The Jacket

December 22 was a sad day for me. Not because it was the first full day of my twin brother being a seasoned citizen, but because my nice and aged Carhartt jacket failed to zip up as I was going outside to shovel snow. I had shoveled snow in the morning using the coat so at some point, either unzipping or zipping it up the fabric on the zipper between two teeth split slightly apart, just enough so the teeth will no longer catch. Viewers of my Facebook page saw the incident first. 

Given use and age it is in decent shape

After getting another jacket to clear the snow, I came back in to examine the Carhartt jacket and to try and figure out why it would not zip up, that is when I found the small tear. My wife, who is quite a good seamstress insists the coat should not be repaired, a sister said she her friend, who also is a seamstress, might do the job. 

The tear in the zipper fabric

I received that jacket as either a birthday or Christmas present when I was fourteen or fifteen years of age. Odd that I recall almost specifically when I got the coat, with matching overalls. The overalls wore out sometime ago, and my wife got me a new pair--this pair being insulated.  The jacket kept chugging along, however, until the day after the winter solstice. I have worn it clearing snow, doing yardwork, working on small power equipment, which explains oil and grease stains, cutting wood, hauling brush, and a variety of other chores. I also wore it while playing in the snow, or certain other outside activities. I made many a snowman wearing that coat, not to mention sled runs for when the boys were young, and more recently for the neighbor boys. Yes, the fabric is frayed in some areas, and it has a few rips. through all that, the jacket has been durable and reliable. I am not sure I could even begin to count the hours I wore it.  I know some complain of the cost of Carhartt, but I think I got more than the value of the coat.  Funny thing, one of my sons told me that Carhartt used to advertise most for people ages 15-65.  I mean, wow, how coincidental that that my coat zipper broke the day after my twin brother turned 65? I have to say I was more sad about my Carhartt coat no longer being wearable then my brother being 65 years of age plus a day.

My twin brother noted on Christmas to me that Carhartt is becoming more and more trendy. In the 1990's the New York times declared it the clothing choice for hip hop and I guess that would include hipsters. They even created a Carhartt WIP (Work in Progress) for the hipsters. Carhartt is becoming the new North Face. The hipsters, and others gravitate to Carhartt and may well do to that brand what happened to North Face. North Face became worn by hipster urbanites, among others, whose idea of an outing was finding a trendy craft brewery. To show the popularity Carhartt continues to gain, the NY Times recently had their idea of influencers and popular people and made the following comment about John Fetterman: "The senator-elect from Pennsylvania is going to bring Carhartt to the Capitol." The NY Times anointed influencers and hipsters idea of manual labor would likely be lifting their glass of craft beer to their mouth. One thing I know is that a hipster worn Carhartt jacket  would not look like mine. I doubt it would show the wear and the stains from working outside. A hipster would quickly replace the jacket for whatever new outerwear becomes trendy. I received and wore the jacket for functional reasons, which included more than few trips to the hardware store, or to Hanley Implement, but I would not have worn it to a restaurant, or around town at night. For me the jacket did what it was supposed to do and for that it shows its wear. If Carhartt will be the brand of choice for those soft-handed workers in the US Capitol, I may need to rethink the brand. I really don't want to be considered trendy or hip. That is just not me.

Cuffs are worn

I did receive a number of comments on my Facebook post about the jacket, most saying it is time for a new one. A few thought I should have the zipper replaced since even a new Carhartt will not likely last fifty years. Then again, I really would not need the coat to last fifty years. I am now beyond the age of what Carhartt used to advertise as their main demographic, but they probably would not mind a seasoned citizen purchasing a coat.   

2019 with Snowman, wearing Carhartt Jacket

I think the first time I wore the jacket for some extended manual hard labor. It was on my grandfather's farm in the winter, probably just after Christmas. My dad and two older brothers were using Rudy's old McCollough chainsaw and perhaps a Stihl owned by my brother to cut down what we called piss elms, Chinese elms, along a fence row. They did the cutting, and of course, and I had the chore of hauling the brush, and helping clear the logs. Grandpa was enjoying the warm climate in Florida. I have a number of fond memories wearing that jacket, and I am sure the jacket heard its fair share of cuss words, when working on some small engines and related equipment. 

Jacket 

What I can say, since I got my Carhartt over fifty years ago, that I was once again a trend setter--wearing Carhartt before it became hip. It is like my jeans, they get holes in the knees from wear, but I have seen people buy jeans made that way. My gosh, just wear your jeans and do some work and they will begin to wear out in the knees. Or, when I got glasses, I was wearing horn-rimmed glasses as a teen and now look how stylish they are. Like my Carhartt jacket I was years, actually decades, ahead of the times in styles and trends. I have to say, I am a man before my time in trends.  I missed out on monetizing my distressed jeans by offering them for sale. Maybe there is a market for a distressed Carhartt jacket.

What to do at this point about a jacket, I am not sure. Before the zipper broke, I thought I would have it displayed at my funeral. I am, now, in no rush to decide what to do. Funny how one small tear in the zipper fabric leads to a coat no longer being properly functional. I suppose that small tear is telling me that the jacket has seen better days, such that the fabric by the zipper is wearing out.