Hi Kllook
I nearly pulled the button on some of these but then noticed they feature my bete noir. Twin needle stitching on the collar. Gitman is only as old as 1982 and that was a (IMHO) nasty trend in the 80s to double row stitch collars. I can deal with some vintage Gants that have twin needle side seams but seems to me that this stitching spoils the collar which is the bit we all see first!
Some nice fabrics though
Gitman try to make out this is some kind of mark of quality, but stitches per inch and (to some degree) 'hidden' stitching has always been a mark of bespoke quality, and I;m sure they opted for the double rows because that was an 80s norm at the lower end in US shirts.
You'll be happier for knowing it BEFORE spending £100 on one of those :-)
The great Ian Strachan looked askance at BD Baggies for their double row stitching.
Check out an old Brooks collar to see the ideal.
Nothing to do with the stitching. They just use some garish colour combinations. I like a touch of sublety in a check shirt of any style. That's why I prefer the 'soft' check styles more reminicent of 50's America. The hard check and strong colour palettes used here don't really do it for me...
Aah you're talking shadow plaid?
The golden age of ivy BDs though being the 60s means their fabrics are pretty accurate for period they're trying to recreate. Thing is though unlike other makers they weren't around in the 60s to have any bloody heritage!
Shadow plaid. Is that the technical term Weejun? Well, I never knew that chum.
Yes, they are much more my thing. More becoming a gentleman of my advancing years. I'll leave the stronger colours to the young'uns...
Yeah, search 'shadow plaid' on ebay US and you'll find tons of stuff. some of the best ones make your eyes hurt as they look out of focus...
You're not wrong Weejun. Just had a quick look and will have a good examine later.
Been buying vintage clothes for 30 years and never knew that was the correct term. Everyday's a school day, as they say... Many thanks
What vile little collars these shirts have. And what's with the established in 1978 bollocks? Yes, because it was such a great style year - Grease, Blondie, centre-partings, Summerside Special, polyester. Bully for them - they've survived for 32 years selling sub-standard BD Baggies for absurd prices. Horrible shirts. Mercer is the only kosher Ivy League shirtmaker nowadays.
Hilarious. You beat me to it Adam, and did it better than I would have. Bravo.
adam my wee pubeless wonder. Great display of the lowest form of wit. Or was this the sincerest form of flattery? I can't quite decide. The Ivy League shirt is all about collar shape, texture and roll. All else is incidental. Thus the Mercer shirt is the Ivy league shirt. Anti-semitic hints here too I feel?
Ah, the Brits are at it again.....very entertaining stuff....
The lowest form of wit, perhaps, but the highest of humour. Flattery? Perhaps - you certainly speak well. 'The Ivy League shirt'. I believe there is a train of thought about this look that nothing was truly 'THE Ivy League' anything? That really, that collar is just a particular in a plethora of styles? Though really, if it must be anybodies shirt, it's Brooks', seeing as it's their collar?
I wouldn't say that all else is incidental. If you feel that tent-fit shirts are something you can live with if it has a neat collar, then good for you. I couldn't, and I would imagine others feel the same way, and so I feel you were wrong to preach your ideas as Ivy League gospel.
'Anti-semitic hints here too I feel?' - Well that's low. Very low. If you must know, that line was taken from a Woody Allen film that has stuck with me from the other day (Sleeper, when 'the underground' are trying to recapture some of his life events to bring him back to normal). However, if you do insist on playing an 'ism' card; 'my wee publess wonder' - agist hints here??
Oh shoot, there I go with that flattery again!
C'mon girls, life's to short for all this bitchyness... Let's all just get along.
Fuck off Spectre you're starting to piss me right off now.
However much I like young Adam, I do like the cut of Lockerloops gib. About time someone else got into trouble round here...
The 1978 vintage Blondie still sounds pretty good to my ears.
I understand The Weejun's objection to the stiching, that kind of thing could be a deal breaker for some. What I don't understand is a knee jerk opinion about the shirts quality from someone who has obviously never owned one or held one in hand. The collar, while not up to modern brooks, black fleece, and yes Mercer standards, is not really bad at all. The pictures on their own website are misleading as to the actual roll of the collar. It is not comprable to the more small collared BDs from other makers. Mercer has a really nice collar (one of the best), and great fabric, but I"m with Adam here, I can't abide the cut. It's far more voluminous than any vintage shirt I have ever seen. Each one of us is going to have "make or break" details we obsess over but draconian pronoucments about the, uh Ivyness of items based on personal preference is as ahistorical and pathetic as Trad.
I say the above as an owner of both Mercer and Gitman "vintage" shirts...
does it make a difference in how the collar sits or something? try as i might, i cant seem to view it as anything but the very most minor detail, as opposed to fit, back pleats, etc. what gets me is the price. a shirt i paid something like over half a days pay for would have to release some type of powerful pheromones in addition to ironing itself and perhaps doing the rest of my laundry as well.
Last edited by shamrockmonkey (2010-01-29 01:37:55)