Hardwear Highlight: Chore Jacket

Hardwear Highlight: Chore Jacket

With tradeshows on hold, Carved in Blue is putting its capsule collection out one digital post at a time.

This week, we’re highlighting the Carved in Blue® CHORE JACKET.

The chore coat first appeared in late nineteenth century France. As a piece of outerwear made from durable cotton drill or moleskin, the chore coat was perfect for the tough physical work of laborers, railroad workers, and farmers, thanks to its loose fit that made it easy to throw over a set of overalls. In addition to being a hardy external layer, the roomy pockets were used to store everything a worker would need from tobacco tins to tools, and the button cuffs made for easy sleeve-rolling.

Traditionally produced in a rich, vibrant French benzoate based blue dye, the chore was known in its home country as bleu de travail which translates directly to ‘blue work.’ By the early ’20s, chore coats were being manufactured on amass scale on both sides of the Atlantic by workwear companies that are still operating to this very day. In the United States, legendary workwear label Carhartt had begun the production of their chore-style coat. As classic workwear has grown in popularity over the last decade, the chore coat and its many interpretations have become a staple piece in many wardrobes. 

For the Carved in Blue® hardware collection the ENDRIME® team got their main inspiration from a depression era Osh Gosh B’Gosh Chore Jacket from a inspiration trip Japan.

Atlantic Mills based in Thailand was chosen for their fabric. One of the strongest Denim mills in the industry we were excited to use their denim. The denim has a loose weave tension and has a light shade indigo.    

The fabric content : 31% TENCEL™  x REFIBRA™/  38% COTTON/  31% RECYCLED COTTON

Key details in our Carved in Blue® chore coat were: 

  • Depression era Rail Road jacket fit  
  • Run and Felled armhole clean construction 
  • Period correct ecru stitching 
  • Period correct Union Made ring button for center front with circle eyelet embroidery
  • Period correct mis-stitching on all pockets 
  • Added extra strength pocketing reinforcement on hip pockets 
  • Branded ‘Carved in Blue®’ collaboration leather patch 
  • Clean finished Run and Felled triple needle chainstitch seam construction throughout
  • Branded ‘Carved in Blue®’collaboration woven label 
  • Clean finished Run and Felled triple needle chainstitch seam construction on centre back and sleeve
  • Clean finished Run and Felled twin needle chainstitch on back side seams 
  • Branded ‘Carved in Blue®’ buttons for cuffs  

The Jeanologia team washed the garment based both ENDRIME® and Jeanologia Archive. This garment got a EIM low impact score of 33.

Check out our CHORE JACKET section on Issuu.