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I'm in a reflective mood today.. In the early to mid 90s i was living in a shithole of a bedsit and barely affording my £28/wk rent.. when it came to buying clothes, my budget wouldn't stretch to new so i just bought vintage.. In the days before the internet, i had no clue as to what i was buying other than the fact they were old Levi's and a quarter of the price of the 501s you could buy on the high street.. A couple of years passed and i started to earn a bit more £££s.. i bought a pair of 555 LVC-47s.. in retrospect, this was probably the first time it occured to me that the vintage Levi's i'd been buying previously could be from different eras (ikr? .. you internet kids don't know you're born) around 2003 i bought another pair of LVC and wanted to get them hemmed.. back then I didn't know what a Union Special was, all i knew was i wanted the hem to be the same as the existing hem.. ie- 'not single stitch' .. i took them to a laundrette who did alterations but they said they couldn't do it.. i would have to find someone with a machine that could chainstitch.. i went down to Ted Williams.. a proper old boys tailor on London Rd who said he could chainstitch but it wouldn't look exactly the same because the hem was done with a chainstitching machine rather than a sewing machine with a chainstitch setting.. plus he didn't think his needles would be strong enough to penetrate the layers of denim.. more confused than ever, i found myself down a gennel and up a rickety fire escape to Terrace Tailors on a Sheffield backstreet.. the room had a massive cross on the wall with candles either side and a polaroid of the tailor himself kissing the hand of Pope John Paul II ..? I explained what i wanted and tape measure around his neck. he took me into another room with a rail full of clothing.. top rail was garments waiting to be altered, bottom rail was altered.. (this is the single most significant part of my entire journey through the denimsphere) he pulled out a pair of SC-47s and showed me the hem.. it blew my tiny mind.. i didn't even know Japanese repros existed.. i almost had to go light one of the candles He said they were from a small menswear shop in Sheff called Brother 2 Brother.. he would hem them (a little longer to allow for shrinkage?) using his sewing machine which could chainstitch.. I knew where B2B was, i'd just never been in, they stocked the likes of Maharishi, D&G, Margaret Howell, Dries Van Noten and such.. (high end streetwear through to mid-range fashion labels) this was well before the 2008 heritage boom so 'menswear' didn't yet equate to costly workwear, shops following the JP retail model didn't exist back then.. Nigel Cabourn was still designing highstreet tat for Debenhams rather than pricey Everest-wear. The guys who worked at B2B were always immaculately dressed (in their shiny shoes) i just wasn't (in my tatty randomly sized vtg Levi's, or skateboard jeans from a previous lifetime . i never went in because my pockets were never deep enough to buy anything, the labels were not my steeze and i felt intimidated by the smartly dressed staff, all of whom were a good 10yrs older than me.. but i was desperate to go nerd out over the Sugarcanes.. Niro (the UK distributor of SC) was established as a clothing store in 1986 but i'm not sure exactly when they became the Sugarcane distributor so maybe these SCs came from Niro or maybe they were bought retail by the B2B buyer on a trip to Japan?.. either of these explanations could account for the eye watering price tags.. my questions were many and looking back.. i think they knew as little about these jeans as i did.. they gave me a 2003 Sugarcane Catalogue (to shut me up) which i've kept.. I think this was the first catalogue Sugarcane ever produced, i've never seen anything predating it. it's on the cusp of the SC product codes after they moved on from M .. it's more substantial, more of a yearbook than the magazine type catalogues which would come thereafter.. in the months following i bought a marked down pair of SC-47s from B2B, returned by a customer because they were too small after washing... the sufu sizedown 3 craze was yet to happen A couple of years later, B2B moved premises to a larger retail space underneath the recently opened West One development (across the road from The Designers Republic) a friend of mine did the electrical work for the shopfit.. he got me the 2006 Sugarcane catalogue, it was in here that i first spotted the LoneWolf Mechanic boots.. the 2010 catalogue which i've posted here previously (MF thread.. years ago) came from Vari. I couldn't afford B2B asking price for Sugarcanes so i found myself on the internet.. Hirofumi Udono at Vari was great to deal with, he spoke perfect English and was willing to ship internationally. He lined me up with Hawaii's, Lonewolf boots, Whitesville & Cushman sweats..ect.. i was wearing SC-47s around the time my kid was born in 2009.. (another reason why I’m so attached to them) i didn't do WAYWT back then.. i didn't have the balls but seen here (blurry candid shot) loading the car up with Woolrich Woolen Mills, chambray Upland shirt from the Daiki Suzuki era I found myself here at sufu around 2006/7.. anyway.. enough of all this reminiscing.. Maynard spotted these while searching for his recently acquired SC-66 and gave me a hola.. ..knowing my pathetic inability to resist.. i didn't .. so In a nostalgic denim haze, i've dug out the rest of my SC-47 collection. ..first 4 pairs are raw denim, last pair are current wearers but previously o/w, check out he different hues ..from left, 1991-1997.. 2003-2007 I took this shot of he o/w pair back in 2013 before chucking them on the pile ..i've just got them back from a hem job at soas so i've recreated it A bit more graff, a few extra MMs on the waistline and the JMC sweat is a little more faded 2003 & 2006 Catalogues can be seen here

farmer friend trashin his 601rb. Crazy these started as jet black

@MJF9@MJF9 as promised some pictures. I can take better ones during the weekend, it gets so bloody dark fast here in the Nordics 😅

Papa nui, universal works, RMC, vans

220XX-47's fresh out of the wash - I'll do some more details when they're properly dry tomorrow.

When my kid was a toddler he would pull all the books off the bookshelf so i boxed everything up which i didn't want to get trashed and shoved them in my parents attic, i still don't have the space for it all so there it's stayed.. I'm pretty sure 2003 was the first ever catalogue SC produced to showcase the release of their new range with the SC product codes Enjoy, you'll not find this elsewhere on the webz.. The 2003 catalogue wouldn't fit in the scanner due to thickness so i've had to bulldog clip it open and photograph it. Hawaii Okinawa Y'all owe me a pint for this.. it took me fkin ages with my cranky old scanner.. 2006 Catalogue There was a period (post 2007) when existing stock of SC-47s were being sold with the arcs ripped out by retailers.. this was followed by a period where they were being manufactured without arcs but they still had the red tab.. then the tabs were being cut by retailers.. then SC started making them without tabs or arcs, as we see today.. There must have been constant lawsuit murmurings within the denim industry .. the old Surgarcane MP jeans had very Levi's-esque arcs.. albeit they were still broken (Kiya has commented in the past, on another forum that he thinks the breaking of the arcs was an attempt by SC to distance themselves from Levi's arcs) this is probably the best explanation i've heard as to why.. but if so, they were worried about repercussions as far back as the 1980s.. As we know, SC distanced themselves entirely from Levi / Wrangler / Lee for the 1998 series of jeans (this could be down to concerns over legal action) .. then they took the bold move to resurrect arcs and tabs in 2003.. this must have ruffled a few feathers at Levi's because by 2006 the 1947s 1955s and 1966 repros had their arcs omitted from the catalogue even though they were still being made and sold with arcs. If you look closely at the thumbnail, they've tried and failed to cover them with the guarantee ticket.. this catalogue would have been printed 18mths before the 2007 lawsuit You're Welcome

I always wondered this about chainstitch history — people talk about chainstitching not existing (in the denim world) until the late 1930s, yet chainstitch machines, of both single- and double- needle varieties, have been produced since the 1850s. Union Special first produced the 43200G in 1939, but it had other industrial chainstitch machines in the 1920s, and perhaps it or other brands did even earlier. So if the technology existed almost 100 years prior, why did people only start hemming with chainstitches in the mid 20th century? And why use such an inefficient (from a thread-use perspective) stitch in the middle of WWII rationing?

@PrettyBoyTony - Good question, it's probably: 1. I have fallen on Warehouse as my brand of choice for jeans (keeps things simpler, and I can obsess deeply about one brand rather than many, for now at least!) 2. I like jeans to look worn/lived in quickly - this fabric fades fast (and is lighter than the 220A denim - ideal for me, I found the 220A to be a touch too thick) 3. You can see the brown cotton coming through, giving the faded areas a richer tone than what I have seen in previous pairs with white cotton 4. Beyond that, I don't know honestly, I just like it - I also jumped on the chance to have "collected" the 220XX series I suppose, depending on how the WW2 edition looks when it comes out (could be any time soon) I may grab that too

1922 from @Duke Mantee roping nicely

Simone recently stated it roughly takes 2.5 hours to sew a pair (cutting not included). Right now we don't know if mid December will really work but fingers are crossed.

The buttons arrived and Simone said, he will start working on the jeans from next Monday on. Stay tuned!

Carhartt wip, vintage aran, old canes, red wings

Here we go, just found this on Bidstitch

Spent a long weekend in the Denver area, enjoyed some proper cooler weather. Even saw some snow! That's a big deal for us. FW watch cap. FW M-1951. FW sweat. FW 1942. Blundstone.

Dick Carroll might if you contact him. He's usually responsive. The shape and depth of the hem is one of the more telltale sign for dating shirts along with number of buttons and chest pocket (at least for Brooks Brothers). Style & Fashion Drawings: History of Brooks Brothers' Iconic Button Down – Put This On I actually have a 1970's Brooks Brothers ocbd and an Ametora model from Kamakura which is supposedly based on 60s/70s BB in design. I can take a closer look at their lengths sometime this weekend if you are curious. I've noticed that the part of the yoke where it meets the sleevehead is much narrower on the real vintage shirt, so even though the shoulder-to-shoulder distance measures the same as the Kamakura, the vintage BB effectively is more constrictive (but still easily wearable for me).

Denime - Ooe - Chucks

@reallypeacedoff where do you arrive at each pair taking 2.5 hrs? Idc when we get them, fwiw (within reason). It will be a nice thing when it happens, of course. Every day longer these take is another day to wear my Ooe's, which I really want to leave in a lighter state than they're in!

25 pairs at ~2.5 hours a pair, plus cutting, equals ~2 week production...

Did you also have a pair of the WH DD 47s? And if so, how would you compare them denim and fit wise? Also interested to hear about the difference in fit between the Denime 47s and 54s.

Turkish-made LVC were various washed versions rather than raw and for some reason, were sized a bit differently as far as I’m aware. I think the sanforized 1967 zip model also may have been manufactured there.

My guess is the upcoming "Amoskeag" Ooe pairs will be similar, though it isn't clear what exact year they'll be based on. Would be cool if they have the gusset as well, they've done some good AHEM...crotch work...and button fly work in the past

Overall quality is a bit shonky for $240k... the previous owner hasn't even washed them properly 😉

Here are some nicer images of the $240k 1890's recently discussed in the other thread, before they disappear into some museum. These courtesy of mushroom vintage. 2 notable things for me. The close up of the crotch construction with what looks like a gusset(?) type thing going on - where's @Sansome1877 when you need him? Secondly, is that a pair of og canvas one pocket duck pants in the first shot? Guy must have spent a fortune.

Pulled my old pair of 1966s out of the attic while digging out some sale items (https://www.instagram.com/jim.shoppe/ ). These *aren’t* for sale but they look neat!

Freewheelers 1920s tux

Having used the great group of people here as a bountiful resource for many months, I figured it was time to post some photos for the first time and share my two first TCB purchases - the Baker pant and 20's jacket. Starting with the 20s jacket, I'd first to like to thank @istewi and @blooming for the great advice regarding shrinkage and sizing. I ended up going for a size 44 off of primarily the chest measurements (I am around 172cm tall with a 50-51cm chest and weigh about 75kg) which felt like a daunting jump from my usual size but I think it worked out well. I wanted to be able to wear it across as many seasons as possible given the fabric's lighter weight so this size allows me to wear with either a t-shirt or a sweatshirt underneath (I've even managed to fit it under my Barbour). The sleeves need to be cuffed once, as I expected, but the cuff isn't bulky at all and I quite like how it looks. I am concerned it is a little on the longer side regarding overall body length, as it sits around 2.5-3cm below my belt (around 1-1.5inches) so I'd love any feedback on the fit! I love the weight and hairiness of the fabric and also appreciate that Inoue finds it is one of their more accurate repro fabrics to its respective era...can't wait to see how it fades! As the 20's fabric is prone to shrinkage (according the nice people at TCB, whom I ordered from and were also very helpful over instagram via sizing), below are my experiences with movement after a warm wash and 30 minutes in the tumble dryer: PRE-WASH Shoulder width - 49 (-1 from TCB measurements) Chest width - 53.5 ( = TCB measurements) Length - 63.5 (+1 TCB measurements) Sleeve length - 62 (-1 TCB measurements) POST-WASH Shoulder width - 48 Chest width - 52 Length - 62 Sleeve length - 62 Onto the Baker pant - I picked these up as I saw them posted a couple times here as well, and they seemed like a great idea having spent the last year with my legs swathed exclusively in denim. I got them in a size L with a waist size that hovers around 30-31 (although I had not experienced anything quite as high a rise as these yet so I was thankful for the wiggle room the side tabs allowed for). I wanted to wear these with the side adjuster tabs both buttoned as the fabric sticks out otherwise and in case I teeter into the dirty side of bulking -- the measurement guide on Bears was very accurate. They are light and very roomy in the thighs and as I am on the shorter side the taper that TCB has added seems less pronounced when wearing on my body. Lovely texture and immediately soft to wear with what I think is quite a reasonable price tag. Please excuse the Muji house slippers in the photos!

This is exciting! The likelihood of a mid-December start crossed my mind again earlier this week actually (probably while I was contemplating buying some new jeans - which I did, in the end, never mind). Is this still anticipated? Or is it more end of Dec / early Jan now? I am 100% okay with either and ready to go when he is!

I have a couple off the back of my recent OCBD spree (that you kindly imparted some advice on) - I can check some of the lengths of mine - I now have a couple Kamakura and BB to compare...I'll come back to you with some measurements soon!

I’m not certain but I think it isn’t Cone and is from Orta Mills in Turkey

I picked up a pair of used 47s from Ebay. I've never had LVC before. These ones are made in Turkey so sadly not USA or Japan. I'm a bit confused though as I though all LVC were STF but this measures exactly 34 inches inseam. Were these originally maybe a one-wash then or are they oversized and have shrank to their described label? I believe these are from 2013. They are VERY stretchy too that I had to double check they are 100% cotton...nice leg twist too

Ah right. 20s

@PrettyBoyTony if this is anything to go by, I like the 220XX-47's so much I cracked and ordered a pair of the 54's from Warehouse yesterday as well (same denim different cut)

@Newman thanks for the pics... looks belt skimmingly good... I have a couple of similar length that took a little getting used to but imo that kind of length can work well

SExSC06

Breaking in nicely

1946-47 506XX around 2.5 years wear and 1922 506XX at just under 1.5 years (but also less abused and no machine wash)

Those jeans are fantastic. Great fit

vintage bomber jacket Freewheelers 1922. Nicks builder pro

Same ol hat, vintage vest, thrifted sweater, TCB 50s, Blundstones

Great Lakes / Tender Co. / Rocky Mountain Featherbed / Tezomeya / Duke’s / The Vanishing West / Frank’s

From a recent vintage market. Pic by @Illcutz Cap- self made Hoodie- warehouse Jacket- style eyes Pantaloons- warehouse

I struggle with mirror selfies but this one seemed to turn out passable. FW x 3, Lofgren sneakers.

Challenger Phigvel Vendor Phigvel Vans

Halloween party last night. Paris, Texas became one of me and my girlfriend's favorite movies when we watched it after someone posted stills of it in the iconic denim photos thread.

Drawing a line can be controversial 50 years feels right to me - but then I talk to folks who collect sneakers, outdoor apparel, video games, trading cards - it's tricky There are probably more fitting threads for those jeans though - most of us come here for the real old stuff I ask myself, how many times was OSHA violated in these jeans? Oh? OSHA didn't exist? Okay, they're vintage

Dancing with my boy

These past few pages are on fire. I love fall. Same old same old... Shrank the waist a bit on my sized up 501s to reduce the sag a bit but kept the legs dry. Much better.

@MJF9's jacket found a new home