Bast Recast Deep-Dive: Boss Jean 1890
This garment is based upon a Neustadter Brothers “Boss of the Road” jean. Established in 1852 by Louis and Henry Neustadter, the San Francisco-based company was an early powerhouse in the area of workwear.
One of the key features that Endrime designed into the garment is the replication of the “Continuous Fly,” a construction detail which was invented by David Neustadter. Patented in October, 1877, it’s widely believed that this detail was used by Neustadter Brothers as early as 1875 on their first work pant.
A quote from the patent states:
“My invention relates to a certain improvement in overalls and pantaloons, having for its object to strengthen the garment at the point where the inner seams meet, where the greatest strain is received, and at the same time to simplify the construction and cost of manufacture. To this end my invention consists in making the ‘fly’ or facing of the sides of the front of the garment in one continuous strip or piece…”
A further (rare) Endrime enhancement is the addition of embroidered “dot tack” rivets, a conscious design feature, which would enable easier recycling by eliminating metal rivets. This detail was first used on a Blue Bell Wrangler denim jacket 11MJ, which was first issued in 1948.
Other constructional details of note include period-correct light ecru stitching made with Crafil (Celafil®) 100 percent TENCEL™ thread, single needle tailored belt loop construction—with belt looping going into the bottom of the waistband—and a period-correct back pockets shape with exaggerated curve.
Trouser styles of this kind in the late 1800s often had a continuous decorative stitch at the front pocket area, so as an homage to that detail, Endrime took poetic license and created a hemp leaf graphic below the front pockets on this garment.
This style has been interpreted in three deep indigo dyed fabric bases: NDL-5344-E-01, NDL-5404-M-01 and NDL-5415-G-01. The latter is unusual in that it contains wetspun hemp rather than cottonized like most of the modern-day hemp fabrics.
NDL-5404-M-01 is a 2×2 duck canvas that reacted particularly well to the ozone treatment, which was further enhanced to a light indigo shade by using sodium hypochlorite via the eFlow technology. The stains created on the jean were done to match the stains on the Ladies Shirt, which allowed it to be styled together on the photoshoot. Again, all the finishes achieved a low impact score on Jeanologia’s E.I.M. rating.
Click through the slideshow below to discover the Boss Jean 1890:
Discover the 1884 Mens Shirt from Bast Recast here.