- Update -

I have an article in the latest issue of Inventory Magazine regarding Nathan Hack's Ripple Sole. Inventory is one of today's best men's style magazines and I'm proud to have my writing included in the publication. Oddly, the Ripple Sole represents a turning for me with regards to my interest in men's style and vintage garments, something that might surprise those who are familiar with my other blog.

At the beginning of the article I mention Tim Buckwalter. Visit his website if time permits, it's an epic rabbit hole that you don't want to miss.

Photo: Jody Rogac

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-Update- 

A few months ago my friend Takashi Tateno asked me to draw the illustration of a cat to be used for his "Queen of the Road" label. For those of you who aren't aware of Takashi's work, I strongly recommend that you check out his website called Workers, and make sure that you navigate through  its contents completely. In my opinion, Takashi is making some of the best garments available today, and his output over the past six or seven years is nothing short of stunning. 

Although I provided the illustration for the cat, it is important to note that its use on the final product was the result of a collaborative effort. The buttons were manufactured by the talented folks at BS & T in Japan, and the design of the label itself involved the contributions of several knowledgeable people, all of whom worked to get the image feel correct with the garment.

In other news, I now have a proper website to house my various projects. If time permits, please visit J.A. CHRISTENSEN, Maker for a more complete picture of my creative life. The site is still under construction and may be for the first half of this year, but the major bits are in there, more or less. 

You will notice in the navigation bar that I'm installing a store on my website, but for the time being please find available products on this blog. The store will render most of my previous posts obsolete so eventually this blog will become more like a proper blog with its own unique content, as well as occasional posts about new productions, whatever those might be.

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- In Stock -

One recurring question about the neckties I make is in regards to my involvement with their production. To clarify, I make everything myself that bears the label  "J.A. Christensen, Maker", except the fabric and the thread. That includes the labels, which I print on a press of my own make. It's important for me to let you all know this, as I think it helps explain the limited nature of my production, as well as explains why you don't see me trying to flood the market with my work.

Over the summer, I spent some time sourcing good fabric for another lot of denim ties and I'm pleased with what I found. The plaid should technically be called a twill, I guess, but it fits within the aesthetic of the other fabrics nicely. I love the unusual look of the horizontal and vertical design I've followed as opposed to the more common diagonal design used for contemporary plaid neckties. Many of the neckties I've seen in early 1900s portraits of men have this style, so making one was a challenge I've been looking forward to for some time now. Through making these  I learned why plaid neckties are usually cut on the bias: aligning the plaid for cutting was tricky and time-consuming. The style, however, is well worth the effort in my opinion.

I was lucky to find more of the blue "Erwin Mills Sport Denim," this being a little different than the one used in my first offering in that it has a single thread of yellow in the selvage (a geeky thing to note, for sure.) The charcoal denim is the same fabric I've used for my previous lots, but it made sense to make more in relationship to the white over black denim used for the first time by me in this offering. The white over charcoal denim is essentially the reverse of the charcoal denim, making it some of the most unusual denim I've found to date.

All of these fabrics measured to about 36" wide, and are from the 1940s - 1950s.

There are four colors: Plaid Twill (7), Blue (8),  Charcoal (8), and White over Charcoal Denim (8.) The number indicates the quantity produced for this offering. These neckties have a length of 55" and 3" width at the front. For details about the construction of these neckties please see my previous post.

The Blue, White over Charcoal, and Charcoal denim ties are all priced at $105 each. The Plaid twill ties were technically more difficult to make, and are priced at $120 each. The cost includes expedited shipping (about 4-5 business days) within the United States and Canada. Other countries, please contact me for a shipping quote.

Expedited shipping typically takes about 4 - 5 business days from my location.

Colors

Blue $105.00 USD Charcoal $105.00 USD White over Charcoal $105.00 USD Plaid $120.00 USD

Photos: J.A. Christensen

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- In Stock -

Dating fabric by width is not consistently reliable, so you have to look at other qualities a fabric possesses to determine its age, especially when it is not marked in any way and you're buying it from a vintage dealer. A dealer, of course, is going to tell you it's as old as they think it is, or as old as they think they can get away with, so 'caveat emptor' always applies.

That being said, the brown stripe shirting I used for this small lot of ties definitely dates to sometime between 1920 - 1930. I'm basing that on its color, weave quality, and width of 32". There is also a subtle foxing to the fabric that gives it a barely noticeable mottling, something that you sometimes find in early textiles.

I was only able to yield four ties from the brown stripe, so I've produced four more ties from the blue chambray I used from a previous offering.

These neckties have a length of 55" and 3" width at the front. For details about the construction of these neckties please see my previous post.

The ties are $120 each and include expedited shipping within the United States and Canada. Other countries, please contact me for a shipping quote.

There are three colorways: Blue Chambray (4) and Brown Stripe Shirting (4.) The number indicates the quantity produced for this offering.

Colors

Blue Chambray Brown Striped Shirting

Photos: J.A. Christensen

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-Update-

I'll be taking a short break with my family until the end of August, so I will temporarily be unable to ship any orders. I will resume filling orders at the beginning of September and anticipate a new offering around the 15th of that month. Thanks to everyone who has written to me or about me, your kind words are inspiring.

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-Available now from the Curatory-

A couple of months ago I was asked by the good folks at the Curatory to produce a small run of striped neckties. The tie pictured at the beginning of this post is the result of my efforts, and is only available through that store. For those of you who aren't familiar with the Curatory, it is a brick and mortar store located in Raleigh, North Carolina, and was started by Sarah and Victor Lytvinenko of Raleigh Denim. The shop is run by John Webb who I originally met sometime ago in San Francisco. Sarah, Victor, and John are good people trying to do right by the community in which they live. In particular, Sarah and Victor are great sources of inspiration for the aspiring small manufacturer, and I can't help but be flattered by their endorsement.

The fabric I used for the ties is a colorful striped chambray and was 32" wide, so it was quite old, I would say dating from before 1930, and I was only able to cut about ten ties from the yardage I had. Contact the Curatory at 919.917.8969 or by email at holler@thecuratory.com if you are interested.

Photo: Nick Pironio
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- Sold Out -

These neckties were made from three different types of vintage chambray, the blue chambray being the "newest", dating from around World War Two, the green and the striped being a bit older, maybe from sometime after the Great Depression. Dating textiles such as these is always an educated guess, in my opinion, so I ask a lot of questions when I buy them. I compare what I am told about the fabric to its width, condition, weave quality, and compare it to other fabric in my collection to determine its age.

The blue chambray is a bit heavier than modern chambray and has a great feel and richness of color. When I found the green it was polished, meaning that it was heavily starched and then burnished using some sort of industrial process. Luckily that horrible effect washed away when I cleaned and re-starched the fabric.The striped is a lighter weight fabric, almost like madras but with more texture to the weave.

These neckties have a length of 55" and 3" width at the front. For details about the construction of these neckties please see my previous post.

There are three colorways: blue(12 - sold out), green (5 - sold out), and striped (10 - sold out). The number indicates the quantity produced for this offering.

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