{The Rite Stuff} Uncle Sam Selvedge Chambray Work Shirt (Light Indigo)

“Right on the job, Uncle Sam workshirts, they have what it takes.” So said an Uncle Sam work shirt in-store display from the late 1930s or early ‘40s and so say we with this reproduction of those very same shirts!

A unique design 

Uncle Sam branded work shirts were first manufactured by Salant & Salant of NYC in the 1910s but it wasn’t until 1937 that this model, the ‘E-Z Reach’ cigarette pocket model, appeared. Patented that same year, the double cigarette pocket on this shirt helped to make it an iconic work shirt.

To bring this shirt back to life I hunted down an original vintage Uncle Sam shirt and I even obtained a vintage 1940s Uncle Sam half-dozen shirt box, which I’ve used for the hang tag. Based on photos of dead stock examples, I was also able to recreate the original E-Z Reach sticker that was placed on each new shirt. Aside from slightly shortening the length for modern sensibilities (vintage work shirts are generally very long) all other details from the garment have been faithfully reproduced.

The standout feature of this shirt is the incredibly functional pockets. Both large chest pockets can carry a number of items, from pens and wallets to smokes, lighters, matches, Field Notes, keys, even large-sized smartphones. The left pocket was designed by one A. Lipshie as a double pocket that was meant to hold cigarettes in the front compartment and general items in the rear compartment. The idea was that the extra layer of fabric in the back would keep cigarettes dry from perspiration. The back compartment is a large, open-top pocket with no flap or button, making it supremely easy to toss in items and fetch them out.

Details, details 

Beyond its functional pockets, the Uncle Sam shirt features triple stitched maun seams, a period-correct 1930s-style collar, and 1930s-style ‘bowl’ buttons. These buttons have been painstakingly custom-crafted, based on the originals. They are not your typical off-the-rack find; instead, they were exclusively fashioned for us using the corozo (tagua nut) palm in Panama from naturally harvested palm nuts. Vintage catalogs referred to corozo buttons as “vegetable ivory” buttons. By the 1920s, corozo buttons made up almost a quarter of all buttons produced in the US, with 25 factories making them in the New York area alone largely from Ecuadorian- and Colombian-harvested nuts. Post-World War II, the ascendancy of Bakelite and plastics supplanted corozo work shirt buttons for decades. In a deliberate homage to the past, we have chosen to reintroduce the elegance of corozo in the Uncle Sam shirt.

The fabric 

The fabric we’ve chosen is a 4.69 oz. Japanese-milled organic cotton selvedge chambray fabric also made up to period-correct specifications but is sturdier than the original. This fabric is one-washed and pre-shrunk so you don’t need to worry about shrinkage.

The garment tag is also based on the original and is a 100% cotton, printed tag that’s made in Japan with the size hand-stamped on each tag.

Made up to our standards

As always, the Rite Stuff garments are made up to a standard and not cut down to a price, which is why we only work with the best, John Lofgren & Co. in Japan, to have the shirts made with high-quality, period-correct materials and by workers who are treated humanely and paid a living wage. 

**Model (yours truly) is 5’11”, 160 lbs. (180 cm, 72 kg), size 15 neck, wearing Medium in the photos.**

Details:

-One-wash, no shrinkage

-Runs true to size; buy your usual size in Heracles and Atlas shirts

-Straight, generous cut, roomy armholes, sleeves and cuffs

-4.69 oz. 100% organic cotton selvedge chambray fabric, milled in Japan 

-100% cotton thread, made in Japan 

-Two large, extra-capacity chest pockets; one with a flap, the other a patented E-Z-Reach double pocket with two compartments, one on top of the other, for extra utility

-Pencil/pen slit

-Triple-chainstitched main seams

-Selvedge gusset at the bottom sides of the hems for added durability

-Reproduction corozo buttons, made in Panama

-Period-correct collar

-Interlined collar and cuffs

-Contrast bartacks on pockets and cuff facing for added strength

-Period-correct high, thin back yoke

-Reproduction cotton brand tag based on the 1930s original, made and printed in Japan 

-Hang tags that reproduce the original half-dozen Uncle Sam box art also in my collection

-Reproduction E-Z Reach die cut sticker, made and printed in USA

-Garment workers' tag, made and printed in Japan

-Made in Japan