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Disclaimer - AI was harmed writing this wall of text This was definitely one of my most irrational purchases – I have to admit that. For some reason, I visited the 45rpm website last autumn and admired their new denim collection. But given the prices, I quickly closed the page. Still, the particular pairs of natural indigo jeans with the Levi’s-style arcs stayed on my mind. In December, 45rpm appeared on the first page of Sufu again, and I found myself browsing their site and web shop once more. The AI models were still listed but mostly sold out. After checking the size charts, I realized that most of them would be too short for me anyway – except for one model with the right inseam length. Of course, it was sold out in what I thought would be my size. Out of curiosity, I clicked on “In-Store Availability” and saw that size 08-34 was still available in three stores in Japan. Slowly but surely, the idea of owning these jeans took root in my mind. I knew I’d need a proxy service that offered “In-Store Pick Ups.” So, I started searching and found a few options. I reached out to several and quickly received a response with a price estimate: 10% of the item price plus 40,000 Yen for the in-store purchase, not to mention the shipping from Japan to Germany and the additional PayPal fees. They justified the price by saying it was the busiest time of year in Japan (the first week of January right after New Year). At that price I could have just bought from the international web shop and wouldn’t have to deal with customs on top of all this. Since that was too expensive for me, I contacted other proxies – some with a decent homepage, some via Reddit, others on Instagram. Some conversations fizzled out, but one offered me a price I was comfortable with. They were based in Tokyo and called the store, if the jeans are in stock. A few days later, they told me the jeans were sold out. Interestingly enough, the 45 rpm web shop still listed the jeans available in this particular Tokyo store. I reached out to the pricier proxy again, as they could also purchase in Osaka and Kobe. I asked if they could order the jeans via mail order from the store or if I could wait until they were less busy (and therefore cheaper). They replied that 45rpm doesn’t do mail orders and that items sell out quickly – I should buy now. I also asked them if they would call the store before trying to buy in person to verify if the jeans were really available.: they quoted me 2,000 Yen for a mere call. On a whim, I contacted the 45rpm web shop and asked if mail orders from physical stores were possible – and they confirmed it! Immediately, I thought of my go-to proxy, “FromJapan.” I reached out, and they confirmed that the order was possible – for their basic fee of just 500 Yen. To be absolutely sure that the right jeans would be sent, I asked for photos of the label, size, and selvedge line. It took a while for the jeans to arrive and even longer to get the photos. Everything looked good until the last photo in the Imgur album showed a measuring tape indicating an inseam length of 73 cm instead of the expected 79 cm. Actually, I never asked for the inseam to be measured but boy was I glad they did it! I was torn but quickly realized: this wouldn’t work with that length. I asked if an exchange was possible, or if not, a return. After some waiting, they confirmed an exchange would be possible. I asked them to initiate the process and send new photos. Last week, the jeans arrived at FromJapan again. The photos confirmed that they were the correct jeans with the right inseam length of 79 cm. From the initial order on January 7th to their arrival on February 10th, this was the wildest rollercoaster ride I’ve ever had with buying a pair of jeans.

Good question! I think so

Layers season here, for sure. Inis Meain/Kapital/Ooe Yofukuten/WMJ 611’s, Red Wing Slow start for me, been laid up with all the winter viruses lately!

Yelling at the sea. Sure, it’s a different sea to most days, but traditions have to be upheld nonetheless 😉

Inis Meain/Kapital/Ooe Yofukuten/WMJ 611’s, Red Wing

5150s WAYWT style... it's still cold here so the FW N1 is an almost permanent fixture... my boy just snapped this with a new Panasonic point and shoot... not sure what's going on with the lighting on this setting... but shway shway we'll work it out eventually...

A bit more "formal"

Merz merino watch cap Iron Heart zip hoodie Stevenson denim jacket Flat Head FN-D111 Visvim Skagway

Mutual commiserations buddy - we had a great run prior to Christmas but we've been absolutely slammed since. Pattern usually goes: one of our girls gets ill, then the other, then my wife and then me. Been following that macabre routine for a good 6 weeks now.

Union Special cap / Tender Co. shades & jacket / Union Supply blouse / Word of Mouth 411S / Wearmasters kicks

If it’s available on the Cushman website (blue cylinder I think), usually you can ask Celluloid to order it via their store. Worth a try.

Clarks may not be the greatest and not on par with JLB, but that's why they are 140 quid vs 700 quid. As a long time Clarks wearer I've got crepe soled desert boots still going after 10 years.

@jeash90 Broadcast is high tier, but surely no one outranks Boards of Canada

M&S shirt and Jumper Levis 550 vintage Blundstones

Back when Phigvel used to make engineer boots. Wish they’d bring these back. https://web.archive.org/web/20130208061026/http://www.hickorees.com/brand/phigvel/product/horsehide-engineer-boots-black

Regarding MiUK Vs MiAsia Clarks... if we take the longevity of the crepe for instance.. it's just a bunch of latex, formed into a sheet and cut into soles.. With our noticable lack of rubber plantations we will be buying the rubber from abroad.. this isn't going to be liquid rubber.. it will be pre-formed rubber sheet bought from the country of origin... it's cheaper and easier to transport solids than liquids.. plus we would have to set up an expensive manufacturing facility just to make the liquid ingredients into sheet material which could be bought in for a fraction of the cost.. With rubber being so cheap / plentiful.. are we to believe that the Asia made Clarks are cutting corners here and requesting additives be mixed at source into an already cheap rubber material to make increased but poorer quality units? .. or is this just down to rubber being a natural product.. therefore some pairs will be softer, some pairs will be harder and some pairs will last longer than others irrespective of brand or country of manufacture.. also environment.. heat, cold, UVA, rain, frost will all decrease it's lifespan.

I bought some Astorflex desert boots (made in Italy) 10 years ago and they’re still going strong. I didn’t want Clark’s as they’re all made in SE Asia these days, apart from the limited Made in England line (in Leeds I believe) which are quite a bit pricier.

Clarks are great

feat. Union Special, Tender Co. x2, Sun Surf / Union Supply, Attractions / Wearmasters

Out for a walk near my house in Northern CA, big Douglas fir trees, views and water-especially with all the rain we’ve had! Troy O’Shea hat jacques Marie mage glasses 3sixteen x crescent down works down jacket Word of mouth 411S contest denim duke mantee belt on running shoes

Wash day today! I’ve never made a habit of taking pre-wash photos of jeans, partly because I’ve always cared more about the long term than about the day-to-day and wash-to-wash changes, but mostly because I think that having any folds creases / bags makes it a whole lot harder to get consistent lighting, and as a result the photos tend to look artificially contrasty. Anyway, I think I might try to be consistent about it for these jeans. I don’t expect to wear my ‘51 601xx or my Foreman Pants much in the next year and a half, so I’ll try to always include those as a color / saturation reference. That said: 3 weeks’ daily wear, before washing: …and after: Really pleased with how they’re coming along, even if still skeptical about how fast they’re losing color. Good puckering and roping, and a really great crinkle to the fabric that got brought out by the trip through the machine—it reminds me a lot of some old White Oak denims in that regard, although of coarse it’s early to say much. Noticed some cute evidence of a little loom chatter on the back of the right leg, above the knee, that’s lightened up a little extra. Disappointed by how much the patch had already faded—wasn’t the fancy foil stamp supposed to help with that?—but overall feeling plenty good about the prospect of another 17 months and change in these.

Reminds me of my SC AI denim, starts off somewhat patchy, gets really patchy, but not sure if that is just...slubby. Enjoy the denim though, very unique.

Seconds hand ones can still be found on yahoo auctions every now and again

Hahah I had been eyeing that pair, but did not do so with the aggression as you did- staying true to not buying (so far!) with wmj contest. But when it’s done I am going to revisit. I love the balmacan I was gifted and generally really like what I see from them. Glad to see you got them! Now…how are you gonna beat them up with all your other obligations?

Cool jeans, fascinating story. I don't think I ever looked into this brand before. If I were you I'd just go totally uncuffed, this pair would look fine without one. In a way I'm kind of thankful for lots of Japanese brands (Orslow, Boncoura, etc.) nowadays not offering very long inseams because it's less stuff to tempt me into buying more jeans I don't really need.

Great story. But…. do they fit?

Though, maybe no more bonkers than wanting to spend £150-£200 on a pair of jeans, which I have justified to myself many times over.

Thanks, did not know this was a (potential) option! Will have to check it out.

I wasn't disputing that.. i was answering this

I'd pay good money for waffle soled Clarks @Alec Leamas

Incredible shoes for the money! The only thing standing between Clarks and a pricing upscale is the retail environment.. it's stuck in the 90s.. style classics like Desert boots and Wallabees (or Cornish pasty shoes as my Mrs calls them :) are sharing retail space with orthopedic shoes for pensioners or 'my first shoes' for middle-class toddlers.. if you didn't know the Clarks brand and saw them in a modern retail space (ie 1940s - Mom n'Pop -esque:) .. with some carefully curated blurb, they'd retail for 3x the price they do now..

Oh I see what you mean, my mistake.

Willi, I should have been more specific. I was referring to the model, not the leather.

JL stopped using crepe soles for a while and took some time to find a new supplier. They've done a more recent run of the desert chukka with the new crepe sole, I don't know anything about how to new one compares. Franklin and Poe still have a few of the desert chukkas from that run around: https://franklinandpoe.com/collections/john-lofgren-bootmaker/products/john-lofgren-military-desert-boots-japanese-suede-sand?variant=46881434140918 . I've checked these out but I've given up on the JL lasts for my feet.

The Answers.. 1) Madlib- Shades of blue 2) Warp- Artificial Intelligence 3) Lonnie Liston Smith -Visions of a new world 4) Digable Planets - Blowout Comb 5) Charles Mingus - Ah Um 6) Idris Muhammed - Turn this mutha out 7) Stevie - Innervisions 8 Steve Miller Band - Greatest 9) Roots Manuva - Run Come Save Me 10) Herbie Hancock - Headhunters 11) The Wailers - Burnin 12) Soul 2 Soul - Club Classics 13) Flaming Lips - Yoshimi 14) Stone Roses - Second Coming (come on people!) 15) Flippers guitar - Doctor Head's World Tour 16) The Clash- Self Titled 17) The Internet - Hive Mind 18 DJ Shadow - The Outsider Both of these were very hard, kudos if you got them! 19) Tommy Guerrero - Soul Food Taqueria 20) Shabazz Palaces - Quazars Born on a Gangster Star edit- whoops.. missed 17 & 18

Yes, Charlie. Could well have been that one. Wish I could remember the movie. I guess it must have been color. Late 50s probably. Maybe I'll do some digging and try to find it. 5 minutes later...So it's The Man From Laramie. Brown corduroy, and on close inspection of various pics on the IMDB site, I'm fairly sure it's a Wrangler jacket. And furthermore...Bend Of The River 1952 he appears to be wearing a green Levis type 1, likely the same one from Winchester 73, and perhaps Broken Arrow from the same year.

Kind of happy about this to be honest...Will be nice to see some absolutely shredded out and faded jeans after 18 months for a true long wear look! And also gives us time to wear other jeans if temptation calls 😆

Hollywood cowboy 1950's. Quite obviously a Lee Riders 101J but for some reason the Lee Riders buttons have been replaced by what looks like sewn on black buttons. Even the cuffs have two on each! But then the Lee black tag on the pocket has been removed, maybe something to do with advertising?

Working on my Winter Sun fades in Paphos, Cyprus this week. Not sure I’m doing it right?

Congratulations Ooms! Shirt looks lovely, I hope you had a good meal. Great PopSwatch too. Here's a lovely photo from a great customer and friend of the brand. Pocket use par excellence

601XX 1947 Been wearing in some 37 and 43 as well - I've really been enjoying FW denim

As someone who considers leg shrinkage a bummer, I've often considered trying to recreate a device like this. There's a pic of a more elaborate version in one of the vintage denim books but I couldn't find it online. I

All full pack, mint, never worn: https://imgur.com/a/qbNIh9o Add for shipping and fees ACR Size XS S29-PR-D White. $200. Size S S34-PR Black. $500. J121-KI Black. $775. J1W-GT Black. $1200. Size M P10A-M Black. $675. S21-DS Black. $650. Nike x Acronym Woven Pants Size S: https://imgur.com/a/9RcANmA Take both for 190. Black. $120. White. $100.

WTS j79ts-gt, large 1500€ j77-am, large 500€ both fullset and super nice, lightly worn and well cared condition. price is shipped standard, worldwide to most locations. currently looking for L/XL j56-s, XL p36-e would consider trading for these located in Germany thanks for looking

Took a couple of shots of worn denim rotation and unworn during a bit of spring cleaning. The left side is the newest worn: Samurai S710XX19ozII Nudie Tuff Toni 12oz Samurai S710XX-BK 17oz Iron Heart Duck IH-888D 17oz Denime 220A Offset XX 14.5oz Samurai SJ48CP 15oz Sugar Cane 1947 BLK 14.25oz (Shorts) Nudie Steady Eddie II BLK Dry Selvage 14.5oz Imperial SEXI26-1947 14.5oz (Shorts) Momotaro 0906-SP GTB 15.7oz (Shorts) Sugar Cane 1947 14.25oz Studio D’Artisan SD-508 12oz Sugar Cane 1947 BK/BK 13oz Iron Heart 633s-142 14oz Roy RT – Slim Tapered XX Experimental Denim 13oz Naked & Famous Weird Guy Natural Organic 14oz APC New Standard 14.5oz Sugar Cane Edo-Ai 14oz Nudie Grim Tim Light Blue 11oz Not in picture: Nudie Steady Eddie II Dry Selvage 13.75oz (Wearing) Imperial SEXI26-ST 15oz (Being repaired) Unworn pairs: Eternal 811 14.5oz Fullcount 1101W 13.75oz Warehouse 1001XX 13.75oz Resolute 714 13.5oz 3sixteen CT-102xn 15.4oz Supreme Rigid Loose Fit 13oz (I bought these to see what the MIJ was like and satisfy my curiosity on Supreme denim quality. Not disappointed!) On the way: Word of Mouth 311 12oz

Lee archives 1962 I purchased at the Lee store in Osaka

Almost a year later... 1. orSlow x Blueowl Double Black 105 2. Warehouse Lot S1003XX (1000XX) - 1942 3. orSlow 105 moved the Ooes on as the fit wasnt really working for me.

Hmm, could be a fun challenge to list. I've given away twice as many jeans as I own currently - 16. TCB '50s Contest TCB S40s Contest TCB Seaman's Trouser x 2 Warehouse 700 Warehouse 1001XX Warehouse Signet Contest Full Count 0105 (Old) Full Count 0105 (New) Full Count 0105 Super Smooth Roy (I don't know, something wide and Black Seed Cone) Roy Leroy Deviants Contest '47 Evisu 2001 No. 2 Left Field Greaser Mister Freedom Lot64 LHT I think that's everything. WoMCon incoming.