Day 3: Old Town Utility Jacket (& a Work Jacket)
For many years, Old Town has made fantastic custom workwear (chairmaker John Brown was a customer). It now seems that the company is simplifying its operations and not taking on any new customers for custom work.
But despair not, for Old Town is still supplying Labour & Wait with Utility Jackets. If you’ve taken a class with me in the last few years, this is probably what I was wearing. It’s not a jacket. It is what I would call an overshirt. You wear a T-shirt under it. As a result, you can get four or five wearings out of the Utility Jacket between washings.
The garment is incredibly well-made. It’s honestly a lifetime investment. The cut is quite loose, so you have lots of room to move (or add layers). It’s easy to wear. The buttons are somewhat large, making it easy to get off and on (even with big fingers). The front pocket is generous – I’m always stuffing my phone in there (or whatever else is in my hands) when I need an extra hand for a job. The sleeves are simple, no buttons to lose. You just roll them up like a shirt.
The Utility Jacket is available in blue and black. And yes, Labour & Wait ships to the U.S.
While you are at Labour & Wait, I can also recommend their Work Jacket. It’s very much like our work jacket (we don’t have many in stock right now). The Labour & Wait version is available in the traditional French blue. And it’s built so much better than the fake work jackets made by the fashion houses. It’s a true work garment.
– Chris
I am a proud owner of Labour & Wait Work Jacket. Top-of-the-line-quality! 20+ years ago there was a work jacket factory in my neighborhood here in Finland producing high-quality “Bleu De Travail” style work jackets. Unfortunately the company went bankrupt.