the look

a sun-faded red bandana in soft all-cotton, printed with a wide scrolling paisley border in charcoal and cream. the composition leaves the center almost entirely open, scattered with small dotted rosettes on a plain ground, and puts all the weight in the border, where long curling boteh interlock with rows of tiny comb and diamond fillers and a scalloped outer edge. the corner mark reads washfast colors, all cotton, rn 14193. the wording is worth reading closely. washfast is one of several phrasings american mills used to advertise stable dye, alongside fast color and colorfast, and all cotton is the older convention, predating the 100% cotton phrasing that became standard after federal fiber labeling rules took hold in the early 1960s. the registration number sets the earliest possible date at 1959, and there is no country-of-origin mark anywhere on the piece, which points earlier still, since american mills did not begin printing made in usa on bandana corners until roughly the 1970s. one edge is a true selvage, the finished woven edge of the cloth, with the other three hemmed. the red has faded unevenly over its life into something softer and warmer than it started, which is the quality workwear collectors tend to look for rather than avoid.

please note: the red has faded noticeably and unevenly, lightest through the center and upper field, and the dark print outlines have softened toward grey.

all bandanas are gently cleaned and pressed. beyond that we let them be, so any fading, softening, or small marks of use stay exactly as they came to us.

details

• era: 1960s
• designer: unsigned
• origin: unknown
• design: square cotton bandana in faded red with a charcoal and cream paisley print. wide scrolling border of long interlocking boteh with comb and diamond fillers and a scalloped outer edge, open center field scattered with small dotted rosettes. printed corner mark reads washfast colors, all cotton, rn 14193, with no country of origin. three hemmed edges and one true woven selvage edge. materials and percentages - printed corner mark states all cotton
• condition: very good: noticeably and unevenly faded, lightest through the center and upper field, with a soft mottled tone. print remains fully legible though the dark outlines have softened toward grey. a few loose threads at two corners. no holes, stains, or repairs
• size & fit: one size. a standard square bandana that ties easily at the neck, head, or wrist, and works as a pocket square or a bag tie
• flat measurements: width 21 in, length 21 in