Heddels Blowout

Most of us can’t even hear the word “cardigan” without picturing Mr. Rogers coming home to exchange his suit jacket and dress shoes for one of his zip-up cardigans and a pair of sneakers. Most authors that write histories of this favorite casual sweater act stunned that Mr. Rogers favorite item of clothing was invented by the military. But for those of us better-versed in menswear history, it’s no surprise that the cardigan was a military invention, because… well, most pieces of men’s clothing wouldn’t exist today if not for their military application.
The far more interesting angle in the cardigan story is not that the unassuming sweater gained fame for its role in one of the most disastrous cavalry charges of all time, but its position in women’s fashion. It was Coco Chanel who, was probably a Nazi collaborator, but it’s pretty clear she helped bring the cardigan to the masses and it was women who made cardigans cool.
Brands mentioned:
Inverallan Knitters (also at Clutch Cafe)
Dehen 1920
Beams Plus
Drakes
J.Press
If you liked what you’ve been hearing, please let us and other people know with a review

Our email address is [email protected] and we also have our discord running so you can bother me directly if you like!
https://discord.gg/GA978xdP

Today’s episode featured writing from Albert Muzquiz in “From Cavalry to Coco Chanel: The Cardigan Unbuttoned” on Heddels.com and the production talents of Sean Thornton

When you imagine an Air Force pilot, the first image that probably comes to mind is the dashing World War II-era captain in impossibly high-waisted khakis and a brown leather bomber jacket. But you might be surprised to learn then that the first time the U.S. Air Force issued a leather jacket was in 1987.
So this is a technicality I’m exploiting, but the U.S. Air Force didn’t exist as a separate branch of the military until 1947. Before then, it was a part of the U.S. Army Air Corps and then U.S. Army Air Forces, which issued its last leather jacket in 1943.
But the legacy of this jacket just wouldn’t die so the Air Force brought back a retro piece of equipment over 40 years later due to a combination of Hollywood, one dedicated collector, and deregulation of the airlines, which we’re going to get into in today’s Blowout.
Brands mentioned:
Cockpit USA
Good Wear Leather
Buzz Rickson's
The Real McCoy's
If you liked what you’ve been hearing, please let us and other people know. Our email address is [email protected] and we are also getting our discord fired up again so you can bother me directly if you like.
Join our Discord server here: https://discord.gg/KHA5qvKb
Today’s episode featured writing from “⁠Why the Air Force Brought Back the A-2 Leather Jacket” by me on Heddels.com and the production talents of Sean Thornton with the theme musical talents of Andrew Ryan.
Thank you to our season sponsor, Meermin.

It’s been a long time since our last collaborative product, but we’re back with a bang. We’ve joined forces with Crown Northampton to launch the Grand Union Wholecut Sneaker, a denim & leather sneaker built to last for years and earn unique fades along the way.

But there is much more to this Union than denim and leather – there’s a laundry list of world-class materials, shoemaking expertise, and Northamptonshire heritage in each pair. We visited Crown Northampton to finalize the design and the Grand Union Wholecut turn from a concept into what is arguably the world’s strongest denim sneaker.

Hear from David and James as well as fifth generation shoemaker and head of Crown Northampton Chris Woodford about how we brought this unique sneaker to the finish line and how you can fade out a pair yourself!

Link to buy: https://crownnorthampton.com/en-us/collections/grand-union-sneaker

Today we’re talking about loafers. Those do-nothing idlers who just sit around all day and the leisurely leather shoe that’s come to be named after them.
Yes, the penny, the tassel, even the horsebit. These footwear icons might seem like timeless classics, but they are the result of a relatively recent cross-cultural exchange of mutually beneficial cultural appropriation.
So slide in, slip on, and get ready for a relaxing ride along Loafer Lane.
Brands mentioned:
Aurlands
Meermin
Rancourt
Alden
Grant Stone

So this is the end piece of our loaf on loafers and the end piece of this first experimental season. Thank you for listening and learning along with me.
If you liked what you’ve been hearing, please let us and other people know. Our email address is [email protected] and we are also getting our discord fired up again so you can bother me directly if you like.
Today’s episode featured writing from “The Lowdown on Loafers - From American to Norway and Back Again” by Albert Muzquiz on Heddels.com and the production talents of Sean Thornton with the theme musical talents of Andrew Ryan.

That’s right, this is a denim episode! Longtime listeners will remember our 13-part, 7-hour audio epic about the history of denim where we covered 500 years of history of our favorite fabric.
Relax, we’re not doing that again. That was a graduate level seminar, instead, this is denim 101 and by the end of it you should have all the tools and info needed to make an informed purchase and join the wonderful fraternity of people who talk about their jeans way too much.
If you only know whispers of the discomfort associated with raw denim, the supposed high cost, or even about people putting their jeans in the freezer or wearing them to the beach, then this is for you.
Brands mentioned:
Levi’s
Left Field
Hiroshi Kato
Tilden
Today’s episode featured writing from “The Essential Raw Denim Breakdown” by yours truly on Heddels.com and the producing talents of Sean Thornton and theme music by Andrew Ryan.
If you have any questions, comments, feedback or suggestions for other topics, email us at [email protected].