Brown's Non-Beach Beach Jacket

It may be no surprise that not only am I passionate about vintage women's wear, but I'm also drawn to every facet of historical men's fashions.

In particular, workwear from the turn of the century to the 1940's has an irreplaceable craft and vibe in comparison to any men's fashions of today.




The unique salt and pepper styles, structure yet grittiness, and authenticity of American men's workwear exhibits a quality that cannot be reproduced decades later.

After a visit from Boardwalk Empire's costume designer a few days ago to seek out authentic Edwardian and 1920's workwear pieces for the show's factory-working characters, I became inspired by a specific style from early 1900's American workwear that she pulled, Brown's Beach Jacket. Its overall look stands out among other vintage designs for labor-intensive working men.

Established in Worcester, Massachusetts, Brown’s Beach Jacket was created in the year 1901 at the turn of the century. Brown's Beach Jacket was a new workwear product, combining the elements of comfort and durability and providing the right amount of warmth, sturdiness, and range of movement for any type of worker (lumberjacks, fishermen, hunters, and those spending their time in factories). Unmatched before, men now had the opportunity to purchase a garment that would protect them from wind, rain, snow, and harshly cold weather.

Brown's Beach Jacket was constructed from beach cloth, which is why the design's name included "beach" in its title. The beach cloth fabric combined wool and cotton, 70% and 30%, respectively. With this fiber content and construction, texture and color variations in workwear jackets were distinctive and new. Even the buttons were incomparable.

However, after outdoor and factory-centric jobs dissipated, and synthetic fabrics (rayon, nylon, and polyester) became the mainstay in American clothing in the 1960's, Brown's Beach Jacket ceased to exist. 

Promotional Advertisement from the 1940's

As of recently, Japan acquired the rights to license reproduced Brown's Beach Jackets. It's no surprise Japan is reviving the beloved brand's jacket because current men's fashions in the island country are heavily influenced by early workwear.

Although it's admirable to bring back such a historical workwear article of clothing, there's nothing quite like the American-made, genuine feel, and broken-in quality of the original Brown's Beach Jacket.

Life, Brown's Beach Jacket, 1937