peter1

Excellent interview. Shows the importance of being open to your customers. My only quibble with TCB is a certain, shall we say, lack of refinement when it comes to patterns, but that's part of the charm and there are plenty of other brands with a less rough-hewn aesthetic. On that note, will go for another pair of slim 50s but may try sizing down...

On 10/29/2019 at 8:02 AM, BionicEye said:

i read this thread but still got some question

is there any difference between the tcb denim bought at denimio or the tcb denim bought directly at tcb
i see the denim at denimio is american sourced but i read the denim at tcb is japanese sourced

is tcb better quality as apc denim

im a size 34 in red cloud and samurai and a size 32 in apc
which size would you suggest in either the 50s or the 60s

is there a plan for a new contest?

sorry for all my questions

I'm a fan of both APC and TCB, and while they are at similar price points (APC is a bit less, depending on where you buy your TCBs), they are very different pants. APC is, to me, more about the fit. The patterns are superb and a well-fitting pair of New Standards, Petit New Standards or Petit Standards will look good with everything from a T-shirt to a constructed blazer. But, it's not rooted in a lot of historical references the way a TCB pair is. I love my APCs -- will probably always have a pair in the rotation -- but I wear them as "work" clothes, i.e. office work, whereas my TCBs are better for more casual wear. And the TCB denim is more interesting, at least to me. I don't think it's quality, just different characteristics. If this helps, I'm a 32 in APC and 32 in TCB slim 50s, but I could have easily sized down to a 31 in TCB. I just like a looser fit for knocking around.

I'm sure this has been done, and if it hasn't it would be horribly expensive, but a repro of some of the Blue Bell zip denim jackets from the 50s/60s. My father had one, even had the elastic gathers at the rear.

I asked my mother NEVER to sell it until I got around to finding a place to store it, but of course it disappeared...

Is there a thread for Phigvel? I'm sure there is but for some reason can't find it. http://store-phigvelers.com/

The off-white Tees look great.

On 6/28/2019 at 11:40 AM, unionmade said:

Thanks Bobbo! Tried IG too but only found new ones. Not sure if your fellows at manufaktur sold them? But I think 50sblack maybe fade like old orange tab´s (550s). Turning out more grayish (and more like blue jeans) than black/black yarn. Guess I gotta jump on the wagon here then, since they seem to be FOB´s on sufu

I have a pair. They are hard to fade, have about 30 wears since winter with a hot soak but put away for summer. So far only fades are showing up around waist areas and a bit on rear pockets. The fabric is nice and soft, very comfy. But it doesn't quite feel like blue denim. I'm going to go at them hard this fall, I think.

^^Good lord those are terrible. 

12 hours ago, Broark said:

Anyone else ever find themselves in a stylistic rut of sorts? I don't see much that I'm really compelled to buy these days.
I wear the same like 5 to 10 shirts/t-shirts almost all the time, and a pair of Roy or Ooe jeans daily. Nothing else does it for me these days.
Sure when something new from Roy or Ooe comes out I'll buy it from a collection standpoint, I know what I like. But outside of that there's not much that does it for me.
Maybe it's time I take some time off from the forums or something. 

It comes and goes, some years I'll buy nothing, others I'll a bit nuts when I find something I like. In the last year I've moved back to looser fits, but still in the "artisanal workwear" wheelhouse. I especially like EG Workaday line, which is basically designed to be a half size too big. Also into some Italian brands like 1st Pat-RN and President's that have trim but not tight silhouettes and truly great construction/materials. I'm actually down to 2 pairs of denim, mostly wear fatigue pants for daily wear. 

^^I just posted this in the LVC thread. We shall see. I can't imagine Levi's getting rid of STF 501s but LVC would seem to be imperiled unless someone can show its making a profit. Actually, I'd be fine if LVC was just a range of limited production jeans/jackets, minus the other stuff that just seems a bit costumey...

Wonder if LVC will survive Levi's going public? It's a niche within a niche but once you start  getting pressure from shareholders who aren't the Haas family, bean counters start scouring the books for anything that doesn't make a profit or is inefficient.

Cool memories. I remember buying my first pair of 501s around 1981 or 82, having worn vastly inferior Lees and Wranglers before that. Remember that Levi's were high-end, and bc of groups like the Ramones had just a tiny bit of transgressiveness. However the style back then was fades, so I washed them about 3x right away to get as much dye as possible out. I was into the punk scene at the time so I remember taking bleach and putting it in a spray bottle then spraying the jeans on the jet setting. Really cool effect! I agree that STF 501s have lost a lot of luster -- the build quality is still there but the denim doesn't seem to be nearly as burly. Happily there are dozens of artisanal makers including LVC who will sell you old school 501 repros...

On 3/17/2019 at 7:58 AM, dotcomzzz said:

Canoe club has a new sort of wash in the 107 

 

https://shopcanoeclub.com/collections/orslow/products/orslow-ivy-fit-denim-107-2-year-wash

 

Theyre calling it a two year wash but it's not the typical two year. Way more washed out and no lap whiskers like the typical two year. It's also got some very cool oxidation going on with the rivets, looks like gasoline in water or something. Sadly they are not selvage but I don't care. I'm hoping they can get a 5 in

It's a pretty cool looking wash...and yet...$335? IMO you can get the same effect with some well chosen used 501s or 505s, plus you get a red tab. Note that Canoe Club states that a 505 is the inspiration. I'm a huge Orslow fan but once in a while the brand goes off the rails a bit. 

On 2/27/2019 at 11:14 PM, SmokeStackLightning said:

I have been eyeing these.

Do the waist tabs have much function? How breathable would they be for warm weather you think?

I use the waist tabs all the time on two of my fatigue pants, as they stretch a bit with wear, or when I don't feel like wearing a belt. 

I kind of see a molehill here. I'd just take them to any tailor shop and replace the button. Or DIY. Anyway, you got them on deep discount, right? So paying $10-15 for the fix is no biggie. I'd be  too impatient to wear them to ship off somewhere.

On 2/14/2019 at 9:48 AM, beautiful_FrEaK said:

Has anyone experience with the Slim Fatigue Pants or the 6 Pocket Cargo Pants?

My pair of 105 is size 3 but I have the feeling the fabric of the Fatigue or Cargo pants won't stretch out like denim does so it would be safer to buy a size 4 in those? And since they have those waist buckels, it's easier to make them smaller than to make them bigger. Am I missing something?

-------------------------------------------

I have 5 pairs (!!!) of the slim fatigues (charcoal wool, olive, duck, lightweight twill herringbone and a blue/black melange thick cotton herringbone). As you can tell, they are my all-time favorite pants. However, each fabric fits differently (all size 3). The charcoal wool are the slimmest, the duck and lightweight twill are next, probably b/c they don't stretch. The olive and thick cotton have a lot of give in them; in fact I have tightened the waist tabs on both. I would say a size 3 is what you want; I don't care for Orslow 105 fit (top block doesn't work for me), but having tried them on in a 3 and 4, you'd probably be swimming in a 4 in the fatigues. For reference, I'm 180 cm, 76 kg, athletic build, and wear 32 or 33 in pants/denim.

What are the "writer" jeans on Denimio's site? The cut and price look really good, as well as the 33 inch inseam (which would give me a turnup rather than a roll, which I prefer). I'm looking for a tapered but not tight cut as a contrast to most of my other pants, which tend to be a bit looser.

https://www.denimio.com/somet-1820130030-13-8oz-men-s-writer-s-08-indigo.html

On 1/28/2019 at 11:29 AM, Flash said:

Not to disappoint with a good picture , here is another shitty self taken pic

McCoys sweat 

Buzz Rickson chambray 

Conners Sewing Factory s409xxx 

Converse Jackstar

My mother's (and all the side of her family) high school! Many famous alumni.

I haven't seen any fade pictures of TCB black denim, possibly because...after 2 + months of 3x week wear, my black slim 50s aren't showing any fades.

Tough stuff, even after a soak. They are about due for a wash (next week, possibly) so maybe some wear will emerge. Will post pix if it does. OTOH, the denim has become exceptionally soft, and I'm still sticking to my original assertion that sizing will return mostly to raw after a soak. It's kind of stretchy. Debating between a cold or warm wash; but will hang dry, for now.

Can recommend the TCB slim 50s in black (black/white, not black/black). See my review on P. 121 of TCB thread. tl;dr : I'd compare the fit to a tapered, lower-rise 501, which I guess is the point. room in top block and thighs, but rise is on the lower side of medium. Raw version shrank just a little, so eyeball measurements closely. They are definitely vanity sized in that a 32 measures 34 waist...denim is not too heavy, maybe 13.5 oz. Can't report on fading as I've only worn them half-dozen times so far, but have high hopes... 

If the raw version is any indication, won't shrink that much with hot soak, but this is just one data point. @i_denim

Hello, longtime lurker, first time poster. I've just received the black slim 50s in raw, and here are some initial impressions:

--I sized down, sort of. Natural waist is 34 inches, but note that 32 in raw measures about that, so went with 32. Definitely was plenty big in the waist.

--Did a hot soak to get most of the shrinkage dispensed with. Post-soak measurements were 33.5 waist, 33.5 length, 7.25 leg opening. The waist has basically stretched back to as-delivered after wearing for a day. I would say that if you want a tight fit you could even size down 2. I will probably do a machine wash at some point in the near future to get out any last shrinkage, as the length is a bit long and I'd rather not pay for hemming. Lots of dye loss during the soak, fwiw. And it's black...no transfer to the hands, however.

--Fit: Kind of neither this nor that (not in a bad way). It's not a 501 anti-fit, but the top block is plenty roomy -- but note that the rise is on the low side of medium (fine with me, I prefer lowish rise). I'm a cyclist so the room around the haunches and thighs is definitely appreciated. The lower legs are definitely slim -- this is a modern fit rather than a repro. Overall, I think it would work for maybe 60 percent of body types, but depends how you want to style it. 

--denim: would say, slightly hairy but only just. The fabric is a bit lighter weight than I would expect for 13.8 oz. Feels more like 13 or maybe even less. But then I'm used to heavier denim.

--details: black thread rather than orange should make for an interesting contrast once some fades appear. Interestingly a bit of surface corrosion appeared on the buttons after the hot soak. 

Overall, I'm pretty impressed. There aren't many white warp/black weft (or is it the other way round?) raw jeans out there, period. I'm hoping for some high contrast fades so will give these a good 2-3x week wearing this winter. If these develop the way I'd like I may try them in indigo as I'll be in the market soon.