Want a Jock Jacket? No Sweat
BEFORE THE SILVER AND BLACK ATTACK: Varsity jackets are big fashion news, showing up everywhere from designer runways to Hollywood premieres.
They’ve been in such demand at secondhand shops that one chain, Aaardvark’s Odd Ark--with stores in Venice, Los Angeles and Canoga Park--has begun manufacturing its own line of low-priced varsity jackets, priced from $20 to $60.
And since beat-up jackets from the ‘50s or before command among the highest prices in used-clothing stores, it’s no wonder that some manufacturers are re-creating these collectibles and intentionally making them look old.
Pro Sports Marketing, for instance, is turning out brand-new, old-looking jackets in the style, fabrics and patterns of the Golden Age of football.
Among Pro Line’s jackets commemorating famed NFL teams are the 1915 Canton Bulldogs, 1927 New York Giants, 1929 Green Bay Packers, 1932 Chicago Bears, 1935 Washington Redskins and the 1967 Oakland Raiders (pictured, but not in the Raiders’ modern silver and black; this version’s in dark brown with cream sleeves).
The $269 jackets are made of reprocessed wool and have distressed leather sleeves. They’re available in sizes 40 to 50 through the Official NFL Catalog. For a copy, call (800) NFL-SHOP.
DEAR HOT: I’m a hip woman with fat feet. Where can I get shoes that don’t make me look like a refugee from a Dr. Scholls’ ad?
DEAR HOT SHOPPER: Don’t get your hopes up for finding ultra-trendy, Manolo Blahnik-like, sex kitten styles at any of the wide-size shoe emporiums around town.
But do check out Chic Wide Shoes; for locations, call (800) 341-2888. Even if your feet are as slim as Olive Oyl’s, it’s worth a trip to one of these stores just for the nostalgia factor. Patrons sit on old-style, wood and wrought-iron park benches. Salesclerks actually perch on footstools and help customers put the shoes on! And the clerks have been instructed to measure both feet of each customer using those old-time, metal, slide-rule-style devices I haven’t seen since the ‘50s.
At Chic, you’ll find spectator pumps in bronze, pewter, silver and gold. Flats in imitation snakeskin. And lots of sandals.
Some other sources for wide shoes are Probers, 215 E. Main St., Alhambra, which caters to men and women, and Salomon’s Wide Shoes, 3827 E. Foothill Blvd., Pasadena.
