Tuesday, August 18, 2009

what's old is new again



Who would have thought Pendleton, the over a century-old American woolen mill company, will make it to the wardrobes of fashionistas/ hipsters one day? At least I didn't think so back when the Pendleton reps visited my textiles class in college and gave us boring tartan woolen shoe bags as freebies. I admire the tradition and vertical integration (a rare thing nowadays) of Pendleton, and I'm sure they make very good quality woolen garments, but I never really imagined wearing any of its clothes -- that is, until Opening Ceremony came along. The hip downtown boutique took Pendleton's legendary Navaho blankets, and turned them into stylish, wearable garments. It is a brilliant collaboration - taking something that's all American with a great history behind, and using it in an original, cool, yet functional way. Alternately, you could also grab that ethnic blanket hidden in your attic and wrap it around yourself as a cape this winter for a similar effect, but I bet you it won't look half as cool as the O.C. X Pendleton crossover.

Image via wwd

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