eBay Chronicles #008

Cotton Crewnecks and The Story of a Washington

In a switch of format I am starting this article with photos. Photos of what we see when we are shopping for secondhand goods. We are often blinded by labels, looking for only the big brands that we associate with quality.

At the time of myself buying this sweater, these photos represent what I saw at the yard sale, not literally but figuratively. The label was one I had not heard of, and so I was left with only my own judgement to see if it was worth purchasing.

In these photos we can talk about a few things that jump out to me. First, the thick seams around the neckline and shoulder that show no signs of wear. What this tells me is that the manufacturer did not cheap out on material and over the lifetime of the sweater it has clearly held up. This is confirmed by the feeling of worn-in cotton which gets more plush and malleable after it goes through many wash cycles.

Looking at the ribbing of the sweater and the end seams we see that all of the material lines up in the same direction, parallel to each other. For reference the photo below on the right shows what a sweater without aligned seams would look like. Slightly misaligned seams are not entirely noticeable to the naked eye but if you look closely you will see one diagonal side meeting with a straight seam. My sweater not looking like this tells me that some care was given to the garment’s construction process, being properly aligned before the seam had been made. This doesn’t apply to the armholes as they are pointed outwards and will always be misaligned.

Aligned seams compared to misaligned seams

I had also noticed that the sweater tag said size large when in fact it had fit me, and I normally wear a medium. Cotton of course shrinks over time (if dried improperly) and we can see the reason why the sweater was likely given away. When cotton shrinks it actually becomes tighter and therefore more dense and stronger. This is why manufacturers sometimes sell “pre-shrunk” cotton which is branded as a more worn-in feel when in fact most of the feeling that we associate with “worn-in” products comes with the repeated stretching and bending of our clothing around our body. This is also why jeans have a different wear pattern for every person, because we all bend our knees and interact in different ways, or how shoe soles break in differently for every person due to our walking.

Now that I have concluded my interest and reasons for wanting to purchase the sweater, we get home and look up the branding on google (or at least I do). We can now see the full identity of the garment we have bought.

After our previous misconceptions and brand loyalty have gone down the drain, we see that this sweater is from Chaps. What I later discovered was the budget-friendly branch of the Ralph Lauren Corporation. Now this makes sense why the styling appealed to me, although in all honesty I am not as much of a style-connoisseur as another writer at TNBC.

This sweater was likely 20 dollars when it was purchased but that doesn’t make me feel any different about the purchase of the sweater.

While it does have a couple of stains that won’t completely disappear, and I may not be wearing it to dinner with my family any time soon, it is now going to be a staple in my wardrobe. It will fit just right alongside my stonewashed denim and worn in shirts, because clothes are tools not jewels.

Oh, and about that price and place, I coughed up a single dollar for it, and found it at a yard sale of trash-bound clothing in Burlington, Vermont’s Old North End. Sometimes the most interesting finds come from unexpected places.

-Theo

Following the photo-first format, we find ourselves looking at another underrated Ralph Lauren sub-label. The iconic flag sweater from Polo will run you $400+ these days, and it remains difficult to find the real thing (wool or cotton) on the secondary markets under $150. The navy colorway remains the most ubiquitous; however, I (Jack) feel that the white colorway is much more summer-equipped, reflecting some of the sun’s mighty rays.

Polo Country has a unique history in the “Ralphosphere.” The label was active for only 3 years from 1989 to 1992, and it focused heavily on Americana and western aesthetics. It is not confirmed, but widely accepted, that Polo Country served as the precursor to RRL. This does make the sub-label rarer and more expensive than a label like Chaps, which also makes a flag sweater. However, I preferred the Polo Country version as there’s no other text on the sweater than that of the flag (the Chaps version says “CHAPS” underneath on the right, the same way the Polo sweater says “RL”).

The idea to look for a flag sweater came to me in late 2024, knowing that I’d be visiting the family lake house for Memorial Day to celebrate my grandparents’ 65th wedding anniversary. I needed something to wear during the sub-70 degree sunset “booze cruise” as my father so lovingly calls it. It also needed to be a little slouchy so it wouldn’t irritate my sunburnt skin. I set up an eBay search for “Ralph Lauren flag sweater” and let the algorithm do the work for me. It took the better part of 2 months to find the right one at a less than gouge-my-eyes-out price, but I finally found this one in white, a little oversized, and in 100% cotton. The seller graciously accepted my inoffensive lowball offer.

This is actually the first 100% cotton sweater I have ever owned, and I have been getting my use out of it since last Memorial Day. I layer it often over a blue OCBD with khakis and penny loafers, or wear it on cool summer nights over a t-shirt with shorts and espadrilles. The open knit of the sweater is a protection against the inevitable summer sweater suffocation and enhances the relaxed, laid-back look. This July 4th weekend I’d normally be getting one last wear out of it at the lake; however, the lows in the 80s are going to keep it in the closet until the breezes of September bring us back to autumn.

Since owning this sweater, Polo Country has stayed on my radar when searching for vintage clothes in person and online. While I have yet to purchase a new piece from the label, it is full of grails from what is often referred to as the golden age of Ralph. Take, for example, this corduroy collar denim jacket, or a hand-knit wool sweater, right up my alley. Keep this sub-label in the back of your mind when sifting through thrift piles or the racks of vintage stores.

-Jack Hidde