As promised when I published my vintage for fall post, I’ve done some digging in the cedar chest and come up with a few ideas for incorporating vintage into a winter wardrobe. This time, however, menswear takes centre stage with a few embellishments from grandma’s closet to give it that feminine touch.
Après-Ski Without the Skiing
You may recall the Cowichan-style sweater my grandmother knitted in the 50s from my fall vintage post. She was quite the prolific knitter. In the 70s, she made matching Cowichan-style sweaters for my parents, my uncle, my grandfather, and herself. We still have several of these sweaters. They are thick, water-resistant, windproof, and perfect for a mild winter’s day. The Cowichan First Nation in British Columbia developed a unique style of knitting that has been passed down from generation to generation. These sweaters became popular in other parts of Canada as knitting patterns were made available. For more information on the traditions of the Coast Salish knitters, see this article from Indigenous Tourism BC.
The boots I’m wearing also hail from the 70s. These are après-ski boots my mother purchased in France while she was living there. I think she only went skiing a few times (supervising children from the school where she was teaching), but apparently these were all the rage for young women at the time. They are sheepskin boots made in France with the brand name ISBA. I haven’t been skiing for a long time, but I’m not sure that’s necessary to enjoy these over-the-top winter boots.
My mittens are not vintage, but they were handmade in Canada by a group of artisans that use traditional techniques and materials. The mittens are thrum knit, meaning pieces of unspun wool are knit in every so often to make the inside of the mitt soft and warm. My parents bought them for me on a trip to Newfoundland, but I’ve seen these mittens for sale in Waterton National Parks (Alberta), as well. The company is called Northern Watters Knitwear and they make more than just mittens!
Giving an Old Coat New Life
My mother kept my grandfather’s dress coat in the closet for years. After everyone that might have fit into the coat decided they didn’t want it, I decided the coat should be mine. Oversized, men’s style coats are in fashion for women right now. We took the coat to Deluxe Tailors in Regina to have it restyled for me (the extra fabric was not cut, but rather tucked inside). The cost was $140 CAD for cleaning and tailoring. I have no doubt that had I bought a new coat at the store it would have cost me the same or more for much poorer quality material and workmanship. The coat was made in Canada, but the fabric is Manx tweed from the Isle of Man. Our best guess is that my grandfather purchased the coat in the late 1940s, as he referenced buying a good coat in a letter to my grandmother. I found an advertisement for a man’s coat from 1952 bearing the same label for the fabric as my grandfather’s coat. The price was $89.50 US. In order to make the coat less masculine, I paired it with heeled boots and some vintage accessories – see below.
My great-grandmother used to wear a rhinestone brooch on her winter coat. With the return of brooches, I decided this would be a good touch to bring some femininity back to the overall outfit. The blue rhinestones stand out against the tweed, which also has blue in it, though it’s hard to spot in this photo. The brooch is a Sherman and most likely dates to the 1960s. We think this fur muff purse also belonged to my great-grandmother. It is made of sheared beaver fur. There is a central space to be used as a muff and then two compartments in the purse. If you like it and act quickly, you are in luck because an almost identical muff purse is for sale on Etsy at the moment for about $60 CAD. The muff purse dates to approximately the 1930s and can be worn as a muff or hung from the wrist via a satin strap.
Note: I do have strong feelings about the ethical implications of fur. The fur products in this article are all vintage and were purchased at a time when people had different cold weather needs than we do today. I do wear modern animal products and justify this because I also eat meat. However, I intentionally stick to products from animals that I consume. It is not a perfect practice and I have no first-hand knowledge of the lives these animals lead. I do not condone fur farms and inhumane hunting and slaughtering practices (though I know it’s almost impossible to eat meat and avoid these entirely). The world we live in is complicated in that we do not have complete control over the practices that produce the food we consume and the clothing we wear. However, it is up to each of us to do our best to ensure the humane treatment of animals (wild or domestic).
My great-grandmother purchased these wool mittens in Switzerland in the 1960s. There were two pairs (I wore my uncle’s for the fall vintage post), and those in the photo were gifted to my mother.
Note: We took these photos at Destiny’s favourite shop, Metro Pet Market. They have great backgrounds for Instagram.
Prepared for Snow
Mukluks are the soft hide boots worn by northern Indigenous communities during the winter. Europeans adopted the traditional footwear in the 17th century to help them survive the harsh conditions. Mukluks, practical winter footwear, became the height of fashion for Canadian winters a few years ago and continue to be popular. I found my dad’s old mukluks from the early 70s (he immigrated to Canada in the 70s and I’m guessing the winters here were an unpleasant surprise). You might be wondering how I can wear my dad’s boots? Yes, they are too big, but because they have soft soles I can wear a couple pairs of wool socks and they fit just fine with some space for air circulation. Indigenous people sometimes wore several pairs of mukluks at a time, but I have only the one pair. Thick socks will suffice. Although modern mukluks are designed for city-wear, mine don’t have appropriate soles for sidewalks. They are best worn in deeper snow. My dad’s mukluks have beading on the lower boot, and rabbit fur on the boot shaft with rabbit fur pompom decorations.
The trapper’s hat belonged to my grandfather and is made of muskrat fur. He probably bought it in the 70s and wore it for dress occasions. My grandmother passed it on to my father. My grandmother knitted the blue mohair mittens for my mother in the 1970s.
Thanks for checking out my winter vintage finds. With the freezing temperatures, I’m already looking forward to the spring vintage edition. Destiny disagrees, she’s been loving the snow and cool weather. Hope you are all staying warm and safe!
