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Get comfy.. i've got a long overdue photo-dump We moved into our house 5yrs ago and the bathroom was already fked! I've been bodging the electrics to keep shit working Being an 1880era terrace house, there was never a bathroom, toilet would have been at the end of the garden (now a bike shed) and washing facilities would have been a tin bath in front of the coal fire.. so our bathroom would have been a back bedroom.. It looked like this.. .. there was a false wall to house the electric shower but designed by fkin idiots so one would open the door onto the sink which you would shimmy around before you could close it *face palm* I chalked out my plans full scale on the floor at work ..and started building the cabinets ..bought a lovely hand made concrete basin ..and some wood from https://www.albiontimber.co.uk/ We're not posh enough to have en-suite so much to the families disgust.. i bought a camping toilet from Amazon and put it in the outside loo ..I started building the cabinets in ..took a break for Pakistani mango season ...droooool! ..i didn't do any of the plumbing or tiling, i just planned it all out to the nth degree and bought all the stuff (well you know what i'm like, i spent months doing this ).. turned out the tiler was some kind of tiling god! Now it looks like this.. ..had the shower tray imported from Ireland I wanted the windowsil to drain the water back to the shower tray so rather than taper the fluted pink tiles i made a wooden plinth and cast a silicone mould ..then made a concrete windowsil instead ..turned out pretty well I bought this mid-century Italian medicine cabinet from https://vintarama.com/en-gb in Germany These are the plinths i made from the Ash i bought from Albion ..bits and bobs from Ferm Living ..and Zone Denmark ..i've built a hidden cupboard into the cabinets ..push the door and it clicks open Stacey Solomen can fk off with her scatter cushions.. i've missed my vocation in life as a bathroom designer!

With a combined experience of nearly 5,000 years denim-wearing and denim-scrutinising experience (give or take a few years 😜), I’m very happy to introduce the contest judges… @Maynard Friedman @Bobbo @chicote @CSL @Double 0 Soul @Dr_Heech @Duke Mantee @Flash @oomslokop Simone @smoothsailor I hear you - it's the mother of all judging panels!! Thank you judges for signing up to play a part in the competition. I think we can safely say the winners will deserve it 😀 … to anyone inadvertently missed from the list - mia culpa, our apologies - we’re getting older, busier and more forgetful… please continue to join in along the journey... So… how will it work? Here's the outline... Each judge will pick their 1st, 2nd and 3rd places Each place will be worth points. Points make prizes. 1st place = 4 points 2nd place = 2 points 3rd place = 1 point There will be no sharing, no conferring between judges. They will make their own choice, without influence. Maynard will be the lead judge. He’ll consolidate all individual judge’s scores and total them up to give a grand total… and the winners! NB - we need to work through what we'll do if there is a tie for places (we have a little time to decide that 😉) Maynard will announce the 1st, 2nd and 3rd places Game on!!

..after all that^ hard work, i needed a break so we headed to Castellammare del Golfo in northern Sicily.. considered the jewel of the north-west, a bit like Barrow-in-Furness. I nearly missed the plane because security didn't like the look of my fishing tackle.. a small pouch filled with lead shot and scissors.. I picked up a Fiat Panda Hybrid in the airport..the driving in Sicily is just insanity, much like Mario Kart, the only way to get around is to drive like an Italian, never stop, never give an inch, push in at every opportunity, shouting shit and gesticulating wildly while throwing banana skins and tortoise shells at other road users.. they know you're a tourist if you're indicating so i stopped using my indicators on day 2 and pushed in at every opportunity they soon accepted me as one of their own Luckily, when they're not behind the wheel of a car, the people are lovely, we rented a house on a dirt track in the middle of nowhere, my sat-nav freaked out and couldn't locate the house, outside the capital, nobody speaks a word of English and my italian is considered 'offensive' at best but after 30 mins of driving around the dirt tracks i had to go to someone's house to ask directions.. i had a phone number but the guy who owned our house didn't speak english so i couldn't call him and explain where we were because i had no fkin clue where we were?!.. ..The guy who came to the door lived in Milan (originally from Sicily and spoke a little english) and was staying at his holiday home with his family, wearing nothing more than Speedos and flip-flops, he called the house owner who came to our rescue on his dirt bike. Our house, nestled between the sea and the mountains.. with my hire-car... it's been 37ºC and 30ºC at night ..down the dirt track ..to the sea ..this is where we spent our days snorkeling with the beach babes The food / restaurant culture is incredible, albeit.. very expensive.. there are no fast food outlets or burger chains.. even the supermarket was deli quality food but priced accordingly. Over here.. if you don't want to pay Waitrose prices, you go to Tesco but over there, you didn't have that option, we ate at some shitholes just to save money towards some of the most fasntastic restaurants i've ever eaten at, one place was serving €290 steaks, we had burgers .. but the most incredible burgers i've ever eaten, dripping with fatty parma-ham, we ate in a forest overlooking the sea and a walled courtyard in Scopello (Ssee last photo) The restaurants open 8.30 till 2am.. most folks come out to eat at 10.30, crowds of peeps queue for tables.. i'm not proud to say that we spent £1150 just on evening meals in one week Messina was the local brew.. it's far, far, far superior on draught ..kid caught a baby gekko Cactus fruit was growing by the side of the road The first night we drove into the local town for pizza, (8mins away) it looks beautiful ...but look how densely populated this place is.. it reminded me of the favellas in Brazil but these buildings are mostly ancient, pre-car so the streets were narrow with no footpaths, always one way and heading in the opposite direction to where i wanted to go.. restaurants would just drag tables and chairs out onto the street and put a metal barrier across the top of the street blocking your way ..trying to negotiate this madness was a pain (getting parked was a fkin nightmare) but 1000s of peeps were out in the streets, from babies to grandparents enjoying each others company instead of sitting in the house typing shit into the internet.. i mean, contributing to forums This was the local town during siesta.. ..my teenager on the rare occasion he wasn't eating gellato ..it seems even Sicilians have love for Yorkshires finest square tubed mountain bikes ..this was Scopello, just around the coast ..on the morning we left, the wind woke me up at 7.30am, blowing a sun shield outside the house.. i had to get up and take it down, odd? .. it started to rain .. hot rain, this wasn't forcast? wtf.. by the time i got to the airport, it was beautiful blue skies again, then i heard the news about the billionaires in the sunken yaught when we got back to the UK.. we were staying just to the left of Palermo, the yacht sank just to the right of Palermo.. half an hour around the coastal road ..anyway, nice to see you all again!

Sugar Cane 1943 tux / Gildan (not visible) / @Duke Mantee / Converse Timeline

Sorry for the slow response @rbeck.. it's been at least 6mths since my last confession Sure, the frame is a Mid-90s Pace RC200, They were made in Yorkshire, very light, very rigid, very quick The forks are Pace RC31, Flight saddle and Syncros post It's been through a series of incarnations but i think i'm finally done tinkering with it.. It's got Pace Renthal bars, Pauls levers, Pauls Thumbies (with Dura-Ace shifters) Pauls Klampers and Onza grips X-Lite L168 with Ringle Slamma Cooks Bros Racing crank (which @beautiful_FrEaK proxied for me) Pace rings, Syncros Ti BB, Suntour XC Pros, XTR M952 front and rear, CK hubs and Ultradynamicos

Starting to develop some decent contrast on the WWII jeans. Pictured here with a belt made by our very own Sir Duke.

Still feel uncomfortable making a picture of my outfit. But found a way a bit better than my dirty mirror. papa nui, buzz, fullcount, gh bass

108°F ain't gonna stop me from rocking my SC '47s. Plus Kamakura and Lofgrens.

Masstard Phigvel Wesco

More fall weather in Ohio today. Same ol hat Vintage vest again Vintage Oshkosh flannel DIY Blundstones

Got myself a new pair yesterday papa nui / engineered garments / at last co

Great Lakes / Tezo / Hollows / Tender / Frank’s

The girl’s away, so the boys’ play… Imperial SEXI26-ST

Warehouse tee, FC belt, TCB 50s

These were my old Silverstone 47s before Doc_H turned them into sexy hot-pants Non of the wear is down to me.. they looked like this when i bought them from Yahoo sometime around 2013

Same old, yesterday Great Lakes / Union Special / Duke / The Vanishing West / White’s

Here are the detail shots of my pair of Kyotos that I promised a while ago. I wanted to get them done before they start to faded too much. I’ve worn them off and on for the summer (probably 10-15 times) but I see them getting some more use now that it’s getting cooler

Really sad to read about the passing of Ande. I remember looking at his jeans and the fits here such a long time ago. Never bought a pair because of the price, but the pocket details were always so beautiful looking. Funny enough I moved from US to NZ a few years ago, I swing by thrift stores from time to time and there's a fun shop here that pulls items from the trash and resells. Recently found a pair of beautiful black faded Ande jeans which I've given to a friend.

My new user name is @bribeyourselftothetop.

Ughhhh....I think me too, despite saying I'd go straight '47s that sounds like a dream pair. Had a pair of WH 1003XX circa 2010 in that configuration (crotch rivet, denim pocket bags, no buckle) that I sold due to sizing issues. This will be a good revenge pair 14 years later. And also, you had me at "Ooe", let's be honest, it'll ease the pain from "cheating" on my Ooe's awaiting wear 😂

My take is basically at that temperature you're going to be hot no matter what, might as well wear what you want 😂

So it seems that i'm a judge :0 Almost as many as the contestants.. If y'all think too many judges will spoil the broth, i don't mind stepping down, i'd never heard of this brand till 10mins ago. I'll quite enjoy the judging process but i might not be around too often so could i judge this blind? .. ie- avoid the thread entirely and @MJF9 just email a front and back shot of each pair at the end.. i could be completely unbiased?

Glad to have snagged the last spot on the contest. Should be fun.

25 taken!

We're gathering momentum nicely here... and something more to whet the appetite... An update from Simone on the 1942 model ... choices choices choices... I would like to do the 42 this way: 411S/611 Fit No buckle back Crotch rivet Standard yoke Denim pocket bags (Ooe amoskeag fabric) no rivets on coin pocket WMJ Buttons No tacks on back pocket Inspired by pair #24 in the Levis book. I'll post another exciting update soon

I am open for business! Could do with some extra spondoolies. Just send me a dm for my PayPal link 😉

Ono-san and I share some similarities in our musical tastes. Today, I’ll listen to an album by John Jenkins, the cover of which is clearly visible in the video.

You still got it Paul, don't worry 👍 l feel exactly the same when l have to stand for a photo but l just have to not grin and bear it . Aren't we men daft? 🫠

...even if it's just the pocket bags 😉

Hell, I'd been considering buying the vest and I'm not a vest guy...so if I can try the denim out via another medium I will.

This is the makeup I’m going with.

Deposit paid! Also congrats to you and your family @beautiful_FrEaK! I’m looking at the 311 fit for myself, as a 32” waist, was thinking a 34. Is anyone else considering the 311 fit?

no while both are essentially straight cuts, they do fit differently. It's most noticeable in the top block where the 47 feels trimmer with more tapered waist. the 46 is a little more anti-fit in shape and has the obvious design quirks. the 46 fabric feels noticeably rougher and uneven than the 47 which is more uniform and has a smoother hand. I'm no expert in vintage but from what I've read and heard from sugar cane, the wartime fabrics were a little lighter in weight than the post war fabrics.

Deposit paid. It's nice when you've got the required amount sitting in your PayPal account and you'd forgotten all about it.

https://jelado.com/products/jelado-supreme-55denim-jp03301 LE 55 cut for Jelado constructed via REBUILT (https://www.instagram.com/rebuilt.jp/?hl=en), really interesting collab with a price tag to match

Stacey Solomen can fk off with her scatter cushions.. i've missed my vocation in life as a bathroom designer! or vlogger, blogger, influencer good to see back here

^ and that makes me think of my "photographers'" journey from discomfort to a way of life

@Double 0 Soul what a stunner! (the bike obviously)

See? Just as daft .🙂

Feeling uncomfortable for the photo is the only proper way to feel I think. Or at least I haven’t figured out how to kick that either.

I guess that's what Ono-san has been up to for the last few months.

Warehouse can be confusing on the naming and knowing what fabrics are being used but I just took a look at the most recent line sheet and it looks like the DD-1001 1947 uses the no.7 x no.7 13.5oz tri-state US cotton and the 1001XX(1000XX) 1947 uses 7.5 x 7.5 pink selvedge denim which sounds like it should be the DSB. I'm not sure if that was different previously though.

Butcher Products At Last & co Asahi

Old hat, FW, MF (Sportsman chinos, indigo twill), Novesta.

Vintage Gats, Resolute 710s and an old embroidered Agnes b. t shirt.

got to visit a local nursery legend today. Jerry is a bit of a godfather when it comes to carnivorous plants specifically Sarracenia/pitcher plants. It was amazing to see all of his greenhouses and hybrids he’s made.

A bit late here, I haven't worn these in quite some time (which is evident from the fold creases). Not sure why I stopped wearing them honestly.

M41200, old tee, Town View mocs

Here's a nice thing that came in the mail yesterday. Looking forward to building it up. Chromag Darco. Pardon the flashlight-lit pictures, northeast ohio had a wicked storm Tuesday, and we are one of >300,000 customers who lost power.

You can tell it's sunny and warm in the UK... wash weekend! Post wash... The same pair pre-wash and with barely worn M41001 (no patch model)