Eye to Eye

Context friends and family field test Market Bag.
by William Howe July 2010.

One of the most frequent comments we get at the shop from people outside of Wisconsin is how surprised they are at our product assortment. A lot of visitors have the impression that Madison, and Wisconsin in general, doesn't really appreciate the finer things. The fact the shop exists and competes against the best stores in the country is a bit of shock to people from New York Los Angeles and other larger cities. Being able to buy some of the most talked about and exciting clothing lines in Madison is an eye-opener for some. The quality of food in Madison is very similar. While Madison may be unassuming, some of the highest quality foodstuffs are readily accessible at locally owned specialty shops in town. Buying locally farmed food is something we are all passionate about, and fortunately for us, Madison has local food aplenty. The Dane County Farmer's Market is the largest producer only market in the country. Meats, cheeses, produce, kettle corn, and even homemade pet treats all have a place in the Market which takes place right on the Capital Square just seconds from the shop.



It's not unusual for all of us at the shop to bump into each other at the Market, replete with produce, on a Saturday before we open. The Market was the first place we stopped for our Wisconsin Cheese Backyard Grill-Out.



Joey, Context shopkeeper and culinary expert, hits the market.



Isla Parker discusses the finer side of paleontology with Prince William while walking the market.



The Market is always packed, rain or shine. It was a Context family shopping trip. Making our way through the crowd we picked up as much seasonal produce as we could for our dishes: sweet corn, asparagus, onions, garlic, shallots, crimini mushrooms, cherries, currants, and parsley. There may have been some cheese curd and potato doughnuts consumption as well.



Once done with the market, we headed across the street to Fromagination the best specialty cheese store in town.



Picking out cheese for the charcuterie plate was a bit of an ordeal. Fromagination is a bit overwhelming simply because the sheer variety there. Fortunately we know a few things about cheese, and the staff is always helpful. After some debate, we settled on Hook's Five Year Cheddar from Mineral Point, Pleasant Ridge Reserve from Dodgeville, and rounded it out with Cocoa Cardona from La Valle. We also picked up some SarVecchio, made in Plymouth, for the pasta dish, and Ader Kase Blue Cheese for the burgers.



Context owner Sam Parker takes his groceries seriously. Sam made sure to get a sampling of Potter's crackers made right here in Madison. Then, we grabbed a jar of fig and black tea preserves and another jar of honey and ginger preserves, both made in Madison by Quince and Apple Preserves. On our way out Sam grabbed a few pints of Salted Caramel from Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream.



Truman Parker decides to take a much needed water break at Fromagination



No backyard grill-out would be complete without beer. Fortunately, Madison's legendary Jenifer Street Market has an excellent assortment in their ice cold beer room. We grabbed a few choice Wisconsin beers. First up, Lake Louis' Coon Rock Cream Ale made in Arena, followed by Lakefront Brewery's Cream City Pale Ale. We also picked up a case of Pabst Blue Ribbon just in case.



Ah, chopped shallots and garlic awaiting the skillet.



Be careful! Those are Gitman Vintage shirts!



The asparagus salad needed some bacon, and there was only one choice to make: Nueske's, made in Wittenberg, WI just outside Wausau.



Betsy Parker, the label master.



Ben, Laura, and Tom



Jenifer Street Market has one of the best meat counters in town, we had them make up some 80/20 ground chuck for our main course. To pair with our burgers, Sam insisted we get dusted potato buns from Groeber's bakery while we were at Jeni Street.



Hand pattying is one of Sam's many talents.



The Great Dane Pub & Brewing Co. is located a short distance from the Context shop. The Dane's American Pale Ale and German Pils have become our favorite happy hour beers. We ordered two growlers of German Pils for our grill out.



Time for a cold one. The first of several for owner Ryan Huber.



Hello Jessy.



Heaven



Showtime!
After the burgers were grilled to perfection, it was finally time to eat. Everyone grabbed a burger, corn on the cob, and spooned on some SarVecchio mac and cheese, along with the bacon, asparagus, and spring onion salad. Thirteen guests in all: Sam and his wife Betsy, Ben and his wife Laura, Joey and his wife Jessica, Phill, Ryan, Tess, Tom, Jessy, Sierra and myself.



After everyone cleared their plates, Laura served up her espresso brownies with salted caramel ice cream.



Everyone at Context would like to thank Wisconsin Cheese Talk for giving us an excuse to get everyone together and celebrate Wisconsin (and its food). I think I speak for everyone when I extend thanks to our hosts, Sam and Betsy. I would be remiss to not thank Sam and Joey for preparing the food, and Laura for her fantastic dessert. I also want to point out Phill was too busy behind the camera to ever step in front of it but was hard at work documenting the proceedings. And thanks to our friends and family who made the night possible, as well as a good time.

The Outdoor Club
Ace Hotel NY
Fjallraven
Salt Water Farm
CONTEXT


This post is dedicated to the Outdoor Club. My good freinds Andrea Westerlind (Director of operations Fjallraven US) and Jou- Yie Chou (Cultural Engineer at Ace Hotel) started the club with the intention of getting people like myself out of the studio, away from the computer, and into the wild. I recently made a trip to NY with the intention of getting some of my press big shot friends to come to Madison, WI and do some reporting on the Context Shop. I was unsuccessful in getting the press to fly to the frozen tundra, but the Outdoor Club was into it. Jou- Yie invited his friend Annemarie Ahearn of Salt Water Farm in Maine to join the crew. Once the flights were booked, I contacted my pal Colin Hughes. If we were going to survive a Mid-West outdoor adventure in February, we needed Colin. This chapter of The Outdoor Club was sponsored by the Fjallraven Expedition Down Jacket. "There is no bad weather, only bad clothes".

Super Yoopers
Annemarie Ahrean: Salt Water Farm
Colin Hughes: Fearless Leader, Animal
The Arctic Fox: Watch out! Jou- Yie Chou Cultural Engineer at Ace Hotel Ryan Huber: Creative Director CONTEXT

Lake Superior: Largest Fresh Water Lake in the World (surface area)
We spent the first night prepping our packs in Hiawatha Lodge.
JYC brought his survival guide. One chapter offers schematics on building your own smoker using sticks. Radical.
Without warning, Annemarie took control of the kitchen. Here she is preparing chili using 100% Wisconsin goods. Nothing finishes a chili better than some Hook's aged cheddar and a cold High Life. Thanks Annemarie.

Early start to a long hike
Colin had us all up and eating bacon before sunrise. We filled our packs with Fjallraven Expedition Down Jackets, food, water, and an ice auger.

The Hike Little did we know, the Artic Fox is a night Orienteering champion. She would lead us on a 7 mile hike through the hills. We set a fast pace through the hills. I started blowing snot bubbles after we reached our fifth hill top.
Colin sensed my fatigue. With a healthy grin, he produced the "lunch" sack, filled with Venison Summer Sausage, Pleasant Ridge Reserve Extra Aged Cheese, and dried Door County Cherries and Apricots. 100% Wisco style. We were all a bit sweaty from the hike. Frost bite would have set in quickly if not for the Fjallraven Expedition Down Jackets. Annemarie was all smiles in her red Fjallraven Down jacket.

Finishing the Hike
Colin led us up a 1/4 mile vertical climb to finish the 7 mile hike. At the top, we met a group of snowmobilers who couldn't believe we had climbed such a steep ridge. A guy named Daryl exclaimed, "You gotta be shittin me" in disbelief. He snapped this shot of the Outdoor Club for prosperity.
Setting Up Camp
I spared with the Artic Fox, our feet flattening the snow. Soon the ground was flat enough to pitch a tent.
Fjallraven Four Season Tents go up in minutes.

We drilled into the Lake of the Clouds to source water for dinner. The sunset was amazing.
Cooking in the cold night
Annemarie went to work on dinner despite the freezing temperatures and deep woods darkness. At this point we were all wrapped in Expedition Down Jackets.
The night sky was as clear and star filled as I have ever seen it. Annemarie read To Build a Fire from Colin's Jack London book. Pretty creepy considering the story tells the tale of a man who slowly dies of hypothermia. It was time to get involved with the George T. Stagg Bourbon I brought along for keeping warm. Amazing! That night the temperatures dropped below zero while some of us slept and others lay awake in fear of hypothermia.
Heading Back
The next morning, we brought the hand auger down to the Lake of the Clouds to source more water for our hike back. We put Colin's water purifier to good use. The Artic Fox decided to give the auger a go. After having fun with the auger, we cooked a hot breakfast of steel cut oats, Wisco honey, and Door County dried cranberries. The Outdoor Club broke down the camp and hit the trail. A few of us were reminded of the blisters that formed during the previous day's hike through the hills. It was time for Jou- Yie & Annemarie to hitchhike for snowmobilers. Nice work guys! Stay tuned for another Outdoor Club adventure.

The shirt as we know it is not as old as some would think. Shirts were cut extremely long and served as an undergarment until the turn of 20th Century. By 1980 a man's shirt was as much a status symbol as his car. Today men are required to have at least a few perfect fitted shirts, some can never have enough shirts (Sam and I know many of you very well). I met with Chirs Olberding, the man behind Gitman Vintage, to discuss the greatest garment since pants.

Ryan:
I'm glad we finally found time to talk shirt production. Sam and I talk daily with our clients about denim weaving processes and dye techniques not to mention how the rhythm in the floor boards of old fabric mills aided to the irregularity of the weave. I am fascinated with the story behind the garment. Lets look at the nuts and bolts of a shirt, the details, what makes a Gitman Vintage shirt a Gitman Vintage?
Chris:
First and foremost, I think the shirt is a much less complicated species than denim. There are a couple of differences in a Gitman Vintage shirt that are most immediate. The first is, unlike an Italian made shirt, an American made shirt most often and with Gitman, all of the time uses a double needle. Double needle on the side seems and double needle throughout. This is something that is built for the American laundering process, its a bit more of a rugged shirt and more substantial.

Ryan:
American guys machine wash and hang dry their shirts in addition to the typical American dry cleaner which is harsh on clothing.
Chris:
Yes, exactly and the Gitman Vintage shirt itself, and John Minahan who is the president of the company has constructed the shirt to endure the American laundering process. If you have ever lived abroad and taken a shirt to a French dry cleaner its a totally different experience. Here (in the States) its not the most delicate process.

Ryan:
These shirts are built tough.
Chris:
Yes, but that's kind of secondary. There are other things about Gitman Vintage shirts, first of all it takes about 80 minutes to make the shirt and there are 27 to 35 separate parts that go into making one shirt. The most significant thing about the Gitman Vintage shirt is that the collar, the cuff, and the pocket are all hand set. With most shirting companies these pieces are put on simultaneously with the placket, with the shoulder yolk. Where as with Gitman Vintage they are put on in three different stages. Another thing I love and I've never seen anyone replicate because it is ours is the chalk button.

Ryan:
Explain the split yolk:
Chris:
All of our yolks are split yolks, and its a functioning split yolk. A lot of people use that as more an aesthetic design, or a little detail, but the reason the yolk is split on a Gitman Vintage shirt is for shoulder movement on each side.

(Aaron and I thumb through a pile of Gitman Vintage samples, Chris stops us to use one shirt as an example of "repeat of the plaid". Many production houses simply cut the patterns necessary to make a shirt without considering how the plaid pattern will appear on the finished shirt. On a Gitman shirt, the plaid lines up perfectly. Look closely at the collar, placket, and the pocket on one of our Gitman plaids).

Chris:
Look here, this time they really outdid themselves. The repeat is much bigger, there is nearly a foot before the plaid repeats. They have to use more yardage to line this up, its a much more difficult task.

Ryan:
Is this uncommon? The repeat of the plaid?

Chris:
Typically you would have to look to a company like Borelli for instance or a much higher end shirt maker to find that done.

Ryan:
So your guys have a unique approach to cut and sew based on higher standards?
Chris:
It's all women. There isn't one male cutter on the floor. I heard their response to my presentation of the Gitman Vintage project in the lunch room, "I can't believe we have to wash and dry every shirt, oh my God, have you seen some of these plaids?". The cutters talk to the sewers over lunch, about what fabrics are difficult to get through, some of the flannels for example.
Ryan:
This is part of the Gitman Vintage story, and part of Ashland history.
Chris:
Many of the shirt manufacturers we know today originated in NY around the 30's, and they moved to Ashland when making shirts in NY became to expensive. It is the equivalent to what silk is to Como in Italy. Some of those companies have left, production was outsourced, but because of that move the knowledge of doing these nuanced things: lining up plaids, how to turn the placket, how to hand set, all this knowledge remained local. If you were to introduce this into a new factory they could do it eventually, but it would be a very difficult exercise.

Ryan:
There is something really nice about what you've done with Gitman Vintage. You've done an excellent job of choosing fabrics, which for anyone who has been to a swatch house, is easier said than done.
Chris:
I don't get as experimental in this line because once I start to do that I feel like I'm becoming a designer which I'm not. I'm more of a highly selective curator of our past.

Ryan:
Who in the world of shirts excites you?
Chris:
Borelli Vintage is all taken from their 1957 collection and their shirts are just wonderfully made. I love Come des Garcons out of Japan.



Chris and I finished with a discussion on the extensive range of fabrics available for making a basic white shirt and a debate on whether the a pub collar is too Eton School Boy for the US market. Aaron, beginning to fatigue, interrupted, "You guys want to keep talking shirts over Blue Ribbon sushi?". We concurred.