Designer's Corner

Field Notes

Buying work clothes blind gets expensive. The wrong jeans blow out. The wrong jacket leaves you cold at 5 a.m. Field Notes is where we fix that.

This is the Upfit Allwear workwear blog. Straight answers on work jeans, raw denim vs washed denim, carpenter jeans, twill work pants, hi vis safety gear, sherpa lined jackets and how to layer for cold weather work. You will also find denim care, the history behind the clothes and tips for outfitting a whole crew without overspending.

We have spent 48 years in the clothing trade, from a San Jose flea market stall to owning Oscar Jeans, Oscar Sports and Maxxsel Apparel. We write down what we have learned so you buy once and buy right.

Read the guide. Pick your gear. Get back to work.

Oscar Jeans CA999 washed denim five-pocket jeans in dirty blue
Who Makes Oscar Jeans?
Oscar Jeans has been sold over the counters of independent clothing stores for decades. Here is who is behind it, how the jeans are built, and what is in the... Read more...
Oscar Jeans CA999 twill five-pocket work pants in khaki, front view
Twill: The Work Pant That Isn't Denim
Twill pants wear like jeans and pass for trousers. A short primer on the fabric, and the jobs where it beats denim. Read more...
Workwear clothing from Upfit Allwear
Why Workwear Still Works: Style, Toughness, and Everyday Function
Nobody designed workwear to be stylish, which is exactly why it has outlasted a century of things that were. A short history, and what to look for in gear that... Read more...
Vic's Clothing, the San Jose flea market shop where Upfit Allwear began
From Vick's Clothing to Upfit Allwear: A San Jose Legacy Forged in Grit
We started in 1978 behind a table at a San Jose flea market. Here is how that stall, and the brands we used to buy from, became Upfit Allwear. Read more...