Having swiftly discussed t-shirts in my last entry, I will now turn attention to pants.

Combining the utility of wind pants with the comfort of sweats, the pants supplied to and preferred by prep school athletic programs are a distinct breed. My own were acquired through the hockey team. A classmate, promoted to varsity goal keeper for practice purposes mid-season, was on a frantic search to fill minimum numbers. Such are the pull of the pants. One isn’t on the team without them. Being an advantageous bastard, I agreed to help… with the request that he pay for them.

And, with that I arrived at these:

Owing to the fact that hockey was not my game, I opted against using my real name. Nick Danger, a character from Firesign Theater provided inspiration. The number 3 chosen via an Allen Iverson fetish.

Enough of these particular pants, let’s get to more general detail.

Like many prep pants these were produced in the Philadelphia area. Rennoc is based in Vineland, NJ and like Boathouse Sports, supplies general athletic garments directly to schools and universities. At Loomis, the bulk of our jackets (more on these later) came from Boathouse. Both manufacturers fall into a long history of athletic garment production in the Philadelphia area.

While New England is regularly understood as the heartland of American textile weaving (at least during the 19th and 20th-centuries), Philadelphia’s range of garment and textile related industry far surpassed its northern neighbors. In 1909 Philadelphia was the world’s largest textile center. Without going into enormous detail (something I will be in doing in a current project), the city is remarkable for birthing iconic brands like Stetson and simultaneously maintaining a diverse cross-section of the textile industry. Sportswear, and most explicitly athletic apparel, has been well represented in Greater Philadelphia and South Jersey.

Rennoc has been in operation for 50 years. They have recently discontinued the manufacture of nylon goods, focusing exclusively on wool. Though Rennoc will no longer produce the trousers that reminded me of their existence, the style of the warm-ups - like the tab t-shirt - fit a particular vision of prep school life.

As I mentioned before, the usual trappings of a “prep” look are not those that defined my prep school life. Athletic apparel, on the other hand, did. And, looking back the connection between the schools and relatively small American manufacturers helped to define both a distinct look and refine an appreciation for the pieces.

I’d be hard pressed to imagine any lasting feeling about our warm up pants had they come from Adidas or Nike. That they were made in America was hardly important, but the open cuff, short zip and sweat lining was. The details make the pants peculiar, far more casual than athletic. As such they become part of the prep weekend uniform. Coveted more, in some respects, by the bulk of the student body than by the athletes.

When I arrived at Loomis, Bubba Berenzwieg was on his way to the University of Michigan. The Wolverines triumphed in the NCAAs, Pelican hockey generated less glory. Like any freshman, I looked around my new surroundings and noticed what conveyed status. Hockey gear. Lacrosse gear. Not the technical attire, but the sweats.

My own desire was certainly prompted by the pull of varsity cool. These are pants that evoke a feeling. They don’t have a spectacular hand. They are not produced of the best material. In that way, they are quite indicative of most American made things. Purpose built through garment know how rather than technological expertise.

Like the tab t-shirt, these warm-ups make up the fabric of my prep life. It is distinctly American. It’s also, in my opinion, a touch under the radar. Sure, Abercrombie has made similar looking wind pants. But, they never quite get it right. The pieces made by small American firms and creating garments for the schools I attended did so with complete disregard for fashion. So, like all good things they became fashionable… or were given new use… through appropriation.

This is the soundtrack to my youth.

Triple headers. Knicks vs. Pacers. Jordan vs. … well, everyone. Ahmad Rashad’s bad suits. (were they Jordan’s suits?). Flat tops. Reeboks. The Dream. That guy on the rockets that looks like an alien.

John Tesh’s “NBA on NBC” theme song inspired instant good moods. I miss it only slightly more than I miss my ex-girlfriend.

(Also, I am rather upset that I am not going to all-star weekend, the best weekend in America).

There are a few garments that defined my prep school life. Many are obvious… the polo shirt, the oxford, the blazer… all requirements of various stages of the school dress code. For my first two years, I remained confined to the rules. Always a collar. Never jeans. (Junior and senior year I wore either a Fat Beats hooded sweatshirt or Rawkus Records t-shirt. A faculty member once high-fived me for these choices. Why I got away with it, I will never know).

At Loomis Chaffee (yes, I’m being bold enough to tell you all where I attended high school), dress was less stringent than my middle school. Ties were required then. High School allowed some breathing room. In that, our hallways and the quad were awash with the usual prep trappings. Those items mentioned above were the norm for most students. Come winter, flannels joined the mix. Some of the others wore a single pair of khakis through fall and winter, cutting their tattered trousers to shorts at first sign of spring.

We wore plain wool sweaters, often sourced from LL Bean. Most kids held religiously to flip flops.

Despite the typical sartorial leanings of the school, the garment I remember most, and believe best represents Prep Life, is the tab t-shirt.

Ubiquitous in all prep bookstores and the object of much thieving on athletic travels to other schools, the tab t-shirt has little favor in the “real world.” Above and beyond the average ringer, the tab tee has a certain formality. They eschew carefully designed graphics for the most basic screen printing. School name. Nothing more, nothing less.

I played water polo in fall. And, I dove 1-meter spring board in winter. Neither sport required more than a speedo for actual competition, but on deck attire required a certain cool. We were forced into school spirit (here oddly, the one place my Fat Beats hoody was deemed totally inappropriate by staff) and gravitated to the tab t-shirt as uniform. Better than a grey champion shirt. More refined than the hastily thought up team-specific kit. Tab t-shirts were it.

T-Shirts, being so universal, rarely have regional affiliation. Yet, I can’t see a tab tee without dreaming of New England. And, as I wasn’t a boarding student, the t-shirt certainly separated our “sort” from lesser institutions.

These are not the shirts that fill preppy dreams, but the garments that filled our prep realities. Something we all owned. Something we all probably took totally for granted.

I’ve been spending some time this week looking for tab tee blanks. My search hasn’t been overly successful. But, what it has done is reminded me that despite what I often consider an awful four years, my prep school life had some very positive points.

Funny how one garment can bring it all back.

A Note on New Balance’s Relationship with the United States Military.

A chance visit to the New Balance store in Friendship Heights (DC) during the holidays revealed a relationship previously missed.

Since 2008, New Balance has been the official supplier of athletic apparel to the US Armed Services. The deal includes apparel, primarily in the form of the Physical Training Layering System. For the Marines, New Balance provides the official issue running suit, Army Rangers wear a specially designed physical training uniform, and the Navy utilizes a number of layering pieces. All these garments come through a dedicated in-house team focused on Military needs, and is advised by a collection of decorated veterans.

The latest portion of the deal launched last November in the form of five editions of the 993. All are made in the United States (obviously) and each features the individual insignia of a distinct service. My personal favorite is the Coast Guard edition (I’ve had the great pleasure of working with several members of the Coast Guard stationed in Philadelphia on tattoo related projects). New Balance celebrates each sector of the military simply and effectively in the collection, and given the locale of production they really stand as the “Americana” sneaker as far as I’m concerned.

Also exciting (as far as I’m concerned), is how the relationship, especially through the footwear, has escaped most of the blog universe. Perhaps actual Military involvement is a touchy subject. But, one would think with all the harping about national identity, core American product, and a slight obsession with garments born from Military use in post war casual clothing, there would be some interest in finding out about contemporary goods.

The 993 itself has obvious appeal. Beside being domestically produce, its heritage and lineage within one of the most enduring lines of technical running footwear is obvious. The color schemes and individual service branding fit the silhouette well. This set has reinvigorated my own interest in the 993, hampered recently by vapid collaborative efforts.

The New Balance 993 United States Military editions make sense. Far beyond the Jordan pieces I’ve seen, which seem more fashion and PR than anything, these are pieces that serve function. Easily part of training kit, they establish a link between New Balance’s commitment to fitness and commitment to American manufacture.

If they strike your fancy too, head to New Balance. My friend Gary’s blog is well worth a visit, his essay on modern Military footwear is simply superb.

I’ve been in New York for (capsule) and the varied and wonderful events that make up Americana Week. Took in several antique shows and two of the auction previews. I’ve got many more images, and some actual thoughts, but wanted to get a few pieces up before the weekend officially came to close.

Much more to come later in the week.

Here’s my dirty little secret.

My favorite garment? Not the sugar cane denim I’ve worn 4 out of every 7 days for two years. Not the Barbour Beaufort. And no, not Patagonia merino wool shirts. I like these pieces, a lot, but they’ve not produced any unhealthy addictions.

I’ve got a fetish for Under Armour HeatGear longsleeve tees. They have to be grey. They have to have a college name/logo across the front. I stop at damn near every college bookstore I pass to nab one (ordering them would take away from the fun).

These are among some of the least fashionable pieces out. Under Armour being so ubiquitous that it has almost (dare I say) become the fabric of American life.

Founded in 1996, Under Armour began like many t-shirt brands… by selling from the boot of a car (just like FUBU!). The mission was simple - to sell a better t-shirt. A technical t-shirt with superior wicking qualities and all the good stuff that makes life easier on the athlete.

The brand has grown rapidly, I’d say. From the wicking t-shirt they now sell everything from running shoes to hunting apparel. They can outfit your family ski trip. And, they made a brilliant decision in signing Brandon Jennings. It is an American success story. But no, not a “MADE IN THE USA” story.

Under Armour is a new notch in a life long obsession with athletic gear. A short run through - in the late 80s, I tried to own every color of Umbro shorts on the market. In the mid-90s, the NEED was to own as many pairs of authentic Nike college basketball shorts as humanly possible (difficult given extremely high cost). From 1996 to 2001 I bought such a large number of authentic basketball jerseys that to admit to it would be to reveal a streak of insanity. (Sample jersey’s include a Chris Herren Celtics tank, Cavs DeJuan Wagner, several Iverson jerseys, more than one of the same Michael Finley Mavs jersey… you may begin to see the problem).

Now, its long sleeve shirts that fill my closet with names of schools I didn’t attend and institutions I don’t rate academically. Division 3 schools known for lacrosse. A Cincinnati tee marking a trip to watch UCONN at Fifth Third. I’ll draw the line at Purdue, but almost any other place is within reason.

In winter, this collection is regularly hidden under “classier” garments. A long underwear of sorts. More so a secret reminder of my love of average, American sportswear and college athletics.

I am not ashamed to admit to looking at all the “cool guy” Champion collaborations and thinking “damn, that would be better if the blank was Under Armour.”

The fit, weight, hand feel, all perfect. It’s not handcrafted, or even sustainable (as far as I know), but the Under Armour heatgear shirt matches needs like few other pieces.

I love these garments. My dirty little fashion pleasure.

Seems so odd to admit, but Boston’s retail scene has provided more personal and professional opportunity than any other venue. After all, it was the discovery of Concepts as a high school student that changed my sneaker collection for the better (and larger). And, years later a previously unplanned move brought me back to Cambridge, Concepts, and this strange world on the internet.

During that second stint as a Concepts shop rat, Boston’s scene developed in two distinct ways. First, it attracted a major corporate destination in Barney’s. Without wanting to sound like a nut, I have a feeling that the arrival of a Barney’s in a given city marks that place as something specific. What that specific should be, or is, I haven’t quite decided. Almost akin to a Harvey Nichols in a British city. Anyway, it arrived, and with it a change (ever so subtle) in Bean towns shopping feel.

At the same time, this being an era of streetwear explosion, a number of new independent boutiques opened. The famed Bodega stood out for concept and content. There were also others, capitalizing on sneaker fetish and the market growth. They added something new and something fresh.

Of course, the streetwear explosion and the arrival of a Barney’s is not a full explanation of the city’s retail scope. My then girlfriend, who had just begun her Ph. D work at Harvard, was writing about Downtown Crossing as a shopping district. Her focus was pre-1900, and our street level investigations revealed past, present, and sometimes future.

Future often has revealed itself in the people we met along the way. Steve Costello, a prime example, has slowly built up the fantastic RAW brand since I left the region.

Peter Tam is another acquaintance who has managed to realize personal goal. Suffice to say, the above ramble has pretty much been a lame attempt at introducing the meat of this post - Peter’s new shop Uncle Pete’s. Starting his career with Diesel, Pete has been a central figure in Boston’s retail landscape for some time. His own stamp, Uncle Pete’s, carries personal favorites like Comme des Garcons, Porter, Rag & Bone, and Rogues Gallery.

Pete joins a lineage of shops in Boston that have had unexpected impact on my life. Given my current professional life, the discovery of a new brand (as so often happened at Louis of Boston years ago) is unlikely. However, the opportunity to learn, to soak in a bit of wisdom, and to draw from years of experience seems quite possible.

The selected brands, and the merchandising expertise behind the choices, should provide similar experience for new customers of Uncle Pete’s.

Welcome to Boston. 125 Charles Street to be exact.

Yesterday I considered writing a post on our home page about Orvis holiday pants. The text went something like this - “For generations Orvis has been supplying men with trousers that show “he’s got the holiday spirit.” Are they ridiculous? Most would say yes. However, Christmas requires a little below the belt banter. These pants are perfect for a touch of seasonal wit, and come without the embarrassment of banging the ugly secretary in the copy room after the office holiday party.”

I personally wear a pair of Orvis holiday trousers embroidered with holly. They look ridiculous and my sour demeanor never says “he’s got the holiday spirit.” Luther Vandross, on the other hand, has scores of glorious holiday recordings, and thus spirit. Some are standards. Some are original, and filled with the smooth sex appeal only a vocal master can conjure.

Enjoy, “The Mistletoe Jam”

One of my favorite regular reads is jazz blog Bop & Beyond. Highly recommended for quality pieces on a great era of jazz, and as the title suggests items beyond.

Today’s entry features a video of Sonny Rollins talking about when he recorded Mr. Coltrane. Beyond, he talks about the tradition of tenor battles. Filmed in 2007, and still fantastic viewing.

Be sure to check out Bop & Beyond regularly.