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glorydays

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Posts posted by glorydays

  1. On 7/21/2022 at 6:09 PM, mr.yuck said:

    I really like those bravestars. Knees finally let loose in them a few months back and cuffs started to frey. They have been amazing work jeans.

     

    i love the photos of selvedge jeans actually being used in real work situaions

     

    the fades look hard as fuck

    • Truth 2
  2. History of the Watch Cap – From Monmouth to The Monkees

     

    https://www.heddels.com/2017/12/history-of-the-watch-cap-2/

     

    history-of-the-watch-cap-jacques-couteau-image-via-broject

     

    The watch cap. The knit cap. The skullcap. The beanie. Whatever the name you choose, tracking down the history of this now-ubiquitous piece of headgear may prove frustrating. Every cold part of the world that needed to keep their ears and head warm while at work and play invented some variant of the watch cap.

    The history may not be straightforward, but everyone knows the end of this story. This cap becomes one of the most worn and (as editor, David Shuck reminded me) frequently lost accessories in the modern wardrobe.

     

    In the Beginning…

     

    history-of-the-watch-cap Monmouth Cap from the 16th century. Image via the Monmouth Museum.

     

    A fair number of sources believe the history of the knit cap began in Monmouth in Wales in the mid 1500s. However, other sources believe the invention of the pom-pom was a sign of cap-making in Norway that pre-dated the invention of knitting and therefore the Monmouth Cap.

    But like the various famous sweaters in our Ugly Christmas Sweater article, it is quite possible that both these cold regions developed their own logical answer to their environment. A snug-fitting warm cap to keep out the elements. If one is to believe the cap originated in either Great Britain or Scandinavia, it makes sense that it would be associated with durable, practical workwear. But could the answer be buried even further in the past?

     

    The Phrygian Cap has its origins in the Hellenistic period and would come to be worn by freed slaves in ancient Rome. The powerful classical symbolism inherent in this rather silly hat would not be lost on history and in the late 1600s, they would be called “bonnets rouges” and worn by revolutionaries in an early anti-nobility revolt that served as a precursor to the French Revolution. But despite the fact that various versions of the knit cap existed throughout Europe, it would be the great colonial powers: France and England who would export their favorite designs to the world.

     

    history-of-the-watch-cap-bust-wearing-a-phrygian-cap-image-via-wikipedia

     

    The United States Capitol Rotunda features a “liberty cap” on the head of a woman on George Washington’s right in “The Apotheosis of George Washington.” American artist Thomas U. Davis tried many times to include liberty caps throughout the famous works of art in the American capitol, but he was often denied.

    The cap’s association with freeing Roman slaves was too radical in pre-Civil War America and other critics thought the cap might too closely resemble Native American headwear to be acceptable in the Capitol. Nearly a hundred years after America’s founding, the caps from the first European settlers remained controversial symbols of liberty.

     

    The Military Connection

    history-of-the-watch-cap-patriotes-a-saint-eustache-image-via-the-mccord-museum

    Although the knit cap is an incredibly ancient item of clothing, its military connection was indelibly forged in the 1830s and 50s with several very cold and violent conflicts. The first was the Lower Canada Rebellion, which was fought between French-Canadian patriots and the British Colonial Powers. Fought in desperately cold conditions, the knit cap would serve a twofold purpose: survival and symbolism. The Québecois patriots adopted the already-famous bonnet rouge as part of their uniform. In French-Canadian, the caps would be called Tuques.

    history-of-the-watch-cap-balaclava-image-via-pinterest

    The 1854 battle of Balaclava allegedly gives us another important link between the knit cap and the military. Part of the siege of Sevastopol, which was in turn a part of the Crimean War, these caps were apparently given to British soldiers in order to keep them protected from the cold.

     

    Although it may be sloppy history to jump all the way from the Crimean War to World War II, it may be helpful in terms of fashion. After all, the great majority of knit caps we now see are marketed as “watch caps,” have a clear link back to the caps worn by Navy crews during World War II. An absolutely incredible set of photos by Life Magazine captures a submarine crew while stationed somewhere bleak and cold in the 1940s.

    history-of-the-watch-cap-watch-caps-image-via-life-magazine

    These pictures not only show the watch cap out in the wild, so to speak, but worn often as they are worn today. Usually made from a dark wool and worn rolled up above the ears. Wearing your beanie high on your head or at a jaunty angle isn’t a modern hipster invention, but a long-standing tradition.

    history-of-the-watch-cap-more-watch-caps-than-you-can-shake-a-stick-at-image-via-life-magazine

     

    Watch Caps in Pop Culture

    history-of-the-watch-cap-jacques-couteau-image-via-broject

    Famous undersea explorer (and Jack Donaghy’s personal hero), Jacques Cousteau could often be seen in a watch cap throughout the latter half of the twentieth century. Despite his history in the French Navy, he wears not a somber military color, but a bright orange-y red, almost reminiscent of the Phrygian Caps of the French revolution. Regardless of intent, Cousteau further cements the cap’s connection with exploration and adventure.

    history-of-the-watch-cap-michael-nesmith-image-via-sunshine-factory

    Among these warriors and adventurers we must also add Michael Nesmith of the The Monkees, who was often seen wearing a beanie with a pom-pom on top. In the two years the band was on TV, from 1966-1968, the watch caps worn by Nesmith served as proof that the hard-wearing hat was no longer just for adventures on the high seas, but could just as easily be worn by any and all.

     

    Featured Watch Caps

     

    Buzz Rickson x William Gibson Wool Watch Cap

    history-of-the-watch-cap-buzz-rickson-x-william-gibson-wool-watch-cap-image-via-selfedge

     

     

     

     

    Real McCoy’s WWI Watch Cap

    history-of-the-watch-cap-real-mccoys-watch-cap-image-via-superdenim

     

     

    Columbiaknit Knitted Cap

    history-of-the-watch-cap-columbiaknit-knitted-caps

     

    JJJJound watch cap

    JJJJound on Instagram: “Red beanies now available online” | Red beanie,  Beanie, Beanie hats

     

    Engineered Garments maroon watch cap

    Engineered Garments Wool Watch Cap, Red | Glasswing

     

    • Like 5
  3. On 9/17/2021 at 6:54 PM, fat ralphy said:

    been struggling to make it 2 times a week these days…….

     

    @glorydays you still on the mats

     

    yes i am

     

    i recently got to blue belt

     

    it wasnt anything special, i just kept going and getting my stripes

     

    im just happy not to be shit on anymore LMAO

    • Props 1
  4. finally moving to san diego 

    the starting point of american BJJ

     

    i'll be working in the navy base there, but i'm def going to be joining a gracie gym

     

    im not gonna be one of those blue belts that just up and quit

    • Like 1
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