Pendleton Westerley Cardigan Navy
Pendleton Westerley Cardigan Navy
Pendleton Westerley Cardigan Navy
Pendleton Westerley Cardigan Navy
Pendleton Westerley Cardigan Navy
Pendleton Westerley Cardigan Navy
  • Load image into Gallery viewer, Pendleton Westerley Cardigan Navy
  • Load image into Gallery viewer, Pendleton Westerley Cardigan Navy
  • Load image into Gallery viewer, Pendleton Westerley Cardigan Navy
  • Load image into Gallery viewer, Pendleton Westerley Cardigan Navy
  • Load image into Gallery viewer, Pendleton Westerley Cardigan Navy
  • Load image into Gallery viewer, Pendleton Westerley Cardigan Navy

Pendleton Westerley Cardigan Navy

Regular price
$350.00
Sale price
$350.00
Regular price
Sold out
Unit price
per 
Tax included.

This style debuted in 1972, but when The Dude wore an original in the film "The Big Lebowski," fans clamored for a comeback. Now it's back by popular demand, down to every last color and detail. FREE POSTAGE VALUED AT $18

 

MEASUREMENTS ON MEDIUM -

ACROSS CHEST UNDERARM TO UNDERARM - 24 INCHES AND WOOL KNIT STRETCHES OUT AN INCH WHEN ON 

LENGTH FROM NECK TAGLINE TO BOTTOM 27 INCHES LONG

ENTIRE ARM SLEEVE 31 INCHES LONG

 

  • Lambswool
  • Dry clean
  • Imported
  • You may know it as The Dude's cardigan or The Big Lebowski sweater, but we debuted the Westerley cardigan in 1972 as part of our Westernwear line.

     


    Original History


    The Westerley drew inspiration from beautiful Cowichan sweaters that are hand-knit by Pacific Northwest tribes. Heavy enough to work as outerwear with only two knit stitches per inch, our version was machine-knit by Winona Knitting Mills of Minnesota, a two-facility company owned by the Woodworth family.

    Super thick and warm, the Westerley was one cozy sweater. We carried it for more than ten years. Throughout those years, the Westerley's zip front, ring zipper pull, shawl collar and Greek key pattern all stayed the same, although the color variations were surprisingly wide. The sweater went out of production in the 1980s, but found popularity again in the early 2000s, thanks to an obscure movie that didn't stay obscure for very long.



    The Big Lebowski


    This Coen brothers' film was released in 1998, but quietly grew into a cult favorite. No one can pinpoint the exact reason why. Was it Donny's clueless questions? Walter's chin-strap beard? The German nihilists? The dream sequence scored by Kenny Rogers and the First Edition?

    Well, it was probably a grand confluence of all of these important factors, plus the masterful turn taken by Jeff Bridges as The Dude. He staggers in and out of trouble, alternately wearing sweats, shorts, pajama pants, a bathrobe, and a battered Westerley cardigan. Jeff Bridges wore his own clothes for this role, and though there were two sweaters handknitted as backups, he preferred wearing his personal Pendleton® Westerley.

    The Big Lebowski continues to grow as a cultural phenomenon. It's not a movie anymore, it's a lifestyle. Its fans, the Achievers, have conventions and their own documentary. And as the movie's audience has grown, so has the demand for a recreation of the Westerley sweater.



    The First Revivals


    Pendleton's first run at reproducing the The Dude's cardigan came in 2011. Not an exact replica, it had the weight and coloration of the original Westerley, with a slightly different knit pattern and a leather zipper pull. This revival Westerley generated an enormous amount of publicity, especially since the sweater worn by Jeff Bridges in the movie was going to auction. The provenance of the auction sweater came into question and it was withdrawn. Pendleton's version sold out almost immediately.