Long before the city had a professional hockey team, it had a rowing club on the waterfront, and that rowing club fielded a football side. The Argonauts took their name from the Greek sailors of myth and their colours from two English universities, and they have been playing football in Toronto since 1873. Few things in the city's sporting life are older, and almost nothing has kept its name and colours for so long.
That history gives vintage Toronto Argonauts clothing a different feel from most team gear. It is less brash than NFL merchandise, more local than anything the big leagues produce, and it comes in a pair of blues that look good on almost everybody. This guide looks at the double blue itself, the Grey Cup seasons that shaped Argos clothing, what you are likely to find, and how to wear it as part of a normal Toronto wardrobe.
01. A football club that started on the water
The Argonaut Rowing Club was founded on Toronto's waterfront in the 1870s, and its football team grew out of it. The link to rowing explains the name, and it also explains the colours. The light and dark blues are usually traced to Oxford and Cambridge, the great rowing universities, and the pairing has been called double blue for as long as anyone can remember.
The boat stayed with the club too. Over the years the Argos have used ships, oars and rowers in their logos, redrawing them several times as styles changed. Older marks tend to be more literal, with recognisable vessels or figures, while later ones are simpler and more graphic. If you are trying to place a piece in time, the boat on the chest is often your first clue, though the club has also revived older looks for anniversaries and throwback games.
It is worth pausing on how unusual this continuity is. Most professional teams in North America have changed cities, names or colours at least once. The Argonauts have stayed in Toronto, under the same name, in roughly the same two blues, for over a century and a half. That makes even a modest Argos crewneck part of a very long line.
02. Reading the double blue
The two blues are the heart of every Argos garment, and they are not always the same two blues. Depending on the era, the dark shade has ranged from a deep navy to a brighter royal, and the light shade from a soft powder to a stronger sky or columbia blue. The balance between them has shifted too, with some periods leaning dark and others leaning light.
That variation is good news for wearing. A navy-heavy piece reads almost like a classic collegiate garment and pairs with nearly anything. A piece with lots of light blue feels sportier and suits spring and summer. Pieces that use both shades in equal measure, such as striped knit cuffs and collars, have a pleasingly retro quality that looks best with simple clothes around them.
Light blue is also the shade that fades most visibly. On older cotton it can soften to an almost grey-blue, which many people find more attractive than the original. Dark navy tends to fade unevenly at the shoulders and collar. Compare the outside with the inside seams to see how much the colour has moved, and decide whether the fade suits you.
03. The Grey Cup seasons in clothing
The Argonauts have won more Grey Cups than any other club, and the championship seasons are where much of the clothing comes from. Merchandise tends to spike when a team wins, and Toronto is no exception. A few periods stand out for anyone hunting vintage Argos pieces.
1991
The early nineties were the Argos' most glamorous moment. New owners, including a hockey superstar and a much-loved Canadian comedian, brought in a dazzling young receiver and returner, Raghib "Rocket" Ismail, and the team won the Grey Cup that season. The publicity was enormous, and Argos clothing from the period reflects it: bigger graphics, bolder jackets and a general sense that the team was briefly the most fashionable ticket in town.
1996 and 1997
Later in the decade, with Doug Flutie at quarterback and Michael "Pinball" Clemons in the backfield, the Argos won back-to-back Grey Cups. Clothing from those years includes championship tees and caps alongside the standard crewnecks and jackets of the era, and it tends to be a little more common than earlier gear.
2012 and after
The club won the hundredth Grey Cup in 2012, played at home in Toronto, which made it an especially celebrated title. Pieces from this period, and from the club's more recent championships, are not vintage in any strict sense, but early anniversary and centennial items are already drifting into the second-hand market and can sit nicely alongside older gear.
A team that has worn the same two blues since the 1870s does not need a loud logo. The colours do the talking.
04. What you are likely to find
CFL clothing was made in smaller runs than NFL or NHL gear, and Argos pieces are no exception. They turn up less often than Leafs, Jays or Raptors items, and the range is narrower. Common categories include:
- Crewneck sweatshirts in navy, grey or white, with the boat logo or a simple ARGOS wordmark.
- Toques and scarves in double-blue stripes, often the easiest way into Argos clothing.
- Satin and nylon jackets from the late eighties and nineties, with knit collars and cuffs.
- Grey Cup championship tees and caps from the winning seasons.
- Replica jerseys, usually in mesh or nylon, with printed or sewn numbers.
Because CFL merchandise came from a variety of makers, including smaller Canadian companies, tags and construction vary a lot. Treat any tag as a clue rather than a guarantee, and look at the fabric, stitching and print together before deciding how old a piece is.
05. Condition checks for small-run gear
Smaller production runs sometimes meant simpler construction. Check screen prints for cracking and lifting, especially on thinner cotton tees. On crewnecks, look at the ribbing at the cuffs and waistband to see whether it still springs back. On jackets, test the snaps, look at the lining for tears and check the knit trim for fraying.
Double-blue knits, such as toques and scarves, should be checked for moth damage and for stretched-out ribbing. Light blue yarn shows dirt more readily than navy, so look closely at the cuff of a toque where it touches the forehead. A gentle hand wash will usually freshen it, but old stains may stay.
Argos jerseys deserve the same scrutiny as any other Toronto jerseys. Check printed numbers for peeling, and look at the collar and underarms for discolouration. Mesh can snag and develop small holes; a few are fine for a jersey you plan to wear casually, but large tears tend to spread.
06. How to wear Argos double blue
The great advantage of Argos gear is how easy the colours are to wear. Blue is the most common colour in most wardrobes, and two shades of it slot in almost anywhere. The question is less whether it will work than how to make it look considered.
Try pairing a navy Argos crewneck with brown: chocolate cords, a tan chore coat or suede boots. Brown warms up navy and stops it looking like a uniform. A light blue Argos tee looks fresh with white jeans or cream chinos in summer. A satin jacket in navy and light blue sits beautifully over a grey hoodie with black trousers, and the hoodie's grey softens the shine of the satin.
Fit deserves a moment before any of this. Nineties CFL crewnecks and jackets were usually cut roomy, with dropped shoulders and a body that sits wide but not especially long. That shape suits straight or relaxed trousers and a sturdy shoe. Replica football jerseys are wide across the shoulders and can look boxy on their own, so try one over a fitted long-sleeve tee rather than a bulky hoodie, and measure across the chest rather than trusting the size on the tag.
For a tonal look, wear an Argos piece with different shades of blue denim, keeping the textures varied so it does not look flat. A double-blue toque and scarf with a plain charcoal overcoat is about as simple and Toronto as a winter outfit gets.
07. Game days, Labour Day and Grey Cup weekend
Argos clothing has a natural calendar. The Labour Day game against Hamilton, one of the oldest rivalries in Canadian sport, is a good excuse for a light tee or jersey in late summer. Autumn games call for crewnecks and jackets. Grey Cup weekend, in late November, means toques, scarves and proper winter layers, wherever the game is being played.
If you are heading to a game at the lakeside stadium, dress for wind as well as cold. A double-blue scarf over a vintage parka, with a heavy crewneck underneath, will see you through a long afternoon by the water. For a Grey Cup party at home, a vintage Argos jersey over a long-sleeve tee is plenty.
08. Building a small double-blue collection
Start with whichever piece you will wear most: probably a crewneck or a toque. Add one item from a championship season if you find one in good condition. Then let the collection grow slowly, guided by what you actually reach for. Argos gear rewards patience, since it turns up less often than other Toronto teams' clothing, and part of the pleasure is in the hunt.
Whether you find your first piece on Queen Street or somewhere else entirely, take a moment to appreciate what you are holding. Vintage Toronto clothing does not get much older in spirit than this. The club has been rowing, running and passing in double blue for longer than almost any other team on the continent, and a well-worn Argos sweatshirt carries a little of that long, stubborn history every time you put it on.
