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EXTREMELY RARE! UNWORN Vintage Sawyer of Napa, California Shearing Coat.
With original and unused after-market Care Kit!
With original and unused after-market Care Kit!
Sawyer of Napa was long known as THE premier American maker of shearling coats and jackets, with its shearling coats becoming an Ivy Style staple, handed down from father to son... Unless the daughters got to them first and carried them away to Bryn Mawr, Vassar, or Smith! Indeed, so iconic were Sawyer of Napa coats that one was used in *Love Story* to socially place Ryan O'Neal's character, while the same use was made of one in the British film *The Servant* to emphasize the aristocratic origins of James Fox's character.
Sawyer of Napa were founded in 1870, when Albert Sawyer founded the Sawyer Tanning Company on South Coombs Street in Napa, tanning hides that were discarded by local butchers with the fleece still on them. Sawyer was innovative; by 1909 the company had developed Napatan Waterproof Leather and Napa Patent Leather, while in 1927, it developed chromed tan leather, the ideal material for fashioning softball gloves, and later, leather for baseball and welding gloves. These found a ready market among the blue-collar dockers, stevedores, and laborers that thronged the area around Coombs Street, and whose lives were dominated by the factory whistles of the Sawyer Tannery, even if they themselves did not work there. As Lin Weber writes in her *Roots of the Present: Napa Valley 1900 - 1950:
“Edna and Rita Guisti grew up in that neighborhood on Levee Street (now Riverside Drive). They went barefoot all summer, wearing ragged cotton dresses with bloomers underneath. They often climbed the big oak of Oak Street, which was by the water. It had a rope swing, on which they swung as high as possible before jumping off into the water… The river was still clear; carp would come to the surface, and children tried to spear them with willow branches to sell to Napa’s remaining Chinese families.
“The big whistle on top of the water tower at the Sawyer Tannery was one of life’s regulators for children like Edna and Rita, and for their parents as well. It blew every day of every year at 6 am, 12 noon and 4 pm.”
Napa continued to thrive into the Depression, turning out high-quality, sturdy, warm garments. The combination of good looks, functionality, tradition, and style led to Sawyer of Napa being adopted post-War by the Ivy set as the shearling maker of choice... and the new possibilities led to Sawyer moving away from its working class roots and decidedly upmarket--hence the filmic use of its shearlings in the 1960s and 1970s to establish the upper-class pedigree of its characters.
Alas, by the late 1980s and early 1990s Sawyer was facing significant competition from cheaper, lower-quality imports. The company tried to compete by off-shoring to Korea, but this effort was short-lived, and it folded in 1990.
American-made Sawyer of Napa shearlings are now highly sought-after, and can be readily distinguished from the cheaper, later imports by the fact that they were made from California Spring Lamb pelts, which led to the coats being constructed with large panels and fewer seams. The stitching was also very high quality (rather than the lower quality wrapped stitch used on imports), and the mainstream Sawyer of Napa coats were all made with horn buttons. (Sometimes "name branded" Sawyer coats--such as those made for Bloomingdale's--used plastic buttons.) And the coats were seriously warm and heavy.
Given the history and quality of these coats I'm delighted to offer what is certainly one of the last NEW OLD STOCK Sawyer shearling coats to become available--indeed, given that the last of these was made in 1990 this might be THE last NOS Sawyer available!
I have full provenance on this coat; it was purchased in May 1982, and was then carefully stored in a cedar closet, unworn, until I acquired it. It comes complete with its original and unused after-market Care Kit, that was purchased in June 1982.
This coat is the classic Sawyer shearling. Made from California Spring Lamb in a rich honey tone, this features horn buttons on the front, oversized for ease of use when it is cold. It is cut from large panels, and has two deep kidney-shaped handwarmer pockets on the front; these are also lined in shearling. The sleeves are also lined in shearling. This has a single center hook vent, an oversized collar, and a functional throat latch--which has never been used. It has a shoulder yoke, lapped seams, and its original spare horn button. It is, of course, in absolutely pristine condition. It was, of course, Made in the USA at Sawyer's factory in Napa, Northern California. I can say with confidence that there is no better Sawyer of Napa shearling coat available today, and I'm delighted to be able to offer this in the same condition as it was first purchased--and never worn--almost 36 years ago. And, of course, the original after-market Care Kit comes with it!
Asking just $185, OR OFFER, boxed, shipped, and insured in the CONUS. International inquiries are welcome, with shipping at cost.
Tagged Size 40L, this measures:
Chest: 22
Sleeev: 27 1/4
Shoulder: 20 1/2
Length (top of collar): 37 3/4
Length (bottom of collar): 34
