As any fan of

knows, "the Dude" had his own personal style. There's the rug that tied the room together. White Russians, his cocktail of choice. And his distinctive sweater, a chunky-knit, zip-front cardigan.

Since it debuted in 1998, Joel and Ethan Coen's movie has built a fervent cult of followers who have seen it a zillion times, can recite dialogue from memory, and worship the Dude, the slacker character played with shaggy aplomb by

But even the most diehard "Lebowski" scholars may not know that the Dude's cardigan was made by Oregon's

Or that the original sweater worn by Bridges in the movie is going to be auctioned off May 14-15 in Beverly Hills as part of a

.

As the auction listing for the sweater says: "There were four sweaters made for the production -- this vintage sweater and three modern copies, according to costume designer Mary Zophres. Bridges wore this vintage sweater exclusively during the entire production, preferring to wear it all the time and thus delve deeper into the 'Dudeness' required of the role."

While it will probably sell for big bucks -- the opening bid is $4,000 to $6,000 -- the original sweater was, let's face it, a bit weathered. The Dude wasn't all that persnickety about his wardrobe. But you can also get a brand-spanking new "Dude Cardigan" this September. Pendleton is bringing back a tribute version of the design, inspired by the original, priced at $188.

"We had already decided to bring it back," says Debbie Coryell, manager for men's communications at Pendleton. "We had no idea about the auction."

Obviously, like the man himself, the Dude's cardigan abides.

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