If you’re from Boston, or a vintage nerd, you’ve likely heard of Bobby Garnett, “Bobby from Boston.” Heavy hitting costume designers, Ralph (Lauren), Marc Jacobs, Tom Ford (to name a few), came to see Bobby and shop from his legendary collection in Lynn, MA. I’ll never forget the day I nervously told Bobby about the efforts behind this shop—especially our approach to the archeology of our products.  I was truly floored when he expressed his support, and I am so grateful to have learned so much about workwear esoterica from our conversations (sidebar: if you ever have a chance to come to our R.I. shop, I hope you’ll ask me what Bobby thought about a storied workwear brand from around the corner, now owned by J.Crew).

Years ago, on a visit to Bobby’s shop in the South End, I came across a pair of waxed cotton US Army bibs—Bobby carefully explained why he thought they were so interesting, noting that the had never come across a piece like it, and didn’t really understand why the Army would have made them. He told me that he had them for quite a while, but nobody had expressed interest. I grabbed two pair from the dozen or so that were on the rack, tucked one into our archive and quickly sold the other pair in the shop. They became a bit of a joke around the office because of the number of people who inquired about when we would have more.

Enter our favorite collaborator, Ann Richardson, the archivist at Dickies and workwear aficionada, who was keen to check them out. We took our time considering how we might make a modern version that we would think of as an indispensable wardrobe staple—we toyed with various patterns, sampled all kinds of natural textiles, and tweaked various strap designs (strap knots are cute until you have to use loo/remove a layer!).  We removed all the superfluous noise that typically plagues workwear until we landed on a version we think is unbeatable.

To honor a legacy with the kind of garments he cherished, and in remembrance of a beloved soul who taught us so much about the meaning of treasure, we are so proud to introduce the Bobby Bib.

• Adjustable buckled straps, side thigh pocket with flap, back pocket.

• Two inseams (28 and 30 in.) —given the rise & adjustable straps, this range of inseams works for most. The model pictured is a size S/M wearing a M and is 5’10.’’ (uncuffed, the bottom hits her boot)

• Adjustable side ties perfect for layering & playing with proportions — especially if you’re expecting. Long enough for bows or slip knots-your choice.

• Reinforced knees.

• Washed, 100% cotton, imported 10 oz fisher stripe and olive 9 oz herringbone twill.

• Made in Chicago IL.

See below for sizing info and details.

Rewind to the summer of 2020, during a “lull” in Covid cases, I found myself with a 100-year-old Brown’s Beach Cloth vest headed for Peggy Hart’s studio in Shelburne Falls, Mass.  While sitting in her garden, I had a look at an old textile book that explained tricot weaving while Peggy used her magnifying glass to inspect the structure of Brown’s proprietary, double-faced knit fabric.  With Peggy’s deep knowledge of textiles, wool and wool producers, we discussed a regional production strategy for a modern version of this textile.  With cost and functionality in mind, we realized we could make a textile using a warp of cotton, linen and our fave Merino wool from Jagger Spun in Maine, along with a custom weft made of local, outerwear wool.  Knowing that Brown’s vests were originally made of shoddy, recycled wool in RI, we were excited to take an opportunity to tap the SE New England and Western Mass Fibersheds to see how genuine we could be.

Fast forward to December 2020, at Peckham Farm URI, and me loading 60 pounds of raw Dorset wool in the back of my truck.  After skirting the raw wool, l sent it off a short distance to Putney, VT to get washed and spun by the wonderful people at Green Mountain Spinnery.  From Putney, our yarn made its way to Philly where it was custom dyed dark indigo at Caledonia Dye House before heading to Peggy’s barn studio to get set up on one of her historic looms.  After a quick wash in the kettle at Draper Knitting Co in Canton, Mass our bespoke, locally woven cloth made its way to the atelier of Lily Bell, formerly of Coggeshall Museum (where she worked making reproduction work clothing). Over the course of a couple months, Lily and I worked to fine tune the production of a brilliant pattern from our star pattern maker, Marilyn, just in time for cool weather and testing in the real world.

Between prickly rose canes and sharp edged chicken cages, I was delighted by how hardwearing this cloth proved to be and how after a short break-in period, it draped like a perfectly broken in baseball glove. Lined with a bulletproof, time-tested, 100% wool Pendleton® lining and a hemp & linen facing hand-woven by Suzi Ballenger in South Kingston RI. Vintage inspired, basket weave snaps are made in CT, and cotton herringbone twill tape made in PA finish the exterior.  

Making a product first made in RI over 100 years ago, we had to name the Hope Vest for RI’s state motto, but we’re also happy to point out the pun… we have high hopes for future collaborations with local fiber producers. 

Please send your sizing/ fit questions to ella@gamineworkwear.com.     

• Available in 5 sizes; scroll down for more sizing info

• Wool, cotton linen

• Hand made in Bristol, RI

• Hand wash as needed, lay flat to dry.

For the last few years we’ve been asked to bring back our favorite work shirt—one that is equally at home around the grime of work and front and center during an important meeting. Sounds simple enough, but then you figure we all work in different trades, in different environments, with different expectations of professionalism. Inspired by the early 20th century poetry and nostalgia of Nellie Witt Spikes writing about women's work, farm culture, & natural history in the Crosbyton Review (in Crosby County, TX), we are honored to partner with Dickies 1922 (in Dallas Fort Worth, TX) to bring to life a popover that hangs tough, and makes you feel polished.

We tried many kinds of fabrics before we landed on two lovely, mid weight Japanese cotton-linen blends. We brought back our white stripe because it’s opaque and drapes beautifully-just enough on the blousey side to fit a wide array of beautiful shapes and sizes. We’re also so thrilled to introduce this solid color option in Lichen, which is laundered once but ready for a break-in. We made sure to include extra long plackets so you can roll this puppy up in the heat and humidity, or wear layered on a cold, clear winter day.

• Made in Chicago, cotton linen blend imported from Japan.

• Pre-shrunk and machine washable

• Available in three sizes S, M, L—fits blousey, size down for a more fitted feel. Our model wears a size M Lichen and L white stripe.

• Long plackets, perfect for rolling it up to shorter sleeves.

• Front chest pocket, scooped hem.

Our fan favorite Sweetwater trousers are back! As you may remember, our original Sweetwater trousers were made with a seriously beautiful (and extinct) Cramerton twill. We’ve spent years working with Ann Richardson, Dickies' archivist to scour the globe for mills producing special textiles so we could bring this trouser back. As you know, we are devoted to all natural textiles that offer a beautiful, comfortable drape, but are also rugged enough to take a beating at work. We were thrilled to find an archival Fisher Stripe and olive twill — the kind of workwear textiles you only see hanging on racks in your favorite garage/barn/thrift shop. We’ve been quietly doing the detailed work of slightly tweaking our pattern to make sure this beautiful fabric maps onto the signature fit of our trousers. We suggest ordering the same size you ordered before and get ready to enjoy a zip fly!

If you missed out on our Cramerton version you’ll find this adaptable trouser is perfect for days when you hang up your dungarees. An adjustable waist tab button allows you to adjust the style and fit on this pant to sit higher/lower on the waist (or grow/shrink with you). The ease in the hip/thigh/bum allow you to move with ease, and wear a second layer underneath in cold weather.

• Longer rise and ease through the hip, bum, and thigh.

• Gently tapered leg and reinforced knee.

• Large front and back pockets (with button closure) to fit your giant phone or tools.

• Offered in a 28 or 30 inch inseam

• Zip fly

• Pre-washed, pre-shrunk

• 100% cotton, imported 10 oz fisher stripe and olive 9 oz olive twill.

• Made in Chicago, IL

See below for sizing info & details.

The first time I met Bill Cunningham, he took my picture while I was installing Nasturtium vines at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. I was not expecting to appear in his column in the NYT, nor was I expecting to develop a special bond with this one of a kind character. Over the years, Bill continued to photograph me at work and we chatted about our mutual love of plants and workwear. He taught me pretty much everything I need to know about integrity.

One particularly fateful day, I told him how much I loved his signature, blue work coat. He took it off and gave it to me (he insisted!) and sent me in the mail two others, from Paris ca. 1950. He wanted me to see the decline in the quality of the fabric used to make his favorite work coat —he said that the newer versions were “cheesy.”

Recently, the archivist at Dickies showed me a swatch of a sturdy, blue Japanese twill and I immediately thought of Bill and his old work coats. Together, we worked to put a twist on a vintage shirt pattern from the Dickies’ archive to create this hardworking, versatile, shawl collar layering shirt in honor of my friend’s enduring legacy. We hope you love it as much as we do.  

• 100% cotton, imported twill.

• Made in Texas.

• Shawl collar, two front pockets, chest pocket (with pencil pocket).

• Longer plackets to roll up to short sleeve.

• Vintage chain stitching trails at the bottom of the side seam to keep the chain stitching from unraveling.

• Fits true to size—size down to wear more fitted, size up to layer.

When I was working as a gardener inside an art museum (Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum), I had the funny experience of working around internationally recognized artists, patrons, and in front of Bill Cunningham’s lens. Getting dressed for work was problematic (to put it mildly). I had experienced the dearth of women’s work pants for about a decade up until that point, but the Museum and my time with Bill Cunningham inspired me to think about a solution to the problem. Like all great things, with time and effort, the dungarees I designed over the years got even more beautiful as I wore them to work each day. Many people were asking me to make them a pair and so here we are!

As our first dungaree introduction, the Slim Slouch is a mid-rise dungaree, which I designed with my pattern maker (who has 40 years in the biz) to sit higher in the back and scoop just below the navel in the front—it’s designed to be comfy for bending over for extended periods (a position not unfamiliar for most gardeners). These dungarees are made in a nano scale factory, where Carhartt and Levi’s were once made, pre-NAFTA. The talented women who sew our dungarees use machines that date back to WWII —the strength and elegance of the stitches reminds me of the importance of recognizing American craft, and pausing to think about the unique way jeans fit into the cultural fabric of this vast landscape.

Celebrating the selvage edge of this remarkable, deadstock 12 oz denim from the now extinct, White Oak Mill in N.C., we’re proud to make use of the last rolls of this gorgeous textile that already exists, saving precious resources where we can. To continue the tradition, we’ve adopted a virtually identical proxy from Japan. Large, old school patch pockets in both the front and back fit everything from a phone to a folded saw. The easy slide buckle-back allows you to further control the fit, making for a more comfortable ride and extended no-wash wear. Reinforced knee panels keep dreaded blow-outs at bay, and the open bottom seam prevents debris from getting trapped. As these dungarees break in, the unique wear patterns fingerprint your denim and carry the signature of your work.

• Mid-rise, slightly higher back rise.

• 100% cotton 12 oz. selvage denim.

• Sanforized (pre-shrunk).

• Lovingly made in Tennessee

• Straight leg.

• Available in 4 inseams and 3 fits.

Please get in touch if your desired size/inseam is not in stock to be added to our next run: Whitney@gamineworkwear.com : )

Ask any person well versed in vintage menswear if they’ve ever seen an original Brown’s Beach Cloth hat and chances are they’ll tell you no, but share a little piece of telephone game history about the styles that Brown’s used to make in RI and Western MA early on, and into the middle part of the 20th century.

Inspired by the myth, we took remnant, in-house Beach Cloth (cotton-linen-wool fabric from our much loved Hope Vest project) and collaborated with fellow Little Compton-er and ball cap maker extraordinaire, Erin Kinnane of Pulp Co. to create a limited run of classic, six panel ball caps perfect for the sunny cool months ahead. Lined with deadstock, indigo dyed, 100% cotton floral fabric and sweatband made locally by legends at Korber Hats in Fall River, MA, who have been in the hat making biz since 1919.

Adjustable leather strap; grommets; one size, fits most- circumference approximately 21-24 inches.

Limited run, hand made in Rhode Island

When the archivist at Dickies let me get my dirty paws on their infamous painter pant, I could hardly believe my good fortune. For as long as I can remember, I’ve admired this beloved painter pant in hardware stores all over the South Coast of New England. On occasion, I used to be able to thrift an older, worn pair made of an unbleached cotton fabric. As a person nostalgic for the way work clothing “used to be made,” nothing made me more excited.

We are so thrilled to take this storied pant back in time while updating the fit for women in the 21st century. Celebrating our love of archival details, we chose a washed, unbleached, natural cotton fabric with small remnants of the cotton husk dotted throughout, and the same buttons Dickies used in the 20’s and 30’s.

With affection for the Portuguese community of SE New England, where I live and work, the name for this special pant comes from the Portuguese word “Quadro,” which roughly translates to “painting.” A fitting description as this pant is a true blank canvas for your world of work.

• Side hammer loop, thigh pockets, reinforced knees, and a big front and back pockets.

• Sits at, or just above where your waist creases when you bend down (see rise info to help understand where it would fall on you).

• Fitted with touch of ease through hip, waist, and bum with a slight vintage inspired flare at the bottom of the wide leg.

• 28 and 30 inch inseams available. (Our models wear a size 29 & 30 and are 5’7 ‘‘and 5’’9’’ respectively).

• 8.75 oz., 100% cotton.

• Made in Chicago, IL.

If your desired size is out of stock, please don’t hesitate to give us a shout to get on our wait list! : ) (whitney@gamineworkwear.com)