Charvet Print

It’s not often that the brand best known for making a piece of clothing becomes synonymous with that piece of clothing, independent of who made it. Stetson hats are a good example. Play a word association game, starting with “cowboy” and shortly after the jokes about bumming have stopped (calm down dear!), someone will mention Stetson.

For a short time in the middle 20th Century, ties made by the French bespoke shirtmaker Charvet were a similar cultural phenomenon. They’d become so associated with the bold colourful print neckties sold through their New York store to the rich folks of the East Coast that when those printed ties became popular in the 1940s, even the cheapest 25 cent tie with a bold print was referred to as a Charvet Print. This cultural cache hasn’t entirely disappeared and pretty much every man in the vintage tie scene will know generally what Charvet Print means.

I haven’t seen many actual Charvet print ties, and this one here is the first I’ve owned. It’s made of very light crepe silk and is very bold indeed. Maybe  it represents falling leaves?

Teens (?) Pre-Tied Necktie

Back in the days of stiff starched collars, neckties were notorious for ripping and tearing when adjusting the knot. There were many different attempts to deal with the issue, and one of them was to sell pre-tied ties. This example has a button on a shank on the back to attach to the collar closure buttonhole. The shank detaches from the back of the knot, you slot it though the various buttonholes as you would a collar stud, and reinsert into the back of the tie. This tie is Dutch, I think – the only place I can find reference to Wett. Cedep. seem to be Dutch websites. Maybe this is something to do with trademarks? The tie was made by Claudy, and features a very cute badger (who appears to be wearing a butler’s uniform) on the label. The seahorses are a very nice design in brocade silk.

LVC 1920s Sunset Shirt

I don’t buy much vintage reproduction gear, but I usually like Levi’s Vintage Clothing lines. I typically can’t afford them, though, so when I find them in charity shops, I’m chuffed. I came across this shirt today in my local Sue Ryder shop. It’s a cotton chinstrap work-type shirt that LVC release under the “Sunset” brand. This (according to the label) was a sample and not supposed to be sold … weird that it found its way into a charity shop! I think these retail at around £150 or so, so for £3.95 it’s a great deal.