PENDLETON WOOLEN MILLS
Since 1863
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Before they were the Beach Boys, they were the Pendletones. This shirt is why.
The Pendletones
In the early 1960s, a group called The Pendletones adopted their name in honor of the surf uniform of the day: Pendleton shirts worn over tee shirts with khakis. The original lineup included brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine.
The Pendletones soon changed their name to the Beach Boys (learn more about them here: (the Beach Boys) Even though only one member of the group had ever been on a surfboard, they sang about the California surfing scene; waves, sunshine, cars and girls. This might have been simple subject matter, but layered instrumentation and soaring harmonies made these songs anything but simple. Under the unique artistic leadership of Brian Wilson, the Beach Boys defined surf music. And though their name changed, their uniform didn’t. The band wore this blue and charcoal plaid shirt on the covers of 45s and LPs throughout the early 1960s.
Surf History
The Beach Boys’ Pendleton shirts were part an existing trend. When surfing came to California in the late 1950s, surfers devised performance wear: swim trunks and plaid Pendleton shirts over a layer of Vaseline. Surfers wore the same shirts over light pants on the shore, and a fashion trend was born.
The Majorettes
This look hit the radio airwaves courtesy of the Majorettes, whose song, “White Levis” became a number one hit in 1963. As the lyrics said, “My boyfriend’s always wearin’ white Levi’s…and his tennis shoes and his surfin’ hat and a big plaid Pendleton shirt.”
That’s a Pendleton shirt cover of that 45, even though they named the song after the pants. You can give it a listen here, and don’t be surprised if you start singing along. But let’s get back to the shirt made so popular by the Beach Boys.
An Icon Returns
In 2002, Pendleton celebrated eight decades of Pendleton shirts by bringing back iconic shirts from each decade. To celebrate the 1960s, we brought back the Board Shirt in the same plaid seen on all those record covers. We call it the Original Surf Plaid.
The shirt has stayed in the line ever since.
Photo Joel Bear
We’ve used it in caps, hats, bags and jackets. It’s still made in the original 100% virgin Umatilla wool as it was back then.
Photo Cassy Berry
There’s some discussion now and then in Pendleton’s Menswear division about which is our most enduring men’s item of all time. Some say it’s the Topster, the shirt jacket that defined collegiate wear in the 1950s and 60s. Some say it’s the Original Westerley cardigan worn by the Dude in “The Big Lebowski.”
Photo Ben Jaffe, styling Suzanne Santo
Others claim the honor for the Board Shirt. We’ll let you decide.
Photo Travis Hallmark
No matter where you are, or what’s the weather, this piece of the sunny California surf scene will take you to the waves.
In the mid-60s, I was a solid Beach Boys fan. My first LP was “All Summer Long.” As soon as Capitol Records released a new Beach Boys album, I bought it. Likewise, I favored Pendleton plaid, wool shirts with white or blue Levi jeans. I even had a pair of huarache sandals. At one time, I had a dozen Pendletons in my closet. Every Christmas saw at least one under the tree. And I would buy a couple more at Dillard’s after-Christmas sales. Problem is, I have grown from a medium to a large, and today’s Pendleton’s are not made in Oregon, or anywhere else in the United States. The plaids remain eye-catching, but I won’t buy a Pendleton that’s “IMPORTED.” I may as well buy another plaid, wool shirt for far less that also is made in Japan, or China, or Vietnam or Indonesia. Of course, the same reality applies to another American fashion icon, Levi’s from San Francisco.
Al Jardine was not in the original group – David Marks, a cousin I believe, was the rhythm guitarist and later replaced by Al.
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