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I’ve been building up a small collection of Django Atour over the past few months. Thanks again to @Duke Mantee for first bringing them to my attention probably 4ish years ago when I was on the hunt for high quality linen shirts—I never ended up trying any out at the time, but the brand has been pretty consistently on my radar since then The original impetus for finally trying them out, as mentioned a few pages back, was needing to dress up a bit for a family wedding. I got a black linen pants + jacket set, a lofty white linen shirt, and a striped cotton vest. The vest, shirt, and pants were from Masuya1997; the jacket, along with a second pair of pants (more on those below) were from Atelier Gardenia, which I believe is Django Atour’s direct shop, and which doesn’t remove domestic taxes for international orders, but does offer a pretty consistent 10% off code if you subscribe to their newsletter. The jacket, sadly, turned out to be much too small on me. Everything else fits perfect. Go figure. The jacket and pants are beautiful and very versatile, although, given my lifestyle, I doubt I’ll end up wearing the pants often outside of more formal contexts. The shirt is a lot more formal feeling, and also more aggressively old-timey, which is a tough combo in general, although I think it works very well for the specific sort of context for which I got it. The vest is my favorite of the bunch. It’s heavy and sturdy and the fabric has gorgeous detailing and the pattern seems very well considered; I can see myself dressing it down to wear much more regularly than the rest of the more formal outfit. Last photo feat. vintage bolo, Tender Co. socks, MOTO derbies

Just to clarify, I don't have a pair of Slash's XX Grade jeans yet. Still working on that, and if I ever do I'll be sure to share them. I've been wearing my pair of Slash S01XX jeans that I found on Yahoo for the last week, to me they feel very unique even in the limited production one man brand space. There's something about the way he folds the fabric where different parts of the pattern overlap, it gives them a very three dimensional feeling that can't fully be portrayed through pictures. He's mentioned this on his blog in the past and I never understood it until I started wearing my pair. The only makers that I've seen do something similar are Roy and rebuilt. And his patterning is very good, the cut feels great in the short time that I've been wearing them. Pockets are usable, rise is ample, they feel like what I'd imagine a pair of vintage jeans should feel like. I think he also spends a lot of time and effort improving the fabric and materials used to make each pair. If you look at some of his work over the years it's gotten much more refined from when he first started. From his blog it appears that he's been heavily invested in recreating vintage two prong buttons from scratch for the XX Grade line. Literally recreating machinery and button casts so that he can reproduce buttons for the small handful of jeans that he is able to make on his own. That's very dedicated, he's not a brand that can easily push out a few thousand pairs of jeans to justify the r&d costs associated. Does this make them inherently better than other buttons on the market? I don't know, and Slash believes that the only way to understand the difference is to see them in person. Is there an aspect of hype / limited availability to his concept? Absolutely, but I also don't think it's the main appeal. I think with almost any and every one man brand in this type of field it's intrinsic to keeping their product line alive and commercially viable. I'm sure there might some people buying them for this reason alone, he's even blogged about how he doesn't want people to resell his products because of their limited nature (saying that he will ban anyone from purchasing from him again if he's able to track them down via the serial number printed on each pair). I think he's very dedicated to his craft and he's trying to reproduce jeans in the most accurate way possible and he's cultivated a very dedicated fan base along the way. I understand that the limited nature of his products will put some people off and that's totally understandable.

The kids were doing some 'Escape Room' thing this morning so we had an attic full of teenagers last night.. I was too tired to go to work. Got up and yawned.. then yawned again. Then i Pepsi Challenged some nut butter ..and headed out to the Peaks ..tried to find a route from Padley Gorge through the woods.. ..to Nether Padley ..but it was more of a push and carry over rocks than a rideable trail so i bagged it off and rode up to White Edge ..all the way to the trig point ..nailing it through the Devils Elbow on the way home ..i got barged out of the way by a herd of cows... cows eh? 4hrs later... I stuck the headphones on and walked to Abbeydale road, it's Pakistani mango season.. i nearly hooked up with @MJF9 here once upon a time Tagging is a middle class affair in S11 through the park Feeding the ducks ..along Sharrow Vale Road ..restored garden furniture at Gilberts junk emporium ..kept walking ..past Kenwood Road ..and down to London Road wearing Supreme work shorts, Blue Lug t-shirt and Odd Future Vans. If you were going on Springer in the 90s you'd need a couple of hair pieces "Jerry, Jerry, Jerry" Drooooool! ..and home

People don't talk about him here because he's full of it 😂 Don't get me wrong, l love the 2 pairs of s409xxx that l own for the reasons explained in the Csf thread (and others) but l don't care for the brand or its creator. Obviously some of that has to do with the sh*t that he and his 'legal team' threw at Denimseeker over so called copyright infringement when DS put out his Levi's Denim jackets book a few years back. But there are other elements of csf that have more than just irked me since my introduction to them via the notorious Denim influencer, Double O Soul 😉 back in 2016. Firstly, Yoshiaki's bullsh*t video explaining the one piece sleeve 506XX being made in 1946 Only. It is not that at all, just a production quirk which appeared on the jackets throughout its entire production. Secondly, his 'pattern-making' is a mere allusion towards the cut of 501's made in the 1940s. All his models have the same flowerpot top-block, tight front pockets and small back ones. No pair of vintage 501XX that l ever owned or saw, had that weird pattern shape. Thirdly, his bullsh*t sizing. Most, if not all of the sizing information that was given by him to me previous to purchase was incorrect, yet l still purchased more, but bigger sizes. Started out with a 34, then 35, then 36 and now have 2x size 38's, one of which is bigger in the waist 🙃

RRL western shirt, Hollows belt, Buzz Rickson Original Spec 1930s chinos, John Lofgren Steadfast boots. I seriously love the fit (and everything else) about these chinos, getting a new, sized-up pair turned out to be a great call.

My most-worn Django piece so far, by a big margin, has been the other pair of pants that I got from Atelier Gardenia. They bill them as “linen easy pants”, and I think that’s a pretty apt description. Really great mid-weight lofty 100% linen plain weave fabric in a great color, cut with full legs and a very high rise. I’ve been using them as pajamas most evenings. Last photo feat. old Ues big waffle thermal, Birks

Funnily, I had the exact same discussion with @Broark already when I wanted to hear if his endeavours were successful. I am pretty certain the "hard to get"-aspect is definitely there. For some this might be a turn off and others will be just more motivated to be part of the "chosen cricle". If we take a look at the famous one-man brands here like Slash, CSF, BoT, WMJ, rebuilt, Mepse, Little Hand and many more, I am certain they all want to achieve the perfect replica and will go lengths to achieve this (this is why I didn't include Roy, not so much of a repro guy). So the question is, does one exceeds the others? It's one thing to talk about what he wants to create and if he really creates this. From those above and the ones I handled, Mepse was the most disappointing. They didn't feel special in any way. Slash for example has very little exposure not only in the West but you also won't find many examples in Japan. At least I didn't. When I read his IG post that his XX-grade models will be extraordinary expensive I would have thought it would be in the 80k Yen area. I never would have thought it will go over 100k. Broark already has a pair and can judge if those prices are worth it (for him). And if you know he offers the "perfect" pair, why should one settle with his cheaper lines For a long time CSF was seen as the pinnacle of repro but nowadays, people don't really talk anymore of him. Probably mainly because you simply can't buy his stuff unless second hand or in Japan (and sometimes with a lottery system as well). It's interesting that Slash choses the same selling prohibition from the start.

I think this is my picture spot now. Since it's hot, I don't tuck my t-shirts anymore. Gildan, buzz, boa

Yea, for me there's a certain sort of internet marketing that really does this as well. I think I've said before I have a lot of sympathy for the grind that is the one person/small business trying to use social media to generate interest and a living - and the sort of pressures that puts on a business and compromises it may demand (not maybe in denim, but in ethos). But just to needle a bit here - being obsessive about patterns and having an uncompromising view of what a good repro is feels hardly unique in this corner, right? I mean, there are other makers with this sort of ethos, even if they land on something a little different - we've long ago concluded there is no *one true repro* for a given year even. But it's like 1) if this dude only wants people who can buy it in person, well alright. I can't do that. Respect to that demand, if it's got to do with him trying to ensure the fit is such and such or people really love it and will have a higher chance of beating it up, or connect to it more given the onus that is put on them for showing up Or 2) if this is a way to generate internet interest and demand for a limited production item and ultimately charge a premium due to said demand then yea, no interest there either. The forum has a few examples of makers who have gotten a big following for their unique craftsmanship and then seemingly crumbled under their own hype, or started running a business in a way that is pretty askew from the sort of historical association that denim conjures. Admittedly, I do think my level of scrutinization of some things is a degree less - well, and maybe scrutinization of other things a degree higher ha. I can understand the best fitting jacket out of a bunch. The little differences in length or width here or there, on the sleeve or down the back or across the shoulder - it can really make all the difference if you've got a few to compare, but that's usually more a combination of the person + maker rather than either alone. That said, I think I'm still not convinced that the hard to getness of it isn't the main thing. Which is fine. Only going off internet pictures and measurements etc. Perhaps one day I get to handle a pair in person and change my mind, but I doubt it. All of that said, this forum is way better obsessing about details than forums about photography equipment. Those places have almost been enough to make me disown my profession! So many words wasted on so little of what makes great photography - but I'll digress and keep it OT here.

More recently, I picked up two cotton/linen tee shirts on Yahoo for like $25 + shipping. The fabric’s really great. It twists a ton, which I like, particularly given that they seemed to account for it well during patterning. (Maybe this relates to the unique approach to the shoulder and sleeve seems?) They fit well, but the cut is a little out of my comfort zone, I think, with a very wide neck and too little length keep tucked—so I’ve mostly been using them as active wear for climbing & hiking. For that, they’re perfect. Definitely would recommend to anyone who prefers this style of fit.

So this was neither of you lads then???

I’m still interested in CSF as a product as it still seems one of the better repros out there (and I missed the boat with it unfortunately) it’s just everything outside the physical product is a drag with CSF. in other Junky Classics and one-man craftsman related news I hadn’t realised some of their JC Penney Pay Day repros are now made that way (but they don’t say who the maker is). https://blog-classics.jugem.jp/?eid=3025#gsc.tab=0

Sunday happenings + observances: Scritch time Next round of starts, with & without Squirrel Guard Little herb garden: no need for a squirrel guard here: the gnome’s got it covered Morning coffee appreciating the sunflowers

Ted DeGrazia with Diego Rivera in 1942.

^ ahhh yes... and a fine part of the world tis too... in fact, me and the lad are somewhere around the Peaks for a couple of days at the end of the month getting away from it all... nice Supremes, the colour is giving me Michael Portillo trouser vibes from Great Railway Journeys Can't beat mango season... reminds me when my daughter was a tiny tot we used to give her Pakistani (and also Indian alfonso) mangoes all mushed up - she'd get so excited she'd do a "mango dance" in her high chair. Certainly worth dancing for imo.

I had a general awareness of CSF just early enough to probably acquire some in reasonable time if I wanted it, but the old splash page on the website of some try hard chain smoking denim head and the rumblings about the proprietor was enough to put me off. Even moreso at that point, the brand image would speak to me more loudly than an especially well fading denim. But that still remains. That Denimseeker thing was the cherry on top, as noted, I couldn’t fathom how he even thought he had particular rights to those photos which were no doubt owned by the photographer or perhaps a company that they had been signed over to, but photographs don’t just transmutate into IP of whoever comes into possession of them. It was the most entitled shit I’d seen in awhile. And all directed at someone who had intentions that by all accounts looked pretty innocent and passion driven. None of this necessarily applies to Slash from what I’ve seen, I can understand a motivation to limit purchases to in person (maybe not as justification to command a super high price, this is where I get a little skeptical). That said, I’ve got a really hard time giving my money to someone who conducts themselves as an ass on the internet (this goes well beyond denim). I can’t know how they are in person, maybe they’re different at heart, but when all I’ve got to go on is how they present themselves I will take it at face value.

Yeah it's definitely true that the international market isn't going to be a drop in the bucket compared the JP domestic market. I just know he's tried to throw his weight around a lot with his elevated "reputation" and it's given a lot of people a bad impression of him ever since, myself included.

It's understandable, that one wants to protect one's brands and original designs. But wasn't he arguing, that you couldn't use pictures of vintage jackets, that he had acquired, even when the pictures were take before he had bought the jackets? Normally the photographer is the rights holder. If I own say a VW Beetle and have some pics of it and then sell the Beetle, I don't think that the current owner of the Beetle could prohibit me from using the pics, even if that includes posting them in my biography on the internet and in print. And the agreement, that if you buy a product- which you then own- you cannot sell it on, wouldn't fly in Europe at least, I think. We now have a similar situation though with software in cars. A customer buys a car with special feature software. When he sells his car in some (many, few- not sure) cases, he cannot transfer the special feature to the new owner. This might be because the software is never owned, but only licensed. And you cannot transfer the license. I saw a documentary recently about farmer and their expensive tractors, where they had such a situation.

Yoshiaki really burned some bridges over the years, but I don't the the international community was ever important to him. Seems like he's just gotten too big for his own britches in my opinion. Hell, the guy has a fuckin' semi truck... https://www.instagram.com/reel/DH67plETbkm/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

I think, this a bit the standard phenomenon as with coffee, red wine, photography equipment, etc.. Like for some people say a Nudie Jeans jacket would be the same as a jacket from Slash Overalls. Which would be totally fine. Depends what people are interested in. Somehow a number of people interested in denim- especially here on the forum, where they tend to arrive- evolve in interest from say Nudie/Edwin to Oni and others to more repro makers like WH, TCB, FWs, etc.. And then of special interest like Roy are the one man/small team jeans artisans like Ooe YFT, CSF, BOT and Slash Overalls- as has been described in various posts here before. But back to your question- when I saw pictures of faded SO denim I got very interested. I started reading his blog then. And he has a very focused and uncompromising philosophy to be as close to the original vintage items as possible with regarding to fabric and also cut. His denim is a bit lighter with 12 and 12.5oz and now the newer one 13.5oz. And he had mentioned the ratios of the rises. So that and the overall aesthetic impression that I get from his products got me interested. But for sure, I have limits to what price I would pay. And also currently it seems nearly impossibe to buy one of his items, if you're not in Japan.

S406XXX M-46 My M-WW2 jacket is currently out for repair, I’ll get some photos of it up once it’s back

1947, WW2, 1961 RB

@Double 0 Soul too tired for work.... but went on a bike ride and a long walk eh... 😉

I know - and they shamefully haven’t even hit water. I keep wanting to but trying to focus on my WMJ and on the off days, pairs that have already had some wear. My backlog has gotten to be too much over the past few years. Right now I’m trying to thin out the stash a little and regain some focus in what has become my but never intended to be collection.…

Less true when you live near a Self Edge: plenty of folks here in Iron Heart & PBJ & The Strike Gold who just walked into a shop and wanted a pair of jeans. At this point I usually only make a comment when someone’s wearing something pretty obscure, for better or for worse

I've often told people in public I like their jeans. They've always responded enthusiastically, but I only do this when it's clear it's an enthusiast who's wearing a brand you'd only have on if you were really into it. Seeing selvedge and immediately assuming they're a fellow nerd is a mistake, it's common enough in general now that there are lots of people in Gap or Uniqlo jeans who would be weirded out if I approached them. That's less of a concern if I see a guy wearing Samurai or Iron Heart or whatever. The most energetic interactions I get with fellow nerds are cars - I'll have people on the other side of the median honk or flash their lights or wave at me when they see my Cressida, guys who are clearly JPN car nerds getting excited over something they can appreciate. Then again, cars are a bit more socially acceptable/"normal" for guys to be into than jeans, and only a nerd is going to see an MX73 and recognize it as something kind of special, so that's not surprising. There are lots of dudes out there wearing a Rolex or driving a BMW that they don't really know much about, because those are famous status-symbol type things that appeal beyond the OCD enthusiasts. If you're wearing some PBJ jeans or driving an R32, you're in pretty deep.

I'm sure rarity probably does factor in to the mystique. But I would say the patterns are really good/ very vintage-y. Of the five 506XX's I own the Slash Overalls is probably my favourite cut. And as with indigoeagle I get the impression from his blog/insta that he is an obsessive with the patterns (among other things) and has his own philosophy as to what makes a good repro. Slash also seems to develop some distinctive wrinkle and puckering fades (like on waistband, collar) that are a bit extra. You can see here https://www.instagram.com/p/Ck3NyL3PUod/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== or https://www.instagram.com/p/DKEz7qUTl0c/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== I really like it. Of course you can get some of that with other brands (my Tender denim jacket is developing some very tasty waistband crinkles) but it is part of the appeal.

Cool pic- nice dropping shoulder and it looks like he has cuffed the (too long) sleeves. His boots could be MF Road Champs The fits look even wider than today. @Le Clown Bleu's chinos might be close.

I’ve admittedly still got a thing or two to learn about the corners of the repro denim world, but help enlighten me - what’s the unique appeal of Slash? Usually I can squint and see it - a particular detail combined with a particular fabric or pattern etc. So far’s I can tell with Slash it just seems to be the hard to get ness of it. I’m sure I’m missing something - does the fabric look that special? The patterns just a little unique? The sewing a (different) personal touch than other one/two person makers?

Spent the weekend in Lake Arrowhead and watched the sun set at one of the fire lookout towers with the Mrs. Can’t get the orientation right on the last photo no matter what I try. Fun boating and general laziness was had

wearing the new speed engineer sleeveless coat in TTS 44 its quite large but i feel this is the intended fit and i like it this way

Vintage (ish) Hakusan Megane T-Jerry's .. .. i think these were made for a period up to 2014? .. the version i wanted have this shaped hinge rivet ..the rivet was changed to (or from) a horizontal shaped rivet at some point after release.. There are far fewer examples with this^ shape so i'm inclined to think this was the first edition.. the person who i bought them from certainly thinks so and he has lots of At Last / Tenderloin goodies.. that said, there is conflicting infos online. Hakusan are one of the few who actually make their glasses by hand from start to finish at their shop in Shinjuku, they've been doing so since 1883. My pair had recently been returned to Hakusan for a polish and service. The difference between these and factory produced acetate frames is just night and day tiny Hakusan logo cast into the resin nose cushions, see what i mean about the level of craftsmanship ..beautifully made things @CSL .. sizes are below A- 142mm B- 120mm C- 12.5mm Frame Height- 46mm Lens Height- 39mm Lens Width- 49mm D- 140mm At Temples- 157mm E- 140mm

Sassafras / Fruit of the Loom / Freewheelers / Warehouse

USN denim and chambray!

First real day in the M41059 I always assumed these were the same denim as the M41058, but I don’t think that’s the case. They look very similar, and feel similar when raw, but after a wash these feel a lot more crunchy & rougher than I remember the M41058 feeling; I think they may have also shrunk more, although I didn’t take any measurements this time around to confirm. My best guess is that they use the same (or a very similar) initial denim but that the version for the M41058 is sanforized, while the denim for the M41059 is either fully unsanforized or only lightly sanforized. Can any Wrangler history buffs comment on whether this shift would check out from a historical perspective? In any case, really looking forward to seeing how these age in comparison. feat. Great Lakes, Tender Co., Ooe, Union Special, Hollows, Russell

For some reason I had it in my head that it was, but you're right it's its own thing as a revived brand and has other ownership. This seems to be the official site. For what seems like a fairly mainstream fashion conglomerate it seems funny they'd do stuff that edges into the one-man artisanal denim space. But perhaps that's just Japan for you 🤷‍♂️ Cockpit USA (leather jacket company) seem to have the licence to do Payday stuff in the US.

🤣 Im not specific on the topic or content.... just the duration!

^ I think when I first took notice of them, I was drawn in particular to how strongly their denim puckered and twisted: it seemed super lively, which I love That said, it was never enough to make up for how hard it was to purchase. That always feels like a turn off

another update for you @Double 0 Soul @Dr_Heech

They def are slow faders but it allows me to wear them regularly to the office. Maybe by next year they'll be perfect summer jeans. I am intrigued by the indigo tabs. Will be cool to see how they age. The baggy 50s looks excellent too!

Tender Co. / Warehouse / Duke / Cane’s / The Flat Head

Wash no 4 (by hand) and drying in the heat & brilliant Sun. Still wet here.

@nick682 Rain at Indigo Proof is the best in my experience, pricy but I think she’s the best. The SE location here in Austin also does a great job, I can’t recall her name but I’ve had a couple pairs hemmed there specifically with good results.

RDR3 coming soon...

Just got back from vacation visiting my parents in Florida, first time traveling with our daughter and she did great! I've heard it gets much more difficult once they're a little older so we decided to take this trip now. Didn't wear the jeans much outside of travel days, but giving them another wash today so I'll update with post wash pics. Got some crazy rain in central Texas while we were away, came back home to our roof slightly leaking but fortunately nothing was damaged. Taking it all in. Walking to the beach with Pawpaw. She really loved the sound of the ocean and did well in the pool too! Always eat as much seafood as I can whenever I'm near the ocean. Saffron and seafood risotto. Grilled out for the 4th. So long, until next time. Heading home. Pups on the ride back home, Rooney has to stay in kennel jail because he's too crazy in the car...

Thoroughly enjoyed wearing these 220’s. Faded too quickly though, this is from 1 year with a bit of other jeans in rotation.

^ Hell yes! Top top notch I was wearing mine last night too—although I’m thinking about graduating these from climbing pants into the regular rotation, and switching to climbing in the M41059 Bad pic feat. Bootleggers chalk bag, Django Atour tee

I got these a few weeks ago and have hardly had them off long enough to get good pictures, but here are a few. Size 29 M41057, at this point my favorite pair of M-Series jeans that I’ve gotten so far. The fit is perfect! A couple pics from a hike to an alpine lake earlier:

1945 pocket flasher with For over 85 years ticket, so a circa 1957 501XX model. Courtesy of Fake Alpha.. Tried to zoom in a little

Pretty crazy how much texture super smooth has for such a lightweight fabric. This is after a few washes and one tumble dry. Taken in direct sunlight, still pretty damp.