#173 GUSTINXVidalia Superlight Workshirt

When the famous Cone Mills White Oak plant in Greensboro shut down, Vidalia Mills stepped in to keep the tradition of authentic American made selvedge denim alive. All the building blocks for a quintessential, raw selvedge are here with the addition of quality and authenticity. It starts with certified, sustainably grown American cotton. This core building block is transformed by vintage Draper X3 shuttle looms, previously used by Cone Mills, that were lovingly re-energized by Vidalia in their Louisiana factory. This time, the output is a solid, 10 ounce gold-standard raw selvedge denim. A bit less starch combined with the lighter weight makes for a beefy workshirt you can actually enjoy on day one. The surface is a bit harry, lending a rustic look and feel. The indigo warp is a bit lighter in color lending the overall surface an almost grey cast. This is classic American made selvedge that never goes out of style. Of course, we add in construction right in the USA and the unmatched value.

Several construction details define our workshirt. The first is ample triple needlework with a classic chain stitch runoff. Triple needle is a specialized stitch not found on standard button downs and that serves as the heart of any good work shirt. Ours gets triple-needle flat-felled yoke and side seams with chain stitched bottoms. We also allow the side seam chain stitch to “run off” the end giving you three chain stitch ends on each side. We bar tack to ensure the runoff can’t compromise the security of the side seam. The second detail is double chest pockets. We keep ours a bit cleaner, without flaps, but use button closures and double bar tacks in each corner for added strength. The left chest pocket gets the addition of a small pen slot. The third detail is the side hem gussets. It’s a small functional element and looks great. On our selvedge styles, we incorporate the selvedge on the bottom. Finally, we love the chin strap. Ours is small enough to be tasteful while still reminding you of the workwear roots of the garment. We created custom Corozo buttons specifically for our work shirts. They’re a deep navy shade with a slightly domed top and two holes for securing. Overall, this is one of our most intricately constructed garments and one of the most costly to produce.

Our workshirts are available in our Classic and Slim fits. The main differences in details between our workshirts and our other shirting come down to construction - no back box pleat, and differently shaped side scoops. The Slim fit has a more tailored body as compared to our Classic fit. Chest and waist come in to provide a more fitted option. Details are in our fit guide.