# Sero, Eagle, & Hathaway Shirts



## LonelyAreTheBrave (Dec 2, 2006)

I remember back some twenty years ago walking into my local home town menswear store and finding shirt brands such as Sero, Eagle and Hathaway in an abundant supply. They were stacked to the ceiling on mahogany laden shelves nestled in little cubby holes according to size. You could find plenty of classic colorful plaids, checks, tattersalls, stripes, and solids with either button down or point collars. They had both sport shirts and dress shirts, usually full classic cut, all cotton, some poly blended, and made in the USA. They had buttons that did not break with commercial laundering, the fit was superb, and the shirts held up for many years of service.
Whatever became of these brands as I no longer see them. Instead all I ever see in specialty mens stores are an abundance of Cutter & Buck shirts. However, I do see that they continue to carry Gitman Brothers and Kenneth Gordon shirts in classic colors and patterns.


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## fishertw (Jan 27, 2006)

*Part of a larger problem*

Your question is a good one, and part of a larger problem. Think Bass Weejuns and many other traditional menswear items from older firms offered at so many local (read NON mega chain) stores. There is a thread on this forum about the demise of hometown Traditional Shops that has a very good list of these fine stores that many of us grew up with. Then again-- there are a declining number of US, who appreciate and seek these excellent goods. This forum is a good place to find the little known stores, in out of the way places, where we can still find the goods that we came to appreciate as we grew into adulthood.
Keep the faith.
Tom


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## zarathustra (Aug 24, 2006)

Here on the East Coast those brands are commonly found at Filene's Basement. Can't comment as to the quality now. 

First i have seen someone refer to cutter and buck. I mysteriously started getting California Trad *coughs* clothing catalogs.


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## TMMKC (Aug 2, 2007)

Used to have a lot of Sero shirts...good quality. I recall my father wore Hathaway shirts. I still buy the odd Gitman Brothers or Kennth Gordon shirt through my tailor (he buys a lot of overstock and sample items on the secondary market and sell them CHEAP). The quality is still pretty good.

I am still looking for brown Weejuns, though...Bass no longer makes them and I am pining for the pair I had in high school.


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## Mr. H (Aug 27, 2007)

I purchased an Eagle brand dress shirt (French blue with white chalk stripe) at Famous Barr just prior to their conversion to Macy*s. That would have been mid summer 2006. It is holding up quite well.

As far as I'm concerned, Cutter and Buck shirts are overpriced as they do not launder well. They look very nice on the rack but once worn and washed they do not look or wear as well as similarly priced Lacoste shirts do.


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## marlinspike (Jun 4, 2007)

Hathaway shirts used to be EXTREMELY good, but times changed and their own branded shirts faded away (though I think they came back with the internet). Hathaway USA used to make shirts for J Press, but that closed and they went to Hathaway Canada.


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## TMMKC (Aug 2, 2007)

marlinspike said:


> Hathaway shirts used to be EXTREMELY good, but times changed and their own branded shirts faded away (though I think they came back with the internet). Hathaway USA used to make shirts for J Press, but that closed and they went to Hathaway Canada.


The plant was in Watertown, Maine as I recall...actually drove by it once.


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## JLibourel (Jun 13, 2004)

Hathaway shirts appear quite commonly at Costco. I have purchased a number, and they seem like good values for the low prices asked. I don't know how they compare with the Hathaways offered in days of yore, though.


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## marlinspike (Jun 4, 2007)

TMMKC said:


> The plant was in Watertown, Maine as I recall...actually drove by it once.


To avoid being misleading, I should add that Hathaway USA and Hathaway Canada coexisted for quite a while.


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## LonelyAreTheBrave (Dec 2, 2006)

*Eagle Shirtmakers*

A few months ago while visiting a Marshalls, I found a pinpoint oxford shirt that was labeled Eagle Shirtmakers. It had the same Eagle label that I remember seeing years ago. However, the label looked a little "off" and it stated "Made in Mongolia". The material and construction did not seem that great either. This shirt did not seem to be the shirt from years ago.


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## philm (Jun 17, 2007)

TMMKC said:


> Used to have a lot of Sero shirts...good quality. I recall my father wore Hathaway shirts. I still buy the odd Gitman Brothers or Kennth Gordon shirt through my tailor (he buys a lot of overstock and sample items on the secondary market and sell them CHEAP). The quality is still pretty good.
> 
> I am still looking for brown Weejuns, though...Bass no longer makes them and I am pining for the pair I had in high school.


I too was a Hathaway and Sero wearer. You can find Hathaways at HugeStore.com at:

https://www.hugestore.com/results.php?collar[]=1,+1&blend[]=0,

Sero were quite some good quality as I remember.


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## philm (Jun 17, 2007)

TMMKC said:


> Used to have a lot of Sero shirts...good quality. I recall my father wore Hathaway shirts. I still buy the odd Gitman Brothers or Kennth Gordon shirt through my tailor (he buys a lot of overstock and sample items on the secondary market and sell them CHEAP). The quality is still pretty good.
> 
> I am still looking for brown Weejuns, though...Bass no longer makes them and I am pining for the pair I had in high school.


Me too. I had them in high school and college. I've looked everywhere on the web with no luck. If you find the brown ones please let me know. I have a pair of cordovans Bass weejun I purchased from Shoebuy.com a couple of years ago, but hardly wear them; they seem to be cut higher and are definitely not the same as the old browns.


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## jamgood (Feb 8, 2006)

Sero Shirtmakers of New Haven (Bradford): Somehow diminished its name in the '80s, lost its Someguysname Ltd. retail customers and went into Ch. 11 bankruptcy. It was succeeded by newly owned and managed Sero Co., Inc., which moved the headquarters to Sero's sewing plant in Georgia in 1991. Hugestore states that Sero closed its factory in 1997. (The original Lands' End was a mail order nautical supply outfit that only sold one shirt, a regular Sero labelled Sero shirt.)

Eagle shirts were made in Allentown, Pa. and Eagle shirts were also private-labelled as men's speciality store brands. Crystal Brands had owned Eagle, as well as Gant, and closed Eagle in 1991 because, with a starting price of $52, demand for the brand had diminished to the point of being an economically unfeasible operation. Phillips-Van Heusen Corp. resurrected the brand in 2004 as a non-iron cotton department store brand in hopes of competing with the success of Brooks Brothers non-iron cotton shirts.

Hathaway shirts had been made in Waterville, Maine since late in the 19th century. It was acquired by Connecticut based Warner's, later Warnaco, in the 1960s. Warnaco suffered a takeover in 1986 and was reorganized. The Hathaway division was neglected and the Waterville plant was closed in 1996.
An extensive article about Hathaway begins about 1/5 of the way down from the top > www.lostmag.com/issue14/things.php Things were looking up for Hathaway at one time > https://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3638/is_8_40/ai_55609104 Then Ike Behar acquired and interest > https://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb4298/is_200411/ai_n14979047 , moved Hathaway to Canada > www.hathawaystore.com and obfuscated Hathaway's Maine history on the web site. Go figure.


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## TMMKC (Aug 2, 2007)

philm said:


> Me too. I had them in high school and college. I've looked everywhere on the web with no luck. If you find the brown ones please let me know. I have a pair of cordovans Bass weejun I purchased from Shoebuy.com a couple of years ago, but hardly wear them; they seem to be cut higher and are definitely not the same as the old browns.


Lands' End offers loafers in "English Tan" that look close to Weejuns ($154). LE also has some decent looking loafers on their clearence site. I believe TradTeacher bought some Sebago shoes that closely resemble the Bass models.

Back to the shirts...I'll check out that site. Thanks.


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## KenCPollock (Dec 20, 2003)

jamgood said:


> Sero Shirtmakers of New Haven (Bradford): Somehow diminished its name in the '80s, lost its Someguysname Ltd. retail customers and went into Ch. 11 bankruptcy. It was succeeded by newly owned and managed Sero Co., Inc., which moved the headquarters to Sero's sewing plant in Georgia in 1991. Hugestore states that Sero closed its factory in 1997. (The original Lands' End was a mail order nautical supply outfit that only sold one shirt, a regular Sero labelled Sero shirt.)
> 
> Eagle shirts were made in Allentown, Pa. and Eagle shirts were also private-labelled as men's speciality store brands. Crystal Brands had owned Eagle, as well as Gant, and closed Eagle in 1991 because, with a starting price of $52, demand for the brand had diminished to the point of being an economically unfeasible operation. Phillips-Van Heusen Corp. resurrected the brand in 2004 as a non-iron cotton department store brand in hopes of competing with the success of Brooks Brothers non-iron cotton shirts.
> 
> ...


This is all accurate as far as I know.
A little more info: the founder of Sero was the brother and co-founder of Gant Shirtmakers. After a falling-out, one went off and opened Sero. 
I worked in stores that sold them in the early 60's. Both companies first made shirts for private labels only, but the Gant became so popular that it began labeling the shirts with its own name. Sero began doing the same a few years later. 
They were largely identical, except that the Gant had the famous "locker loop" in the rear. Many people insisted on making sure that the shirt had the loop. I remember telling customers, even after the shirts were labelled "Gant," that they did not need to tear the packaging open, it was a Gant and it had the loop. However, for years the loop was better known than the Gant name.
Eagle was distinctive because of its breast pocket flap, which was a little bigger than the J. Press one.
Other Trad brands at that time:Wren and Creighton.


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## Mr. H (Aug 27, 2007)

jamgood said:


> Eagle shirts were made in Allentown, Pa. and Eagle shirts were also private-labelled as men's speciality store brands. Crystal Brands had owned Eagle, as well as Gant, and closed Eagle in 1991 because, with a starting price of $52, demand for the brand had diminished to the point of being an economically unfeasible operation. Phillips-Van Heusen Corp. resurrected the brand in 2004 as a non-iron cotton department store brand in hopes of competing with the success of Brooks Brothers non-iron cotton shirts.


That jibes with my experience purchasing and owning an Eagle shirt. I bought it for around 19 bucks on clearance and it has been a sturdy workhorse in my shirt rotation. I would not consider it a peer of BB's non-iron cotton shirt (not that I would ever put the no-iron claims to test - all of my shirts get laundered and pressed) but for 19 bucks it has proven its worth and more.


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## zignatius (Oct 8, 2004)

KenCPollock said:


> Other Trad brands at that time:Wren and Creighton.


I wonder if those were regional makers. I don't remember them for whatever reason; interesting for sure. I remember Norman. They made a great shirt, and I think someone here once said they were made in Georgia.

To me, Sero was superior to Gant, Pulitzer and Hathaway, which -- in my opinion -- were found everywhere (i.e., department stores) and could be found with crazy stripes, poly blends, lots of broadcloth (and on sale). Sero, on the other hand, was found only at the local haberdashers and "gentlemen's clothiers" (inside wood cubbies, as lonely-brave points out); they weren't cheap and they seemed immuned to fad n fashion.

Jamgood -- thanks for the shirtmaker background. Good stuff.


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## dpihl (Oct 2, 2005)

Never seen a single Sero branded shirt. 

Saw a lot of shirts with the "some guy Ltd." label sold in wooden cubbies. Hepworth's, Johnstown Ltd., Village Ltd., Chas Felt, Arthur Frank, Brownstone Studio, The Company, Wm B Woods Ltd, etc. etc. etc.

I gather many of those shirts were Sero and Eagle Shirtmaker products? 

Some had the words TTX inside, which I took to be the name of a manufacturer? Also, Paul Frederick claims to have manufactured a lot of store brand shirts in the early days. Apparently Nordstrom's was their most famous client (read this on their web site once).

Every Hathaway I've ever seen was a poly-cotton blend. I've always equated Hathaway with Arrow and Van Heusen for that reason. Must be a situation where local department stores only bought the "wash 'n' wear" versions due to a mistaken belief that local tastes ran in this direction.

No wonder we had so many "some guy Ltd." stores around town selling all- cotton shirts with a store label. The only all cotton shirts I ever saw in the department stores were made by Gant, Nautica, or occasionally Ralph Lauren (Chaps).


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## rip (Jul 13, 2005)

This last year I picked up several Eagle 80s 2-ply pinpoint oxford cloth french cuff shirts, and I find the shirts quite good, particularly at their price point, which was somewhere south of $20. They have a semi-spread collar, split yoke, locker loop (first one of those I've seen in awhile), very nice gusseting on the sleeves, on the striped ones, the stripes line up across the pocket and onto the french cuffs. All-in-all, I think they are an excellent buy.


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## Tom Buchanan (Nov 7, 2005)

dpihl said:


> Some had the words TTX inside, which I took to be the name of a manufacturer?


No, TTX stands for Threadtex which is a large broker of cotton fabric. Their fabric is supposed to be "certified" as higher end.

I am a fan of the TTX pinpoint oxford.


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## KenCPollock (Dec 20, 2003)

jamgood said:


> Sero Shirtmakers of New Haven (Bradford): Crystal Brands had owned Eagle, as well as Gant, and closed Eagle in 1991 because, with a starting price of $52, demand for the brand had diminished to the point of being an economically unfeasible operation.


Actually, I had remembered that it was General Mills that bought Gant from the family, but the story below indicates that General Mills spun off Crystal Brands. It also gives the interesting history of Izod/Lacoste, another division of the same outfit.
https://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Crystal-Brands-Inc-Company-History.html


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## philm (Jun 17, 2007)

TMMKC said:


> Lands' End offers loafers in "English Tan" that look close to Weejuns ($154). LE also has some decent looking loafers on their clearence site. I believe TradTeacher bought some Sebago shoes that closely resemble the Bass models.
> 
> Back to the shirts...I'll check out that site. Thanks.


Thanks: I check these sources out.


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## jamgood (Feb 8, 2006)

KenCPollock said:


> Actually, I had remebered that it was General Mills that bought Gant from the family, but the story below indicates that General Mills spun off Crystal Brands. It also gives the interesting history of Izod/Lacoste, another division of the same outfit.
> https://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Crystal-Brands-Inc-Company-History.html


www.fundinguniverse.com is a great resource for various corporate histories. Unfortunately, most of the histories seem to end prior to the 21st century.

Was Bert Pulitzer associated with Gant at one time? www.xmi.com/about/bert.asp I may be mistaken, but I believe that Bert Pulitzer shirts were the first non-private labelled Gitman Brothers products. I think Mr. Pulitzer is/was a poster here, but I won't give away his screen name.

Creighton shirts were both men's store private labelled and Creighton labelled. They were made in Reidsville, NC (north of Greensboro), perhaps as recently as the early '90s. It was not particularly regional.

Wren ?

I think Norman was based in the southeast. I know Norman had at least one manufacturing facility in NC. Nantucket was a brand similar to Norman. They both had a tendency to copy Bert Pulitzer/Gitman, as did the early Lands' End when it began to market its own branded shirts.

There was also Atlanta's Oxford Industries (not Oxxford) owned Georgia based shirt company (Holbrook ?) that a lot of traditional men's stores used as a private labelled shirt because of the high mark-up.

F. A. MacCluer, the oldest family owned shirt co. in the US, has been a favorite of NE trad shops. It moved operations from Brooklyn to upstate SC and I think is mainly now an importer. www.famaccluer.com

Most of the remaining US traditional shirt companies are owned by Spencer Hay's Individualized Apparel Group www.iagfinancial.com


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## charphar (Nov 13, 2006)

Sero shirts! Now there's a trip down memory lane! The year was 1979. Disco was FINALLY on the way out, and a geeky freshman at Florida State was pledging Sigma Chi, and discovering "real" clothes!

That summer, I completely revamped my wardrobe, and the first "trad" items I got were Sero OCBDs in white, blue, yellow, pink, and ecru. Thinking back from all these years, they are still some of my favorite shirts!


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## KenCPollock (Dec 20, 2003)

jamgood;616170
There was also Atlanta's Oxford Industries (not Oxxford) owned Georgia based shirt company said:


> Oxford still exists, but it is outside of Atlanta-its biggest name now is Tommy Bahama, but it also makes some things for Polo, Land's End and LL Bean. At one time it made most of Brooks non-iron stuff; now it is made in Singapore.


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## onebar (Dec 25, 2007)

*Hathaway online store gone?*



jamgood said:


> Sero Shirtmakers of New Haven (Bradford): Somehow diminished its name in the '80s, lost its Someguysname Ltd. retail customers and went into Ch. 11 bankruptcy. It was succeeded by newly owned and managed Sero Co., Inc., which moved the headquarters to Sero's sewing plant in Georgia in 1991. Hugestore states that Sero closed its factory in 1997. (The original Lands' End was a mail order nautical supply outfit that only sold one shirt, a regular Sero labelled Sero shirt.)
> 
> Eagle shirts were made in Allentown, Pa. and Eagle shirts were also private-labelled as men's speciality store brands. Crystal Brands had owned Eagle, as well as Gant, and closed Eagle in 1991 because, with a starting price of $52, demand for the brand had diminished to the point of being an economically unfeasible operation. Phillips-Van Heusen Corp. resurrected the brand in 2004 as a non-iron cotton department store brand in hopes of competing with the success of Brooks Brothers non-iron cotton shirts.
> 
> ...


Unfortunately, it looks like 2007 was a bad year for the Hathaway online store (hosted in Canada but priced in US dollars). This is really too bad because I have used it on three occasions and it was EXCELLENT in terms of price and speedy shipping.

The Hathaway all-cotton dress shirt was excellent in every way - I'll really miss this solid product.


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## DukeGrad (Dec 28, 2003)

*Sero, Creighton and Troy*

Gentlemen,

I was buying all of the above in the mid 1960 time frame. Troy shirtmakers made for everyone. The store in my home town of Troy, had his own label short made by Troy shirtmakers. I wanted to own Sero, Creighton or Eagle then. Little did I know how well Troy shirtmakers made their shirts.
Those days are gone, and it is sad.
Now, I prefer England or Italy for better shirts and ties. 
I will not pay the price for what Brooks Brothers and J press are putting out. I would rather pay more for Europeans.
I had a bad spell there with Brooks sweaters and their shetlands and lambswool.
Made in places I would not travel to.

I have concurred with Ken Pollock for years, they do not make them like they used to, and where are all the home town haberdashers!

Nice day gentlemen


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## Mel (Dec 12, 2006)

*Anyone remember Decker's in Norwalk for shirts*

This thread about sero,gant,eagle etc. brings up memories of Decker's a store in Norwalk connecticut that sold seconds and deeply discounted Gants and other trad clothes. The story I heard was that the owner (I presume Mr. Decker) was a friend of Gant and got the lines of clothes via him. The store went out of business partially due to competition from Marshall's etc. and had a brief reopening. Anyone remember this store which had about 4 other locations in its hayday?


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## Cruiser (Jul 21, 2006)

There are two Macy's stores in my community and they both carry Eagle brand shirts. They are usually "on sale" for $29.95. I don't have any but they look like nice shirts.

Cruiser


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## Brooksfan (Jan 25, 2005)

Duke Grad nailed it succinctly. Hathaway, Sero, Eagle all belong to the roster of great traditional labels that flourished from the late 1950s into the mid 70s when the textile industry began its long slow fade into offshore commodity obivion. Same as with tailored clothing manufacturers whose names we still see but are now just names purchased in bankruptcy auctions. Saw an Eagle shirt yesterday at Casual Male XL selling for $60-nice blue stripe on white pinpoint BD. Looked closer and found the sewn in lablel proudly proclaiming "Made in VietNam." It's still there on the shelf.


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## Cruiser (Jul 21, 2006)

Brooksfan said:


> Looked closer and found the sewn in lablel proudly proclaiming "Made in VietNam."


I'm not necessarily disagreeing with the bulk of your post, but what's wrong with "Made in Vietnam?" Are you saying that this alone is inherently bad?

As I understand it, the sweat shop culture is all but gone in Vietnam. The country now has a thriving manufacturing economy that attracts the best workers given that they can earn more working in the factories than they can in other occuations, even some professional occupations.

I read where there was actually a problem recruiting folks to white collar jobs in government and business because they paid less than the factory workers were making. The average factory worker in Vietnam now makes time and a half for overtime, double time on Sunday, and works a standard eight hour day with overtime usually being optional. Most companies provide free medical care. For example, I read one story detailing how a typical factory worker in one town made more money than the Chief of Police in that town and this made it hard to recruit a good Chief of Police, but easy to recruit a good factory worker.

Cruiser


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## ROI (Aug 1, 2004)

*From the horse's mouth*

I was plundering the net trying to pin down some dates to add to our collaborative history of trad shirts when I stumbled upon this gem on an Amalgamated Clothing Workers Union site:

*BRIEF HISTORY
*In 1932 and 1933, to combat sweat shop conditions in the clothing industry in New Haven, Ct., the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America and the International Ladies Garment Workers Union cooperated in an organizing campaign which resulted in large scale unionization of the industry and improvements in wages, working conditions, and working hours for these workers. They formed two locals and *continued to work together until the final demise of the industry* in New Haven in the late 1980s and early 1990s. ​(Emphasis mine.)


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## Avers (Feb 28, 2006)

I just bought two Hathaway shirts at Syms during their July Bash sale.

Shirts are marked "Hathaway Private Collection", made in Canada and fabric is all-cotton. Someone mentioned Ike Behar connection, I have actually noticed that tag on Hathaway shirts (which says "Made in Canada" and "100% Cotton") is identical to the same tag found on Ike Behar shirts.

The shirts were only $7.50 after all markdowns. They seem like decent quality.


I remember seeing Sero at TJ Maxx & Marshalls stores. 

Eagle Non-Iron are occasionally sold by Filene's Basement for $20-30. They look like nice shirts, too bad then don't make them in single number sleeve lengths (only 34-35).


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## Avers (Feb 28, 2006)

I checked www.hugestore.com link...They charge $92.10 for a Gitman shirt!!!!!

This is crazy...


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## C. Sharp (Dec 18, 2008)

Just as an aside, I have seen allot of Gitman shirts in the past that carried the TTX logo.



Tom Buchanan said:


> No, TTX stands for Threadtex which is a large broker of cotton fabric. Their fabric is supposed to be "certified" as higher end.
> 
> I am a fan of the TTX pinpoint oxford.


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## jamgood (Feb 8, 2006)

Korreckshun: labeled, not labelled, previously in the thread. Thank you for your tollerants.

The first Gitman shirts I was aware of were all labeled Bert Pulitzer in the '70s, if not privately labeled. Gitman private labeled for Paul Stuart, SAKS, etc. with the Threadtex neckband labels, most notoriously TTX Sea Island Cotton, which was adulterated in the '80s.

The Gitman web site is confusing stating Ashland Shirt Company (PA) was established in the late '40s but showing a date of, I think, 1978 on their Vintage Line labels. Those Vintage Line labels were originally green letters on white and subsequently changed to white letters on green. I think 1978 was probably the year that their public label was changed from Bert Pulitzer to Gitman. www.gitman.com & www.gitmanvintage.com


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## Thom Browne's Schooldays (Jul 29, 2007)

FWIW Gitman has a new, made in America, "Gitman Vintage" line of shirts. The offerings look very trad, but the prices are a bit high for me.


I have a couple old Hathaway pinpoints that are two of my favorte shirts.


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## fred johnson (Jul 22, 2009)

Being from New Haven I grew up with Sero Shirts from the old Yale Co-Op, on Broadway where the current Barnes and Noble is now and around the corner from JPress. Throughout high school and college I got my OCBD's there at 3 for $17.50, I think it was. Excellent quality and great selection of solids and stripes. Most of the then yalies shopped Yale Co-Op in lieu of Press as the prices were better. 

Tried Gant for awhile, good quality, especially at their Deckers outlet, but lots of shrinkage. (Deckers, first on Long Warf, then Orange, then Norwalk was a great place for Palm Beach sport coats, Tattersaw trousers, Gant shirts and outerwear and PRL ties ). 

Bought all my shetlands at Yale Co-OP except for the shaggy dogs, usually 3 for $25 or something like that. 

Later on, the BEST deal of all was the second floor of Horwitz department store on Chapel street; a shabby fabric/sewing goods place. Up to about 5 years ago I was still buying BB original OCBD's, which I still wear regularly, for $8.00 with BB ties at $7.50, including bows, which were $5.00! Now closed and very lamented but the best kept secret in New Haven for years.


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## sorrentolens (Aug 14, 2009)

fred johnson said:


> Being from New Haven I grew up with Sero Shirts from the old Yale Co-Op, on Broadway where the current Barnes and Noble is now and around the corner from JPress. Throughout high school and college I got my OCBD's there at 3 for $17.50, I think it was. Excellent quality and great selection of solids and stripes. Most of the then yalies shopped Yale Co-Op in lieu of Press as the prices were better.
> 
> Tried Gant for awhile, good quality, especially at their Deckers outlet, but lots of shrinkage. (Deckers, first on Long Warf, then Orange, then Norwalk was a great place for Palm Beach sport coats, Tattersaw trousers, Gant shirts and outerwear and PRL ties ).
> 
> ...


I recall the 3 for $$ at the Yale Co-op as well - I think Enro and Sero shirts were their staples. The always came back from the laundry looking great. White's and Enson's on Chapel Street as well as J. Press, Rosenbergs, and the Co-op had everything you needed - all within walking distance of each other. Sure do miss them! - and Barrie Ltd.


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## fred johnson (Jul 22, 2009)

I remember Deckers well and shopped there first in New Haven on Long Warf, then Orange, the Norwalk, twice. I still wear my Palm Beach Harris tweed sport coats from the original location.


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## dport86 (Jan 24, 2009)

fred johnson said:


> Later on, the BEST deal of all was the second floor of Horwitz department store on Chapel street; a shabby fabric/sewing goods place. Up to about 5 years ago I was still buying BB original OCBD's, which I still wear regularly, for $8.00 with BB ties at $7.50, including bows, which were $5.00! Now closed and very lamented but the best kept secret in New Haven for years.


I can't believe this place was still going up to 5 years ago. Should have stopped by during reunions. During college this was my go to place--and it makes me wonder about the above post that Eagle shirts were made in PA. During the mid-80's, Horowitz sold factory seconds of Eagle shirts and Gant rugby shirts. I always assumed these were made at the Sero factory in New Haven, hence sold above a sewing shop by very nice local women.


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## Pale Male (Mar 24, 2008)

*Eagle Shirts and more... for dport86*

Many small Pennsylvania towns had shirt factories that supported countless families as coal mining faded. Eagle had a factory few miles away from Gitman's present one. It's likely that the seconds were sent away. First quality could be had at one of the rare sales.

In a prior post, you mistook my tone and viewed it as a vicious personal attack. It was not. The mention was of "Tom Ford", who is about as far from "trad" as one can get -- doesn't even get much respect over at SF.

And for the record, after reading one of your personal posts over at SF, I find much to admire. Apologies for my foolishness.


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## dport86 (Jan 24, 2009)

Pale Male said:


> Many small Pennsylvania towns had shirt factories that supported countless families as coal mining faded. Eagle had a factory few miles away from Gitman's present one. It's likely that the seconds were sent away. First quality could be had at one of the rare sales.
> 
> In a prior post, you mistook my tone and viewed it as a vicious personal attack. It was not. The mention was of "Tom Ford", who is about as far from "trad" as one can get -- doesn't even get much respect over at SF.
> 
> And for the record, after reading one of your personal posts over at SF, I find much to admire. Apologies for my foolishness.


As I recall, the post also challenged my opinions (perhaps in jest) based on my nationality and my choice of neighborhood. So I am surprised, very happily, to see your comment here. Apology warmly accepted. There's lots of truly reprehensible behavior going on the fora (much more so in SF IMHO), let's save our ire for that! There's also an surprising amount of useful information and honest exchange, which is well worth protecting.


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## drfop (Apr 2, 2010)

*sero shirts*

Sero shirts were known for the Purist Collar. It had a softly distinctive roll which was preferred by most discriminating traditional dressers in the 60's. Troy Guild made a buttondown known as the Trophy Collar which had a much more flared and distictive roll. Finding the right roll in a bd today is almost impossible. The closest I've found to it is from Mercer and Sons shirts.


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## Reds & Tops (Feb 20, 2009)

I have Sero and this forum to thank for my "fun" shirt.

https://img245.imageshack.us/my.php?image=photo155o.jpg


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## Topsider (Jul 9, 2005)

drfop said:


> Sero shirts were known for the Purist Collar. It had a softly distinctive roll which was preferred by most discriminating traditional dressers in the 60's.


I remember buying Sero "Purist" shirts in the 80's, as well. At $40-60, they were considered expensive in those days.

Found a vintage one in good shape in a thrift store a while back. Wish I could find more of them.


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## Guest (Dec 14, 2020)

TMMKC said:


> Used to have a lot of Sero shirts...good quality. I recall my father wore Hathaway shirts. I still buy the odd Gitman Brothers or Kennth Gordon shirt through my tailor (he buys a lot of overstock and sample items on the secondary market and sell them CHEAP). The quality is still pretty good.
> 
> I am still looking for brown Weejuns, though...Bass no longer makes them and I am pining for the pair I had in high school.


You can find Bass Logan Weejuns at GH Bass website. They are shipped from a distribution center in Bowling Green, KY. There are very few retail stores that still sell them.


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## Charles Dana (Nov 20, 2006)

Guest-255493 said:


> You can find Bass Logan Weejuns at GH Bass website. They are shipped from a distribution center in Bowling Green, KY. There are very few retail stores that still sell them.


Good to know. I'm glad we settled that.


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## fred johnson (Jul 22, 2009)

My brown Logan’s from Bass online arrived last week and are as advertised.


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## Guest (Mar 21, 2021)

jamgood said:


> www.fundinguniverse.com is a great resource for various corporate histories. Unfortunately, most of the histories seem to end prior to the 21st century.
> 
> Was Bert Pulitzer associated with Gant at one time? I may be mistaken, but I believe that Bert Pulitzer shirts were the first non-private labelled Gitman Brothers products. I think Mr. Pulitzer is/was a poster here, but I won't give away his screen name.
> 
> ...


Norman shirts were made in Jackson, Mississippi.


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