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Filson Tin Cloth Creek Jacket for Women

By Jesse Kornbluth
Published: Oct 23, 2011
Category: Clothing

I was walking up Madison Avenue one winter evening when I ran into Ralph Lauren.

“Filson,” he said.

He was referring to my coat.

Not the greatest of guesses, for there is no coat more distinctive than Filson’s Tin Jacket for men.It’s made of material that Filson favors for its winter coats: thick, stiff, unyielding, waxed. Bullets would bounce off this thing. So will wind and snow. Because the fabric is so stiff, you almost don’t need to hang this coat up — it looks as if it could stand on its own. In short, a coat for survival, not style.

“Might as well have the best,” I said, quoting Filson’s motto, which is sewn right on the label.

We laughed, in part because that’s such a supremely confident motto and, also, because Ralph Lauren is not the kind of designer who would concede that any other maker’s clothes were superior to his.

Filson clothes for women?

Definitely not in Ralph’s league.

Boxy? You bet. Because, after all, who cares how you look when your fence sags in a snowstorm and you’ve got to put up fresh wiring before your herd escapes?

Recently, the amazing occurred: Filson acknowledged that women have curves. And so,  on the back of the Filson Tin Cloth Creek Jacket for Women, you will find two tabs that, when buttoned, create a bit of suppression at the waist. Nothing too daring — but at fifty paces, your cattle will know you’re not your husband.

This “work jacket,” as Filson calls it, features front utility pockets with moleskin lined hand-warmer pockets, snap closure front placket, and a stand-up collar and cuffs lined with dark green 100% cotton moleskin. Will that keep you alive in Juneau in February? No commenter says this coat is very useful below 30 degrees. Is it… Laurenesque? Kinda. But at a much lower cost: $140.

What is Filson? A manufacturer that launched in Seattle in 1897. In the beginning, its clients were tough guys on their way to Alaska. From its 1914 catalog:

TO OUR CUSTOMERS: if a man is going North, he should come to us for his outfit, because we have obtained our ideas of what is best to wear in that country from the experience of the man from the North — not merely one — but hundreds of them. Our materials are the very best obtainable, for we know that the best is none too good and that quality is of vital importance. YOU CAN DEPEND ABSOLUTELY UPON OUR GOODS BOTH AS TO MATERIAL AND WORKMANSHIP.

Convincing? Dare you to argue with it.