peter1

Ah, ok, cool...it's a bit esoteric if you're not a roundy-round racing fan...

ARCA is one of the oldest auto racing (stock cars, that is) sanctioning bodies in the U.S., dates to the 50s. It was a competitor to Nascar at one point and now, apparently, is owned by Nascar. https://www.arcaracing.com/ https://stockcarracing.fandom.com/wiki/ARCA https://www.smartmotorist.com/arca-racing That T is really cool by the way. I got the ARCA reference immediately but if you're not a US racing fan of a certain, shall we say, regional orientation, it wouldn't register. (to complicate things a little bit, there apparently was also another ARCA series in the 50s that involved sports cars, as the current ARCA was once called MARC, the M standing for "Midwest" and became ARCA in the mid 60s...)

His answer on Zimbabwe was hilarious. I'm also just excited to know how to pronounced Ues.

What's been anyone's experience with Moonstar? The Gym Courts look great -- they have more padding than Gym Classic, whic seems to be what most non-Japanese retailers stock. Seems like they're often on sale at various places for under 100 euros. How do they fit? I'm guessing size down half for sockless or thin socks? TIA

One more Lee/VF tidbit: In the early 70s my parents bought matching reversible leather tuxedos from Lee -- I don't quite know how to describe it except the tops were Rider jackets in smooth/suede and the pants were basically jeans. The leather was unlined, very thin, dark brown with white contrast stitching... AFAIK they bought them for a costume party -- even 45 years ago it was a bit much. I'm sure they've long been tossed out but what a find if they weren't.

@Duke Mantee Hope it goes well -- I'm sure it will. I've had heart problems for years, and a number of procedures, and I'm always impressed by the absolute competence of cardiologists and heart surgeons.

^^I definitely remember my first pair of Levis. they were orange tab as red tabs were 10 bucks more! They didn't fit as well as Lees, which had a pretty forgiving cut.

Hmm. Ime either 31 or 32 should be good and probably won't make any real difference. My 33s are an inch bigger than the tagged size, bought thru Denimio who recommended it and the waist is pretty stretchy. But note that the rise is quite low. I also have a pair of raw black slim 50s in 32 and the post wash measurements are identical to the indigo one wash 33s, hence I can't be definitive...

I like the EU Lee line but just can’t wear Lee, for a possibly silly reason. I grew up in Reading, Pa., the home of VF Corp., and the site of the first real factory outlets. In the 70s and 80s everybody wore Lees because you could get them at the huge (5 stories) Lee outlet for $10 a pair - fancy-pants Levi’s were $35 or maybe $40 at the time so once we were old enough to get summer jobs we all saved our money to buy 501s. Lees were for the poor slobs who couldn’t afford Levi’s. Of course now I wish I’d bought 500 pairs of those Lees and stashed them away...jackets too...i think much of it was still miUSA until the mid 80s...VF offshored all production at some point but not sure when.

I've been eying a number of their pieces, but I'm a little afraid to order from Japan right now. Their shirts look fabulous and they're often on sale over there. Might be worth proxying. Not convinced that jodhpur pants are going to make a comeback, however, and some of their T-Shirts are racially cringeworthy.

It's interesting that US brands like RGT, Tellason, Left Field, Railcar, Raleigh etc don't get much action here anymore. I really like Tellason and Left Field. I suspect it's because it's too easy to find -- and I say this as someone who has played shipping roulette from Japan plenty of times. Or maybe because it's "boring." I'm sure this subject has been flogged to death but I still find it interesting. But I can't really see much material difference between, say, Tellason and TCB, and I have stuff from both brands. Roy, of course, is an exception among US brands.

I have nominal shrinkage with cold washing, then they stretch back in a day or so.

Second from top? Not so much an issue with the button placement or hole size, but in general I'd say the chest is not as roomy as it could be for the sizing (a 40 in my case). I wear mine generally open as an overshirt over a T or light oxford/madras, but when I do button it, normally just the 3/4 buttons because I can't be bothered to do up any more. My problem (well, not really a problem, more of an observation) is that the waist circumference could be larger, or the length could be shorter. I'm pretty slim but if I fasten the last button the waist rides up and bunches out, probably because it's a couple of inches longer than a vintage Type 2.

I have blanket lined Carhartt with biswing back for “real” chores and it’s exceptionally warm.

I feel the same way about Chelsea boots. Some of the high-end workwear offerings from Viberg etc are more like Blundstones. But a true Chelsea to me is more like something that the Beatles might have worn in 1963. I have had a couple of different Chelseas from various brands, and they've all been sort of "dressy." i especially like Barker's higher-end Chelseas.