The Rite Record-Journal — style

A Brief History of the Work Shirt, Part 2 - 1930-1940

1930s america style vintage work shirt workwear

A Brief History of the Work Shirt, Part 2 - 1930-1940

And we're back! But wait, you're probably thinking, "What, just one decade this time?" I know, I know, but there are two reasons for that.

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Chambray: The Most Universal Shirt Fabric

chambray cotton heracles heritage history john lofgren made in japan style the rite stuff workwear

Chambray: The Most Universal Shirt Fabric

Lately I've been thinking more deeply about chambray fabric, so I decided to put some thoughts down first. When I first started The Rite Stuff, a colleague asked me "Why a chambray shirt as the first product?" I had to think about this for a second, but only to put into words. Instinctively, I knew the answer. A chambray work shirt is my "desert island shirt," as I've mentioned here before.  But why? One reason is that blue goes with a lot of different styles. Blue chambray is where the "blue collar" comes from as well. It doesn't stain as...

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Henleys: from the Regatta to The Rite Stuff

clothing henley history made in japan style the rite stuff

Henleys: from the Regatta to The Rite Stuff

Henleys: usually when we see them, we think of pioneers and prospectors, toiling and sweating in the Wild West, their buttoned-up undershirt stained with blood, coal, or worse. Your average miner in the 1890s did wear a button-up under his clothes in cold weather, but instead of a henley shirt it was more likely a one-piece "union suit," or what we call "long underwear" these days: I'm sexy and I know it. However, in the late 1890s we find examples of standalone henley shirts with a shorter placket worn as underwear: Ecru undershirt with pearl buttons - Sears-Roebuck 1897 Underwear...

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The Continuing Saga of Heracles and Friends a.k.a. The Rite Stuff, Phase Two

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The Continuing Saga of Heracles and Friends a.k.a. The Rite Stuff, Phase Two

The Rite Stuff phase two is here, just like a hectic new phase at Del Boca Vista, but without Morty Seinfeld and his raincoat sales advice. You might not want to listen to Morty's advice for selling clothes: Case in point. Sales of the Heracles were buzzing along, people were posting online about it, I was picking up stockists, but I was getting lots of queries about XL and XXL sizes. This despite the fact that the shirt runs a bit large. You can imagine how it feels to see all these sales slip through my fingers because I miscalculated...

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Heracles and the Heroic Tasks

chambray heracles heritage john lofgren made in japan style the rite stuff workwear

Heracles and the Heroic Tasks

No, we won't slay the Hydra, or take Cerberus for a walk in the park today, but we will return to the Heracles shirt and the wait I was enduring while it was in production. Again, waiting, but soon I had an estimated delivery date: the first week of June. I counted off the days, and when the shipment went out I tracked it online, waiting for it to clear customs (and rueing how much they'd want to charge me).   "Wait, I thought this blog post was about me." The first box finally arrived in a heavy downpour that threatened to...

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