official Chipp Neckwear Thread

[Ole Hickory]

I'm calling him tomorrow, who can't use a few ties & some sage wisdom these days-

 

[paul winston]

The "roll" of the original Brooks button down collar - a mystery that I list with the Emilia Earhard and Judge Crater disappearances.

When I joined my father at Chipp in 1960, we had three shirt suppliers - Gant, Troy Guild and Creighton.

They each offered a button shirt - their version of replicating the Brooks "roll".

Each company had purchased a Brooks oxford button down shirt.

They took it apart and traced each part. They put the parts together and voila - the "roll" was not the same.

I asked Marty and Elliot Gant, Bill Archer and Don Donovan at Troy, and Larry Kamisher at Creighton
why the "roll" was not on the mark.

No one had an answer.

 

[StephenRG]

The "roll" of the original Brooks button down collar - a mystery that I list with the Emilia Earhard and Judge Crater disappearances.

When I joined my father at Chipp in 1960, we had three shirt suppliers - Gant, Troy Guild and Creighton.

They each offered a button shirt - their version of replicating the Brooks "roll".

Each company had purchased a Brooks oxford button down shirt.

They took it apart and traced each part. They put the parts together and voila - the "roll" was not the same.

I asked Marty and Elliot Gant, Bill Archer and Don Donovan at Troy, and Larry Kamisher at Creighton
why the "roll" was not on the mark.

No one had an answer.

If there were additional stitching in the nonvisible - inside - part of the roll at a high tension, would that not cause more of a roll? If you took the collar apart as they did, the stitching itself would be cut and so with loss of the tension, would not be observed to have any effect.

 

[jc1305us]

An interesting article on the Brooks Brothers shirt:
http://www.keikari.com/english/anatomy-of-a-vintage-brooks-brothers-button-down-shirt/

 

[paul winston]

jc1305us - Interesting article !

StephenRC - Although I have been "involved" in the business for many years, I can't do much more than sew on a button. I certainly know very little about shirt construction and less about stitching tension.
Marty and Elliot , who" lived" the shirt business, tried to get the roll a number of times. I am sure they knew about stitching, stitching tension and everything else about shirts.

 

[jc1305us]

jc1305us - Interesting article !

StephenRC - Although I have been "involved" in the business for many years, I can't do much more than sew on a button. I certainly know very little about shirt construction and less about stitching tension.
Marty and Elliot , who" lived" the shirt business, tried to get the roll a number of times. I am sure they knew about stitching, stitching tension and everything else about shirts.

One of the commenters mentions your shop, not sure if you caught that : )

 

[paul winston]

When I started working in 1960 the "carriage trade" shops - Chipp,Press, Brooks, Paul Stuart, Triplers,Saks ..... - had "sales" twice a year. They were held the week after January 1st and the week after July 4th. They were called "clearance sales". The remaining inventory from the season was reduced in price, No merchandise was brought in for the sale. If a customer came into Chipp on December 31 he could not buy at the "sale" price. The "sale" began on January 2nd.

I am amused by the "sale reduction" ads today. Many stores and web sites offer "specials" all the time.

When the department stores started "promoting" in the 70s a law was passed in NY that said you were required to have merchandise at a particular price for 30 days before you could say you were offering it at a reduction from that price. ( I don't know if that law is still on the books.)

So they would put the items out at an artificial price so that they could then reduce it to the price they really wanted and claim they were selling it at a "reduced" price.

I see many ads on TV saying, for example, " Not only is the price reduced from $40 to $19.50, when you buy one you get a 2nd one for free.

So the price they want is $9.75 and they make you buy 2.

There is no "Free Lunch".

 

[StephenRG]

I see many ads on TV saying, for example, " Not only is the price reduced from $40 to $19.50, when you buy one you get a 2nd one for free.

So the price they want is $9.75 and they make you buy 2.

There is no "Free Lunch".

Don't forget, "pay only additional S&H" - when the cost of that is another profit source.

 

[paul winston]

Last night my wife and I watched the classic movie "The Apartment" on channel 13.

My wife pointed out that all the men - there were 100s pictured coming to work - were wearing felt hats.

It sent back to my first day at Chipp.

My father did two things that day:
#1 He took me to the wall that held all the bolts of cloth and showed me how to drape the cloth over the customers shoulder so he could look in the mirror and envision the jacket.
#2 He took me to our small hat department, determined my hat size, and put a felt hat on my head.

I looked at myself in the mirror and almost fell down laughing.

He said, " A gentleman wears a hat."

I carried the hat home and never wore it or any other felt hat.

JFK bought 3 felt hats from Chipp.

I don't know if he ever wore them.

The consummate politician, he was often seen with wind blown hair and hatless getting off planes and out of cars carrying a hat in his hand.

There was a significant hat industry in the 60s.

Every vote counts.

 

[paul winston]

As many of you are aware, I have closed the NYC shop and am no longer in the classic "retail" business.
My web site continues.

I find I have odds and ends in my storage space. From time to time I will list them here and on the Deals/steals section.

Below I have pictured a great buy for someone whose belt size is 40.

A genuine Lizard belt. It is brown ( It looks very dark in the image. It is not dark)
The belt is 1 1/4 wide. It can be your for $25 - including shipping to any address in USA.
To buy the belt give me a call
Paul Winston cell 203 559-7653

 

[fred johnson]

Paul,
Now you can write that book..

 

[paul winston]

In 1963 "Barefoot in the Park" was on broadway in NYC.

I went into my father's office for something and he was talking with someone I did't know -
it was Robert Redford.

Chipp made the clothes Redford wore in the production.

Fast forward about 25 years.

My oldest daughter was in her senior year of high school.

She was a very skilled gymnast. She and here teammates competed in the class A National Championship which was held in Provo Utah.

The heavily favored team was coached by Bela Karolyi.

In what was quite a surprise the team from Stamford,Ct came home with the trophy.

To celabrate, I took Maryana and three of here teammtes to the Sundance Resort for lunch.

I asked the waiter if Mr. Redford was in the house.

When he answered in the affirmative I asked the waiter to take a note to Mr. Redford.

I told him Chipp had made his wardrobe for "Barefoot in the Park" and asked if he would let the waiter bring the four girls, who had won the National Championship the day before,back to meet him.

The waiter returned and took the four girls to to his private meeting.

They got as big a kick out of meeting him as they did wining the trophy.

 

[son of brummell]

Nice story.

There was a running gag in "Barefoot in the Park" where Redford was winded and about to collapse after reaching the fifth floor walk-up apartment. His "kooky" wife (Jane Fonda) took an apartment in the middle of the Bohemian Greenwich Village. Redford played the traditional, straight-laced and boring WASP lawyer.

While channel surfing this weekend I glanced at the 1973 "The Way We Were." The kooky and Bohemian Barbara Streisand invited Redford, the straight-laced, WASP, young naval officer, to her fourth floor walkup. Again, he arrived winded and ready to collapse after making the climb.

There are no new stories, just retellings of the old.

 

[Fading Fast]

Nice story.

There was a running gag in "Barefoot in the Park" where Redford was winded and about to collapse after reaching the fifth floor walk-up apartment. His "kooky" wife (Jane Fonda) took an apartment in the middle of the Bohemian Greenwich Village. Redford played the traditional, straight-laced and boring WASP lawyer.

While channel surfing this weekend I glanced at the 1973 "The Way We Were." The kooky and Bohemian Barbara Streisand invited Redford, the straight-laced, WASP, young naval officer, to her fourth floor walkup. Again, he arrived winded and ready to collapse after making the climb.

There are no new stories, just retellings of the old.

Always liked Redford's turtleneck sweater in "The Way We Were:"

 

[jbrickma]

Are you still in the alterations tailoring business?

 

[paul winston]

With 82 years in the rear view mirror and the Corona forced shutdown last March, I sadly closed Winston Tailors.
Chipp Neckwear ( www.chippneckwear.com ) is still afloat.

I can highly recommend Mid City Tailors for your alteration needs. ( For the last 8 years I shared space with them.)