturer in the U.S., possibly in the world. My grandfather worked for General Dynamics (who owns Electric Boat) in sixties overseeing the construction of nuclear missile installations all over the country. Eventually, the family settled in the Groton area after he moved to the Electric Boat division. My father was stationed at the New London naval submarine base, which is how my parents met. Long story short, that is my connection to these images — not considering the work wear quality of the photos. You really have to hand it to the women of the era, they stepped up in a major way. This first shot below — the woman with the Acetylene torch —is a really powerful image.

Lucky Me

Michael Williams — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 21:40:54 +0000

As it turned out, I was one of the five people to score a Workers x Reference Library denim apron. When I went to Kiosk today to claim my coveted purchase the girl said to me. “You’re lucky, those sold out so quickly!” Now that is my idea of a Black Friday victory!

Don’t be discouraged, there is still a lot of great stuff up for grabs at Mini #8: Reference Library.

Carhartt for Cold Weather

Michael Williams — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 22:04:36 +0000

Carhartt is one of the things on my wish list this holiday season. The Duck Coat is a classic and one of the few items that is still made in the U.S. It requires more effort to make sure you get an American made version, but places like the Wisconsin based Midewest Workwear offer them online as do a few others. Another Carhartt jacket that I like is the very nice looking 3-in-1 Parka in black. The coat adds a technical twist on the more traditional products the company offers and reminds me of the Carhartt European collection. More of my favorite Carhartt pieces after the jump.

Carhartt 3-in-1 breathable parka

UC03 Duck Coat — Union Made in the U.S.

Duck Blanket Lined Chore Coat

C64 PVC Rain Coat

A192 Large Work Bag