The Beach Boys, formerly known as the Pendletones, created their own fashion culture in the 1960s, Pendleton shirts worn with khakis over plain white tee shirts. Which became the day’s most famous surf uniform. The Beach Boys religiously sang about the waves, the sunshine, the cars and the of the California surfing scene. Under Brian Wilson’s unique artistic leadership, surf music was defined by the Beach Boys. And although their name changed, their uniform didn’t. Throughout the early 1960s, the band wore this blue and charcoal plaid shirt on the 45s and LP covers.
For 2019, Pendleton celebrated eight decades of Pendleton shirts by bringing back iconic shirts from each decade. To celebrate the 1960s, Pendleton brought back the Board Shirt in the same plaid seen on all those record covers and officially named it the Blue Beach Boys Plaid.
It all began in the 1950s when surfers, as well as ranchers, sought technical outerwear. As Oregonians talk in binary terms of seasons—it’s either summer or monsoon season- little is said of the weeks when mother nature is stuck between. While late spring and early fall are relatively mild, choosing the correct outerwear can be a real drag. It’s often too wet for a hoodie or fleece, but a proper rain jacket feels like overkill. If you are from the UK you will understand what I mean like no-one else.
This is precisely when the Pendleton Board Shirt comes in handy.
Long beloved by ranchers to provide warmth without weight on those cold evenings in the high desert of its namesake, Pendleton erupted in popularity in the 1960s when SoCal surfers realized that 100 percent virgin Umatilla wool is a perfect exterior layer to retain heat while dragging one’s surfboard to and from the Wagon.
Now and then a debate takes place when in our Pendleton appointments about which is the most iconic menswear item of all time.
Some say it’s the Topster, the shirt jacket that defined collegiate wear in the 1950s and 60s. Some say it’s the Westerley cardigan worn by Jeff Bridges in “The Big Lebowski.” Others claim the honor for the Beach Boys Board Shirt.
This shirt is almost as quintessential as the band that made it famous!
Shop the iconic Pendleton menswear collection at The Great Divide.