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Already wishing you a 'Merry Christmas', Happy Holidays or whatever you want to celebrate!

Today's adventures took us to the Romney marsh sound mirrors. These big and rather beautiful concrete structures were built in the inter-war years along the south coast. They were designed to act as an early warning system for approaching aircraft but were effectively made redundant by the introduction of Radar. The area is now a nature reserve. You can only get right up close to them on certain days. This wasn't one of those days 😀 Next up, a bit Further along the coast to Dungeness which is a strangely bleak place. There seem to be quite a few artists in residence living in various shacks. Many other dwellings look to be airb&b's Derek Jarman famously lived there.

I moved away from London recently. Wife and I cashed in, jacked in our jobs and moved down to the Kent coast. The kids joined us today for xmas so we gave them a short walking tour. We're near a lot of military land. This is one of their shooting ranges. It's in pretty regular use but I've not heard any shots fired for the last few days We have a miniature steam train that starts near us l, runs for about 13 miles and ends in a place called Dungeness which is unofficially Britains only desert and is beautifully bleak and desolate. It's shadowed by a nuclear power station that is being dismantled (we're heading there tomorrow so will take some pics). We get to hear the whistle and see the steam from our house which is lovely to hear and see. We find it much more exciting than our kids do.

Nonnative Nonnative Phigvel 301 Redwing

Freewheelers 1922 and Derrickman / Tezomeya / @Duke Mantee / Converse Timeline / Bahia Palace tiles

Happy Holidays and safe travels!!

Nothing to learn mate, everyone has a different look/fit/opinion. If it's comfortable and you feel OK in it ..go for it.

Merry Christmas all

I’m in NC-Winston Salem on leave visiting family rn and dropped by this new store called Fancy Groceries. It’s on Trade St. and they stock Tellason, Dehen, Wonder Looper, Rail Car, and more. I bought a pair of socks (I’ll post the brand later). The owner Max was cool and the store recently opened this year. Told him about the board. https://www.instagram.com/fancygroceries/?hl=en Stop by when in NC! I also dropped by Heff’s Burger Club and got the Fiona Apple burger on 4th St. Later got an eggnog latte and oatmeal cream pie cookie at Camino bakery on 4th st. https://www.instagram.com/heffsburgerclub/?hl=en

Semi retired. I'm in the process of setting up my workshop which I hope to have up and running in the next couple of weeks. Once that's done I intend to get back to making things to try and sell (bags, leatherwork, try my hand at making a jacket or two), and be in a position to take on denim repairs and alterations. Sadly I can't afford a 43200g so no chainstitching 🥺

Yeah. It is. Very different vibe to London. We can even see France from our balcony.

Merry Chrimbo everyone, Let the festivities begin !

Here are the post-wash measurements and some fit pics for the Rockets (size 32). Roughly a 7.5% shrinkage across the board I’m sure that the front rise and waist will stretch a decent amount Waist: 15.5” Front Rise: 11.5” thigh: 12.5” Leg Opening: 8.7” Inseam: 32.5” I went back and forth between size 31 and 32. Kato-San said that either would work but recommended 32 because the pattern is more balanced. I’m happy with my choice. I like the fit a lot. It feels like there is more room in the crotch than the rise measurement suggests. The denim is also really dark with a coarse hand feel. They should be slow faders. According to Kato-San, the yarn have been dyed deeply with more than 12 dying steps. I’m excited to get some good wear on these starting in 2025. I’ll get some better photos in WAYWT too once the snow clears some and the sky is less grey

Waiting for the “generous” one hour early release from work on Xmas eve. Only 6.5 hours to go! On to the important stuff. These are the Warehouse 1001xx Aizumi Festival jeans that ace mod and all around good guy, @Broark, sold me last month. Details on the denim are scarce, but they have the Duck Digger arcs, an offset back belt loop, and are neppier than the Banner Denim. I’m stoked that Austin was willing to part with them.

I first started seeing people who were generally into vintage clothing, wearing vintage Levis in the mid 1980s. There was already a strong collector interest by that time although the astronomical pricing was not yet in effect. A person with foresight could have salted away a king's ransom-worth of blue gold...

The length is fine, but overall the boxy-ish sweatshirt plus ultra-super-tapered jeans look does end up looking pretty top heavy

I would guess that in 1975 the knowledge that 501s changed subtly over the years probably did not yet exist as the vintage craze wouldnt begin until another few decades, and the idea probably didnt enter anybodys mind. its probably off the rack regular 501s or at most a thrifted worn pair from roughly the same year.

That looks good @mlwdp - both the shop and the food! @Mr Black - nice one! Where in Kent are you? I assume that’s the Romney, Hythe and Dungeness railway.

runabout brander. Freewheelers 601xx ruse black Nick’s packer boots

My daughter managed to cajole me into loaning her a denim jacket for the holidays - this is unheard of! Me: SCSC '43 tux / Tezo / @Duke Mantee / Russell Mocs; MsMJF9: FW '22 / Adidas You have no idea how many pics it took to get our heads level 😁

Union Special cap / Great Lakes shirt / Power Wear hoodie / old Lee Cane’s / Attractions kicks

My first pair of 02XX - I think purchase in ‘19

surplus, duffer, carhartt, Fullcount, vans

Unseasonably warm weather in our part of California today. Buco, Hollows, FW prospector pants, vintage boots

Due to the recent talk in the Unknown Japanese Brands thread about some of the Chinese brands (and Maynard moaning like a small girl), I thought it might be best for them to have their own discussion thread (and brands from other countries). Brands talked about so far .... Red Cloud http://blog.sina.com.cn/redcloudindigo http://www.tuckshopsundrysupplies.com/product-category/red-cloud-denim/ Sauce Zhan http://zhan.renren.com/saucezhan?from=ownerfollowing&checked=true Bob Dong http://bobdong.taobao.com

Merry Christmas!

I was a person with some foresight back then, as l 'discovered' vintage 501's in 1986. Unfortunately l was a skint student and by the time l had some money to go with the knowledge, by say 1989, the sizes weren't there anymore or had out of reach price tags on them. This is from a UK perspective only though

oh i definitely have them but im not sure if they're in Europe or Shanghai. I will see if they're in SH when im back. btw, is anyone interested in an Unknown Chinese Brands thread?

alright, good catch. the JP repro scene started in the 90s or late 80s sit makes sense that the vintage scene would have been going for at least a decade by then. my main point is i feel its unlikely that in 1975 they would consider whether 1963 levis looked discernably different.

Nice move @Mr Black and hope your new surroundings suit you and your family well. Nice to have met you and to still have the two pairs of conners you hemmed for me as a reminder of our brief meeting(s). Are you fully or semi retired now?

Grant - Love that you stop by, casually drop legend status 30 year old LVC, and depart on the wind! Those look great!

Noted! I've washed and dried this one, so the shrink is out. Def appreciate the feedback from everyone, still learning!

Appreciate the comment, definitely a valid point!

Cashed in, sounds good Martin. Enjoy. must be Nice to live by the coast

@jeash90 agreeing the length is good... I have one and they are big sweatshirts (even in my normal FW size) so it makes me more conscious over what I wear it with to get a balanced silhouette. I washed at 90C to maximise shrink (asked a friend) which helped with the sizing a bit but not as drastic as one might think.

^ I dont necessarily size up for comfort, but smaller fitting def feels uncomfortable.. dank u

44’s - three months wear, fresh out of their second wash today

Not today but last night. Thrifted jacket, carhartt wip ocbd, sc 1955z Worn with heschung bluchers, but I'm not wearing shoes in the flat.

Not sure about that. The oversized fit definitely seems to be an established thing now (maybe it always was?) and I’d say it also looks great in this case and goes well with the fit of the pants. So completely spot on from my point of view and yes the dad-tux is very consistent

These arrived for me yesterday. They’re the s0001xx model from Rockets - WW2 with denim pocket bags. I like the look and feel so far and am hoping to wash and hang dry (need to minimize inseam shrinkage) before my in-laws come for Christmas. Here are the pre-wash measurements, some photos (not my greatest work), and some pre-wash fit pics. The darker blue colors are most accurate it’s really grey and snowy here and I didn’t have time to bring out my real camera setup. I will update fit and measurements once washed waist (laid flat and not aligned): 16.75”/42.5 cm front rise: 12.25”/31 cm thigh (at crotch seam): 13”/33 cm leg opening: 9.2”/23 cm inseam: 35”/89 cm

FW Deck Worker Parka • FW Lot 506XX 1933 • TFH • WH 1942 • RW 9011

Just got this SC 91-B Leepro in and haven’t been able to find much info on the product code SC10716A. There’s no care tag with the materials, but the blanket lining feels like there is some polyester in it. Giving it a hot wash right now, will post more pics when it’s dry.

FW 1927 type 1 FW 601xx rude black. Hip flare in full effect.

Laws Railroad Museum, Full Count, Warehouse, Warehouse, Vans.

The options are the same as they have always been: accepting that most people, the vast, vast, majority, share the exact same base desires as we do — to love and be loved, to live a fulfilling life, to be appreciated for their contributions and achievements, and to accept and learn from their mistakes. These same people, without exception, are going to have painful experiences from their upbringings, to be hurt when trying to be vulnerable, and to learn to react with fear, withdrawal, anger or violence, and in doing so they’ll also cause pain to other people. The choice becomes available when we realize and accept that about others — and just as importantly, about ourselves — and choose to meet people’s pain, struggle and difference with understanding and compassion. The choice to “go NC” (no contact) with somebody is valid when someone, in very rare cases, proves themselves pathologically incapable of meeting you halfway in your process of healing. But in the vast majority of relationships today, people can and deserve much more understanding and commitment than they get, even from close friends, partners and family members. To not offer them that opportunity is a failure to fully respect the complexity of the human condition, in my opinion. And it’s a root cause of the epidemics of loneliness and division I know we are all experiencing at this moment in history.

I’ve been thinking often recently that the highest form of “education” a society can have is shown in its capacity to accept, and live with, differences and contradictions both within and outside of itself. To that end, I see many rich, college-educated liberals in Seattle being stuck in the same backwards state of mine as the proverbial backwater Southerner: distrustful of outsiders, intolerant of difference, to the point it’s become a trend to even cut family members out of your lives who voted differently than you. It’s a problem both sides of the political & socioeconomic spectrum are really struggling with. I finished reading a wonderful book a couple weeks back, The Art of Loving by Erich Fromm. There’s a passage in it where he discusses arranged marriages, often seen as antiquated, backward, even barbaric in the West (and surely there are elements of this when there are huge age discrepancies, etc — that’s beside the point for the moment). But in fact, he argues, a high percentage of those in this arrangement report themselves as quite happy. Why? Because, contrary to the modern social narrative that you’re meant to “fall in” love, which itself presupposes chance more than effort, he says people enter into arranged marriages understanding that they are building a loving relationship together, basically from scratch. That from being more or less strangers, perhaps with nothing in common beyond some shared cultural understanding, they work to find their common humanity, their capacity for care and empathy, and develop a lifetime commitment to one another, which forms the basis for their, not instant, but gradually developing, love. In contrast, the West’s “modern” love ideas are far more transactional. Do you and your spouse feel the same burning, passionate connection after 5 years that you felt as new lovers? Perhaps not, and so one or both partners may just abandon the relationship to search for another, in hopes that this time, that initial feeling of love won’t fade away (it almost always does). That this dynamic has now stretched to include family and community members, and become codified in the act of “cancelling”, “ghosting” or otherwise abandoning people who don’t easily and comfortably conform to your ideas of acceptable, pleasing behavior, is to me one of the most concerning and notable elements of the decline of contemporary society in the West. It’s interesting to consider that behavior such as inviting a stranger in for tea or offering a ride to someone broken down on the side of the road are now seen as risky, perhaps intolerably dangerous, though our grandparents may have thought nothing of either one. In fact, where I am living in rural Mexico, these are still normal, even socially expected, behaviors today. Why we have gone down the path of separateness I think has many factors, economic pressure and social media being some of them, but those are factors all over the world, and some places still stubbornly continue to embrace one another’s differences and embrace contradictions rather than turn away from them. So I don’t think those factors alone tell the whole story. Anyway, sorry for the long ramble, but this conversation about cultural difference & isolation has felt increasingly relevant this past decade and I am always wondering where it comes from and what can be done about it.

@jeash90 The ones from Power Wear are top notch