Vera Brand Rebirth Moves into Housewares
2012-05-01
The Vera brand is continuing its revival, with a new licensing deal. MORE HERE
The Disappearing Retail Clothing Label
2011-05-13
It’s an old idea, and it is often forgotten in the rampant cost cutting in retail. It’s the clothing retailer name tag. Only a generation ago, it was a common practice, as it served as a permanent advertisement for the retailer after the piece of clothing was sold. Every sortMORE HERE
Boast Brand Revived
2010-11-23
Izod Lacoste wasn’t the only popular polo shirt during the preppie craze in the 1980s. Folks who wanted to be even more country club than the rest were wearing Boast, which, contrary to popular belief, did not have a pot plant on the shirt (it was a Japanese maple). OfMORE HERE
Rooster: Relic of a Great Era of American Ties
2010-09-29
One of the great 1960s men’s fashion brands is Rooster, the tie company. Rooster ties were a cultural item, and one of the rare brands of American ties that are so interesting that they can exist on their own without being part of a full line of menswear. Illustrator StevenMORE HERE
Brand Icon: History of the Tretorn Nylite
2010-09-11
Tretorn. The Swedish brand still has that country club allure, made even more exotic by the fact that they are still a bit hard to find in U.S. stores, though now seem to be reappearing. Above, an old commercial for the brand that seems to date from a 1990s revivalMORE HERE
Wear St. Louis’ Alox Shoe Laces
2010-06-16
St. LOUIS – The walls of Cracker Barrel always have amusing signs, all real. One brand we saw along at one on I-95 in South Carolina were Alox Shoe Laces. Alox was founded by John Frier (1895-1974), who in 1919 invented a new way to make shoelaces by crimping aMORE HERE
History of Rubber Company Sneakers, and Jack Purcells
2010-01-08
Jack Purcells are one sharp looking shoe, and they make us remember the era of the rubber company sneaker. Jack Purcell was a Canadian badminton player; I always supposed that the scalloped toes of the shoes somehow allowed him to lunge into the bird better. Fascinating to me was thatMORE HERE
Rit Dye Keeps Teens Entertained
2009-08-02
Last weekend, the teens were in the yard getting ready for church camp. They had to get a LOOK together. And what did they decide to do? Head on over to the store (I forgot to ask which one) and buy a bunch of packs of Rit Dye to doMORE HERE
So What Happened To Russ Togs?
2009-06-02
QUEENS, N.Y. – We are reading the AIA history of New York City architecture and we spy a forgotten name. Russ Togs. The guide mentions the Russ Togs Manufacturing and Distribution Center at 27-09 49th Ave. at the SE corner of 27th Street. The building and its sign were icons,MORE HERE
Get a Ted Baxter House of Worsted-Tex Suit?
2009-05-19
So we are watching American Life, in its redux of the Saturday night early 1970s CBS lineup (Mary Tyler Moore Show, Bob Newhart) and we look at the credits at the end. MTM Productions gives thanks to clothing by House of Worsted-Tex and Norman Todd. Today, lets look at HouseMORE HERE