The Montana HDIV Store
When I visit a city with the carrying capacity of dudes able to keep a high-quality menswear store or two alive, I do my best to visit and see what’s intriguing the guys wearing the trendy or fashionable kinds of clothing. The kinds of stores you get vary: for every Self Edge’s clear and present aesthetic, there are shops like Canoe Club or Frances May which carry a less-obvious collection of brands and items that take a while to put the guiding lights of their aesthetic together. Choices made by the owners define how the shop looks and feels, that much is obvious. But it is an authorial decision to carry certain brands, certain pieces, certain scents or wallets or chains or books or even matches. So this piece will put together what brands I think would fit in the Montana Heavy Duty Ivy store of my mind (called HDIV, obviously). Missoula doesn’t have the clientele or population (or interest, it seems by my observation) to support a menswear store like a Canoe Club or CURRICULUM. That’s fine, as this is just a thought experiment on what I believe fits in the Montana Heavy Duty Ivy aesthetic.
With that said, let’s get cracking.
Dehen 1920
Out of Portland, Dehen 1920 is really one of the first fine fashion brands I became enamored with (after Filson, but I have been less impressed with their quality and price mismatch in recent years). The Pacific Northwest tends towards heavy, thick stuff with a lot of heft and weight to it. Dehen’s woolen knits fit that tendency to a T. The gauge they use for their knits is big, and their pieces have a lovely drape because of that weight. I particularly like their Submariner jacket. A story behind it, a high collar with a pulltab that buttons across the throat or back against itself so it doesn’t flop around in the breeze? Perfect design choice and one that looks really good when paired with more classic menswear cuts.
The Real McCoys
The repro style of The Real McCoys is a look I love dearly, mostly because I find much of my style inspiration comes from 1940s and 1950s menswear, and militaria particularly. I find it endearing the amount of work put into the creation of the new version of old things in the way the designers at The Real McCoys go about it. They make clothes how the piece must have imagined itself to be.
Built heavy, built tough, built with an understanding of silhouette and drape. I can’t ask for much more in a selection. The reproduction style can be a little tight in regards to styling, but the quality of the items is worth its weight in stitching.
Buzz Rickson
The Real McCoys but less expensive. Kind of. Made by the same company (Toyo) but with less focus on the repro style. Made famous by William Gibson to a certain group of sci-fi nerds in the early 2000s when he published Pattern Recognition and made a decision to have a character wear a blacked-out Buzz Rickson MA-1 bomber jacket. Apparently Buzz Rickson got a bunch of calls from people asking about this jacket, which they didn’t make at the time, and then they worked out a deal with Gibson to make some all-black items. Those items? Very expensive! The flatlock seam “Dorito” sweatshirt is a beautiful piece that will last forever. While a good amount of their stuff is definitely in the repro realm, picking the right pieces can make this an excellent and more approachable introduction into this kind of Japanese design language and choice.
Camber
If you’re going to get people in the door, selling high-quality, long-lasting basics of shirts and sweatshirts is a great way to pull folks in and set them on a journey of no longer buying the cheapest possible shirt that breaks apart in a year or two. Camber is American made and has some of the best fabric I’ve found in t-shirt or sweatshirt. Heavy is as heavy does. Their pocket t-shirts drape wonderfully, and their sweatshirts are like wearing a bowl of stiffened oatmeal.
Camber also makes hi-vis gear for blue collar jobs, which might not be the most likely place to justify the brand, but could certainly add a splash of color and familiarity in the store. The Carhartt crowd would love it, if you could just get them to try it.
Heimat Textil
Very German, very tough, outdoorswear without the Gore-Tex styling of a lot of other brands. Incredible knits, heavy in a similar way to Dehen but with more texture and a kind of knobbiness that is wonderful when wearing a turtleneck or cardigan. And really: this stuff is incredible.
I also appreciate their Field Pant design, which looks like something a lot of the climbers in this town would wear while hitting the gym or the crag. Versatility is important in Montana Heavy Duty Style. Heimat nails that balance between tank-like construction and intentional design that opens up the opportunities for wear.
Patagonia
Carrying Patagonia is a surefire way to get Montana people in the door. Between its workwear line, Nano Puffies, Baggies shorts, and Synchilla fleeces, Patagonia has the uniform for most men (and women, to be fair) in the state. The silhouettes are mostly interesting in this small selection of pieces. Avoiding their tighter-cut items would be important as to not give up the ship on what I believe looks good as opposed to what I know would sell in this market. Having a small selection that can blend correctly with the other brands and styles in the HDIV store is a great introduction to the Montana Heavy Duty style.
Iron Heart
Man, I do really like Iron Heart’s belief in motorcycle style even if I personally cannot pull it off. These guys love whipcord and beefy fabrics, but have a closeness of cut (on me) that might be a little out of step with the other brands here. The thing is, their stuff is so nice and built like a Mack truck that it deserves to be carried here. Montana motorcyclists tend more toward the Harley Davidson biker leather and big bikes. Iron Heart is probably closer to the old Yamaha or Honda touring bike taken out on a cross-country ride once every few years. Think aviators, no helmet, old leather jacket, and Russell Moccasin Zephyr boots with some patina’d saddlebags. It’s a look, for sure, but it’s a good one that fits in the Montana Heavy Duty Ivy style.
Pendleton
This my friends, is the one. Great, classic patterns, good, strong fabric and a look that has aged wonderfully since it first became popular in mainstream culture in the 1950s with the Beach Boys (originally called The Pendletones because surfers wore these shirts; nice little factoid there). Vintage Pendleton would be what I would carry, cause while the new stuff is nice, it doesn’t have the same handfeel, I think. Every straight dude or queer person in this part of the world has one or two or three or four of these shirts. Every straight or queer person looks great in these shirts, whether they have a Western fitted cut with pearl snap buttons or the squared-off board shirt, Pendletons are a central piece of any wardrobe and a familiar look for the people most likely to walk in the door.
Universal Surplus
Good basics, good price, good quality. European but with an understanding that people want stuff that will last and won’t break the bank. Sweatshirts, fatigues, coats, and all assorted kinds of menswear that could come in and out with the seasons. These are get-the-job-done clothes, ones that will last a while and can again be an entry into some of the nicer sides of clothing. Depending on how sales go, the store could really lean into this kind of clothing, where we are stocking more basics from Lady White Co., Camber, Brut, and some of the other high-quality basics companies that menswear dorks know and trust.
RRL
I thought about not including RRL at first, but decided they needed to be here instead of a more locally common brand, like Filson. RRL is Americana at its finest. It is also, annoyingly, a really good interpretation of Montana Heavy Duty. Ralph got there before everyone else, but he really beat me to the punch on this one. Take a look at their puffies, which exude 1970s ease and interest in silhouette in the outdoors. Or their HBT fatigues, which hang like a tapestry from the waist. Or their heavy shirts, which really are just gorgeous items that have an LL Bean traditional look with a more designer construction and fabric. Honestly, I hate how good this brand is and I admire it immensely at the same time.
Those are where we stand with the first foray into the Montana Heavy Duty Ivy store. There would be growing pains and changes in the lineup carried, but this is a good start with what we’re working with both in local purchasing habits and in keeping with the MT HDIV aesthetic.
