Stories Behind the Stash: Red Plaid Hunting Jacket

One of our favorite things about vintage shopping is the idea that each item we hand-pick has its own history. Each item has lived a previous life -- or two, or three -- meaning these articles of clothing are more than just pieces to be shoved in already-full closets. They're artifacts of days gone by -- of leisure and work, good times and bad. Their stories intrigue us, and sometimes, those stories just really ought to be shared.

We found this gem of a jacket -- a Sears Roebuck & Co. wool Field Master -- hanging forgotten in a 100-year-old woman's attic. The jacket was heavy, adding plenty of pressure to the old wire hanger that had accompanied it for decades. We were initially drawn to this piece's classic red and black plaid, seeing as how it's one of those timeless patterns that just never seems to go out of style. We also loved the 1949 hunting tag, which is attached to the coat with the largest safety pin we've ever seen. And yet these obvious perks aside, it wasn't until we got it back to the store and took the piece to be dry cleaned that we started uncovering all its little secrets.