Greetings From Canada:

Union Suit Fans: I just returned to civilization for a day or two, to shower, do some laundry, and re-supply before returning to the great outdoors. Hope you've had a great couple of weeks. My pal, Arnie, and I sure have. We had a successful time so far, catching plenty of fish and enjoying the trees, flowing water and wild life. But it sure tires a fella out. The sun was up far in the sky when Arnie snapped this picture of me doing my best to wake up and get on with our next venture.

It sure took awhile, but with the smell of his strong coffee, I was up and going after my second cup, wide-eyed and ready to tackle another perfect day! We head out tomorrow but will be back in a couple of weeks for more Union Suit Fan stories and photos.

 

Gone up into the Canadian Wilderness 

to get in some camping and fishing. 

Back in June. Until then, keep 'em buttoned, 

Union Suit Fans, I will... Chris

Metamorphosis-ed, Part One

Another of my "early-on" blog respondents was rather late in coming to terms with wearing union suits himself. If you've been following me these years or even if you just started, you no doubt are familiar with my good pal, Joe of NYC, another New Yorker. Check out my last posting about Rich of Buffalo, NY.

Joe of NYC today

Joe has been indispensable in assisting me in this long underwear endeavor even though he, himself, did not begin wearing union suits until sometime after running across this blog about seven years ago. Since then, he has contributed numerous articles, photographs (including of himself), and several "Guest Contributor" stories to this blog!

The first time or two I heard from him were by comments to my postings. But, before long he and I were exchanging emails like the following which included a Musingwear underwear ad that appealed to him: 

"Chris: As it is 17 ° here in the city this morning, I am definitely with the guy on the left but short sleeves? Yup. That is how they sold them when I was a kid. Today we know better (and I need more protection - it is COLD here). Stay buttoned, Buddy."

I emailed back:

"Joe: Funny that Munsingwear called their two piece underwear 'Longies.'  That's what my mom called my union suits.

I've worn unions since I was fourteen but never had a short-sleeved one. Although in college I wore an "athletic suit" ---one piece short drawers with a sleeveless shirt. My girl friend thought I looked like a dork! ...Chris"

Another time he emailed me one of my favorite union suit ads, again from Munsingwear:

Joe has contributed faithfully over the years, including sending me articles and photos which I had wanted to use in Union Suit Fan but couldn't locate, such as one of a young recruit photographed from the back in his union suit, hat, and socks traveling on a World War II troop train. The picture was published decades ago in Life Magazine. My request to Joe went like this: 

"Say Joe, I remember when doing college research for a paper on WWII, I ran across a photo of a GI in a Union Suit. He was being transported with other soldiers on a sleeping car (train) I believe it was, sometime in the 1940's. He was walking down the aisle in just his long one-piece underwear. If you ever run across that photo please send it to me....Chris"

Not long after, he emailed me that famous photo along with the article which I then posted in Union Suit Fan on January 12, 2018. 

Eventually, I found out that Joe was really a two-piece thermal underwear kind of fan and even though some of his family members wore union suits, that was not his choice. 

It was not until December of 2017 that I came to realize he underwent a change (of underwear) so to speak... a sort of metamorphosis if you will. Joe of NYC finally came around to the side of us who prefer wearing the ever trustworthy, warm and dignified union suit. Here's his guest contributing article complete with photos: 

The Big Switch by Joe of NYC

So, What happens when a city boy switches from his trusty and reliable two-piece thermal long johns to a good, old-fashioned, one piece unit – trap door and all?

The guys in my family have a tradition – white, flat cotton, short sleeved union suits. Perfect for working outdoors/ hunting/ fishing or cutting fuel bills. Naturally, white union suits (one piece button flap, in case you are curious) came from Sears Roebuck and were a staple for Grandpa and a host of Uncles. But the young dudes? Grandpa’s union suit? No way! We were far too young and way too hip to step into a pair of long handles. So, when we decided that frost bite wasn’t the best fashion statement, we hauled our ice-cold rear ends to K-Mart or J C Penney and bought waffle weave, cotton long johns. Sometimes white, sometimes ecru. And, not to start a debate again but – socks were pulled up past the double-knit cuffs. The rationale for that heroic feat was twofold: so drafts wouldn’t crawl up our legs once the knit cuffs stretched out a bit; and, so others wouldn’t discover our secret when we sat down and the legs of our trousers rode up a bit.

And the ribbing a guy in long johns gets? Guys get teased about underwear – any type of underwear - get over it! Boxers, briefs, long johns – they have been a humorous staple in films and on television for years. Why the poor union suit had to be shoved to the back of the closet and become the most humorous of garments can be directly blamed on every Hollywood star from Laurel & Hardy all the way to The Three Stooges.

I’ve watched long underwear advance in the media. My trusty white/ ecru ones were scoffed at recently (by my eye doctor who proudly pulled up the trouser leg of his expensive suit to display a pair of black Under Armor’s). During my exam, as I was reading the chart and trying to figure out the very small print, he looked down and saw that my pant leg had travelled up a bit and there, right above my black sock for all the world (or him) to see were my ecru colored, thermal waffle weave knit, long johns.

So, in trying to get with the 21^st Century, I bought a pair – and balked loudly at the cost. Almost $100 for a pair of black long johns? Meanwhile, another store (Odd Lots) was selling a pair of ecru colored (or black – they got with the times too) long johns – waffle knit thermal top and bottoms for the staggering amount of $8 for the set! A whole suit (maybe one you wouldn’t wear to church on Sunday – too difficult to find the right tie) for under ten bucks.

Well sir, I paid for the Under Armors and so it was time to put them to the test. Put on my “hip and with-it” black Under Armors, went out into the wilds of Manhattan to take pictures and froze my camera lens off. Yeah, they are slick looking (kids who like wearing jeans with holes in the knees prefer them. Also, guys like to wear short pants and a pair of Under Armor black drawers – don’t ask me why. It is defeating the purpose of warmth – isn’t it?) But these $100 drawers were thin, as stylish as a pair of long johns can possibly get but provided no warmth. Said eye doctor had me lift my pants leg when I returned (in a frozen huff, mind you) to pick up my glasses, felt them and said it was all in my mind. He pointed out the comfort they provided and how quickly they dried when washed. I still think he gets a kick-back from Under Armor for each pair he gets a patient to buy.

And so, you might ask, how did I finally get myself into a trusty, red, union suit? Well, my buddy Chris is quite a nice guy and his web site extols the virtues of the union suit. As New York City fell into a spell of cold and snow, I found one of our last, remaining, Army & Navy shops and bought a Hanes red waffle thermal (some habits I cannot break) union suit.

Took a shower. Dried off. Stepped into the tagless Hanes union suit, buttoned it up and true to form – pulled a pair of socks up and over the double knitted cuffs. For me, the thermal cotton provides a bit of stretch and support that is unsurpassed. Yeah. I had on my broadcloth boxers under the suit (and, if you want to talk about laughable you gotta see the plaid and paisley print ones that K-Mart has on sale) and white socks – a truly masculine get-up and thank God for that! Went to sleep (it is an old building and the landlord is not going to properly heat it so nights, mornings and early afternoons are quite cold if not downright frigid around here) in them and found them to be the ultimate in comfort. Socks kept the legs from riding up and any “bladder” issues weren’t that much of a hassle after the first time I stumbled, half-asleep, to answer nature and stopped and said, “What the heck? Buttons? Oh. Yeah.”

Next morning, despite below freezing temperatures and snow on the windows, I was warm and quite cozy. My bro, Chris, once called a union suit “romance killer” but for me, the art of being warm and snug is all the love this old man needs.

After a picture taking session (consider them your Christmas present, Chris) I sat around the computer in them feeling comfortable, warm and cozy. No drafts hitting the small of my back where the thermal t-shirt top always rode up on me (being 6 foot 3 inches isn’t always a plus), roomy fit and if the doorbell should ring, all it would take to be “presentable” was to jump into a pair of jeans – the top passes for a Henley.

Then came the big test – the great outdoors. Or, in this case, the urban jungle. As I previously stated, the comfort factor was a big plus. Despite my fears, there was no “pull” on my shoulders (the store did sell “tall” ones so they did fit properly) and, unlike the Gentlemen’s Quarterly Under Armor’s, these babies kept a man all comfy and warm – from neck to ankles.

So. Two piece thermals vs. a union suit. OK boys, let’s face it. The big (and ultimately only) issue is that blasted trap door. Easy to button and unbutton but a major pain in the . . . a major pain when the bran muffin kicks in.

Wearing a sweater made it a bit impossible to unbutton the long john union suit and just get on with business. And, the boxer shorts underneath the union suit didn’t help matters any. So, for the next test, I tried ‘em without said boxer shorts. Ah! A lot easier and no major undressing required.

Of course, now I am going to start another debate – while still a strong advocate of tucking the cuffs of your trusty union suit (or thermal long john drawers) into your socks – I now feel that as a union suit/ long johns (two separate pieces) are underwear (despite Under Armor trying to make them a fashion accessory like the Kardashian’s might wear). Putting underwear (short) under underwear (long) is like wearing a belt and a pair of suspenders – overkill!

I can hear the cries from long john/ union suit aficionados across the globe yelling, “but wearing your briefs under long johns enables you to wear them longer. One union suit (or thermal drawers) can be worn a few days while you would change your summer underwear every day.

I’m all for hygiene but I’m also a big fan of “When You’ve Got To Go, You’ve Got To Go” so I will buy a few union suits (White. Perhaps Oatmeal – hey Chris – did you ever think starting that great blog would make you not only a hero but a mentor?) and keep the broadcloth boxers off to one side until warmer weather prevails.

To Be Continued....

Metamorphosis-ed, Part Two

Prior to Joe of NYC's "The Big Switch" posting, he wrote a great story for this blog based on his experience as a boy growing up in the Big Apple with this, posted March 5, 2017, one of my favorites:

Holy Union Suits!
                   Contributor: Joe of New York City

Here is a story I was told (and I have no way of proving it but it sounds true enough).

Back in the late thirties and early forties in New York City (the lower east side of it, in this story), the world was preparing to go to war. Everything was being rationed and that meant heat and fuel.  So, union suits (long handles/ gotcha's - historical fact: "Long Johns" wasn't coined until the late forties) became a winter necessity for guys. Whether indoors or outside, with no fuel heating furnaces, it was cold. I recall that in the early 50's seeing union suits sold in boxes. I don't know if they contained 3, 6 or a dozen but they were in boxes and on the front was a guy sitting in an easy chair, legs crossed, in slippers, a white union suit (heather oatmeal sounds fine and dandy but it was not an option back then) smoking a pipe. These were displayed in the windows of haberdasheries.

As I stated, all the boys wore 'em including our Parish priests. Churches then were barn-like big and impossible to heat under any conditions. Our church was next to our parochial school run by nuns. As a washing machine was a luxury and the clothes dryer had not been invented yet, the good nuns did the laundry for the priests - including the white union suits they wore to keep warm. Everybody on the lower east side hung their clothes out on clothes lines. In Europe - especially Italy - they still do.  I saw it last year but it was warm and seemed more in the bedding variety. So, after washing them, the good sisters of charity hung the union suits out on clothes lines strung high above the playground of the school to dry. It became a game, or so I was told, to try to figure out which priest wore which union suit. A short priest would probably be the proud owner of a small sized union suit while a tall guy had an extra long one/ a fat priest had a large one, etc.  

Innocent days and probably a fun game too.

Today, most city boys would rather freeze then put on a good, old-fashioned, and reliable union suit or even two piece thermal drawers. Of course, their hero's are not John Wayne, John Payne (the Restless Gun) or cowboys. They think a guy in a union suit or long johns looks funny. Heck boys or any man stripped down to his underwear is going to be a comical sight - a union suit just covers a bit more ground and is of historical significance.

Joe: Your postings have have been but two of the many contributions you've made to Union Suit Fan. Thanks for all you've done to help make this blog achieve whatever success it has had! ... Your greatful pal, Chris

Joe of NYC during Covid
Covered from head to toe for protection
in mask, socks, and union suit
(tucked in, of course)

Union Suit Fans!

As promised last week, I'm featuring the first of those individuals who initially responded to my blog, Union Suit Fan, by email or through comments to my various postings back in 2016. So over the next little, I'll post about these union suit fans whom I've met through this blog and have gotten to know quite well. It's doubtful we'll ever meet in person but we know each other through emails, stories and photos right down to our underwear!

In my last posting, I mentioned that I wasn't sure if anyone would bother to read a blog with long underwear as the primary topic, especially the kind which so many consider “old-fashion.” But, I gave it a go and not long after I initiated such, I received the following email:

Dear Chris,

Rich of Buffalo, NY

Just wanted to say Hello and to Thank You for your Union Suit Blog. I also wear union suits and enjoy hearing stories and seeing pictures of other guys wearing them. I hope you keep up with your blog, especially now that the fall is on the way. Can winter be far behind?

I usually start out in late October with my short sleeve light weight suits, and work my way into the long sleeve ones. I have a good collection with even several Athletic Union Suits.

I live in Buffalo New York, so this is good long handle country.

Drop me a line when you can.  Best Wishes, Rich

Hey Rich:

Your email just dropped into my in-box but I see it was dated Sept. 9th. Sorry just getting back to you. It's great to hear from you as another Union Suit wearer. And I am happy you enjoy the blog. There are a lot of us guys who prefer comfortable, one-piece underwear so I'll keep the torch burning. I've been wearing union suits since early October and will continue to probably the first week or two in June. I also wear them during the summer when camping in the mountains.

Send me any articles or photos and I will place in my blog using only first name and home town. Keep in touch...Chris

From that point, Rich and I began corresponding by email, with my learning much more about him over the years. Here are just a few excerpts from our dozens of emails over the years:

Chris: ….My dad got me into wearing a union suit when I was a teenager and they have always been my favorite kind of underwear. I didn't like them at first and put up quite an argument with him about wearing them. He won that argument but soon I agreed with him about their comfort and warmth.....Rich

Rich: Did you get teased at school when wearing your Union Suits? In Idaho, many boys like me wore union suits and others, two piece long johns. We had friendly rivalry changing clothes in the boys' locker room at school after gym because most all of us wore long underwear, most of the school year. On cold days we wore our gym clothes over our long underwear. Looking back we must have been a sight! ...Chris

Chris, No I never got teased for wearing a Union Suit. I went to an all boys school and there were still a lot of boys who wore long underwear of one sort or another. More two piece but several wore union suits. Our gym was in a separate building from our locker room and we'd have to run outside to the other building. One time I remember twins who were in our class both wore gym clothes with their union suits underneath. 

I do remember one of my best friends asking me why I wore "button-down-underwear" like his dad. That's the only time I remember it being called "button-down-underwear" which is a good name for them....Best wishes, Rich

Rich: "Button-down-underwear" is a good name for Union Suits! I like that and might try to work it in to a future post. I wonder where your friend came up with that terminology. When he asked you why you wore "button down underwear.” did you tell him your daddy made you?! ...Chris

To this day, I love the term “button-down-underwear” when describing Union Suits. You may remember me using this reference fairly often when posting about union suits. Well, that came from Rich's email and from then on that's what we both called our union suits. Rich began telling me more about his personal history, such as his time in the Vietnam War and what he did after returning home to Buffalo. The man is a true patriot! His emails were so interesting, I asked him to write down those days for a “Guest Contributor” posting to my blog. I repeat it below in the event you missed it or you are new to Union Suit Fan:

My Story: Tailor Made 

       Rich of Buffalo, New York, Contributor

Whatever happened to low dollar, affordable union suits? I can remember paying five and six dollars for union suits back in the late 1960's and early 1970's. So many department stores sold them then. There was a store right around the corner from where I lived that sold a variety of long underwear. I purchased several union suits there over the years. They came in boxes of six union suits or so, each wrapped individually.

There was a tailor shop I remember fondly in downtown Buffalo, New York which I happened to notice one cold day while waiting nearby for a bus. I looked in the window and decided to go in and warm up. The shop was owned by an elderly man and his wife. He tailored custom suits and his wife did alterations. I wanted to know if by chance he sold union suits so I asked. The owner was not especially friendly at first. Maybe he thought I was just joking about my willingness to buy one. It turned out though that he did sell the one-piece, button-down underwear I was seeking.

I told him I wore union suits often but didn't happen to have one on that day. His whole demeanor changed when I convinced him that I intended to buy one. 

He placed one of his legs up on a chair and raised his pant leg to the knee to show me that he wore union suits as well. No doubt he came from the old country and probably wore union suits summer and winter all his life. Turns out we were fellow union suit wearers! Not too surprising as this was Buffalo, New York after all.

The tailor's stock had to be really old because the long underwear he showed me came in boxes but was not in shrink wrap. I picked a union suit that I figured might fit me. He looked at me surprised when I informed him that I planned not only to buy one but that I wanted to wear it home that very day. I told him that I frequently rode buses around town as I had that day. It would be a long, frigid wait at the bus stop when I left his shop and I did not intend on freezing. I asked where I might try on the underwear.

He wanted to know if I had ever been measured for a union suit. At the time I was a young man of twenty-two just out of the service. Although I had been wearing union suits for years, I didn't know a thing about being sized for long underwear.

So at his instruction, I undressed down to my underwear and he measured me right there in his shop. He meticulously measured my waist, chest, inseam, and trunk. This tailor must have measured countless men and boys over the decades. So measuring me for a union suit was second nature to him. He jotted down my measurements, did some figuring, and then recommended just the right size. He placed the union suit that I had chosen back on the table and handed me a better fitting one. He directed me to a private room where I could put it on. 

As I was buttoning up the union suit he walked in and asked “how does it fit? 

"Perfectly!" I intoned happily.

With me standing there in my new long underwear, he looked me up and down and pronounced, "You'll be good and warm now!"

"Yes, I will," I agreed as I pulled on my pants.

After I finish getting dressed, I paid him and turned to leave. I waved goodbye to the gentleman tailor and his wife as I walked out the door toward the bus stop. He not only warmed my body that day but my heart as well. What a kind old gentleman he turned out to be.

Several times I returned to his tailor shop. I purchased a new union suit or two every year. One day I returned intent on buying another union suit but the shop was empty. Had he retired, sold out, died? I never found out. And so it goes in life.

My time there and the long underwear I purchased from him are now just a memory. I never did buy a tailored custom suit from him. I don't even remember now what underwear brand the union suits were but they were made very well. I'll never forget that early experience and my affection for that old man who himself wore union suits and every now and then sold one or two to me and perhaps other well-measured men.

Thanks to my very good friend and true Union Suit Fan, Rich, for contributing his early experience.... Chris

Thanks Rich for being a part of my life these past years. May you continue to be in good health and enjoying wearing our favorite "button-down" underwear! ….Your pal, Chris

 Union Suit Fans: Today is the Seventh Anniversary of Union Suit Fan!

It's hard for me to believe, but yes I started this blog seven years ago, May 4, 2016. Where do the years go, I ask myself frequently. Perhaps you do too. 

Seven years ago, I first wrote in my blog "Welcome to Union Suit Fan, a blog promoting my favorite underwear, long-handled Union Suits! Postings include articles, stories, anecdotes, and photos of and for union fans everywhere...." And you responded. 

At the beginning, I confess, I wondered if I created this blog from my personal experiences and collections for my own enjoyment or for others too. Would anyone bother to take a second look? I mean, I love the feel, look and warmth of Union Suits. Do others as well? I thought I'd share and find out.

The result was beyond anything I had imagined. In fact, thanks to your interest and responses, a couple years later, I added a companion blog, Union Suit Fans in the Spotlight which featured entertainers of all genre: music, television, movies,  animation, books, and more.

A reader/viewer/enjoyer of this blog for quite sometime and whom I have gotten acquainted with as a union suit fan, recently emailed to ask, "how much material do you have left in order to continue your fun, compelling blogs about union suits? You must be running out of stories, pictures, and ideas... Cody, Internatioinal Falls, Minnesota.

Well, Cody, it seems nearly limitless. Surprisingly, union suits are back in vogue. More and more men and women, boys and girls are wearing them again. Need proof, just look at the number of companies that now manufacture and sell them on the internet. 

So, I'm thinking I have at least another seven years of material to continue these blogs. And thanks to so many of you, I suspect I can do it with your continued assistance. I've said numerous times, Union Suit Fan would be exceptionally boring if it were only pictures of and stories about me, and surely would not have lasted nearly this long. You all have stepped forward with photos and stories of your own which are exceedingly entertaining, fun and, dare I say it, educational. 

And that is what our "old-fashioned underwear" is about, entertaining, fun and educational. Since the days of vaudeville and movies without sound, union suits have made their way into our lives, quite often with hilarious results.

Over the next couple of weeks, I am going to feature a couple of Union Suit Fans, as I describe them (I hope they too describe themselves as such) who first contacted me through comments and by emails and who have contributed immensely to my enjoyment in this endeavor we have created together. That is not to say that a large number of you, who have come after, have not contributed greatly as well. But I thought it would be interesting and great fun to remind those of you who have been here for years and to introduce those of you who may be "newcomers" to my dear ole long underwear friends. So watch for this and them, coming soon. In the meantime, thanks to all who check into this sight and to all those who have contributed. Hope you'll continue to be involved.

Keep 'em buttoned, I do, and remember... 

                                                                                       .....Chris Ayers.

Added May 9, 2023:

Acknowledging my 7th anniversary on the 4th of May, I presume... Thanks, Clem for this and for adding so much to this blog, Your union suit buddy, Chris:

Dear Chris~

 

"Hooray, Hooray

The Fourth of May!

Until later, Clem