Largo

Christ, this again.

The stuff in Tanner, Lee & Na is legit. If you're really freaking out over whether or not they were fakes, go upstairs to the the third floor and check the stalls in the back. That is the current rotation of fake Evisu in Thailand, with the exception of a few weird looking redline models they have at Chatuchak. Check the hardware and tags on the Evisus there, and the selvage, for the matter at Tanner vs. the stuff upstairs, it'll put your mind at ease. I'm pretty sure the lady who works there doesn't really speak much English though. Some Evisus are made in China, though-can't help you on that count if they're arguing otherwise-did you show them the tab? She's usually pretty nice.

No worries, Cotton-just wasn't sure what had happened! Nice pics, thanks for the update. Have fun in SF!

So did they end up being completely unwearable Cotton, or did you hand them off to your brother? Or are they in Vienna?

So confused....

So did they end up being completely unwearable Cotton, or did you hand them off to your brother? Or are they in Vienna?

So confused....

Well, if it's the S0500 cut you want, then anything in the S5000 'series' should be good, although the VX is plenty slubby as well. I think they announced a 21 oz. S5000 a while ago that's coming out next year (although I heard Take5 in Hong Kong is already selling a small run of them). Not sure about the denim characteristics of Samurai's 21 oz. though.

Well, if it's the S0500 cut you want, then anything in the S5000 'series' should be good, although the VX is plenty slubby as well. I think they announced a 21 oz. S5000 a while ago that's coming out next year (although I heard Take5 in Hong Kong is already selling a small run of them). Not sure about the denim characteristics of Samurai's 21 oz. though.

Not sure. Could be the tanneries in New Zealand or something like that? They don't use a lot, if any, cow leather for the flight jackets apparently, so that might be it.

Hello...

Where is Real McCoy's come from, Japan or US ?

How about Toy McCoy's where are they from?

I read that there is another McCoy's from New Zealand too?

Thank you for your help

They all originated from Japan-Real McCoys and Toy McCoys (sometimes referred to as McHill?) are two different branches of the original McCoys line, run by different founders of the McCoys line-the McCoy's in New Zealand makes flight jackets, and is a branch of the Real McCoys line (the parent company is called Nylon, if I recall).

This was covered in the McCoys Thread, and due credit goes to Jubei, for discovering this article.

Bumped and edited.

Hit up Chatuchak then. Maybe Siam Square, or even the Suan Lum Night Market, although I don't remember it being that good for clothes. The main problem I'd say with finding good stuff at Chatuchak is just that the damn place is so big-I've gotten absolute shit shirts there, and I've gotten some really nice ones too. So if you find something that's just fuck-awful, just keep walking. 1400 baht will get you a lot of t-shirts either way.

Sure you CAN get shirts and such at any of the dozens of street, night, or wherever markets, but for original designs and such, hit Chatuchak or Siam Square. Platinum Mall isn't bad either, but they'll only discount if you buy 3 pieces at the stores, and most of it is woman's clothes.

And once for the evening.

The spot just under your calves? Probably the legs are just a little too long. If you really dislike it, the only way to fix it up would be to get the jeans hemmed to exactly your length. Otherwise it will keep coming back (although the effect will be less noticeable once you've finally got all the starch out of them).

Bump for the evening.

Cirrus is on most machines, I'm fairly sure. I really doubt you'll be unable to use your atm card here-I didn't have that problem at all when I was visiting purely for tourism a few years back.

Evening bump-

A few 5ep inquiries-nothing definite yet.

Bumped for the morning.

Cleaning the closet, going to get rid of some jeans I love, but just don't fit. Both have been worn perhaps a half-dozen times.

First up, a pair of The Stronghold 1895 denim, a medium-rise straight leg, slightly anti-fit. A lightweight denim with a unique horizontal 'streak' to it. I'd estimate 12-13 ounces, already washed, worn about 4 times, no wear to speak of except on the heel of the hem, as pictured. Has a lot of unique features, like the hand-hammered rivets, striped pocket bags, and hidden inside coin pocket. Retails $285.

Tagged at size 31, but actually a 34 waist, these have been rehemmed to a 32 leg, chain-stitched on a Union Special (pic is from before I had the hem redone)

Wear on the back of the hem.

Measurements:

Waist: 34 inches

Front Rise: 10 inches

Inseam: 32 inches

Hem: 18 inches

Knee: 18 inches

Asking: $125 shipped with tracking in the US.

The 2-400 baht selvage jobs or the other Thai repro brands? Honestly, they're all pretty nice. If price vs. quality is your concern, then I'd argue you're getting an extremely good value for the money. As for the more expensive stuff I've seen (1-2000 baht), given that you're stacking it up against say, Gap or something in the same price range, then those are worth it too, if you like the cuts.

Well, I had high hopes for these before they left. Ran a quick message by Analyst to see where we could perhaps get some good photo opportunities before I sent them away to Cotton Duck. Naturally, both of our thoughts gravitated towards-

Soi Cowboy, the red-light district tucked away off of Sukhumvit Road downtown....unfortunately, I never ended up in the city at night, and my weekend was shot so I was stuck out in the edge of the city for the last ten-odd days. I did go into the city for one day to get dental surgery, but found very little that was picture-worthy. I did briefly stop to give some tourists 'culture lessons' while they were discussing something inane over why this tree:

Was planted in the middle of the sidewalk. This is probably because they built the sidewalk around the tree a long time ago. It's home to spirits. Given that it's by the side of the road, probably the spirits of people who died in vehicle accidents, if I remember correctly. Either way, you can't cut it down.

The top of Central World. Downtown Bangkok. Not sure why I took this picture, either. By this point I was light-headed on painkillers from the dentist, so the rest of the day was a bust. So that left the rest of the Bangkok tour here:

The township style place I live in. It's a nice enough spot, but as mentioned, really in the middle of nowhere. It's mostly middle to upper-middle class Thais who live here, which is why at first it was a bit startling to turn around and see:

The 'neighbors' place. These houses made of metal sheeting seem to spring up overnight, usually next to construction sites where the workers live. They're literally everywhere in Thailand. I wouldn't be surprised if these are from when they were building the township I live in. Sometimes I'll jog over here and have a drink with the mototaxi drivers. I have no idea how those guys manage to consistently do their job-they always seem wasted. So, my remaining time was left to:

Bike around the township taking pictures. Note the broken-glass 'barbed wire'. Since there's no real businesses or restaurants aside from the clubhouse in front of the township, to kill time I went to visit my neighbor who runs a restaurant of sorts out of her driveway, and drank in the rain.

Then, time was running short so I got a hold of Cotton Duck and got things ready to send him the jeans. They didn't seem to smell that bad, but I'd been wearing them for a month in Thailand, so it would have been pretty nasty to send them as-is. I threw them in the water with a dash of soap, and was faintly surprised.

Not the best picture, but I guess they were pretty filthy. So, I rinsed them out a few times and left them to dry-oddly, this denim seems to dry really quickly. Then I threw everything together and headed out the next morning to take pictures and ship the jeans....but I forgot the damn camera. So at any rate, they're on their way to the Netherlands as we speak. It was a fun time, wore the jeans to two countries, multiple cities, countless drinks, and one dentist visit. Wish I'd been able to get out a little bit more with some extra pictures, but either way I'm glad I got a chance to do this. So, next one up is one of SuperFuture's finest, Cotton Duck! Hope they get to you soon, and you can put up some wear pictures to see how they've progressed fading.

JF, this isn't a result of the dyeing but of the weaving of the fabric. In addition to the more standard vertical lines found in some slubby denims, there are also more widely spaced horizontal patterns of slub that run the length of the jeans. More weft shows through than warp in the pattern so they become subtle white "stripes." I can't really point to another denim as an example, so I just encourage you to get a pair in your hands--you'll be impressed.

Yeah, it's a difficult effect to explain without seeing them in person, and I definitely can't think of a similar denim off the top of my head. If you've ever seen a pair of the streaky 'flame' denim like in some Nudies (straight sven, was it?) or the Eternal 868 10th Anniversary, they're almost like a horizontal version of that denim. Here's a picture of my Strongholds for reference, hopefully you can see the effect:

If I were just riding down slopes, I would. Two seasons ago I ruined my jacket halfway into the season, so I just used two thick sweaters and a windbreaker for like a month. But I'm going touring this year. That means walking with snow to your knees half the time, and doing some of the toughest runs the country has to offer the other half.

I could tie the legs up and make a backpack out of them or something

Man, I'd say if you thought it wouldn't wreck the jeans, go for it!

Anyways, it's been a damn slow week here. Immediately upon getting out of the airport, I was whisked away to a restaurant near RCA run by a famous Thai singer.

This hunk o' man was apparently slim and all the rage in the '80s in Thailand. Like, top of the charts and whatnot. Turns out he's a nice guy and still has quite a voice, and the food there was delicious. Still, it was a little odd to see the usual buttoned-up 40s-ish Thai crowd pounding drinks and singing along.

The next day or so, we went out to eat again at a place near my house. It's quite literally a shack on the edge of a rice field, but the food there is delicious. Easily one of my favorite spots in the city.

Stir fried seafood with fresh pepper.

Yam salad (lemongrass, lime juice and chiles, basically) with fresh shrimp

Possibly my favorite Thai dish: Pan fried soft shell crab with black pepper.

That being done, it was a boring five or six days until I headed out to MBK shopping center, one of Bangkok's meccas for fake and legitimate goods to see what was new.

I was briefly tempted by a food cart, but all they had to offer was grilled hot dogs and unripe mango. Conversely, two of my least favorite Thai dishes.

Mahboonkrong, seven floors of replica and authentic....almost everything, and notably Tanner Lee & Na, our one good Japanese denim shop.

But all I found was the Bape. Crap.

No idea! Three or four days in Cambodia, but the ones in Bangkok seem considerably nicer, so I assume it's a slower process. I was just gauging by the off-the-rack stuff, I've never actually had anything made.

The fades on 5ep are pretty nice too, although I noticed the same problem with knees matching up with 'combs, depending on your height.

It probably bears mentioning that aside from Analyst's guy, if you're in the vicinity of lower Sukhumvit (sois 1-30ish, I'd say?), you're going to find a metric shit-ton of tailors on the prowl out there. Display even the faintest signs of interest and you'll instantly be accosted by a shill of random nationality with a book of the aforementioned outdated Italian suits for you to buy. They're in MBK, there's a few who set up shop in Siam Square, and off to the sides of every small street that has more than a handful of tourists wandering away. The MBK and Siam Square ones tend to be much more sedate, but regardless: Stay Away. Find the guy that Analyst and England recommended, or else you'll end up with a fused, boxy suit of dubious quality. The price may be right, but you'll find the suit isn't. Or hell, ask them about getting it canvassed or something and if they look confused, run for it. That being said, enjoy!

Oh, and there's a few more leather shops on Sukhumvit around Soi 22-Siam Bootery and one other right next to it. Prices are pretty low, but the guys there are kind of surly. Also Maneesilp Handmade makes some shoes ranging from ugly as hell to pretty nice, and will do custom orders, although I'm not sure if they make one-offs (it's a problem I've had with leather goods people in Bangkok). They have one store on the ground floor in MBK and one in Siam Square. Also Tony Leather across the street from the main Jim Thompson shop if you're nearby there (or just passing by the vicinity of Patpong la-di-da).