Great set of proofs there BOP, right up my street.

They go soft to touch and look bumpy and wrinkled...difficult to describe but the older ones feel light and have a crispness to the wool. The lapels kind of bubble up and dont sit right too

Last edited by Bop (2015-10-26 16:42:28)

Last edited by Bop (2015-10-26 23:54:07)

Oli, yours is early 70s I suppose. They added the Woolmark in 1968 if I remember that correctly. In the 80s I think the label changed. So 70s. Should have a look into that book I have...

P.S. not yours - the one you posted earlier, the deadstock one.

Last edited by Leer R. (2015-10-26 22:39:16)

Dating these is a minefield,
not helped by Pendleton themselves have lost a load of their archive material from pre 1972,
They were employing a full-time historian to try to put together a better archive as the concept of 'heritage' brands began to gain momentum, there's some great stuff in the Pendleton blog pages but this seems to have fallen by the wayside recently with the blog now devoted to new Pendleton stuff .

Oli, the card with that Topster dates it between 74-88 and that specific plaid is late 70s/early 80s, the use of a 'decorative' P in Pendleton adds weight to this.
The mid-90s reissues have a reproduction of the same card but the P of the sewn-in label is the same as the current Pendleton label.
The last Topster/Topsman re-issue was in 2012 ( the Topster was described as 'fitted', actually a copy of an early 80s model )
http://www.backcountry.com/pendleton-fitted-topster-jacket-mens

Using the woolmark to date Topsters and Topsman isn't 100% reliable,
Pendleton started using it soon after it was introduced in about 1965 but not through their entire range straight away,
I've seen two NOS Topsters in different plaids from the same delivery in 1967 (including delivery note and point-of-sale material) one with and one without the woolmark on the label, tho' both had a woolmark on a cardboard label.

I also have a very early Topsman that has a separate woolmark label sewn into the yoke underneath the Pendleton label.

The 'seagull of death' collar Topster was still available to order until the mid 60s and some of these these have a woolmark on the label,
the 's-o-d' or 'shirt collar' style Topster then moved over to the Pendleton Westernwear  label (white label and burgundy text)  in 67/68 but didn't last long in the range (it's definitely not in the 1970 product list/catalogue).

Great stuff Acton and Leer; thanks for all the info! I knew that deadstock number on EBay had to be 70s/80s from the fonts, graphics and style on the tag. Makes sense about the latter cut of Topsters which fit tighter under the arms; I suppose that explains the anove I recently purchased with the swelled edges. I'm glad I own it now if for nothing ekse, then to compare chest measurements with other vintage Pendletons to avoid in future.

The more I've dug into Pendleton stuff the more confusing it gets.

There were even regional/store specific variations, usually 'double tagged' with a Pendleton label and a second store specific label,
the most collectible of these being products for the Disneyland 'Frontier Store' ,
it's range featured some exclusive plaids and 'oddities' like a Topster with pattern matched pockets rather than regular 'bias' style.

Here's a link to some archive Pendleton labels
http://vintagefashionguild.org/label-resource/pendleton/

What the....???!!!

I've seen a few of those before in my travels. Feels like something is missing, but I can't put my finger on what.