Beer, Beer, Beer - a few shirts, a tie, and some books, all currently available in our Ebay store.

Corona beer shirt in Rayon

 Fantasy beer shirt by GEORGE in Rayon

 A fantasy beer polo style shirt

 More fantasy beers in Rayon- vintage 1990s

 For the serious beer can collector

a 1990s Budweiser beer necktie

More serious collector stuff!  Beer labels, mats and coasters.

Back from Vacation and have turned our Ebay, Bonanza, Etsy and Atomic Mall shops back on yesterday.  Here's what we sold on Sunday!

HAWAIIAN Aloha SHIRT M pit to pit 23 SUXXESS Polyester New Orleans Logo Tropical

  Charging African Rhinoceros Rhino Necktie SILK

 HAWAIIAN Aloha SHIRT M 22 pit to pit CHEROKEE Waikiki Wear Tropical drinks rayon

  HAWAIIAN Aloha SHIRT L pit to pit 24.5 PIERRE CARDIN Cotton

A Collectors book treasures Aquarians Hippies Berkeley sixties culture

Hawaiian Shirts with Horizontal patterns

The other day I was looking at a page of Hawaiian shirts that I have for sale in my Ebay store, and I recognized some distinct patterning that I really hadn't considered before, although, in the moment, it was really clear.  Shirts can be classified in many ways; by color, by theme, by size, design elements, fabrics, you name it; this is about the layout of the elements of the print. So, I'm thinking, let me show you a  few shirts with a horizontal lay-out, for starters.

 Setting the tone and expectation....line them up on the bar. Party time!

 This shirt is one of my current favorites. the strong horizontal border  bands on the hem and sleeve are a great contrast to the vertical lines of the swaing palm trees in this incredible night-time beach scene of silhouettes.

 This red number is a Pierre Cardin rayon shirt with a horizontal 

band across the chest featuring woody station wagons.

 One of my favorite brands is Kahala.  The shirt above is by Hawaiian artist John Severson.  In this cast, the scene itself creates a strong horizontal line.

 Bands of beer!  It's a light-hearted design..is it lite beer?

 And palm trees

 Color creates strong contrasting bands

And alternating pineapples and palms in wide bands are separated by narrower 

bands of traditional tapa designs in a monochromatic print.

Today's Hawaiian Shirts - Vintage Matchbooks and Dragons on vintage 1990s shirts!

So, I've just been working on my new website, oldoldstuff.com and re-acquainting myself with some of the shirts that I have in my inventory.  Some new old favorite brands I seem to gravitate to are not-too-distant past labels such as Utility.  Here's  a prime example of the range of subject matter now attributed to the phrase "Hawaiian Shirt", seemingly co-opted to mean just about any printed shirt with a colorful design.  Here's one that might suit a philumenist. (That's the word match cover collectors call themselves - lovers of light, invented probably in the 1920s or 30s.)

  Other subject matter popular in shirts of the recent past includes Chinese dragons!  Menacing or friendly, symmetrically laid out, or twisting all over the fabric, they're a great addition to topical prints.  5-clawed dragons are generally associated with Emperors of Imperial China, while less claws are found on less auspicious dragons.  Check out several styles and sizes in my current stock on Ebay.

Amplify

Claudio Nucci

Million Guy

So, here's a curious Norman Rockwell tie.  I've seen a number of these in which the graphic seems to be stretched, as if it were computer generated and the ratio box was left unchecked when the print-maker designed  the plates. Or, maybe it's an "artistic license" issue.  Would love to know more about this. At any rate, you can see more by clicking here.  This fellow is wearing vintage football gear and being tackled by some with a lot of nerve.

Latest Finds in Colorado Springs

Went back for a reunion and couldn't help but hit some of my old haunts for finding great stuff. Came back with some great shirts.

The one on the left is a 1990s Tiki God motif with tropical drinks with tiki swizel sticks!













This next one on the left is another great find from the Springs - a Bark cloth beauty from the late 60s, early 70s, made in Hawaii.

Recent Sales and Acquisitions

Lately I've been finding groups of ties - a good thing. Sure cuts down on the gas if I can find a couple dozen in a trip as opposed to one at a time.

First tie with the guitars is a Carlos Santana Silk tie - the purple one is a vintage 1990s silk Legacy label; the surrealist tie is an Italian brand called Stefano Milano.




Some recent sales -




I love the tie in the middle A. Rogers label; it's not quite old enuff for me to consider to be "vintage" but it's already anachronistic...floppy discs and a big box monitor - definitely a great collectible already! The Mickey Aviator tie went to a guy in Michigan who just collects Mickey Mouse as an Aviator items..virtually esoteric. A corporate tie rounds out this batch - a Uniform tie for Holiday in managers, bartenders, perhaps?

Goodbye to a New Friend - Hello, Tom and Jerry

Alas, when we buy something for resale, it just might sell! I recently acquired a terrific Hawaiian shirt which, although not vintage, was made by a well known manufacturer. When I found the shirt, I did a search for the maker and discovered it was still listed on the maker's website, but as "out of stock". I put it in my Ebay Store, and low and behold it sold. I do wear my offerings, or at least try to before they enjoy new homes, but I never got to wear this one.

Made by Diamond Head Sportswear,in Hawaii, the graphics and colors are just terrific. This company has been in business for 80 years or more and is responsible for manufacturing many of the highly sought and very expensive shirts collectors buy today. If you're out and about, don't pass this label up!

So as compensation, I have decided to wear a tie to work today. It's still listed in the store, but I'll have the pleasure of having worn it before it sells. I'm not a golfer, but love the colors and graphics of this tie, a Looney Tunes recent find, now offered in my Ebay Store in the Novelty category under Comix/Characters/Personalities.

The Tie Box

Sorting through - cramming ties - not a good plan! I need to get organized, as I am getting the feeling my actions are being met with some disapproval.

A Story about a Tie

Found this terrific little vid on YouTube - Check it out! It's called Lacos (Ties) and it was the winner of a recent YouTube contest. Great song, great story, so-so tie, but you'll love it!

Laços (Ties) - Project: Direct

Some Recent Finds - Three Countess Mara Neckties

At a recent stop to a favorite thrift store, I snagged (gasp - not something you should be doing to ties..let me rephrase that) er, acquired three Countess Mara neckties, one of which is a typical diagonal of the early 1960s (best guess). Two of the three have the famed CM logo on the front. The later model does not. All are silk.

Here's a classic diagonal stripe in muted very 1960s colors.






This next tie is a fun take on a paisley, a little wider, and great colors. The logo is there, but well disguised.



Tag from a now defunct men's wear shop, Rutland's in Orlando, Florida



And finally, a tie with no CM logo on front, but label on the back. Love the way the label proudly states "Made in USA", sort of like buying revolutionary "Homespun", to a point. Not quite time to dump tea again. I'm sure the fabric was woven elsewhere.....and these almost look like "hidden Mickeys"

Red, White and Bluez....

In this season of political fervor, national crisis, pots with chickens but no gas to get them across the road, let us consider the Patriotic Motif necktie. I;m sorry to say I havent any Partisan type ties; the generic one style fits all will have to do, but of late, I admit I have been hoarding them. Here are a few for your consideration. As it happens, they are all currently available at my Ebay Store. There is an endless variety of these on the market place, and seemingly every commercial maker has jumped on the band wagon.

The below tie is one of my favorites, for the complexity of the design, and richness of colors. It's a Van Heusen 417 from their Americana Series entitled Let Freedom Ring...





Slighty more subtle is another Van Heusen, fantastic color and design featuring Hot Air Baloons - perhaps most apropos in a political year. How much more old-timey Americana can you get? It's called "The View from Above"





I love this tie - love the way the designer has created suggested movement on a flat medium with shading suggesting the flag blowing in a breeze. It's a poly tie, lightweight all-around



Another poly tie, straight-forward, no nonsense. Probably made in China or Korea






One of my current favorites, this inexplicable green background tie featuring the tiny American flag is a reversible tie by Wembley, called a "Double-Tie". It;s one of those heavy, thick, gawd-awful upholstery fabric ties that were made when polyester was first cheaply mined in the 1970s, riding the crest of the Bicentennial marketing wave.








Finally, here's a Tommy Hilfiger tie of the same ilk/

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