coleslawyum

You're going to have to thank Levi's for that. Until that latest lawsuit is settled, you're only going to only see brands without red tabs and arcuates online. If you're interested on following the case, its all on public record in the San Francisco courts.

Thanks! These are hand welted, but Takeshi-san recently acquired a Goodyear Welting and Gemming machine. He uses this mostly for Red Wing repairs, and utilizes authentic Red Wing Soles. He does this to basically to replicate the Red Wing construction, and also to cut down on turnaround time. So if you want your pair of Red Wings to have the same exact sole as the original, he can now replicate it. Hand welting is tedious and time consuming because it requires the cobbler to use a awl to poke a hole through the welt, upper and insole and thread it by hand to attach the welt. A Goodyear welting machine does it in seconds. Stitch down construction is great for work boots because it makes them more water resistant, and is definitely more for rugged use. A 360 welt is also good for work boots, because the entire mid-sole is stitched to the welt. A half welt looks more elegant for dress shoes, and the waist and heel are held by metal nails or wooden pegs. Take a look at how beautiful Bestetti pegs the waist. The waist can also be sewn to the insole. And the final results, including the hidden channel cut into the outsole to hide the stitching.

He'll sell them to you for mucho $$$$$$$$$$$$$

There are many ways to attach a sole to an upper, and its very debatable which way is better. In terms of craftsmanship, any shoe that is hand welted whether it be a storm welt, Norwegian welt etc. takes a certain amount of skill and training. Does your feet feel a difference? Probably not. A true bespoke shoe will give you the best fit because the last is created from the shape of your feet. I tend to shy away from Blake construction, because the amount of repairs that can be done are limited, but a good cobbler can work magic on anything. I have boots from the 1950s that still hold up even after repairs, and they happen to be welted shoes. Speaking of Takashi-San pimping things out, here is a recent repair. Wolverine 744LTD.

From what I know, Fukurokuju, Unionworks, BRASS and Rifare cost around ¥4000 for heels. All great cobblers but not what i would call affordable.

I still find it amazing that people living in tropical 32ºC+ weather can rock 15oz~ denim. I can barely do that in NYC during the summer without melting my jewels. I believe that raw denim has reached the mainstream market and is losing steam. However it seems that small niche of fans still stick around since they don't really follow trends anyway. There is a steady stream of Chinese and European tourists, new to the raw denim market, buying jeans, but probably not for an extended period of time. Whatever happens, the craftsmanship and history of raw denim still appeals to me and feels timeless. Signature denim should usually be the Company's best pair of jeans with all the bells and whistles. I think that Denime really did it right with the XX denim being the most sought out after. It truly is a fantastic denim, and one that I would rate near the top of all the jeans I've tried on over the years.

I imagine its as warm as an unlined cotton twill jacket can be. It can be made extra warm by adding the lining, which the buttons to attach to the jacket are included, but unfortunately RMC have not made the lining. A vintage one fits, which we've tried at the store.

A genuine EVIS rear pocket:

Its been a long time… Toys McCoy Railman Boots

The selvedge showing on the top pockets. That's pretty fake.

There are products that are released seasonally and there are one-offs that only gets cut once. However, some products get tweaks and are re-released. The books usually feature the one-offs and some of the more popular items.

Thank you for the kind words everyone. Gav~I hope you finally land that Buco jacket!

Thank you. It means a lot to hear that.

Probably impossible to tell from a picture. It's more about how it feels like to the hand. Since it's such a relaxed weave, there's a certain softness that is hard to explain.

I miss those days when brands would put out one-off, humorous (but obviously copyright infringing) Levi's interpretations. Not that they don't do that now, it's just that the the brands are a lot more careful now.