shinobi2000

sorry if i'm too slow, but how do i look at the pics of the other members? I only see "AndrewNg"s pictures

I just reread my sentence and I see how it could have been misread -- yes, I was answering the question about Jomons vs Sorahikos and the "justify the cost" part was about how the Jomons are considerably more expensive than the Sorahikos. I'm not saying 45rpm is unfairly pricing their jean; hen you read through what they're made of and how the Jomons are made, you can kinda argue the price. As far as what other people see however, they look almost just like the Sorahikos and I feel that the price is just for you personally to know that you are wearing kick ass quality jeans. Then again they may fade very differently from the Sorahikos, I don't claim to know that.

Interesting question. Anyone who has read my love letter posts to the PBJs will know which one I'd pick but here is my comparison: I have seen/touched both but only have tried on the Jomons. The fit is very nice. Not too slim but snug. I would agree with the post-er about fitting the typical asian boy legs. I have tried most of 45rpm's cuts -- BC4000, Sorahiko, Umi (sp?) and Jomons and the Jomons fit best. To answer the question someone posted above -- NO they do not look/feel/fit significantly better than the Sorahikos to justify the extra cost. Maybe years down the line they will age better, I don't know, but it is my impression that they are basically Sorahikos with better quality materia(cotton/indigo blah blah etc.) Compared to the PBJs, I think they would fit a slimmer body better. However there is no competition in the denim department. PBJ's denim is the most gorgeous in terms of texture and COLOR. It is a brilliant blue, and the blue in the lighter faded parts almost looks cobalt. I dont' think it is at all outrageous. They are noticeably different than typical denim if you give it a second glance but I don't think they are at the level of crazy distressing/rips/embroidery (ie: don't stand that much in public).

i would also warn against folding them. I had pairs that I thought *lightly* folding them would not ruin the creases or start new ones...it did. At most I am rotating between 3 at a time, (usually alternating 2) so I just sling them over the back of my chair and arm rests.

I don't think it will work. Here's my theory -- the fading comes from rubbing/friction that you pick up unconsciously all day long, from your other clothes, your hands, things that briefly brush past it (doors, chairs, curtains etc). By wearing them under your scrubs, you are essentially putting on a second skin over it. For the most part, each square inch of denim will be covered by the same square inch of scrub material, there will be minimal to no rubbing, scraping, brushing and therefore no indigo rubbed off. Second, because they will be confined to a compressed space, you have the potential to develop wrinkles and creases in all sorts of odd places instead of the natural whisker and honeycomb areas and in different orientations. I don't think you will get nice contrasts wearing them under your scrubs.

Secondly, I'd second the post-er who mentioned the sterility of doing such a thing. I don't know where you're doing your residency but if you're going to be wearing scrubs already, I'm guessing you'll be in the OR for surgery? (or worse, ObGyn, eck!!) During this past internship year (prelim for Anesthesia) I wore my jeans on the floor on call-days because my hospital was a little more relaxed about the dress code for call-days. Also during my ER months and during my clinic months I wore jeans every day because I was doing "light Medicine work" -- anyone who knows how Internal Medicine works knows there isn't much "real" hard, down and dirty manual labor as there is A LOT of phone calling, note writing etc. (I wasn't doing ER work in the ER either, I was doing admissions) If you're going to be in the OR like I will be next month, I think it's impossible to wear jeans. I certainly didn't wear them during my intensive care unit months that involved a lot of "real" work -- putting in central lines and getting blood splattered all over me.

Good luck on starting the most humiliating, most exhausting, most abusive year of your life. Just think, if you can survive the 365 days of this ridiculous hazing ritual without killing yourself or someone else you will be a free man again! I've got 3 left myself. Maybe I'll reward myself with a pair of Pure Blue Japans...

yes, indeed, i know this has been discussed in other threads about the special dyes that the Okinawas and Hawaiis use -- whatever it is, it comes off very easily. Amazingly though, they did not fade too much after the first wash. I don't have pics after the wash (I had to wash them cuz they were just too smelly) but I assure they are not too different from those pics.

28, and my favorite denim brand is one I don't even own! -- pure blue japan -- after seeing them at Blue in Green, it was love at first sight, then feeling the texture was an orgasmic experience in itself. Too bad they didn't have any raw ones and what a damn shame I'm flat broke at this point to even consider buying a pair. As for pairs I actually own, my favorite currently is my Paul Smith Red Ear.

i'd wait to see pics of the Hawaiis. I saw both pairs at the NYC store and the Hawaii's have a nicer blue but I don't know how they fade. My Okinawas started looking like that after only 3 months of moderate wear. So still waiting for the Hawaii pics anybody....

i have some pics of a pair from about 3 months of moderate wear:

http://s63.photobucket.com/albums/h159/shinobi2000/SugarCane%20Okinawa/

tragic -- you were comparing the italian ones with the japanese ones. Does this mean you own both and have broken in both? Which fades better?

i dunno about the claim that they don't change with each season. I was at Saks just this weekend and for the current Spring Summer 2006 collection, they have a "raw-ish" lighter blue one for over $500. It's soft so probably not truly raw, but there's a certain roughness to them that makes me swear they will fade a lot more. Anybody know which ones I'm talking about?

barneys does not have them despite the claim on Somet's website, neither does Prohibit in nyc

yes, my black raw pair also stretched out quite a bit. My 30in waist probably stretched out to 32. For now I've decided I'm not going to be washing them because I like the sheen on them, but just in case I change my mind, does anyone know how much they'll shrink?

Had only a few minutes to check out the store today. I must reiterate what others have been saying -- the Pure Blues are a sight to behold and have a feel that warrants multiple touches. I dare say they give 45rpms a run for the money in terms of appearance and texture. I couldn't get enough of them! I'm like friggin in love! Too bad they only had large sizes that were $600. At last I got to see the Aloha Sugarcanes. I was a bit jealous of their blue color, better than my Okinawas but who knows if they compare in fading (I love how my Okinawas have faded). Too bad no raw Warehouse now, those Duckdiggers look ugly the way they are washed. I'm so pleased that all we have been talking about here that before had a mythical quality to them now are completely tangible and real. Hope the store thrives.

Had only a few minutes to check out the store today. I must reiterate what others have been saying -- the Pure Blues are a sight to behold and have a feel that warrants multiple touches. I dare say they give 45rpms a run for the money in terms of appearance and texture. I couldn't get enough of them! I'm like friggin in love! Too bad they only had large sizes that were $600. At last I got to see the Aloha Sugarcanes. I was a bit jealous of their blue color, better than my Okinawas but who knows if they compare in fading (I love how my Okinawas have faded). Too bad no raw Warehouse now, those Duckdiggers look ugly the way they are washed. I'm so pleased that all we have been talking about here that before had a mythical quality to them now are completely tangible and real. Hope the store thrives.

i also have a pair of 32x32 Calis that has been worn for one day total before I decided I wanted a longer pair. Was thinking of selling them on Ebay but since this thread popped up... Asking for $150

regarding bacteria, actually, a dryer would help because it would dry up moisture -- dry environments are not compatible with life for most organisms

Proud owner of the black version from last spring, bought the last one from the SoHo store and it cost friggin $519!!! Yes there was an indigo version but I decided on the black one because it looked so damn nice. Although it's the "black" version, it's still doesn't really have the typical black denim look and instead looks like a very dark indigo. They're not joking about it being light weight it is VERY breathable and perfect for summer. The material looks and feels like the great slubby thick denim of the all the other typical japanese brands except that it's paper thin.

I don't know if I'd trade them in for the Jomons. The Jomons look and feel nice, (they fit a lot better, more snug) but I still like the material of the BC4000s MUCH better.

just to add to the list, The Real McCoy's have a store in Daikanyama too.

I'm thinking of getting one of those leather bracelets that are out these days. You know which ones I'm talking about? The popular one style is the one with the patch of leather on the part where a watch would go, but I'm thinking of getting one that looks like wrapped strips of leather. Regardless, my question is this -- I saw some being sold on the streets in SoHo the other day and was really tempted to buy one but I'm a little concerned about the quality of the leather. Are these street vendors safe? The last thing I want is to develop a skin allergy to some chemical from poor quality leather (you know how sometimes people buy cheap jewelry off the streets and develop a skin reaction to the nickel that's in them). If these street leathers are not safe, where are some legit places I could look for these bracelets?

I would tend to believe it though (about the Japanese denim vs the European ones). My Sugarcanes started fading really fast, nice contrast within 2 months, without washing. My APCs and Nudies last year only started fading after 5 months each AND a wash AND I was doing more intense activities with those.

Even considering all the above theories, there is still something that I don 't get about his technique -- after washing, no matter how much you restarch or how much it naturally becomes stiff again, how does he get the SAME wrinkles back? For the creases to fade so well and so consistently, they MUST be the same creases that return after each wash...otherwise with each new wash, he'd have a new crease/fade that begins and old ones that don't complete fading. I'm very wary of washing or even using starch nowadays because I find that I can't keep my wrinkles consistent. :-(

I'm glad to hear it fades fast, because mine haven't budged a single shade since I started wearing them (but then again, I'm not wearing them for a long time everyday). Since I am so used to stiff denim nowadays, I find it very strange to feel Howie's softness. I feel I"m not getting any creases to set in...

I will most likely be selling my pair which is too big for me, haven't completely decided yet. The dye is very nice, very very very dark, almost black. The fit is looser than most other japanese selvage brands out there.

yes the SoHo store does have a decent number of Jomon's left. They were $834. The Umis on the other hand, had one pair left I think -- $730? I wanted to compare the fits but that last Umi was a size 29 which I couldn't fit into. THey told me that it's a bit slimmer in the butt area but otherwise the same as the Jomon. I did try the Jomon on...it did feel really nice, but goddamn...$834??? I just can't afford that now.