Vintage Summit 10: A Vintage Roundtable Discussion by some of the industry's leading eccentrics.

Abe:First up is a duffle coat from [Grover All].

Konno:I have never seen this tag before. When was this model made?

Abe:The tag on the print is said to be the first period, so probably the 50s.

Fujiwara:So you were in your earliest days, in the 1950s? I thought "Groverall" was an older company.

Abe:I believe the brand was founded in 1951.

Konno:So the tag is a print?

Abe:Yes, that's right. With American brand tags, the embroidery is changed to print, but with "Groverall," the print is changed to embroidery afterwards.

Konno:Melton in this era is a bad idea.

Abe:Yeah, it's crazy heavy (laughs). But I like this naughty feeling.

Fujiwara:Where did you buy this?

Abe:This was on eBay. It was pretty cheap. I think the shipping cost to Japan was more expensive. I don't think there are many old "Groveralls" like this one, but old "Groveralls" from the 60's onward are sometimes sold in Japan, and the prices vary from store to store, so I thought now would be a good time to buy one.

Fujiwara:Abe, you also had a royal navy pea coat from the 40's, right?

Abe:Oh yeah. Because of that one, I also wanted a navy duffel, so I bought this one.

Konno:May I ask you to put it on for a moment?

Abe:Since the pattern is originally flat and the size is a bit large, it may look modern in a good way.

Kurihara:The atmosphere is completely different from the duffels that were popular in the 90s.

Abe:In terms of ease of wear, the newer version is definitely better, but I prefer this one, even if it is heavier. This is completely a matter of preference.