Pendleton Woolen Mills and Ariat Boots have collaborated for Fall 14. We’re bringing you a limited-edition capsule collection of Western and English boots done with Ariat leather and technology, and Pendleton signature wool fabrics. We’re excited to collaborate with Ariat, International, the leading manufacturer of performance equestrian footwear. Ariat pioneered the application of advanced athletic shoe technology into English riding boots, making riding boots as wearable as they are beautiful. This particular capsule collection marries Ariat’s expertise with two iconic Pendleton weaving traditions.

If you ask people in the American West about Pendleton fabrics, they will probably tell you about our Native American-inspired patterns; the boldly colored geometric designs from our Trade blankets, woven in our Northwest mills on huge jacquard looms. The Caldera Pendleton and Meadow Pendleton boot styles celebrate this side of our company’s heritage, pairing tan distressed leather with our Coyote Butte patterned Pendleton wool. Both the knee-high Caldera Pendleton and the Meadow Pendleton bootie are built with Ariat’s signature ATS® technology for superior cushioning and long-lasting support.

The Pendleton x Ariat English style boots take us even further back than the trade blankets, to the days when our founder, Thomas Kay, arrived in Oregon and opened his Salem, Oregon, mill. A former bobbin boy who learned his trade in England and honed it through mill management in America, Thomas Kay wove fine worsteds, tweeds, checks, windowpanes and hounds tooth textiles. That side of our history is celebrated with the English boots, which use walnut leather paired with Pendleton’s Oregon Tweed in a hounds tooth pattern.

The pull-on Shannon Pendleton H2O has a full waterproof construction, and the Piedmont Pendleton is a slip-on clog that features a full-grain leather upper and vamp strap in Pendleton fabric.

Ariat makes real boots for real riders, but you can wear them anywhere you want to. The tall Caldera is available now at pendleton-usa.

The other three styles will be available in October from Ariat. Thanks, Ariat, for helping celebrate both sides of the Pendleton weaving heritage; the rugged and the refined.

We recently received the nicest letter from Ralph Smith.

It might go without saying, but we are so glad you said it.

Here are the Smiths in their favorite Pendleton shirts.

So, as we celebrate Nine decades of quality shirt making, we want to point out that generations of shirt-making wouldn’t mean a thing without generations of shirt-wearers.

 Pendleton Woolen Mills is working with ALMA chocolates to develop small-batch chocolates in a delightful co-branding. Beautiful Pendleton packaging encases delicious, intense and inventive confections made of Portland’s Woodblock chocolate, Netarts Bay sea salt, Hood River cherries, Oregon hazelnuts, Sundance Lavender Farm’s lavender and more.

These world-quality ingredients help bring the flavors of the Pacific Northwest to chocolates that perfectly express Pendleton’s commitment to excellence. ALMA’s Hannah Sullivan calls it the Oregon Flavors Collection,  and it’s available now at Pendleton’s retail store locations across America. We suggest you get yours soon, as these are disappearing as soon as we put them out.

Pendleton chocolates; isn’t this a dream come true?

If you’d like to understand why Pendleton chose ALMA to develop our chocolates, you should visit the ALMA store in Northeast Portland.

You can browse the chocolates, baked and frozen treats.

Your curiosity will be aroused and answered with a generous array of samples.

Make your choice and take a seat with a freshly crafted coffee or tea drink, or treat yourself to a drinking chocolate. Try the Thai Coconut Cup; soothing, enlivened with notes of coconut, but never overwhelming despite the fact that you are essentially drinking melted chocolate. Best of all, you can visit ALMA’s beautiful icons; poured of single-source chocolate and gilded with edible gold leaf. There’s one for everyone you know.

Sarah Hart and Hannah Sullivan, the mother and daughter team behind ALMA, bring a delightful pedigree to the work of creating Portland’s premiere chocolates.

Sarah is a former college instructor at the University of Oregon who repeatedly found herself drawn back to the world of fine food throughout her life. She worked at Papa Haydn  after relocating to Portland, and went on to L’auberge. Sarah has received awards and accolades for her work with ALMA; the 2014 Good Food Award for flavor and sustainability, the 2008 Rising Star Chocolatier Award, and more. She’s also a Cooking Light 2010 Taste Test Winner. Sarah named the business after her grandmother, Alma, who had a special gift for feeding people.

Sarah’s daughter, Hannah, was born in Eugene and raised in Portland. It’s only natural that she moved to Brooklyn, the Portland of the east coast, after she finished college. Hannah worked as a pastry chef, worked at Penguin publishing before settling in as a food editor for Bon Apetit magazine. Brooklyn is one of the birthplaces of the Maker Movement, with its grassroots commitment to local materials and serious craftsmanship. Hannah was especially interested in the rise of artisanal food makers. As she puts it, she thought, “Hey, I know one of those.” She returned to Oregon in 2012 to join her mother in a transformation of ALMA that included opening a commercial kitchen to grow the wholesale side of the business.

The result? Bliss, really. Whatever it is chocolate does for the body and brain (and scientifically, it’s suspected to do wonderful things), ALMA chocolate succeeds completely. We couldn’t be prouder of this small but delicious collaboration.

 All photography in this post by Lauren Modica, copyright 2014. Usage rights retained by Pendleton Woolen Mills.

15 September, 2014 – O’Neill, the original Northern California surf and lifestyle brand, is proud to unveil a new collaboration with Pendleton Woolen Mills – the family-owned textile manufacturing company, based in Portland, Oregon, that traces its roots back 151 years.  

Revealed as part of the O’Neill Fall 2014 collection, the collaboration between the two iconic North American companies represents a celebration and showcase of the ultimate in refined craftsmanship – a standard that both O’Neill and Pendleton have set out to achieve from the start, inspired by their respective founders.

Local in its ethos but known the world over for the exquisite quality of its wool, Pendleton Woolen Mills has injected its unmistakable plaid aesthetic – popularized by 1960’s surfers in California – across a line that includes a jacket, shirt, sweat, tee and accessories. O’Neill’s long-standing reputation for innovation and youthful style, meanwhile, provides the collection with a unique contemporary twist.

The O’Neill x Penwool jacket typifies the collaboration, combining superior quality Pendleton wool with O’Neill’s stain-resistant, water repelling and quick-drying Hyperdry technology. With balmy summer temperatures now a distant memory, the new collaboration serves up warmth and dryness through the colder months – whether it’s down on the coast, in the city or up in the mountains.

The O’Neill x Pendleton collaboration will be launched on 23 September – that rare occasion when day and night are of equal duration – and will be available to buy online at oneill.com, as well as in selected flagship O’Neill stores and premium retail stores.

ABOUT O’NEILL

Over 60 years ago, Jack O’Neill invented the wetsuit from a San Francisco highway garage, and gave birth to an entire industry in the process. Today, the same unreasonable spirit still drives everything that we at O’Neill do.  Whether it be on the slopes or in the surf, O’Neill stands behind our commitment to creating and crafting product that allows you to do what you love for longer.

We have this collection at our Home Store (503.535.5444) in Portland’s Pearl District:

It’s Caturday on our blog! Here’s a collection of Pendleton kitties who nap in style. All images used with permission.

Tuna the cat saying hello from an Arrowhead blanket.

A Weekender bag with feline cargo.

A Glacier National Park blanket makes a perfect backdrop for a magnificent catscape.

Our limited edition Glacier National Park Anniversary blanket  portrays the wildlife of this stunning Montana park, including moose, grizzlies and housecats.

The blanket is called a Motor Robe because it elicits a purr that sounds like a motor. Well, not really. But it’s a cute idea.

A Chief Joseph blanket makes for a good home base.

Heritage relaxation: a tabby with a Thomas Kay Collection throw.

A Siamese is having none of our nonsense atop a Yakima Camp blanket.

If cats could swear. That’s a Chief Joseph blanket.

Slumbering on our North Star blanket, dreaming of night prowls.

Our Instagram is great fun. Follow us at @pendletonwm

Everyone is helping themselves to our Pendleton Chocolates by ALMA! Just a little reminder to get your hands on them soon at our retail stores (and yes, they can help you over the phone).

This Saturday, October 11th, we will be welcoming Portland author Susan Beal to the Pendleton Woolen Mill Store in Milwaukie, Oregon for a book signing. We are celebrating the release of her Pendleton wool crafts project book, Hand-Stitched Home.

Susan is the author of seven books, including Hand-Stitched Home, Modern Log Cabin Quilting, Sewing for all Seasons, Bead Simple, and Button It Up. She teaches sewing and quilting for Creativebug, CreativeLIVE, and (surprise!) the Pendleton Woolen Mill Store. She’s also the historian for the Portland Modern Quilt Guild, a contributing editor at Stitch magazine, and the mother of two little children, Pearl and Everett. See more of Susan’s work, sewing and quilts on her blog, westcoastcrafty.com.

Hi Susan! When did you start crafting, and what were your first projects?

I loved making yarn dolls when I was little, using lots of fabric scraps and lace to hand-sew clothes for them. I started making jewelry in high school, then learned silversmithing and casting after college. But when I was 25 my best friend from high school came to visit me here in Portland and taught me how to sew on a 1960s thrift-store Singer and it was like I suddenly had a new superpower.

I could alter a vintage dress, sew a skirt, or make pillows and curtains for my apartment ten times faster than hand-sewing… it was just thrilling. I made my first patchwork project, a super-simple log cabin block I turned into a pillow cover, eight years ago, and quilting has become a huge part of my life. I find it endlessly inspiring to put fabrics together and see what they become.

What was your first exposure to Pendleton wool? What was the first project you made with Pendleton wool?

I’ve always loved vintage Pendleton coats and womenswear, and dreamed about buying a blanket one day. My husband surprised me with the Oregon sesquicentennial blanket for my birthday in 2009 – the beautiful design with Mt. Hood reflected in the lake. I was writing Modern Log Cabin Quilting and thought, wow, I would love to make a quilt for the book in Pendleton wool. I went to the Woolen Mill Store and bought a big piece of sage green Harding and a couple of yards of a beautiful 49er plaid and mixed them into six simple oversized log cabin blocks, then sashed the whole thing with a graphic, understated striped jacquard.

I loved working with the wools, the different fabric colors, patterns, weights, and weaves blended together beautifully, and I realized how much magic and polish top-stitching adds to wool patchwork. Six more wool quilts (including the two I made for Hand-Stitched Home) and a whole Christmas list’s worth of blankets later, my most recent Pendleton sewing project was making myself my favorite version yet of Amy Butler’s Barcelona skirt, in the Beach Boys Surf plaid, just in time to wear it to my Powell’s event last week.

And you wore it down to meet with us at Pendleton last week! We loved the skirt, your Star Wars slip-ons, and getting a peek at your crafting journal.

How long have you been involved in the Portland craft scene? How has it changed?

I moved to Portland in 1997 to go to jewelry-making school and just loved it here, it felt like coming home. I met so many creative people doing cool things, but it was such a small, tight-knit community – there were only a few shops carrying handmade work, and collaborating or teaming up with friends to organize fashion shows or sublet studio space was a way of life. You saw the same people at the fabric store in the afternoon and then out at night, so new ideas just came to life after a couple of good conversations! My friends Kate Towers and Holly Stalder opened their shop, Seaplane, on Belmont and I brought in some of my skirts, handbags and jewelry on consignment. I got home a few hours later to the best message from Holly that someone had tried on one of my skirts and loved it so she bought it, and wore it out of the store! That was the best feeling ever.

I started selling my work at little neighborhood craft fairs with friends like Cathy Zwicker and Torie Nguyen, who now own the beautiful Crafty Wonderland  flagship store downtown – and put on a huge event with hundreds of vendors and thousands of shoppers twice a year. It’s just kind of amazing to see how much the whole community has grown, and how much support there is from other craft artists, shops, and customers, whether you are just getting started or have been doing this for years.

Who are some crafters you love, and why?

-Rebecca Pearcy’s Queen Bee bags and hand-designed textile line – her work is beautiful.

-Cathy Zwicker  and Torie Nguyen ,who co-own Crafty Wonderland, both make gorgeous jewelry and accessories.

-My Portland Modern Quilt Guild  friends like Michelle Freedman, Petra Anderson, and Monica Solorio-Snow  are so inspiring – their quilts, fabric design, and visual work are all lovely.

-Heather Davidson of PMQG and her husband Chris own a fantastic vintage furniture business, Remnant, and she does stellar upholstery using Pendleton fabric, too. I’m lucky to own a beautiful mid-century chair she redid in Rancho Arroyo in black!

What’s next for Susan Beal?

After the Woolen Mill Store party, I’m going to Quilt Market and very excited to do a couple of events there with my publisher for Hand-Stitched Home! Then I’m teaching both log cabin and wool quilting at the Menucha Retreat Center in the Columbia River Gorge, and speaking at Quiltcon in Austin, Texas, early next year, and I’m working on projects for a new craft book for 2016.

On a personal note, I also have some serious Halloween sewing to do – my daughter Pearl requested a cowgirl costume and my son, Everett, really wants to be Emmet (from the LEGO Movie), so I need to get on that before my daughter changes her mind for the third time! This is her sixth Halloween and I’ve learned that the trick is catching her in between costume ideas #2 and #3.

 Susan is so much fun in person. We hope you’ll enjoy meeting her this Saturday, October 11th, and the Pendleton Woolen Mill Store. She’ll be hanging out there from 1 to 5 PM, and she’d love to chat and sign your books. You can see the crafts projects like those above, plus more, in person!

Pendleton Signature Coats are available now at pendleton-usa, and you’re going to love them.

These stunning coats are an expanded outerwear offering in Pendleton’s classic women’s line. Traditional silhouettes have been reinterpreted with exceptional styling and craftsmanship.

The function of each coat is as important as the fashion. Materials are a range of weather-repellent tech fabrics and pure Pendleton wool, including our signature Native American-inspired jacquard-woven blanket fabric.

Duffels, trenches, parkas and more mean that we have a coat for every lifestyle.

Each style has unique details that include top-stitching, piecing, signature buttons, fur trims, quilting, pockets, even shoulder rain capes to secure and cover bag straps.

Pendleton has a long history as lifestyle brand, and outerwear has always been a strong category. Since the 1940s, we’ve made coats so durable and beautiful that some are still worn today.

Our Pendleton Signature Coats live up to our highest standards with the authenticity you expect.

Go see’em!

We are excited to invite you to the unveiling of a new quilt created just for us by Luke Haynes. Luke is an artist, and his medium is fabric.

To quote his bio:

­I am an architect turned Quilter. I come from a strong art and design background that informs my quilt work in a different way than is generally associated with quilting. I make quilts to discuss utility in aesthetics and because I like the tactile craft of constructing works out of fabric.

I am interested in the choices we make to express ourselves to our world. We create an environment around ourselves to inform others how we desire to be perceived. By quilting I am initiating a dialogue between the immediate environments we create for ourselves, and the environments we inhabit.

Where cloth, what we know to respond to as clothes, linens, drapes and all kinds of covers becomes the language of my work. The cloth becomes the medium that I use to create images and scenes rather than conceal and contain.

Luke’s works hang in galleries around the world, and he’s been commissioned by private collectors the world over. He’s created something magnificent and astonishing for us. How did this happen, you might ask? Mary and Tawnya, manager and assistant manager of the Pendleton Woolen Mill Store, told us the story in e-mail.

Luke Haynes was introduced to us by Michelle Freedman from Modern Domestic Quilt Shop and Susan Beal. Luke visited our store in the spring and asked if we would be interested in a quilt collaboration. We viewed Luke’s website and spoke with Michelle Freedman. We were amazed by his work and agreed. Luke picked out jacquards with a special project in mind. He was also very interested in our plaid fabric which has been made into an amazing suit he will wear during his quilt reveal!

We can’t show you the quilt, but here’s a view of the suit:

We are hosting a special event for this, where everyone can learn about quilting with wool, meet Luke in person (he’s delightful) and share the thrill of the reveal. Our quilt is dizzying and beautiful in photos, and we will be thrilled to have it hanging on permanent display in our store.

Yes, we are just a little excited, can you tell? So please join us!

What: Quilt Reveal with Luke Haynes

When: Thursday, October 30th from 1 PM to 7 PM, with reveal at approximately 1:30 PM

Where: The Woolen Mill Store

It’s true that cats rule the Internet. It’s also clear that cats rule Instagram, if you compare the ‘likes’ on a cat Instagram to the ‘likes’ on a dog Instagram. But Man’s Best Friend is long-suffering and waits his turn. Today, we bring you a collection of Pendleton Dogs from Instagram. All photos used with permission.

A little terrier, a Glacier National Park Blanket, a cup of coffee. Life is officially complete.

An Irish wolfhound on location at a photoshoot for ROXY with our Bright River blanket.

With a Pendleton wool shirt and a wolf hybrid dog, you’d feel pretty safe in the wilderness.

Dogs like glamping, too.

Spaniels holding court on Heritage and Mill Tribute blankets.

This Boston Terrier cuddles up to two garments from The Portland Collection. That’s one stylish dog.

An elegant dog on one of our most popular and elegant designs, the Glacier National Park blanket.

Another great Pendleton wool shirt, another great dog ready to take on the day.

A Norfolk terrier looking dashing, dapper, and dandy in a Pendleton bandana.

What better way for this big beauty to dry off than a  Pendleton Spa Towel?

Quite a shot with a little Puggle (we think) and the Glacier National Park blanket.

Lola Jane samples some Dawg Grog on her custom blanket made from Sugar Skulls fabric.

This looks to be one enlightened pup in his Pendleton Spa Towel.

There you have it. You can follow the fun on Instagram @pendletonwm.

We’re excited about this InStyle shoot with Jennifer Garner, using fall colors in a coastal glamping setting.

On the bike you can see the fall blanket for The Portland Collection. Under Jennifer in the close-up, you can see the Charbonneau blanket, with its beautiful indigo ground.

Above, in the tent, the Charbonneau blanket makes another appearance.

Here’s the legend behind this one:

This beautiful blanket, woven in our American mills, is named after Jean Baptiste Charbonneau. Jean Baptiste was the son of Shoshone guide Sacagawea and French Canadian trapper Toussaint Charbonneau. As the youngest member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition—and quite possibly the most important—he unwittingly protected it from attacks. Because women and infants were never included in war parties, Native Americans assumed the expedition was on a peaceful mission and let it pass without harm. After spending his childhood in St. Louis under the care of expedition leader Captain William Clark, Jean Baptiste lived in Europe until the lure of the American West called him home. A master of four languages, he spent nearly four decades roaming the far West as an interpreter, guide, magistrate, mountain man and gold prospector. The blanket’s traditional Native American-inspired graphics honor Charbonneau’s Shoshone heritage. (Source: pendleton-usa.com)

Jennifer is everyone’s hero right now for her remarks on the Ellen show about her “baby bump.” What a good-natured celebrity response to the pressures of tabloid culture. And, what a beautiful shoot.

Yes, that’s the beautiful Blake Lively in a Lindsey Thornburg cloak! Our Tamiami Trail blanket makes a beautiful outerwear piece.

Blake Lively, fashion icon, offered this cloak on her Preserve.us website, but it appears to be sold out. Check Lindsey’s website! And be sure to read about Lindsey Thornburg’s inspirations on our blog. Her beautiful cloaks are dramatic innovations on the tradition of blanket coats that stretches back to medieval times in Europe. And centuries ago in the Americas, Native weavers made outerwear of their blankets, and adapted the styles to manufactured Trade blankets when they were introduced in the late 1800s. We have to tell you this stuff because we’re Pendleton, and we go back a ways with blankets.

But enough history lessons. For now, just enjoy a few more pictures of a beautiful woman in a beautiful cloak.

Curtis Kulig has left his mark all over the world with his chosen artistic media; graffiti. He’s achieved star status in the art world, yet remains “SoHo’s most unexpected nice guy,” according to the New York Times. What else could you expect from a Midwesterner who has made his way in New York City based on one humble, ubiquitous request:

love me.

We are pleased to offer Curtis Kulig’s collaborative blanket with Pendleton Woolen Mills. Kulig brings his two-word manifesto to life in black and cream. Titled ‘Hermann,’ the design takes its inspiration from famed psychologist Hermann Rorschach to offer what Kulig calls “a bit of Love therapy.”  The title is spot-on, as art does function as a Rorschach test for the beholder. What do you see when you read “love me”?

Said Kulig, “My dear friend Lindsey Thornburg asked me if I’d like to work with Pendleton and that’s what started the conversation. They are an amazing brand, truly American, and the craftsmanship that goes into every piece is incredible. I’m really honored to design a one of a kind blanket for them.”

The Curtis Kulig “Love Me” Hermann Blanket is produced in Pendleton’s original Mill in Pendleton, Oregon. It comes with a certificate of authenticity, tied with graffiti ribbon, bearing a special patch, as you can see below:

Currently available at pendleton-usa.com.

We’re fans of the stirring photography of the Thomas Kay line for men (from Pendleton Woolen Mills) in the Fall quarterly issue of Man of the World.

“Half Wild” features our Thomas Kay folding campstool, made for us by the artisans of Wood & Faulk.

Yes, we know, it’s so artfully packed over there on the right side that you almost can’t see it, but we like the shot anyway. There’s nothing quite like camping with wool.

“The Big Sky State” captures Montana style with our Thomas Kay Oliver shirt in Macrae Ancient Dress Tartan.

A pickup truck, a good dog and a Pendleton wool shirt. What more could you ask for? Besides that awesome tractor. These are great Big Sky shots from a beautiful publication. Pick up your copy and marvel.

You can check out the rest of the Thomas Kay line here.

Editor’s note: Today’s blog post is brought to you by guest blogger Mark Poltorak, who manages the Pendleton employee store. Enjoy it!

Everyone who works at Pendleton’s corporate office has smelled it; that delicious odor of deep-fried donut batter as we leave the building and walk toward Burnside.

A line of patient patrons congests the sidewalks for what seems like 24 hours a day.  We see the iconic pink boxes all over town, in the airport and on TV.

Established in 2003, Voodoo Donuts has become an iconic, must-see/eat in the “Keep Portland Weird” tourist scene.  Now, Voodoo has asked Pendleton to create a Voodoo blanket that will keep you as warm as those fresh out-of-the-fryer sugary treats.

The blanket features a detailed display of Voodoo icons.  In the center, emerging from the center of the blanket (and a donut, of course), we are greeted by none other than Baron Samedi.  Baron Samedi waits at the crossroads between the worlds of the living and the deceased.  He is armed with a shovel and eager to dig the graves and greet the souls of the newly departed.  It is rumored that Baron Samedi can be brought to a swoon with treats (such as doughnuts!).

A comforting sight to balance the grim aura of Baron is the impressive spread of Voodoo’s bread and butter: the doughnuts! Fans of Voodoo will find all their bizarre but delicious favorites: the McMinnville Cream, Neapolitan, Diablos Rex, Sprinkle, Bacon Maple Bar, Portland Cream and Triple Chocolate.

Of course, the blanket wouldn’t be complete without a representation of the most iconic Voodoo doughnut of all! The Voodoo Doll doughnut is featured multiple times.

Long after Baron has claimed us all for his own keeping, this eerie blanket will keep you warm.  Be on the lookout for one at the Voodoo Donut site. And remember, “The Magic is in the Hole.”

You may know it as The Dude’s cardigan or the Big Lebowski sweater, but we debuted the Westerley cardigan in 1974 as part of our High Grade Westernwear line.

Original History

The Westerley drew inspiration from beautiful Cowichan sweaters that are hand-knit by Pacific Northwest tribes. Our version was machine-knitted by Winona Knitting Mills of Minnesota, a two-facility company owned by the Woodworth family. Winona Mills was one of the very few USA knitting mills who offered a 2gg knit, a term meaning only two knit stitches per inch. A 2gg sweater is heavy enough to work as outerwear. As the long-time leader of our menswear division expressed it, “You could wear it in a monsoon, and you’d stay warm.”

The vintage Westerley was knit in 3gg, and it was almost as impressive as the 2gg for thickness and warmth. The Westerley was one cozy sweater. We offered it in the western, outdoor and casual lines for over ten years. Over its run of production, the zip front, ring zipper pull and shawl collar stayed the same, as did the Greek key-inspired pattern. Archival visits show that the Westerley’s color variations are surprisingly wide.

The sweater went out of production in the 1980s, but found the limelight in the early 2000s, thanks to an obscure movie that didn’t stay obscure.

The Big Lebowski

This Coen brothers film was released to low to middling success in 1998, but quietly grew into a cult favorite. No one can pinpoint the exact reason why. Was it Donny’s clueless questions? Walter’s chin-strap beard? The German nihilists? The dream sequence scored by Kenny Rogers and the First Edition?

Well, it was probably a grand confluence of all of these important factors, plus the masterful turn taken by Jeff Bridges as The Dude. He staggers in and out of trouble, wearing alternately sweats, shorts, pajama pants, a bathrobe, a purple t-shirt and a battered Westerley cardigan.

Jeff Bridges wore his own clothes for this role, and though there were two sweaters hand-knitted as back-ups, he preferred wearing his personal Pendleton Westerley.

“The Big Lebowski” continues to grow as a cultural phenomenon. It’s not a movie anymore, it’s a lifestyle. Its fans, the Achievers, have conventions and their own documentary. And as the movie’s audience has grown, so has the demand for a re-creation of The Dude’s sweater.

The First Revivals

Pendleton’s first run at reproducing the “Big Lebowski sweater” came in the Fall of 2011. The Dude Cardigan was not an exact replica. It had the weight and coloration of the original Westerley, with a slightly different knit pattern and a leather zipper pull. This homage sweater generated an enormous amount of publicity, especially because the sweater worn by Jeff Bridges in the movie was going to auction that same year. The provenance of the auction sweater came into question and it was withdrawn from auction. Pendleton’s version sold out almost immediately.

In Fall 2013, we brought back the sweater in the original 3gg knit under the Westerley name. We went to the archives, and settled on two versions: a cream with red and black pattern, and a desert brown version with navy and gold pattern.

We offered the Westerley in another archival coloration in charcoal and blue early in the fall of 2014.  These were all great Westerleys. They were archivally accurate, beautifully made and selling well to fans of traditional menswear. We stand behind these Westerleys!

But this was not the sweater the Achievers wanted, and the Achievers would not be denied.

The Original Westerley

Well, it’s here. We have researched the archives and studied the movie to capture the coloration as best we can for our newest version, known as The Original Westerley.

This is 100% lambswool in 3gg knit, and it’s ready to take you through your next monsoon, or maybe to your next Lebowskifest. We’ve even restored the ring zipper pull, to which we’ve attached a small bowling pin keychain. We think it really pulls the sweater together.

The Dude abides. And so does his sweater. Come see us in our stores (see Ben, the manager of our Colorado store, above), or order online before they’re gone.

These shots came to our attention a little after the fact.

http://websta.me/p/826009414040809820_452840507

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The blankets, from left to right, are Arrowhead, Compass Stripe and North Star.

We’ve known Neil Young loved our shirts for a long time. We are honored to be used in a set that transported Neil’s rustic California vibe to the stage of the Wang Theater in Boston.

The Nouveau ’49er for Holiday 2014, in a new boucle-accented plaid. See them here and here!

The Pendleton 49’er is a perfect illustration of the adage that quality never goes out of style.

This jacket is an American classic, still going strong after more than sixty years. But where did it come from?

The answer starts with the changes for women in World War II, when American women proclaimed, “We can do it.” Rosie the Riveter’s  WWII image was used in countless posters and bond drives during WWII. A serious woman dressed for hard work with her hair in a kerchief, Rosie’s image still fixes us today, gazing out at onlookers over a flexed bicep.

She was a symbol of women stepping up to fill the need for factory workers during wartime, but she was also part of the emergence of one of Pendleton’s most enduring items of womenswear: the 49’er jacket.

Pendleton’s success with men’s shirts had happened twenty years earlier, but during WWII, men were not the only people enjoying distinctive plaids and ombres in pure virgin wool. Women began to borrow men’s work shirts for both work and warmth. It’s possible that by wearing their husband’s shirts, women kept the memories of their husbands, fiancés and brothers close, though many undoubtedly needed some serious work wear that was simply not available for women at the time. Whatever the reason, women loved Pendleton shirts.

In 1949, when market research identified an opportunity for sportswear for women, Pendleton entered the market with their first women’s line. This was a test offering of classic skirts, jackets and shirt, to test exactly how the American woman would react to a branded line of virgin wool sportswear. The positive response was resounding, but no one could have predicted the enormous success of a single garment introduced that year.

Says Linda Parker, head of Pendleton Communications, “The first women’s line in 1949 was composed of five items.  It is amazing to me that out of such a limited initial offering that the 49’er would develop such an immediate following and reputation.”  The jacket referred to both the year of its introduction, and the California Gold Rush, in a nod to Pendleton’s Western roots.

The designer was Berte Wiechmann, a young woman who came to Pendleton from Jantzen,  another iconic Portland apparel company. Miss Wiechmann sewed the original samples herself, taking styling particulars from the Pendleton men’s shirt. The 49’er jacket featured discreet tucking at the yoke, and two bias-cut patch pockets near the hem. The boxy cut showcased Pendleton’s famous plaids, and larger iridescent shell buttons softened the look.

Miss Weichmann was very particular about these buttons. She insisted on a special black shell from Australia and Tahiti, supplied by J. Carnucci & Sons, NJ.

In 1956 alone, Pendleton would use $150,000.00 worth of these buttons.

Yes. You read that correctly. One hundred and fifty thousand dollars worth of buttons alone, in 1956.

The desirability of the 49’er was immediate, despite the introductory retail price range of $14.95 to $17.95. Says Parker, “We have many testimonials of how young women saved their babysitting and strawberry-picking money in order to buy a 49’er.  Women everywhere had it on their wish list of gifts.” The first consumer was the collegiate girl, who were in the grips of a menswear inspired trend. The 49’er was perfect over a white cotton dress shirt over “trews,” narrow wool pants.

The first print ad for the 49’er ad was done by Fred Love in 1950. A college girl in a MacLamond tartan 49’er pretends to ignore the cartoonish interest of the college boy behind her, snug and stylish in her 49’er. Love continued to illustrate the ads through 1951, when famed illustrator Ted Rand took over the job of communicating the Pendleton 49’er with ads that are still iconically beautiful. He changed the focus from the teenager to the woman, and incorporated elements of the Western landscape when he could.

The 49’er’s simple, casual styling continued to be a perfect fit for the emerging suburban lifestyle of post-war America. During the post-war years, it served as one of the easiest solutions for outerwear over all the Baby Boom baby bumps. Parker explains, “I personally think that Ted Rand shares some of the kudos for making the 49’er a household name with his inspired illustrations.”

Ted Rand began illustrating Pendleton ads in 1953. His elegant women and echoes of the Western landscape moved the jacket from the campus to the suburbs, where it became the staple of a woman’s wardrobe. The popularity soared and knock-offs abounded, to the point where the company had to seek legal protection of the design. Yes, the 49’er is a patented jacket!

The earliest 49’er in the Pendleton archives is a red, yellow and chartreuse version owned by Mrs. Sarah Brourink, who sent it to our archives in the year 2000 after wearing it for 51 years. Here is a vintage example in the exact plaid.

In the years of its prime (1949-1961), over a million Pendleton 49’ers were sold to American women. And it continues to sell well now, after re-introduction in the early 2000s. Collectors still chase after the originals, and beautiful examples can be seen on elated bloggers. Our re-issues do extremely well whenever they are included in a Fall or Holiday line.  Whether in the arresting brights of a bold Buchanan tartan, or the shaded colors of a subtle ombre plaid, the silhouette is still unmistakable. Still made of 100% virgin wool woven in our USA mills, the 49’er works dressed up with a skirt and a belt, or dressed down with jeans. Like a good wool men’s shirt, it serves as a go-to second layer for the backyard or the office.

And we’ve had a little fun with our original archival jacket. We brought it out, compared the specs, and refashioned the original design. Back in 1949 the collar points were a little more dramatic, the back shirring more subtle and the length slightly shorter—all details that give our fashion icon a decidedly modern edge and make it new again.

Fashion is fleeting, but style endures. The Pendleton 49’er is a perfect illustration of the adage that quality never goes out of style.

Editor’s note: This post is an update on a favorite post, just as the Nouveau ’49ers are updates to this classic jacket.

Our newest project with UGG Australia has been received with excitement across America and Europe. Our virgin wool and UGG’s superior sheepskin are adding up to a beautiful collaboration. It’s a natural pairing, all the moreso because both brands have deep ties to Southern California surf culture.

Pendleton goes back to the inception of the surf scene, as we’ve written about while discussing the Beach Boys in their earliest incarnation as the Pendletones. In the late ’50s, before the wetsuit was invented, California surfers wore trunks and a Pendleton shirt over a layer of petroleum jelly to stay warm on the waves. On shore, surfers wore the same Pendleton shirts over khakis, and a fashion trend was born. The Beach Boys dressed like all the boys on the beach, and their signature shirt remains one of our best-selling today.

For UGG, the story began in 1978 when Aussie surfer Brian Smith landed in Southern California with a bag of sheepskin boots and a lot of hope that his styles would catch on in Southern California. The beaches of SoCal had long been an epicenter of a relaxed, casual lifestyle and Smith’s sheepskin boots  were a hit..

UGG traveled to Portland to select their fabric, and chose our ‘Coyote Butte’ pattern. A million years of history are recorded in the tepee-shaped rock formations known as Coyote Butte, found in the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness of Utah and Arizona.

The collection has seven styles; two boots, two booties and two mocs, and one handbag.

UGG and Pendleton pieces are sold at pendleton-usa.com, US and Asia UGG Australia concept stores and on UGGAustralia.com.

Here are a few shots from the UGG concept store in New York. Love it!

Pendleton’s Tamiami Trail blanket has been making some noise this year, showing up on the pages of VOGUE:

Lucky:

InStyle:

And DOMINO:

The most exciting appearance was on Blake Lively, wearing a Lindsey Thornburg cloak that you can find on preserve.us.

That’s quite a bit of press for one blanket. People are responding to the intricate, colorful pattern, but there is a story behind the Tamiami Trail blanket. And it isn’t just a good story. It’s an amazing story about resourcefulness and creativity thriving in diaspora.

Tamiami Trail’s design is based on Seminole patchwork designs used in quilts and clothing. By the end of the Seminole Wars in 1858, the Seminole population of Florida was reduced from thousands to a few hundred. By the late 1800s, most had been driven out of Florida, but small bands remained in the Everglades and Big Cypress Swamp. Seminoles quietly retained their culture — farming, hunting alligators and visiting trading posts along the Miami River with pelts and egret plumes to trade for supplies. Their thatch-roofed homes were called chickees, and they traveled in dugout canoes made from cypress logs.

It was a long canoe trip from the Everglades to trade for cotton cloth. Seminole women began sewing with whatever materials and scraps they could find, including survey pennants, fabric selvedges and end-bolts. The patterns themselves tell stories. Click here to read about  the symbology of these patterns. “Strip clothing” became the traditional dress for Seminole men and women.

Below is a Seminole strip dress from the permanent collection of the Met.

The sewing machine became available to Seminole seamstresses around the end of the 19th century. “A sewing machine in every chickee” was the rallying cry. Seminole quilting evolved using ever-smaller and more intricate piecing.

In 1928 the Tamiami Trail, the highway from Tampa to Miami, opened. The Seminole saw new trade opportunities in the tourist market for crafts such as patchwork and palmetto dolls.

So yes, This is a beautiful blanket. But its design tells a larger story about a beautiful Seminole artistic tradition. Their entrepreneurial success along the Tamiami Trail is a testimony to Seminole resilience. Strip clothing is still made and worn today, and it’s every bit as beautiful.

Additional information here:

http://www.colliermuseums.com/history/seminole_patchwork

http://www.semtribe.com/

http://funandsun.com/1tocf/seminole/semart2.html