Coleroon/Darwin Shirt
The rather remarkable catalogue copy for the Coleroon Shirt describes the defeat of the Sultan of Mysore and the British adoption of pajamas from India. This women’s shirt is commonly mistaken for a men’s shirt in auctions. The Coleroon was made in Hong Kong in Brown, Teal, Red and Papaya.
From the 1987 Holiday Catalogue: ” The English were laced up like pork roasts when they were beaten at the Coleroon River by troops of Tippoo Sultan of Mysore. They recovered from the licking, but what galled them was the enviable superiority of Tippoo’s loose-fitting garments. Eventually they killed Tippoo, then stole the Hindi word “pae-jamas” and began to sleep more comfortably. Our Coleroon shirt has the easy fit, open collar, and airy fabric of a pajama top, but there’s nothing sleepy about the colors: rich, earthy hues once deemed too racy for Anglo-Saxon blood.”
The Coleroon shirt seems to have been renamed the Darwin shirt in the subsequent Spring 1988 catalog. The shirts look identical (although with different color choices), including having the buttons on the “men’s side”. It was made in Singapore in Faded Spruce, Dark Coral, White and Manila (Though a teal made in Singapore version has been found).
Darwin copy reads: “Versatility means survival to the fittest of travelers, so we made this crisp cotton shirt for quick adaptation to changing environments. With sleeves rolled up, pajama collar left open, pairs well with jeans (dominant or recessive); reverts to a refined state when collar is closed, cuffs buttoned. Fast-drying Naturalist’s Cloth regains its hardy characteristics after a short hang-dry. A natural selection for the truly evolved traveler.”
Brown
Papaya
Teal version (Depop)
Manila modeled by Kimberlee English-Anderson
Dunno, Robyn … I bought that depop Teal one and it says Singapore (it actually is teal, not the cobalt-ish color in the photo), so some of the Coleroons were made in Singapore for sure. I wonder if the “Darwin” is actually just the Coleroon, identical but rebranded; maybe they got some pushback on the copy, even back then. In which case maybe the manila above that Kimberlee is modeling is the “Darwin.” Eh, whatever, those Zieglers …. bahahahaha
You must be right about the Darwin shirt, Julie, I’ve changed the page to reflect that. I can’t see any difference between them. The Darwin came in Spring 1988, right after the Coleroons in Holiday 87. Makes sense they could be the same shirt. Both shirts have the buttons on the men’s side, which is odd. Now that I look closer, there was no Manila Coleroon, only a Darwin. The Coleroons must have been made in Hong Kong and the Darwins in Singapore. But I don’t know what to do if your teal shirt says Singapore. Baffling…Still, it’s a great color and I’m glad you got it!