mondo

heh.. I had assumed the blue button was just "yep, here's where all your rep needs can be met" and moved on over to the left. Now I won't be able to stop thinking of it as  : |

@Cold Summer, @Duke Mantee – I wouldn't have either of you any other way. If a topic has a recent post, it's reason to click, and has been so for years. I wish I could maintain a similar consistency through the vicissitudes..

Buzz Rickson "original spec" chinos (the Great Escape "hilts" model) have a shade that's similar to the second swatch.. There's also a Sugar Cane "mountain cloth" chino that I recall looking quite a lot like the last swatch. More of a grey than a khaki. Burgus Plus also have some lighter colours, more like a bone/ecru.

6 hours ago, vlad_III said:

Real McCoy makes them. Their size 44 is like a FW 48. But I don’t like how they fit and their denim isn’t great either.  Holes develop before it fades. Also seems sanforized. 

Yes, don't know what is up with McCoy's sizing – I am 44 in everything, but bought a second hand Type 3 in 40 based on the seller's measurements. In my case, it turned out to be my best fitting jacket of that type (compared to a UES size 4 – bit too slim, but still serviceable – and a Big John 44, comfortable but a touch too roomy and therefore a bit sloppy-looking).. still a bit early to tell if there will be holes before fades, but I don't think so.. Seller did say they'd hot washed it once to remove shrinkage, so it doesn't seem to be creasing too sharply. At around USD 120, it seemed a chance worth taking.

sorry, should have said earlier – EU 45 is US 11; I find I'm an 11 in Chucks. US men's 7 is EU 39.5 or Japan 25.0 cm – whatever size it says on the shoe corresponding to 25.0 cm (or slightly below, like 24.5) should be good. The Japanese size is the standard they're constructed to.

4 hours ago, Depth said:

Would love to know peoples experience with shoes like pottery vs doek and other kurume made canvas sneakers?

 

I've had a few pairs of Moonstars, a Doek court sneaker and some SLP low sneakers.. as @Broark says, the Doek have a more solid feel due to the cork (which probably makes them better to wear without socks as well, should you be so inclined). Shoes Like Pottery share a plain blue rubber sole with the Moonstar B-Ball models (like a low Chuck Taylor). Moonstar gym shoes have more of a ripple sole and a different treatment of the toe-cap rubber – there's a greater variety of Moonstar models, but as far as I can see the other two are pretty much the same as Converse Chuck Taylors or Purcells, in high or low.

Sizing is fairly consistent, in that whatever fits in one brand will work across all of them. They run a little large, but (as mentioned above) not particularly wide. If you have ever tried Common Projects you'll be familiar – I am EU 45 in general, but 44 would be the sweet spot for me in Kurume sneakers if I could find any. I can make 43 work length-wise, but they feel a bit tight across the toes by the end of a long day.

They wear very well – the rubber is much more durable and flexible than Converse, tends not to split badly where the ball of the foot flexes and wears down without shedding fragments like an eraser. I don't drive and am quite active at work – they all feel fine after 12-16 hours. Overall, I feel the Doek are best to dress up or down (mine are ecru/dark brown) and work well with chino / denim / military-inspired clothes, but there's not much in it. Moonstar do quite a few collaborations – I've a nice dark indigo / indigo rubber pair they did for Studio Nicholson that I picked up second hand. Finally, they are all quite expensive – worth it if you have your heart set on a particular model or are a wear-it-until-forced-to-get-a-new-one person, but I would wait for sales or buy lightly used.

I have various pairs of old Warehouse and Buzz Rickson's chinos which are good, but for "super lightweight" it has to be Orslow painter pants in their 9oz denim. Impeccable details, soft breathable denim with just the right level of texture and furriness. A bit hard to dress up, though, unless you were to make every other article of clothing exaggeratedly formal and defeat the purpose of wearing lightweight.

6 hours ago, discwork said:

Picked up a pair of Okinawas. I eyed these when I first got into this hobby, but was too intimidated by the straight leg fit at the time  

Fit feels good and the details are a fun touch. The fabric is slubbier than I'm used to, but I'm looking forward to seeing how it fades. 

Probably something like this, eventually:

^ busted out a pair of those I'd had sitting in the closet for a few years and wore them to work – the soles came off during the walk there! Lucky I had some old doc chukkas in my desk drawer. Australian climate's not kind to old sneakers... Nike air crumbles away, New Balance rubber cracks... anything with a Margom sole unit seems to last the distance, though. I've some ancient Common Projects high tops that I got second hand as beaters that will not quit, as well as a few Buttero and more presentable CP.

Lately I've been enjoying Doek and Moonstar – I should take pics, I guess

4 hours ago, generic_guy said:

I am looking at a type one jacket on eBay.

Seller says it it is from 2007, and that they believe it was made without a red tab. 

I believe Levis didn't start putting the tab on jackets until later, but having looked through catalogs I can't see a version without a red tab.

Jacket is labelled as made in Turkey but I suspect the tab has been removed by someone.

Anyone heard of a type one without a tab?

I've a 555 type I LVC from 1998 (if I read the codes accurately back when I was a more thorough researcher), and it's got a red tab. Same with a type II from that era.

19 hours ago, Maynard Friedman said:

You should cut down the sleeves and then snip lots of long vertical cuts along the length of the sleeves to give a streamer effect (think of the curtains outside betting shop doors in the 1970s if you’re old enough).

Heh.. yeah, in Australia those streamers would give a nice, festive '70s going-to-cornershop-to-buy-ten-cent-bag-of-lollies effect.. keeps out the flies

1 hour ago, Double 0 Soul said:

The FC wasn't the article in question @mondo ... it's still cold enough to wear it under a denim jacket, so the hole isn't an issue.

The rolling FC was just a word of caution, IE was considering buying a new sweat and cropping the sleeves.. lot's of examples of crop sleeve sweatshirts which don't roll and some crop sleeve sweatshirts which have been cropped then cuffed.. are the cuffed versions made from a fabric which has a propensity to roll and the cuff is there to stop it happening? .. who knows? potentially you could buy a sweatshirt, crop the sleeves and end up with 2 giant polo's at the top of your arms.

I have no answers.. has anybody seen a cut-off that has rolled 360º or more..? The McCoys I have can be purchased (same price) with or without the cuffs – perhaps they reserve the roll-repudiating terry for the McQueen line. It doesn't quite manage the devil-may-care vibe of The Great Escape original; the raglan sleeves and snug fit make it a little too mannered for that. Then again, Steve McQueen was a smaller guy with fabulous forearms.

^ I have a Toys McCoy McQueen sweat with out-off sleeves (yes, bit of a wank, but it's been great as a general-use top.. didn't pay anywhere near retail, but mrs mondo would no doubt be aghast at the prospect of anyone seeking out a "blurple" top with ragged sleeves).. anyway, it has a fleecier backing, but the the edges have rolled to half-pipe status and no further, regardless of trips through washer and dryer (and there have been many).. I've become a fan of the three-quarter sleeve – no cuffs to get in the way or become frayed, easy to push up if required. Annoying under a jacket, but I've got other sweats for that. If that FC sweat were mine, I'd chop the cuffs off, why not, I'd be surprised if it just kept on rolling.. but if you ended up with a vest with inner tubes on the shoulders that might be kind of cool..

^ Wholesome!

that jacket could not be a better fit

These days I wear frames I can get my prescription lenses into (so, thick acetate, the "McQueen" from Archibald – made in Japan, but prices seem to have gone up recently), but back when I wore contact lenses I found the various military styles from American Optical and/or Randolph Engineering (I think the military contract was taken over from AO by RE) did the job well. Just find a lens size and bridge width that works and away you go. The straight arm option is good if you need to use them with earphones or a watch cap. I figure if they're suitable for pilots and astronauts, they're more than I'll ever need, but they're a bit The Right Stuff for some tastes.

1 hour ago, julian-wolf said:

Going one size up from your Cane’s should be a safe bet

I've only had the TCB contest '40s to evaluate, but I do have many SC pairs – 36" on those TCBs equates to 34" on SC. The high rise on the '40s makes the waistband feel different, but it seems safe to assume TCB end up a size (2") down from tagged size. That was the consensus when selecting size for the contest – the first pair of jeans I'd bought new since 2005, come to think of it.. heh. Since then I've bought a couple more on sale.

I have the SC Type II in a 44 (my usual size) – it's cut long rather than traditional "boxy" fit, but other than that I wouldn't say it was that much roomier than others I have (TFH, LVC and FW). When buttoned, there is no pulling at the pleats, so I could imagine it down a size for a more snug (but not too tight, visually) fit.

Pockets are slightly smaller than my other Type IIs though – the flap won't button over an iPhone 5 (tiny by today's standards). Aesthetically, the smaller pockets should be better on jackets sized 40 and below.

It's a good jacket, though worn the least of all. Perhaps I just have too many Type IIs.

6 hours ago, Duke Mantee said:

This seems to be the winter of your discount tent

Many are cold, but few are frozen

6 hours ago, shredwin_206 said:

I’ll also throw in the runabout goods standard sweatshirt. 

I like the Runabout; gusset is inset (getting harder to find these days), but it's not loopwheeled if that's a deciding factor.

Buzz Rickson I like for the fit – probably my favourite in this regard – but gusset is now overlocked on top of the existing fabric (apparently this was not always the case); loopwheeled

Whitesville (another Toyo sub-brand), nice details (gusset checks out and is made from nice heavy ribbed fabric, as are cuffs and waistband), loopwheeled but rather stiff fabric and sloppy fit if you go for your usual size (I'm generally a 44, but 42 or maybe even 40 would get me closer to the fit I prefer)

Studio D'Artisan do one that seems identical to the Whitesville, but the fabric is softer – not sure if mine is the "Suvin Gold" or not. Could just be that I've washed it more than the Whitesville. Nice sweat, fairly sure it's the one worn by Liam Neeson in one of the Taken films (where he's also sporting some tastefully faded Levi's)

Cushman – great details, "freedom" sleeves (like a fancy raglan), good gussets front and back, lovely sweat but not so easy to come by

Sunray Sportswear – lovely soft loopwheeled fabric, gusset not genuine but develops subtle horizontal ridging after a wash or two. I have two or three of these and they're unsung wardrobe heroes – my 15 y.o. son will always go for them if he needs to borrow something. He likes "blurple" (as he describes the faded Real McCoy's blue), but not to wear. I know RMC are already on the radar, but they are probably my favourite for overall character of the fabric as it ages – the fading and texture elevate them to "favourite denim" status for me. The Ball Park sweats are overkill for life in Australia, but they're built like a brick shithouse and age beautifully... unless there's been a drop in quality... I think mine might be quite old; like most of my purchases, I got it second hand.

17 hours ago, vIGGiou riou said:

...my youngest son had at his 15th also size 12 UK, 46 EUR and my nightmare was what size he will have in next years. But from that time he's 3 years consistent. Still the same ... :o) 

Mine just turned 15 – exactly the same shoe size as yours; I had hoped he would stop at 10/11/45 (so he could continue to wear mine), but that wasn't going to happen. He's been steady at that size for a year or so, so maybe that's it for him...

^ @AlientoyWorkmachine, every word of that could be applied to my 129s – particularly regarding repairs. If I'd had a yoke problem on any other pair, I would have assumed it was all over. These, you can have a crack at and it becomes part of the charm. I had set mine aside for a couple of years but was recently pleasantly surprised to find they fit me as I remembered... then I found a new pair I'd had stashed away (lucky eBay find, I think.. unusual here in Australia). Happy days! I, too, would go for a looser fit if I were buying another pair, but I'm larger and heavier – you definitely rock these as they're intended

^ goes well with the Emperor's New Stilettos..

I don't know if the "Greyhound" version differs from their regular U.S.N. chambrays – sounds like the collar might be one area where it does. I have a couple of Buzz chambrays; the collar has never been notably stiff, except possibly when the shirts had that freshly-purchased starchy feel. The only thing I would change about them is that the button holes seem to become loose far more easily than any other shirt I've owned. Buttons often come undone even though they haven't been placed under noticeable strain – i.e., if wearing a sweater, removal might cause a couple of buttons to slip through their holes. The fabric wears more nicely than most, though. More texture, particularly around puckered areas such as cuffs and seams.

hnnn-n-nggg