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FW, BB, FW, Lofgren

Freewheelers 30s tux, cinched and beltless / Buckweat

Gave the 1922 freewheelers a wash and dryer today. Looking like straight up vintage jeans 🔥

@Broark asked for a comparison of the 1922 denim so here are some shots. 1922 top, 1937 middle, wwii on the bottom.

MF/Drake's/MF/FC/Sebago

Early 1960s paper tag 2002XX. First time ever wearing a denim jacket. I have mixed feelings so far but just not used to it I guess. This was purchased unwashed from Cultizm on Monday night. In my hands in the middle of nowhere California on Thursday, washed and now it’s dry Thoughts on fit? It feels good so far, but I have very wide hips so knew I’d likely never be able to do anymore than a couple of buttons up…

In August 2021, I put a pair of Roy Peanut Pants on ice as they fit too relaxed for my liking. Some of you might remember I debated between selling them or even sending them off to experts like Indigo Proof for significant alterations. At the time, virtually all of you said to move them along or keep but leave them as is. Even Rain advised that recreating some details in the same exact manner that Roy did, might not be possible. Turns out that all of you are right. I went away for 3 years and put on 5 kilograms with food and drink, and now they fit me a little better. Still, they're long in the rise and can slip down during the day and look dumpy in the crotch and butt, but I'm much, much happier with this fit, and have a refreshed appreciation for Roy's work. It is a shame to not have a piece from Roy, but it is an even greater shame to have owned, but never actually tried, something from Roy. With that I'm gonna dump a bunch of photos here. Nothing unexpected for most folk, but I hope it does show why this hobby continues to fascinate us. Front and back photos demonstrate the rather full "relax-tapered" cut, show a glimpse of the internal cloth Peanuts®️ patch, the rounded back pockets and a vintage-looking Big Bro cloth patch with green lettering. That coin pocket is shaped exactly like the back pockets, and it is very deep and wide for an accessory pocket. The back pocket rivets are exposed but done in a manner that it does not scratch furniture. This is a 31" inseam, and combined with the very high rise (these should sit at the navel for me, and even a little above, if I were being honest about being a Super Short King) means I need quite a big double cuff to keep them like high-waters, which is how I prefer my looser jeans to sit. Right away, you might notice the fabric does have a myriad of shades and quite interesting texture. These are very sparingly worn and they are already crinkling in many parts, especially near the front pocket openings and the waistband. The roping at the hems is impeccable. Roy uses all silver buttons for this release. Despite the long rise and rather long fly placard, it only has a total of 4 buttons. I wish it had 5, but who am I to question Roy about his work? A closeup of the narrow, raised and tucked belt loops along with the kind of rivets Roy chose for this release. Check out that tightly sewn bartack for the belt loop, done in a different shade of indigo. Another closeup showing the rivets and one of the exposed corners of the coin pocket. Notice the all-white stitching used for this release. I've seen photos of some pairs of Peanut pants with a different comic strip, but here's the one that came with mine. I'm a little sad thinking the patch will probably wear off to white (or just simply tear eventually) at the top where it sits on the waistband. The shell stitching detail that loads of people love about Roy jeans. Those rivet backs look like brass. Another well-loved detail, Roy's embroidered name and size tag on the back of the front pocket bag. From what I've read, these pocket bags are cut and sewn from an unsanforized canvas material. I'm just a simpleton, so I'll tell you that these heavy duty pocket bags are extremely reassuring to have in daily use. I am positive they will put up with a lot of abuse and still feel comfortable against the thigh. There's two kinds of Rivet backs here. The ones on the fly are one, and the rest are another kind. Now this. I get very excited when I talk about this...excited as a child in a candy store. I tried hard to show it here but it isn't clear. That back pocket patch has a plumpness to it that makes it obviously sit proud to the back pocket. It appears to be sewn in a manner that would become plump as the unsanforized denim around it shrinks with washing.Yet the stitching does not cause the denim to crinkle or appear untidy. Both the back pockets and the coin pocket are entirely lined with the same off-white unsanforized canvas fabric that's used for the front pocket bags. The canvas fabric was chosen, and sewn in a manner that it shrinks with the outer denim, perhaps shrinking at almost the same rate, so that neither the denim nor the canvas forms ripples. I put my hand in those pockets and the inner canvas lies unbelievably flat against the denim. The details really do matter. Selvedge line and Roy's own pink thread being used in his very own black seed denim co-developed with the famed Cone factory. That same thread that's used for the belt loop bartacks shows itself again here. A closeup of the fabric. This is at the outseam of one leg, Don't quote me on this, but I wouldn't be surprised if the selvedge line weave and texture was done in such a manner that it would produce more pronounced train tracks with use. Again you can see this is a really sparingly used pair and we are already getting some bulging of the outside of fabric in the area. The warp threads feel quite plump and that contributes to the texture. There really isn't any pronounced slub or nep, but a constrained level of hairiness is present. Another close up of the fabric, the chainstitch at the hem and the roping. Couple of fit pics, which I put up because they're surely mandatory if I were to claim that they fit better. Notice the leg twist in equal amounts in both legs. On my frame, they are still very relaxed in the thigh with some hip flare. They generally look more flattering when worn higher at the navel but they don't always stay at that level unless I pull them up occasionally during the day. Pardon the unfashionable T-shirt hike up in the back photo, I did that just to give an idea of how those back pockets sit and what the back pocket patch actually looks like on the body. Anyway, that's enough indulgence I'll allow myself for one day, and more than enough to bore most of you. But for sure, Roy jeans are good.

Buzz Rickson Uniqlo jumper Warehouse 1001XX 25th Anniversary John Lofgren M43

If we don’t know what an item entails, is it fair to say that item is expensive? I totally understand something might be unaffordable but that’s really not the same thing. What about trying to break the thing down and examine the value?

Yeah, super fast any time I've ordered from them. For sure looks better, ha. Dunno why I didn't try that first. I did have to cuff the sleeve as these are pretty long and my arms are pretty short. Having never worn a denim jacket, I'm surprised at how much give these pleats have on the chest. Much more freedom of movement than I anticipated, honestly.

Neal chambray getting hammered out

Just saw M11026 for sale, used in sz 38

can attest to this. i've had my og tender glasses in "gin clear" since 2016 and they haven't even yellowed (whiskied? :P)

I am quite familiar with this, should've taken that into consideration when I made my original post. Long story short, Russell make some nice shoes. Do I find them to be worth $700-$800? No, not really.

That's a fair argument, but when something increases in MSRP by ~130% over the course of a few years it just makes me pause. Did every material increase in cost by 100%? If so then they need to rethink their sourcing process. Did workers receive pay raises and / or benefits that account for this cost? If not then I have even more questions about the new price. I guess there's an inherent difference in what is "expensive" and what I see as the personal perceived value.

I wish I could see the balance sheet of a company like Russell. On the one hand, I could believe that a good pair of boots costs $800 to make sure Russell stays sustainable, but is not being greedy. But I’d want to know what sort of lifestyle that affords the cobbler and other employees - and not the few at the top. I know that I have more shoes than I need, and probably more shoes than most people had historically. With the exception of training shoes, I quite possibly could not wear out my current collection if I never bought another pair - especially if I can resole. All told in terms of retail expenditure, my shoes and boots equal at least a few pairs of Russels. (I’d wager I’m not alone here in that). I think it’s also worth mentioning that the weak Yen has definitely spoiled me - to the point that I’m aware that my appreciation for even the best goods goes down, and I have too much. I enjoy everything I’ve got and try to give it all fair use in the spirit it was made, but it’s more than needed - much, much more. If I had my druthers better, I’d own less stuff and want the makers of what I have to be able to live a little bit closer to the life I get to live, even as my own industry suffers extreme downward pressure from multiple forces. This isn’t to excuse price gouging - I don’t know enough to know where it’s happening - but it’s just to note that I do feel that even in our world of well made, small batch goods that carries an ethos of extended and prolific use - we are still awash in stuff. Or at least some of us are - and so where does the sense of fair value come from? When I first started taking an interest in clothes I bought more MiUSA things, which at that point were more comparable in cost to Japanese goods. Somewhere along the way it became less important - probably as the Yen weakened and I became more interested in arcane details I couldn’t find here. At that point, the relative cost (for American or Japanese) was also much higher - I had less income and the prices were stiff even before inflation. Even as I find some of the older items more lacking now because of my own knowledge and preferences deepening, they were appreciated in a different way. And so through that lens, $800 boots that are handmade and part of the local economy may indeed not be so far off, and may represent a fair value (they may not if the CEO of Russell is taking home $100 to every dollar the cobbler takes). Not that I don’t see why it’s an issue. I can’t get my head around ever spending that much on boots (my max ever was around $375, and I just don’t like them enough). But, I sure could see a world where for a good pair, instead I had to outlay the same as I did for a few pairs in my closet (that add up to $800) and live with that limitation. How’s that for some ambivalence?

I'm still using two pairs of specsavers prescription glasses that l bought in 2004, even have the original cases. Think the deal was buy two pairs for 120 quid, so l got one pair clear and one pair of sunglasses. Quality.

Injection moulded plastic frames are probably best avoided if possible - you’ll be better served with acetate (or metal depending on style). Barrel hinges are strong - more barrels (generally) means more strength … 5 and 7 barrels are now fairly common. I guess though you’ve got to identify how you use your glasses … eg do you take them off and put them on often or leave them for long periods, handling can cause them to warp and or weaken; do you use them for work (what’s the environment); do you use them for sport etc I had some Dita frames for about 10 years and my current Jacques Marie Mage frames are about 8 years old - all had lenses swapped as my prescription changed … no significant issues with any other than clumsiness

Alright, who's going to bite? https://www.wrangler.com/shop/mens-cone-denim-white-oak-selvedge-jean-in-raw-indigo-112364207.html?merchCategory=search https://www.wrangler.com/shop/mens-cone-denim-white-oak-selvedge-jacket-in-raw-indigo-112364205.html?merchCategory=search Also a fan of this, though the reviews hilariously trash the embroidery which is the selling point for me: https://www.wrangler.com/shop/mens-blue-bell-raw-denim-jacket-in-cooper-112359603.html?merchCategory=search

I’ve had my Tender shades (w/ prescription lenses in them) for around 4–5 years and they’re still good as new

129’s (woad) after another wash - these are a size 2. Again close ups are more accurate colors. Repairs have all just been seam reinforcement/overstitching aside from the hand stitched button hole reinforcement with the only thread I had around at that moment (contrast stitching!) - and no shortage of those but still simple enough. Crotch darning is imminent, but this is definitely the toughest denim I’ve put this much wear into - a relatively slim fit and probably over 18 months (and maybe closer to 2 years) of real wear and it’s still intact, which is probably a record. Eventually I’d love to beat up a pair of 132’s in a size 2…but so many pairs to get to first.

Great Lakes x2 / Hollows / Cane’s / Frank’s

TCB jacket, Tender sweater, SDA pants, golden retriever.

Lovely pic of the earliest readable vintage Levis 506 jacket patch. It's a clearer image from the unwashed 1927 first pocket flapped 506xx that l posted some pages back. The patch is rare insomuch as it has Copper Riveted and 'Size' 36 meaning it was used exclusively for jackets. This label is thought to be used until c.1936 when levis started to use the same Two horse patch that was used on 501's at the time to use on jackets also, which is what we're usually used to seeing on a 506.

Mended the cuffs on my Lee cowboy jacket. Dirty job, needed to get donen papa nui, Lee, fullcount, vans

I’d like to see a few extra rivets dotted around in places they shouldn’t be - and maybe an additional pocket randomly located. Those amateur wartime seamstresses! 😡

celebrated my birthday early (not until the 16th) hiked six miles around Mount Rainier in Washington

Cleaning up our raised beds and prepping them to plant garlic in a little bit. Papa Nui hat, IH tee, SDA overalls.

Shame there's no translation with it but l certainly get the gist. I always thought there was some major battles going on between Lee and Levis during the 1930s and 40s and l always thought that the levis Type 2 was a quickly cobbled together response to Lee's more stylish looking 101-J Riders jacket. Mind you, the 101-J Cowboy jacket of the late 1920s up until the end of WW2 was almost a direct copy of the Type 1 as it wasn't a patented design, whereas the New Lee Riders jacket was! Plus the denim used to make Lee products was sanforized whereas Levis was STF, so the Riders 101-J could be more body hugging and looked more stylish than the outdated pleated styles that had gone before. Here are some snaps of another early 101-J Riders (c.1945) with the older stock Cowboy buttons. Luckily this one is a rare unwashed example which still has the Patent pending label present. First time l've seen one (thanks to Arakawavintage) All this, then in 1959 Lee brought out its Westerner range with colourfull vat-dyed jackets and matching trousers whereas Levis had to wait for the Type 3's release in 1961 before it could do the same. As a side note, l recently discovered that the Type 3's designer was Jack Lucier, son of red tab inventor Chris Lucier.

Don't remember if I ever posted these.... Montgomery Ward 1939 (not the 1939S) that I mentioned a couple of posts ago. I had a really crass repair done by a dry cleaner on the crotch blowout, but years later, way after I - eh hem - grew out of them - I had them repaired by Zip and co at Denim Doctors in Los Angeles. Terrible repair experience and the outcome was just okay. Long story...

In other news… Picked up my absolute dream pair around a month ago, the M41059. I actually already had a pair, which I’d found years ago in the same size (33) as my first M41058, but it turned out that these run around a size smaller, and there was no chance they were going to be comfortable after shrinking. These new ones are tagged 35, and in great condition. Ignoring older MP-series wares like the above, this model has always been right at the top of the list of Cane’s I’d like to find.