The best fabrics for fall and winter, piece by piece. Josh Sirlin on melton, Harris Tweed, camel hair, merino, corduroy, selvedge denim, waffle knit, 30oz terry, horsehide, sheepskin and goose down at Black Bear Brand.

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The Harris Tweed Jacket, Cut Six Ways

A Harris Tweed jacket for men does not have to be a sport coat. Josh Sirlin on six Black Bear Brand cuts in hand woven Harris Tweed: the western jacket, ranch coat, chore coat, zip coat, Highlander and car coat.

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Horsehide Jackets and the Old Way of Making Them

Which brands make exceptional horsehide jackets with traditional craftsmanship? Josh Sirlin on Black Bear Brand horsehide jackets: Horween hides by weight and finish, roughout commander jackets, custom hardware and the preorder wait.

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What Makes Japanese Selvedge Denim Different

What makes Japanese selvedge denim different from ordinary denim? Josh Sirlin on the closed edge, the weight, rope dyed indigo, and the five Black Bear Brand denims woven in Japan, from botanical indigo to the winter wash.

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What Makes a Great Peacoat

The best men's wool peacoat comes down to the cloth, the cut, the buttons and the lining. Josh Sirlin on every detail of the Black Bear Brand peacoat, 14.7oz wool from Aichi-Ichinomiya, made entirely in Japan.

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The Winter Coat Worth Owning for the Next Ten Years

Which men's winter coat is worth investing in for the next ten years? Josh Sirlin on dense wool, honest weight, the lining and the sewing room, and the Black Bear Brand coats made to last that long.

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One Pocket

The name is not a boast. It is a count. Josh Sirlin on the ONE Jean Jacket, on warp density, and on the years spent looking for denim worth cutting.

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Seven Colors of 30oz Terry

Color that goes on after a sweatshirt is sewn behaves differently forever. Josh Sirlin on garment dyeing and the Black Bear Brand 30oz terry hoody, crew, pants and shorts.

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The Fisherman Sweater and the Cable That Made It Famous

The Aran sweater is younger than the legend around it, and the true story is better. Josh Sirlin on cables, ganseys, and the Black Bear Brand merino fisherman sweater.

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The Engineer Stripe: A Cloth Brought Back From 1913

A hundred year old stripe, read off an original coverall and woven again in Okayama. Josh Sirlin on the Black Bear Brand engineer stripe and the vintage engineer pant and coat.

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How to Store Clothes Through the Off Season

Moths do not eat clean wool. They cannot. Josh Sirlin on what actually eats your sweaters, what cedar does and does not do, and how to put a wardrobe away properly.

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Wool, Measured in Microns

Wool does not itch because it is wool. It itches because of a number. Josh Sirlin on micron counts, the prickle threshold, and why the coarser fibers are not the lesser ones.

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Denim Country

The wild west was loud, and the cloth that went through all of it was blue. Josh Sirlin on the jean jacket, the Cowboy Jeans, the people he rides with, and the looms in Okayama.

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The Morning the Jacket Comes Off the Hook

There is one morning every August when the air turns. Josh Sirlin on the jean jacket coming off the hook, the white tee under it, and the tweed waiting after October.

Why Some Things Look Better Used

A sixteenth century Japanese idea about age, and why the day you buy something is not the best it will ever look. Josh Sirlin on wabi-sabi, patina, and designing for the fifth year.

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The Small Parts

Buttons crossed the Atlantic as ship ballast. Josh Sirlin on corozo, shell, brass and zippers, and why hardware is where most clothing quietly fails.

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What Ounces Really Mean

Weight is the number everyone quotes and almost nobody understands. Josh Sirlin on ounces, grams, and what a fabric weight can and cannot tell you.

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The Color That Killed People

Green was the hardest color in the world to make, and then it was the deadliest. Josh Sirlin on arsenic, Victorian dye houses, and what a real green still costs.

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The Plain White T-Shirt: The Hardest Thing to Get Right

It started as underwear and became the most worn garment on earth. Josh Sirlin on the plain white t-shirt, and how to tell a great one from a cheap one.

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The Down Vest: Warmth Without Weight

Down is the best insulation on earth and the least understood. Josh Sirlin on fill power, cluster size, and the vest built for a Pacific Northwest winter.

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