frideswide

My Edward Green Galways, probably about 3yrs old. Double leather soles (I don't believe in rubber myself --- it reduces my pleasure ).

I've worn them all over Asia (Korea, Taiwan, Japan) in typhoon season, teaming with rain, etc., over rocky ground, the works.

Would add "Rodeo" Ben Lichtenstein.

Yes, Yamane Hidehiko-san too, but must deduct points for relentless self-promotion.

Hi John --- appreciate your posts, as always. Some jeans are definitely slower to fade than others, but when they go, they go, if you know what I mean. It depends how much of the core of the indigo fiber (warp) is dyed-through. I think Samurais are definitely designed to fade quickly by abrasion ('atari' in the lingo..) because the warp has a relatively large undyed core. At the other end of the spectrum are the multiple-hank-dyed natural indigo models which are dyed completely through: these will never display defined hige and hachinosu. Your Steam Locos are obviously somewhere towards this end of the spectrum, but please keep at it --- many people here are following your progress with interest.

mmm... possibly he meant "Tuzumi" jeans.

http://www.tuzumi-denims.com/denim.htm

I think Flathead does a saw-tooth repro.. number 7002. Sleeves probably too short, though.

On the subject of 27MW repros, there also is this

http://shop.yumetenpo.jp/goods/d/pants-shop-avenue.com/g/WrM5027/index.shtml#

And a fun writeup on things 27MW by the Wrangler Spirits guy

http://wrangler.jugem.jp/?cid=13

I must admit to walking down the street once in this shirt and being accosted by a lager-swilling, middle aged woman with the words "hello, cowboy!" I think it was a compliment.

lol, sounds like you might have been in for a wild ride there...

I assume the shirt is a 'Euro' version? (i.e.. Polish, Czech, or Turkish made?)

It's the same as "Thunder Red" brand soap (note the Samurai name for it is "Kaminari", which means thunder and lightning).

It has a slightly mawkish smell because it is made from pure soybean oil, which, apparently, has a lower melting point than other oils, making it ideal for cold-water washing. I believe you can get it through BiG (amongst other places), at least I saw some there last year.

I made this one for some shops in the Daikanyama/Ebisu area, showing the location of Kapital Legs, Kapital Blue Hands, Warehouse, Dry Bones, and Denime. Should keep you amused for an afternoon

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=112357160766595403672.00044c3eb6fe49aa1ef0e&ll=35.647707,139.714036&spn=0.016042,0.043516&z=15

SAMURAIS S710 3 MONTHS

SOAKING PROCESS. I THREW SOME SALT ON IT BECAUSE I SORTA REMEMBERED READING SOMETHING ON IT.

Salt simply acts as a water softener, and is not necessary unless you have really hard water. Hard water causes soap to be much less effective since the minerals in the water (chiefly calcium) bind with the soap to form a scum. The sodium in salt effectively displaces the free mineral ions so the soap tends not to bind with it. You should ideally rinse the salt out with a clear rinse after washing or soaking. As far as I know salt does not interact with indigo in any way, so should cause no colour change per se.

Have just noticed the re-designed patch & back-pocket design for the F151:

http://item.rakuten.co.jp/bears/fob-f151/

A kind of Lee-style stitching. Also, the apache helicopters are gone, and appear to be replaced by... umm.. the Brooklyn bridge?

Overall, pretty nice, imho.

I should have pointed out this was the official Evisu outlet --- they have their own shop here in London in Saville Row, and branches in two department stores: Selfridges and Harvey Nicols. The prices are identical across all three. I can understand if it was just a 'rogue' retailer trying it on.

Probably you have a more reasonable franchisee there in North America. Don't get me wrong: I'm not Evisu-bashing, just lamenting what's happening (at least here..) to what was a great brand, and one of my favourites.

Yeah, the sad part is that it isn't even about mark-up, it's about greed. US$275 is already the Japanese retail price (not wholesale) and includes a reasonable estimate of the Japanese retailer's costs and profit margin (which can't be that much less than a British retailer's). How you get from US$275 to US$1090 simply by shipping them to the UK (without even bothering to take off the Japanese price tags!), and paying import duty (17.5% on clothing, btw) is a mystery. Or rather, it's not.

I respect the original Evisu, but the people who are running the overseas brand franchise are just treating it like a cash cow, and will no doubt discard it and move on to something else when it falls out of favour. Sorry if I sound cynical.

or in simpler terms... the inside of a pair of jeans....

Actually, if you think about it, because denim is a twill (which means the threads in each direction are woven so that they go over two cross threads, then under one, then over two, then under one, etc...), the inside of the jeans are two-thirds weft-colour and one-third blue, whereas the outside of the jeans are two-thirds blue and one-third weft-colour..

Here's an example why Evisu is not so loved these days. I was in Selfridge's Oxford Street on Saturday (a big department store in London, for those who don't live here...) in the Evisu section and spotted, amongst all the Chinese-made dross, a 2nd-type Evisu denim jacket, Japanese made, in No. 2 denim. It still had the Japanese price tag on it with the price in yen -- Y28,200 -- carefully inked out, but you could still read it through the ink. Ok, that's 138 pounds or about US$275. Care to guess what the UK retail price was...? 545 pounds, or US$1090. Man, they're havin' a laugh...

Hi.....

I just wanted to say that the Kato' red-cast is not a 'tinted' indigo it's a doulbe spun process. we spin a thread and hank dye it with a red organic dye, then spin a second 'coat' on un dyed cotton over the thread and re-hank dye it in double harvest indigo, dipping 35/40 times and steam locking the thread, it gives a slightly larger thread and a open weave......

just wanted to point it out.....

thanks

Neil

Neil -- where you been, mate?

They should be long enough to fit the 19-20cm "long wallets" (e.g. Redmoon, KC, Funny etc) without looking completely ridiculous. A good bit of the wallet has to show out the top but not half the friggin' thing.. agreed?

Nice jacket! Please wear it a lot, and don't wash it. Seems you haven't worn the 110's much. They are a slightly baggy compared to the 105s. Anyway Yen is defunct now, so they are something of a collector's item.. The interesting thing about Yen is they had their own denim made specially for them. The left-over stock is apparently being used in a new start-up label called 'Engine' (I think there's a thread about it over on the Nudies forum).

I ran into someone recently who told me Michiko Koshino has started a new denim line. I've not checked it out yet, but I'll report back if I find out something about it..

costs about double to buy from paris

Yes, but at least you can try them on. (Then order them from somewhere else if you care to...).

I would like a pair of 45rpm nando nando. I live in the UK what are my options? Also What do they only come in a one wash? I am a 33" what size would i need in these?

45rpm has a Paris store (in the 1st arrondissement, near Place Vendôme) ---- that might be more convenient for you if you live in the UK.

because the Denime 20th anniversary model is based on the 66type cut which has no hidden rivets

Yes of course, you are quite right, they were bar-tacked after 1966 weren't they. Apologies for being a bit dim.

.

I wonder why they chose to make them without back-pocket hidden rivets?

They must have a reason I guess.

.

excellent, frideswide! where did you purchase them from, and are they freely available? a zippered '66 cut...that's pretty interesting.

Duffer of St George in Covent Garden used to import them before Evisu opened its own shops in London in 2006. They were great because they used to get the unpainted ones. After Levis began its legal harassment of European shops selling Japanese repros in 2005, they were forced to cut off the red tabs, which was a pity. Anyway, I'm sure you can still get this model in Japan.

This is actually a 2000Z -- i.e. a 2000 with a zipper instead of fly buttons. I've had them for a couple of years, but probably given them only about 5-6 months of continuous wear (however, two months of those were in the tropics, and the amount of sweat they were subjected to daily was considerable...).

Washed once. Size 30 waist. Greencast tigerline selvage. Note the complete absence of leg-twist, due to initial sanforization.

Very nice indeed. Your pix always appreciated.

Interstate's a nice shop, nicer, I daresay, than American Classics over the road from it.

There is also the Lee shop itself in Carnaby St --- the Edwin-made Lee repros are down in the basement (but do check the inside labels to see if they are indeed Japanese and not Chinese made).

There is now also a Wrangler shop in Carnaby St, but I thought it was pretty rubbish when I went in there --- they had one true 11MW repro (only one) which they were selling for like 250 quid, no thanks; the rest were Polish or Turkish made and pretty cheap looking.