# Willis & Geiger catalogs 1995-199?



## jamgood (Feb 8, 2006)

Howdy,

Willis & Geiger was the actual maker of some of the original Abercrombie & Fitch gear when A&F was an expedition outfitter to elite sportsmen. Also a supplier to the LL Bean of a bygone era.

W&G was resuscitated in the '80s by WWII fighter pilot Burt Avedon and opened a few W&G stores, the first one in Charlotte, NC.

Later as a subsidiary of Lands' End, Willis & Geiger catalogs were published from the mid to late '90s.

Whenever W&G catalog illustrations are posted there seems to be at least a small interest in more W&G postings.

(Pages have to be scanned, edited, transferred to a website and then posted here. It takes a while. Can't just link from a cybersource.)

If there is significant indication of interest I'll occasionally post pages of the W&G classics on this thread.

The catalogs were 48 pages in an 8" x 11" format. Will attempt to keep the scans large enough for the copy to be readable.

This is the cover and inside cover page of the first catalog.


----------



## jrandyv (Apr 3, 2006)

*Keep it up*

I'd be interested. Unfortunately I discovered W & G not long before they were bought out by Lands End. I have a favorite hat from them.


----------



## Doctor Damage (Feb 18, 2005)

I am certainly interested in seeing these old catalogues. I know it takes hours to scan & post these things: don't rush them, just do a few pages each week.

DD


----------



## Speas (Mar 11, 2004)

I loved getting those W&G catalogs and would also be interested in seeing a few. The quality was very good, the bush poplin particularly. I still wear two bush poplins for hunting and a heavy wool plaid shirt jacket (lined with heavy corduroy and collars and cuffs with leather - very cool). I recall that at the end of the run, you could find W&G in the Lands End outlets, which was good for me as an impoverished grad student at the time. I think they could have made it a success if they had branched into real US hunting gear a la Filson. They had better quality than Orvis does now, but they suffered from gadget-itis on certain items as does Orvis (who needs or wants a bi-swing back on a dress shirt?). Its sad that Lands End just sits on the franchise.


----------



## ksinc (May 30, 2005)

W&G :aportnoy: I have never been able to forgive LE. There is no way that brand was worthless. I never considered LE competition for W&G. ic12337: 
Orvis is ok, but it's not W&G IMHO. The new, younger guy at Orvis seems to be trying to keep it relevant. I wish Orvis had bought W&G like they did Gokey. I keep seeing the TR jacket reborn, but it's the Hemmingway jacket that was W&G's best seller.

W&G made the only lightweight bush shirts that could actually survive three weeks in the everglades. Even the Filson's won't do that.


----------



## Bob Loblaw (Mar 9, 2006)

Speas said:


> Its sad that Lands End just sits on the franchise.


It would be sadder still if they tired to sell us "adventure lifestyle" gear made in Thailand.


----------



## ChrisW (Sep 21, 2007)

I sent an email to Lands End last year asking if there were any possibility the W&G brand may ever be resurrected. In their reply, I received a definite NO. I don't understand why the brand was liquidated; it has legions of loyal followers, as the skyrocketing prices for their (used) products on eBay attests.


----------



## tintin (Nov 19, 2004)

Bless you for keeping these catalogs. That's real vision. I still have two of the waxed cotton jackets and two shirts. One is a white button down with pocket flap and a pleated bi-swing back or whatever they call it. Great stuff. And doomed...as all great stuff is.

www.thetrad.blogspot.com
"Not as good as it was but better than it will be"


----------



## Leather man (Mar 11, 2007)

Is there a general feeling against Orvis these days because all their clothes are made in the Far East? I picked up hints of this often here and am just wondering what the opinion is on the other side of the Pond?

Never heard of W&G but very interesting post and sounds like I would have appreciated this company - very sad that LE are just sitting on them.


----------



## jamgood (Feb 8, 2006)

From the "Safari Style" thread, in case you missed.


----------



## ksinc (May 30, 2005)

jamgood for president! :aportnoy:


----------



## windsor (Dec 12, 2006)

Thanks Jamgood for bringing these Wand G catalog pages to us. I have a couple of shirts and fishing jacket and am always on the lookout for other items. Looking forward to your posts.


----------



## jamgood (Feb 8, 2006)

*U.S. Army Air Corps A-2 Intermediate Flight Jacket*

W&G Catalog #1 (September 1995)










goatskin (horsehide is smoother,stiffer)


----------



## ksinc (May 30, 2005)

Anyone here an XL-Tall?



Or XXL-Tall?


----------



## gatorator (Nov 14, 2008)

Jamgood

You have a PM.


----------



## Flanderian (Apr 30, 2008)

Thanks for the memories. I enjoyed the LE version of Willis & Geiger's catalogs, and purchased several items. Quality was roughly on a par with other LE merchandise, but some of the styling appealed to me at the time. I was sufficiently annoyed when they were dropping the line to send a letter to LE's CEO, Dave Dyer. His letter back said in effect that it wasn't that W&G wasn't making money, but rather that they weren't making *enough *money.

Several years after W&G's demise, Orvis reintroduced a number of items that W&G had carried. I had had my eye on a smooth lambskin pilots jacket in coganc, and Orvis picked it up, but I never pulled the trigger. Don't know if there was any consideration between Orvis and LE?


----------



## rider (Jan 8, 2004)

Funny I stopped in here and saw this thread....Burt Avedon just sent in a pair of jodphur boots to be re-finished.

He is still active in the business, and you should check out a shop in NYC that should be of interest, considering the connections.

FM Allen

https://fmallen.com/

website does not look to be up yet, but the contact info should be there for the NY guys here.


----------



## jamgood (Feb 8, 2006)

rider said:


> Funny I stopped in here and saw this thread....Burt Avedon just sent in a pair of jodphur boots to be re-finished.
> 
> He is still active in the business, and you should check out a shop in NYC that should be of interest, considering the connections.
> 
> ...


Odd, they've had a web site for years.


----------



## dshell (Mar 17, 2007)

I never saw this thread until it was resurrected a few days ago. I just thought I'd say thanks jamgood. Great stuff!


----------



## Julius (May 18, 2009)

*Willis & Geiger catalogs*

I am new to this site.
Are there any catalogs or parts of Willis & Geiger posted for display online?

Thank you 
Julius


----------



## Julius (May 18, 2009)

*oops almost forgot to ask...about Willis & Geiger*

Does anyone know the vendors who manufactured the safari shirts and field pants of Willis & Geiger. ? Also the Diaplex jackets? ( mine finally wore out after 10 years of running oudoors in the winter. ) Willis & Geiger was the only one I know who did anything with Diaplex in the U.S.A. ( Japan may have some cloths made of this stuff since mitsubishi manufactures the material. )

Does anyone know:
What did Land's End do with the blueprints and specifications for the cloths. ? Does anyone know who the original vendors were.? As for example the G-1 flight jacket picture in the catalog looked identical to a sketch of U.S Authentic advertisment for their G-1 goatskin jacket. Anyway to reverse engineer who made their safari shirts? The catalogs online may help.

Just curious.
Julius

Thanx much!


----------



## Pitt 84 (Feb 22, 2009)

*air force jackets...*

If you are looking for "real" flight jackets...try US Wings site... they make some issue items...or The Cockpit they are basically the Averex folk of WWII fame...they took the name when their Avirex urban wear took off...the flight jackets are amazing @ both these places.

As far as W&G goes, I'm wearing one of their safari shirts rite now it's got to be 20+ years old...used to get their stuff @ the W&G outlet store in Reading PA...actually the shirt is the one that Clark Gable wore in Mocombo...they outfitted that movie & Snows of Kilimajaro...


----------



## Ralph Kinney Bennett (Dec 24, 2008)

*LASTING QUALITY*

Fortunately, before they went out of business, I bought two Hemingways, one A-2 (horsehide) and a Diaplex jacket. They continue to give wonderful service. There are many safari jackets, but the original W&G Hemingway is utterly distinctive and immensely practical. I have never worn a garment that has elicited so many "Pardon me, but could you tell me where you got that jacket." queries. The A-2 (I have a couple of others, including a Cooper goatskin) is a joy to wear. It is impossible to describe except to say it is a little like the feeling one has when wearing an original Brooks Brothers OCBD -- that satisfying "nothing can prevail against it" feeling.


----------



## Ron_A (Jun 5, 2007)

I really can't understand why Lands' End wouldn't try to revive the W&G brand. This stuff looks great. It may not be the best time to try to roll out this kind of high-end stuff. But, I just received a fancy J.L. Powell catalog with a bunch of really, really expensive stuff (that probably isn't nearly as nice as the W&G merchandise). The "geniuses" who own LE (which really is Sears, and effectively is hedge fund manager Eddie Lambert) should realize that they are sitting on a potential gold mine with this stuff.


----------



## WillisGeigerFan (Apr 24, 2007)

I so regret tossing those old W&G catalogs. Brings back lots of memories.


----------



## 127.72 MHz (Feb 16, 2007)

Willis & Geiger = Land's End (Which I can live with) But it's difficult to understand why they have not offered more Willis and Geiger patterned offereings.

I believe the answer lies in the fact that,

Land's End = Sears,.....Which is on the rocks


Bill Woodward
Portland, Oregon


----------



## ksinc (May 30, 2005)

127.72 MHz said:


> Willis & Geiger = Land's End (Which I can live with) But it's difficult to understand why they have not offered more Willis and Geiger patterned offereings.
> 
> I believe the answer lies in the fact that,
> 
> ...


It's hard for me to remember, but didn't LE buy W&G and make the decision to 'kill it' long before LE became part of SHLD?


----------



## ChrisW (Sep 21, 2007)

Julius said:


> Does anyone know:
> What did Land's End do with the blueprints and specifications for the cloths. ? Does anyone know who the original vendors were.? As for example the G-1 flight jacket picture in the catalog looked identical to a sketch of U.S Authentic advertisment for their G-1 goatskin jacket. Anyway to reverse engineer who made their safari shirts? The catalogs online may help.
> 
> Just curious.
> Julius


According to the catalogs, the shirts were made of '340-threads-per-inch bush poplin'. Lost Worlds bought the last remaining material from Lands End when W&G was liquidated, and have come out with several copycat items, including the Hemingway jacket.


----------



## paul winston (Jun 3, 2006)

In response to a customer's request we are now making Bush Jackets- styled like the classic W&G bush jacket that was the Abercrombie staple. We are making them out of silk, Shetland, and tropical worsted. We are NOT making them out of poplin. Any one in the NYC area is welcome to stop up and see what they look like.
Paul Winston
Winston Tailors
www.chipp2.com


----------



## C. Sharp (Dec 18, 2008)

paul winston said:


> In response to a customer's request we are now making Bush Jackets- styled like the classic W&G bush jacket that was the Abercrombie staple. We are making them out of silk, Shetland, and tropical worsted. We are NOT making them out of poplin. Any one in the NYC area is welcome to stop up and see what they look like.
> Paul Winston
> Winston Tailors
> www.chipp2.com


You can see Paul's Shetland jacket in this post https://asuitablewardrobe.dynend.com/2009/03/pillar-of-establishment.html


----------



## nolan50410 (Dec 5, 2006)

The family that owns Hinton and Hinton in Oxford, Mississippi used to operate a Willis & Geiger in Oxford. In fact, that logo for H&H is the same design as the W&G one; both having the same typestyle and the use of the two lions.

Hinton and Hinton has a warehouse sale every late summer/early fall. I always see old (but still NWT) Willis & Geiger items mixed in with the new stuff. Last year there were tons of sweaters and pants and a couple heavy twill jackets. I'm sure he still has some stuff on hand, may be worth calling and checking it out.


----------



## AlanC (Oct 28, 2003)

I had the good fortune of picking up a W&G balloon cloth bush shirt recently at thrift. I need to pull the thing out of the closet.

The interest in this thread indicates that outdoor/safari/adventure wear, if not Trad itself, is a tributary to it.


----------



## Mazama (May 21, 2009)

*Lost worlds waiting to be discovered*



nolan50410 said:


> Hinton and Hinton has a warehouse sale every late summer/early fall. I always see old (but still NWT) Willis & Geiger items mixed in with the new stuff. Last year there were tons of sweaters and pants and a couple heavy twill jackets. I'm sure he still has some stuff on hand, may be worth calling and checking it out.


Sounds like Hinton and Hinton has a truly "lost world" of Willis & Geiger NOS waiting to be (re)discovered. My own mid-90s W&G Hemingway safari jacket will remain entombed in the lost world at the back of my closet until, perhaps after a month in the backcountry later this season, I can fit into it once again.

Just imagine the millions of dollars worth of NOS merchandise that must be out there in old small town haberdasheries or, more likely, the garages of their deceased owners' families as well as in back corners of obscure urban warehouses. All of it ignored and unappreciated by the current owners while somebody - us! - wants to buy that stuff. It's criminal.

I recall buying a pair of rough out Justin roper boots - enjoyed wearing them at the local rodeo in well worn, well cared for original condition on Memorial Day weekend - from Davidson's on dusty Delta, CO's main street in about 1977. Mr. Davidson, now long passed away I'm certain, still had several clean boxes of never worn removable collar shirts, maybe with sleeve garters, that probably dated from when he set up shop in the 1930s. Nobody, least of all me or the Hispanic farm hands just then appearing in that region, wanted anything to do with such things at the time.

Maybe I should try to find out if Mr. Davidson's son, or, more likely, his grandson or one of the Hispanic newcomers, still runs the place. If so then they might still have some of those shirts left over; the ones Mr. Davidson ordered from Chicago or New York when FDR was president.


----------



## SartoNYC (Feb 22, 2005)

*Bomber pilot?*

I met Burt Avedon a few years ago in the Beretta store on Madison Avenue. In his lapel was a DFC pin and I asked him about it. My recollection is that he said he was in B-17s over Europe. Fighter pilot or bomber pilot, he was with a lovely woman!


----------



## jamgood (Feb 8, 2006)

One stands corrected on fighter pilot.

Briefly resurrected from subterranean red dirt slumber, might post a few more W&G covers or specific pages next week if there's interest. Just a few. There was a lot of duplication of items in those catalogs, even if the covers varied.

Any specific item requests? I'd rather not select. What's treasure to me might be trash to you.

Tintin gets first dibs unless he's currently too distracted by the phantasmagoria that is Hooterville.

(In the late 80's or early 90's, perhaps just before or after the LE acquisition, pre-LE W&G goat and horse flight jackets were dumped at T.J. Maxx @$99.99. Recall a dozen or more at a Charlotte TJM. Various sizes, regulars and longs. There didn't seem to be much interest. The smaller sizes were subsequently reduced to $30. Matthew 7:6, jamgood oinks.)


----------



## windsor (Dec 12, 2006)

Would like to see the ad for the poplin "fishing shirt or jacket". Thanks for resurrecting WandG Jamgood.


----------



## jamgood (Feb 8, 2006)

windsor said:


> Would like to see the ad for the poplin "fishing shirt or jacket". Thanks for resurrecting WandG Jamgood.


From W&G Book No. 8. The price in Spring 1997 was $98, in Spring 1998 it was $126.










**After a week the request line is now closed.*


----------

