Recently a reader alerted us to a pair of deadstock pants for sale on Etsy. They’ve been scooped up, alas, but that needn’t stop us from examining them.
The cotton-polyester trousers come from a Main Street clothier called The Washington Manfuacturing Company of Nashville, TN. It began making workwear and trademarked the name “Dee Cee” in 1922; “Konstant Krease” was trademarked in 1965.
The hang tag on the pants is interesting for the use of the terms “Ivy styling” and especially “trads,” the name of the trouser model.
Speaking of which, it looks like a pretty good blueprint for our khaki project. According to the Etsy seller BriarVintage, the 32-waist pants had an 11.5-inch rise and 7.5-inch leg opening. — CEE CEE & CEE ESS
Dee Cee was a huge seller of overalls in the pre-60s. Farmers and work clothes wearers were their primary market. It is reassuring to hear they are still around.
Like Ryan, I find the venerable Mr. Press’ use of “Main Street clothier” to mean “mass market wholesaler” confusing. To me, and I’m sure to many other readers as well, it denotes a heyday retailer, probably an independent one.
Koratron is hearty stuff! As I recall from the vintage pieces I’ve owned, it has a comfortable weight, and holds color well under regular machine washing.
Depends on how “extreme” (that is, of another era) they are. Our manufacturer isn’t interested in doing anything overly high-waisted nor overly tapered. That said, I’ve received the factory sample and it looks pretty good to me. Will be showing to RVP, GBB and DCG soon for feedback.
What is a Main Street clothier??
Richard Press’ term for a heyday-era mass-market wholesaler of Ivy-styled clothing.
Dee Cee was a huge seller of overalls in the pre-60s. Farmers and work clothes wearers were their primary market. It is reassuring to hear they are still around.
@Vern I have to report they are no longer in business.
Alas!
Nice find. Any idea about when you’ll know more details of the khaki project?
Is that rise measurement out seam minus inseam or from the waist band to the cross section of the fork?
A commercial for those youngsters who don’t remember Koratron:
http://youtu.be/w9Ez2Alumvc
Like Ryan, I find the venerable Mr. Press’ use of “Main Street clothier” to mean “mass market wholesaler” confusing. To me, and I’m sure to many other readers as well, it denotes a heyday retailer, probably an independent one.
@RWK
Should have a sample at the end of the month.
Koratron is hearty stuff! As I recall from the vintage pieces I’ve owned, it has a comfortable weight, and holds color well under regular machine washing.
Im the lucky guy that picked those bad boys up, if you can match your khakis to those I’ll defiantly buy a pair.
Depends on how “extreme” (that is, of another era) they are. Our manufacturer isn’t interested in doing anything overly high-waisted nor overly tapered. That said, I’ve received the factory sample and it looks pretty good to me. Will be showing to RVP, GBB and DCG soon for feedback.