rodeo bill

^thanks, I know those two are special ones. I'd much rather sell here- they've been in a box for a decade, they deserve to be enjoyed!

SOLD April 18th

Having a clearout of magazines: Free & Easy, Lightning, McCoys, Evisu, Popeye, 2nd etc. I have these on eBay for £100 starting price for the lot, but open to offers here, I'd like them to go to a good home. Some edge turndowns etc but basically as new. Please let me know if any questions.

On 4/7/2024 at 3:41 AM, rbeck said:

Just watched this for the first time thanks to your post here, and wow what a movie. Gonna be thinking about it for a while now.

The Ry Cooder soundtrack stands up very well as an album, I think, and the dialogue snippets really hold it together. 

lovely to see all these jeans @merzbot @irual @bartlebyyphonics, fading twisting and repairs all looking great. Really good to see a pair of hadal jeans wearing in, too- please keep us posted.

Here are my 12oz Cross Weave 136s. I get such a kick out of seeing the right-hand twist on a left hand twill fabric cut sideways 🙂

On 3/4/2024 at 7:13 AM, sensy said:

Oh snap, the tricolore-weft is back (https://www.tenderstores.com/product/type-497-open-shoulder-floor-shirt/?variation=33143).

Indeed! I really like this fabric too, and it's particularly interesting how it takes the darker dyes, which make the colour variation much more subtle. I'll have one more variation in this fabric over the next few weeks, but I'm afraid none going to EU stockist this time. Here are some closeups of the 'rough' logwood and hadal purple dyed versions. The rough logwood was a test using a mix of old more coarsely ground logwood powder, it didn't dye as evenly as regular logwood (particularly the newest batch of black logwood which came out beautifully dark and clean) but I think works really well on this fabric, which is slightly coarser and heavier, and in this style, which works best as an overshirt/light jacket.

On 1/4/2024 at 12:31 AM, AlientoyWorkmachine said:

Curiously this new denim feels a bit different than the Woad pair - it feels a little softer, a little lighter, a little bit of a looser weave - something like that. Can’t quite put my finger on it. Also, some little details seem to have changed a touch over the years. Belt loops and snobs thumb pocket seem patterned slightly differently, or else the variations in batches might be more than just the denim.

lovely comparison photo! your 132s are certainly going to fit quite differently from the 129s. The denim is exactly the same spec and mill, although it will be from different batches. I expect the difference is in the washing that's gone into your 129s- both woad and Achilles' Heel are dyed relatively cool and gently rinsed, so they shrink a bit further with subsequent washing. When garments shrink the yarn gets denser as the fibres contract, and the weight/area increases which also makes the fabric feel harder. My guess is that the new jeans feel how the old jeans did, and they will feel how the old jeans do now after a few years. Alternatively there certainly could be some variation in the fabric.

Details have evolved somewhat over the years- I note that your 129 side belt loops are the 'transition' length (!). Originally the side belt loops were extended and sewn through the yoke seam, however this caused a lot of broken needles, going though a lined belt loop and 4 thicknesses of denim in the seam, which also risked damaging the seam itself. For a while the side belt loops were longer than the front and back ones, sewn though a single thickness of denim, but more recently the belt loops have been matching lengths, and set closer to the side seam, to give more support to a belt at the sides, where it's most needed. Snob's thumb pockets haven't intentionally changed, although the side pocket mouth will be a bit bigger in your upsized 132s than in your 129s, which will make the thumb pocket look proportionally smaller. Again, though, it is possible that there's a bit of natural variation over the years between the two versions. 

Looking forward to see how the fit and dye works out for you on your 132s- Please do let us know.

Michael Stipe in something black overdyed, 1994, with Courtney Love. (Photo from a NYT long read about him, never been a fan but really interesting guy)

a nice exchange with a regular customer and friend of the brand over the last week, which I thought might be enjoyed here, particularly by @julian-wolf(apologies if I misunderstand your profession Julian)

I gifted a pair of the chlorophyll-dyed socks to a biologist friend who's planning to look at them with a state of the art microscope he built out here in SF — apparently chlorophyll (in it's natural state, at least) will brightly fluoresce when hit with a certain color of laser light. 

-

They fluoresce!  He's testing against some laser safety glasses here that filter out 405 nm laser being used — because they fluoresce, you still see some light coming through the safety glasses. Not a dramatic effect, but definitely there.

23 hours ago, AlientoyWorkmachine said:

Eh. I've put thousands of miles in on roads and trails over the years and while I do agree Nike runners are comfortable, nothing is happier for my feet than birkenstocks - a pair that's been somewhat broken in, that is. I'd be wearing nike runners (instead of birks) most days if that weren't the case, because there's not a pair of birks that I put on for looks. I cringe a little bit at the look every time I step into my londons or my bostons but once they're on it's basically the next best thing over barefoot. If I'm wearing sneakers I still think skate/court shoes will look better than runners with jeans any day though, unless you're Seinfeld. 

once you've gone Profi Birki you'll never go back. Neoprene footbed for service/care industries, and a higher back than Super Birkis so they don't slip off.

I just got this on vinyl (Lou Reed’s Transformer), an old favourite but I’d never seen the back image in large format- red line selvage, looks like Pinto wash!

7 hours ago, JDelage said:

Does the cardigan only exist in wool pattern then?

Aha- yes I only made the indigo cardigan in the wool pattern, with a twist (which is the one Desolate has, I think. The only no-twist indigo cardigan is the linen-indigo, where the linen helps to stabilise the fabric. It's a lovely style, please do email me if you'd like more info.

@desolate yes please it'd be great to see your cardigan! Lovely story about the desk. Do you have a clock to match? I always liked the animal ones (especially the fish)

@desolatethese are fantastic! lovely to see the satchel again- it's worn in beautifully, as have the boots and wallet. Great roll-top desk, too.

@JDelageyou don't mean the 747 indigo cotton and natural linen rower's cardigan do you? In which case I have it in stock. I can't think of any other indigo cardigans other than this and the wool pattern cardigan, although I may be forgetting something!

On 1/5/2023 at 8:48 AM, rodeo bill said:

gorgeous @merzbot! Thank you.

I'm so sorry for the lack of posts in the last few weeks, the end of the year was very busy, and I've had a couple of weeks off. Happy new year and I hope everyone had a lovely holidays. 

To get them on the record, a new pair for 2023, now about a month old. More as things progress:

 

Here we are at 9 months, and finally in stock! New type 122 Pleat Back Jeans, based on 132s but with pleats into the waistband instead of a yoke, and no back pockets:

I'll sort out some fit pics soon, but I've really been enjoying wearing them- I rarely use the back pockets of jeans which have them, and I've found the lack of yoke and pocket bulk to be really comfortable to wear. 

On 9/14/2023 at 8:30 PM, AlientoyWorkmachine said:

I missed that these existed. I've been searching for the right cord trousers - not 5 pocket - high and low, these look great.

How do you like the cut? 

Obviously can't speak for @julian-wolf(fit looks great to me though!), and I'd be very interested to hear his thoughts, but I've also been dissatisfied with corduroy options- for whatever reason I'm just not that into corduroy jeans, but I'm not ready for full tailored trousers in corduroy, either. 122 is directly based on 132, with the same amount of seat shape taken out with a vertical pleat rather than a horizontal/diagonal yoke seam. Sizing is equivalent.

I don't know how to quote across threads, but in the Wide Jeans Thread @chicote said "the tender 132 as a wide fit option — again, just my experience wearing a size 2 (roughly 1 inch oversized on me) which I felt like I was swimming in years ago!". Not quite sure if this is what he meant, but his comment reminded me of something that I was told when I worked at Hackett in London 20 years ago (now more fashion/midmarket than it was then, when it was still a pretty legit traditional outfitters, somewhat similar to how Drake's is now). I was told that Hackett neck ties were always 'the right' width, but that that subtly changed every so often, so that within the broader fashion context they didn't look unusually skinny or wide. I can't remember who it was that told me this, but they also said that this was the same with Levi's 501s, which isn't actually a set pattern at all, but changes/d with the times (as we know). Looking at 132s and the 122s which I'm wearing at the moment, they were originally intended as a wide fit, and the pattern has never changed at all, but over the last 13 years they now feel more like a regular fit to me, with 130 seeming quite slim. Granted I may personally be growing into them (ahem), but looking at Julian's 122s I think they just look 'right' rather than notably wide or high-waisted.

and @tjsma here we are!:

The straps are all adjustable- the satchel and pouch here are both shortened quite a bit, they could both hang at waist height if preferred

On 9/15/2023 at 4:00 PM, tjsma said:

@rodeo bill can we see a picture of yours?

here you go. I'll try to get some action shots this week!

8 hours ago, julian-wolf said:

@rodeo bill Those bags look great. Do you think you’ll be dyeing any of them?

thanks, and yeah they're really lovely things. I'd like to dye them, but it'll be a bit challenging as the wool can't be washed too hot, and the sewing is polyester upholstery thread (for strength). I do love the idea of an ecru bag, though, and I've been enjoying my own. The fabric is quite stain resistant, but the couple of mud splashes I have on mine are really turning it into something special. I  like the idea of something quite fresh and architectural gaining the look and feel of a really battered explorer's pack with time.

In other news- bags! These have been a while in development, a project with a good friend in Glasgow. It started out like this:

an outer heavy wool 'sling' folds over itself at the corners (forming Elephant Ears), and contains a separate cotton bag, which is supported in the sling and yet is free to expand at the sides. Here is the eventual family of three sizes, a backpack, satchel and pouch, all made up in ecru wool woven for tennis balls. I've been wearing the backpack since the early in the year, and it's been great- I've stuffed it under plane seats, on train luggage wracks, used it for food shopping and as a weekend bag.

Lovely fit! thank you so much- I'm really pleased with how these came out. The corduroy is lovely, it's deadstock English-woven from a company that still produces fabric, but shifted to European weaving years ago, these were some rolls they had left over, which I bought a while back. I really like the crumpled pile out of the dryer, although this should drop out with a bit of wear. More 122 versions to come in the next week.

My own 12oz dimple Cross Weave 136s are coming along nicely, some photos once they show a bit more, but here are some pics of a pair belonging to a long-time customer and friend of the brand. These are 10oz Cross Weave 130s. This denim was woven a little looser, showing more warp (the ecru yarn) on the face, and a more pronounced twill, than the 12oz version. A pic when they were fairly new in Spring 2019, then again this week. These are the best-worn pair of these that I've seen. Bonus points for 4-year place mat continuity.

@willi that is a nice one! It's the Fried Eggs dial, and from the length of the lugs it's from the first run (we lengthened the lugs slightly in later runs) but @tjsma is right, this is a quartz watch, so likely just needs a new battery, which can be fitted at any local watch repair place (or a decent shoe menders/key cutters).

Edit- just to confirm, the crown on these watches is only to set the time- pull out and turn anti/clockwise to set the hands. Only the black cased GS/TP watches and a very few early 'Flier's Dial' silver steel case watches were wind-up.

Exactly!! I was wearing shorts underneath though, and went to the library while the wash was in (less sexy)

On 7/1/2023 at 3:05 PM, merzbot said:

What a way to breathe new life into those jeans! I imagine it took some bravery to give such beautifully worn in pair another plunge in the indigo vat. The result is sublime.

Thank you so much! and yes it did- but I'm totally delighted with the result.