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After a long period of deliberation and remeasuring my slimmest pair (a modern day 501 that I still keep as reference and which is slimmer than the Kyotos), I finally scooped these up today. There aren't too many older pairs that pop up in both my waist and inseam (31/33, 31/34) so I figured that this was my chance. Worst case they will fill the 60s repro void in my closet

I know that the big Alden-heads really hate the mechanically sewn models, but I have not seen them in person so my knowledge is all secondhand. They could actually be bad or it could just be frustration at change. I've never really dabbled in Alden loafers because my feet make loafer sizing very difficult and I'm never in a place with an Alden stockist for long enough to get properly sized. It's also relatively hard to find secondhand pairs in long and narrow sizes to take a quick sizing flyer. Alden Model Project compiles all the second hand listings too if you can find a pair in your size. I would not pay much more than $200 - non-shell loafers don't hold the same resale value as their boots. https://aldenmodelproject.com/

No experience with shell moc-toes, but good point of reference! The Shoe Mart actually has my size in stock for the LHS but not for the factory seconds unfortunately. I've kept an eye on those in the past, might be worthwhile.

I like the softer lines and toe bump of the LHS but the wait time can be huge. If you have a pair of non shell Alden Indy’s, the faux moc toe stitching will be machine sewn so you could imagine that on a loafer. The shell Indy’s are hand sewn. Have you checked The Shoe Mart for factory seconds of the LHS? You should be able to get some for 30-40% discount

^ congratulations to your not so lil one, you and Mrs Ooms!!

Good point Julian, hadn't considered applying those. Another point I should've mentioned is that I've also been considering the JM Weston 180 loafer in beechnut suede. The JM Weston seem a bit more dressy and my style is more casual, but I saw some in person in Paris and they were really well made.

I don’t know anything about Alden, but I’ve never had anything besides good experiences with Topy-style paste-on soles…

Getting a little in the weeds here, but looking to buy a pair of Alden snuff suede loafers. Is the LHS version (6243F) really that much of an upgrade over the machine sewn version (6221L)? The general consensus seems to be that the LHS version is higher quality, but I was leaning towards the 6221L given the rubber sole. Looking at photos online and it's hard to tell much of a difference. Might be easier to tell in person, but I don't have that option unfortunately. Generally I'm not a fan of leather soles, but most people don't seem to mind the flex leather one from Alden. 6243F: 6221L:

Anyone got the SD502? Looks like a straight and great fit. 50s inspired? https://www.dartisan-onlineshop.com/SHOP/SD-502.html

Your perception is the only truth. It is what informs your experience, and shapes tomorrow's truth in the light of new perception. Magic and meaning is everywhere, in everything, but it is entirely unique to the observer. We (as a collective humanity) often put to much external value on that truth, particularly when a collection of individuals experience the same truth, and thus try to enforce it upon others as a universal truth to shape their perception. Please forgive the philosophy, feel free to ignore it as well. Its my perception anyways, which doesn't mean its true.

To offer somewhat of a different perspective here that has little to do with old repros per se, nostalgia is a powerful drug. The search for “authenticity” is often a search for feelings one had as a youth, when everything was more exciting because one was young and because there is a sense of discovery at that age that there won’t be when you’ve lived longer, and seen more. It’s not to say that the pursuit of nostalgia is problematic, but one will simply never recreate the feelings of that age. It is a chapter in life. Now we are in a new chapter. There are plenty of brands here that I would contend exude the passion some probably found in the original Osaka 5 works. And maybe young people finding them today will have the same feelings about them twenty years from now. Tender, Freewheelers, and Ooe, (and TCB as noted) for example - all know how to do IG , yes, but they also clearly and patently make what they love and it shows in the clothes - those of us that have them probably appreciate them largely for this reason. There are things from the past worth holding on to, but we can’t completely. I also don’t mean to take anything away from collecting older models - if that’s your jam, by all means. It’s fun to go searching and find a treasure, absolutely. It just doesn’t mean that there isn’t something out right now that lacks that same magic. These are just perceptions. I use Leica digital Monochromes for my work. I use them because damn are the files so much better than a 35mm negative, and they make pictures possible that weren’t before. I’m stubborn and want the camera to feel like the sort I used for years, but that’s the irrational part of me. They are an objective improvement compared to the negatives you’d get from tri-x run through an analog M, and the prints (that I do digitally) have their own unique and beautiful presence that a silver print differs from (not better or worse). But, I came up shooting film for a good while, I shot it for work when I had the budget, had to turn around that shit on deadline for magazines stubbornly when digital was in full force already because 10 years ago medium format film still had a very demonstrable advantage - as of about the 36 and 40 mp sensors in the D800 series or the Sony A7R series, it was gone. And I was happy to let it go. I still have my Rolleiflexes and M6, beautiful mechanical objects but they sit in a case because as photographic tools they’re not as good for most purposes. (Some specific purposes - I’ll never tell someone what they need - I’m sure can be found). If one enjoys the process more, that’s great. Enjoying the process is the most important part of making things, most of the time. But careful not to hold an idea that it’s somehow something more real or pure because it’s older or slower etc. And there’s nothing that stops one from being deliberate on a digital camera. I get that the roll of film presents a hard limit on things, but there’s nothing stopping one from just shooting a few deliberately made pictures even if you can make 1000. Yes, we are awash in more plastic and more fakery and more advertising than ever, and it can make the good stuff hard to find, but it’s more out there than ever. Maybe this is because I work in the arts but there is great new work being made now, all of the time, and the idea of “the good old days” is a mirage that will never materialize because the way it exists in one’s head now is different than it was even then. Realizing this probably belongs in the “nonsense” thread - mods feel free to move, or delete even if this is too insufferable ha.

I'll let you know what I find out.

@Broark 2406006

@julian-wolf No, not that I am aware of. Do you have that code handy from the listing?

Are they rereleasing the Kingfisher bag this season? Saw one pop up on Yahoo and Mercari with a nominal 24 product code, but not having any luck finding reference to it elsewhere

Some of the conversation here feels in the spirit of some of the philosophical thoughts (both clothing/style and otherwise) that I've been thinking about during late nights with my son. Here is my screed. There are all sorts of different reasons that lead people to choose the items that they wear. They may dress a certain way due to economics, aesthetics, to generate "likes", to blend in, to stand out, to convey affinity or membership in a particular subculture, because they just enjoy wearing particular items for the sake of it, etc. Obviously, these reasons are not all mutually exclusive. In the image and click based world of today, arguably certain reasons are privileged more than others. In an Instagram fit pic, a pair of vintage Evis Lot 2501 No. 1 (as an example pertinent to this thread) will be more or less indistinguishable from a pair of modern day Levis or mall brand jeans and would generate no more likes or hype, as opposed to say the Oni Asphalt fabric. In the real world though, their is an intangible element to those Evis that can only be experienced through love and wear - the tactile experience of the fabric, the history, the passion, dedication, and craftsmanship of the creator. This goes beyond clothing as well, at least it does for me. It's similar to the reason why I collect vintage pulp hardboiled and sci-fi paperbacks rather than the modern day reissues of those titles. I just love the vintage Robert McGinnis cover art as opposed to the more soulless covers of today. It's the reason why I'm going to start getting into film photography (at least occasionally) with an old Nikon SLR and an old Leica rangefinder. Sure I can probably create more technically perfect images with my Fuji mirrorless camera and Lightroom, but then I lose some of the tactile joy and craft of the analog experience. Rather than spamming 100s of shots for the perfect image, I have to be much more deliberate in my choices. Even in my professional area of science (chemistry,chemical engineering/soft matter physics), there was a sense of discovery, wonder, and careful details present in older literature than in contemporary literature. These older works often did science for the sake of fundamental discovery and carefully crafted experiments and shared the results in a more sober matter-of-fact manner. I never learned as much as I did from literature from the mid-90s and earlier. Today, as in denim, a lot of the work fixates more on the final product than the journey. Large portions of academic research focus more on device fabrication and subsequent commodification in search of an easy start-up spinoff or payday at the expense of fundamental research. I don't blame them since such hype generation drives a lot of the funding decisions, at least in the US, but this reality is ultimately what led me away from academic roles/professorships and is partly why I'm now an industrial scientist. To conclude and as a slight aside, some of the discussion here is ultimately what led me to purchase the TCB no. 2. The jeans are clearly polarizing in aesthetic as evidence by the contest thread here. They were most definitely not designed to generate 100 fit pic posts on Reddit. Rather, they exist because Inoue-san clearly loves the history of the denim and cared deeply about maklng those jeans for their own sake. Are they a pair that I would pick in a vacuum - no. However, I too appreciate the attention to detail and wanted to do my smallest part to ensure that the passion and craft can live on a little longer

13-13.5 oz.

Denim looks real nice, what was the weight again?

Gave them a wash yesterday, liking where they are headed. Will probably give them another wash in a couple of months.

My only hope: as long as people are interested in the original (read vintage Levi's 501s) there will be a certain demand for repro jeans.

So ended up picking some of these up as they look like a wider / more accommodating fit than the original and actually Signet had them at a great price (plus I also panicked slightly at the FC pricing chat and the thought of my beloved Warehouse going the same way). Building on my reverence for the brand in owning an anniversary pair too. Awaiting their delivery now and crossed digits Fedex don't stiff me on import. I also picked up a pair of 1000XX 1946 DSB (critically, not 1001XX (1000XX)) - this was based almost entirely on assumptions on sizing, if anyone has any sizing info on these (at size 34) I would be very grateful - these aren't coming from the other side of the world though so returns / re-sell shouldn't be an issue if it's gone wrong. I'm essentially hunting for a slightly wider / looser version of what I already have, one in DSB and one in Banner, to cover all my favourite material needs.

Longines 1927 limited edition 18K RMC denim & Denime mother denim

Seconding b_Fs suggestions, I take a w38 in OA and w36 in all my Freewheelers jeans. And always buy from Hoosier.

Most will tell you to buy from Hoosier. Excellent service and everything will be covered. In terms of size: I wore a W34 in the FW1947 and wear a W36 in Ooe. The FW felt roomier so you will probably be happy with a W32 or a W33 to be safe.

Thinking about purchasing a pair of Freewheelers Vanishing West 1942 or 1944. What’s the general sizing advice? For the reference I wear a size 34 in OOE Yufuketen 0A01, 33 in TCB 50s. Also, which Japanese shop would you recommend? I’d also like to get them hemmed. Thanks in advance!