Broark

It's definitely not a necessity, I have more than enough jackets and plenty that are too warm for Texas. But at the same time...

You're not wrong, I did sell my other deck jacket because it wasn't seeing that much wear. But my other ulterior motive was selling it and replacing it with one from FW. December - February gets downright chilly, and don't forget the state-infrastructure-fracturing "winter storm" we get annually. Plus I don't think we'll be here forever.

Quick community poll, which do y'all like better: "khaki beige" or "dark red beige"? I think I'm leaning dark red right now. Khaki beige: Dark red beige:

The small-ish leg opening on the 40s and the wide selvedge ID are my only complaints, but it hasn't really stopped me from wearing them. The stitching is really well done and the denim softens up nicely. I'll wear the Rockets for a day or two and try to get some fit pics.

Looking good b_F, what do you think? Were you able to the the buttonhole stitching to loosen up at all? Post wash for the Rockets, just put them through a gentle, warm wash and hang dry. Feels like these shrank up quite a bit, denim feels pretty tightly woven. Waist: 35 in. Front rise: 12.25 in. Back rise: 16.25 in. Thigh: 13.5 in. Knee: 10.25 in. Hem: 9 in. Inseam: 32 in.

Rockets 0001XX w36 pre-wash measurements. Will report back with post wash info once they are dry. Pre wash. Waist: 37.5 in. Front rise: 13.5 in. Back rise: 17 in. Thigh: 14 in. Knee: 11 in. Hem: 9.25 in. Inseam: 34 in.

@Thanks_M8 Thank you! And good eye, they are made by Meindl, however they also offer a MiUSA model that's only available for purchase by visiting their store in person in New Hampshire.

@Geeman thanks! I had my eye on the Reims for awhile, just couldn't ever find a pair on sale in the color I wanted until now. I've never worn loafers before so this will be a first for me. I think I could even get away with wearing these without socks. Without socks they feel a little loose on the heel, but maybe once the insole molds to my feet a little more they will be better. The sole is pretty pliable and they aren't very stiff out of the box, I really wasn't sure how leather soled loafers would hold up so this was a happy medium. Could always opt for some Alden loafers for something more Ivy!

Thanks Michael! Given your hiking experience I was anticipating this! Initial impressions are that the finishing is really well done, just testing out some different socks to make sure the size is correct. They feel very comfortable off the bat, the leather also smells nice oddly enough?

Good mail day yesterday for my birthday, two pairs I had been considering for awhile. Paraboot Reims in lisse cafe. Purchased at 50% discount from a shop in the EU. Color in the first photo is the most accurate, they have a tendency to have a purple / color 8 appearance in some lighting. Limmer Lightweights, shout out to Duke for suggesting these when I had been considering a Japanese brand that I wasn't sure about for sizing. I placed the order for these back at the beginning of October, unfortunate timing as they were just leaving to visit the factory in Germany that produces them. While I'm not a serious hiker whatsoever, I was wanting one pair of shoes I can take for our travels to London / the EU this winter that will take a serious beating. Being a size 11.5/12 it's difficult to pack any shoes in my luggage while traveling, so these will be my travel companions.

@rbeck I haven't gotten any noticeable shrinkage out of mine, however I've only cold washed / hang dried since the body length is a little short for me.

Don't you know, I invented the twirl!

Yeah that's totally fine in my book, usually here with the warmer weather it's out on a patio outside of a dive bar or casual restaurant. But when your dog is taking a dump inside the grocery store next to the produce...that's where my frustration comes from. Or if I'm going to a nice dinner and I'm greeted by a dog underneath the table next to me. Owners should be able to read the room and know when it's inappropriate, but that seems to have gone out the window in recent years. A lot of businesses have started to put up signs that say if you have a service dog you need to have proper proof of accreditation. And if you actually have a real service dog then no worries, since they're generally a lot more well behaved because of that training.

I've been fortunate enough to never have had any experiences like this, at our old apartment I had some choice words for a few neighbors who would walk around with their dogs off-leash which was against the rules. Our dog isn't always friendly, especially with larger off-leash dogs as she is smaller and probably felt intimidated. But I would just pick her up, yell at the owner to put their dog on a leash and walk away without incident. But one thing that has been really ridiculous lately related to dogs is people bringing them everywhere under the guise of being a service dog. Places such as the grocery store, nicer restaurants (inside, not on the patio) or any other business you might visit on a regular basis where a dog isn't really intended to be. This got 1000% worse since the pandemic, and I'm tired of it. The grocery store is the one that really pisses me off.

@tooth Didn’t get a chance to stop by BiG unfortunately, we were in the area before they opened and didn’t have time to come back by before reservations. I wanted to check it out, maybe next time!

@tooth we stopped by Verb Coffee while in Boulder, would’ve liked to spend more time in town as it seemed quite nice overall. I think the most impressive thing I noticed while we were there was the lack of traffic (or just good city planning?). Coming from Austin, if you want to get across town we’re talking about a 30+ minute drive if you’re going north and south. While we were in Denver I think it never took more than ~15-20 minutes to get anywhere? Or maybe we just got lucky.

Just wanted to take some better detail photos of the Rockets before I finally decide to wash and start to wear them.

SC is (seemingly) putting a lot more time and development into the materials and research behind these. Goal is making them as close to identical as possible to the vintage pairs they're based on. Check the catalog, they have some comparison photos there: https://bookshelf.wisebook4.jp/html/toyoenterprise/51863/ This article also has comparison photos between the repros and originals: https://dig-it.media/clutch/article/799433/

Not b_F but that's correct! ¥42,000 is the tax excluded price for us abroad. BEARS offers free shipping internationally over ¥15,000.

Visited Denver and the surrounding area last weekend for some fall weather, beautiful part of the country. Flew out of Houston super early Friday, saw a cool Maneki-neko display above a shop. Landed, swung by the AirBnb to drop off our stuff and headed to the botanic gardens which were decorated for Halloween. After a couple hours wondering around we headed to Cerebral Brewing which is one of my favorites in the area. Walked over to lunch at a diner next to the brewery, had a good burger and a cocktail. Later that evening we departed for a ghost tour which ended up being the most eventful part of our trip. We met the tour group in Cap Hill, there were about 20 of us in total. We stopped at the first historic home, and while we were there I noticed someone running that didn't look like they were exercising and I pointed out how weird it was to my wife, but didn't think much of it. Just set an alarm off in my mind. Then as we're leaving some insane guy started yelling at the group. He looked like a fairly normal guy in workout clothes, but he was looking for a fight, saying he wanted to kill all of us and a bunch of other unhinged shit...but then we realized he had a hammer that he was swinging around. He actually threw it and it grazed my wife's ankle but she's completely fine. The entire group kinda speed-walked / jogged to a nearby bar which welcomed us in while the tour guide called the police. Needless to say the tour was cancelled and we received a refund, we filled out police reports while sitting at the bar. I had to say that I was actually impressed with the cops (haven't had many experiences with them in general) as they were respectful and responded very quickly (two things that don't happen in Texas). I've been to a lot of major cities around the world and I've never had anything like that happen before. The next day we woke up early, grabbed some breakfast nearby. On the way up to Rocky Mountain National Park we stopped in Boulder for a coffee. Entered the park around noon, sadly the park seasonal road closure limited our ability to see a lot of the park (we weren't prepared to hike extensively, so we had to stick to the roads, park the car and then hike for a bit). Beautiful place, I'd love to come back when the entire trail is open! On our way back we stopped at a little coffee shop off the side of the road in Estes Park which had a nice duck pond. Drove back to town, took a nap and watched some football, then walked to dinner nearby. Walked home and grabbed some wine (where the guy working at the shop complemented my Freewheelers sweat!) The next morning we grabbed a coffee and a pastry, walked to Berkley Supply (tried on a Samurai tee, wasn't crazy about the fit but the Japanese grown cotton fabric is really nice). Headed out to New Terrain brewing in Golden which has some nice light hiking trails on their property. Wearing my FW L2, Full Back tee and FW 37s. My wife said I had to post this as she referred to it as a "model photo". Headed back to town, grabbed lunch at The Grateful Gnome. Headed downtown to explore a bit, checked out Union Station then went to a steakhouse. And that wraps it up, enjoyable weekend with beautiful weather. Would love to visit again!

I asked b_F for some help since he has ordered from BEARS in the past, I never got a response but seems like they will only be offering OW as he mentioned above. Guess it really doesn't make too much of a difference in the grand scheme of things, and it's nice that they do offer free shipping. Raw vs OW really isn't usually a big deal for me, but for whatever reason I wanted these raw. 🤷‍♂️ I believe these should be available next month.

This one is kind of tough, like 00 I've been fortunate enough to find a way to get most of what I'm after. Also, I feel like the subject is two-fold: to me sought after implies that you haven't been able to get you hands the pair in question, while you also mention a more "hall of fame" type of lineup. Regardless, happy to explore both! Brands I have worn: Freewheelers - XX variations: I know, I know, here I go again touting FW. I've yet to try the standard 47 and 51 offerings, but in the last two years I've been wearing the S601XX and 601XX-C versions and I've thoroughly enjoyed both denims. There are times where I get a little bored with the denim (not including the S war-era stuff, that was always great) but if you put the time into them they're well worth it. Great patterns, some of the most underrated (at least from the western contingent) repro jeans on the market currently. Ooe Yofukuten - OA variations: While the differences in each run might be subtle, the changes between each OA lot make them interesting enough for me to try. Every different variety that I've worn looks slightly different, with the exception of them all lightening up fairly quickly without much contrast. Some of the best constructed pairs around, looking forward to the next war-era iteration since it's been some time since I've worn a pair of OAs. Roy - Cone variations: I own a lot of Roy, and a lot of black seed Cone specifically. While the black seed is one of my all time favorite denims, I feel like some of the earlier Cone that he used was even more special, like the original Cone Project jeans or the SF01. I've been focusing on other brands lately, but I'll likely revisit some Roy soon, maybe I'll start wearing the RS04's I have stowed away. My raw LeRoy's with duck patch might be my most "prized" pair in my collection. Brands I haven't worn: 45rpm - natural indigo: These have always intrigued me, mainly since they seem to fade very subtly over time. I had a pair of synthetic-dyed indigo jeans from them that I sold, they didn't really do anything for me but the natural indigo seems more interesting. Slash Overalls: One man brand from Japan, very similar to CSF when it comes to wonky construction and overall vibe. Very popular and hard to come by, some of the worn pairs I've seen on Instagram look great. Matin Montana jeans: These were pretty limited, released at the end of 2022. I wasn't able to get a pair, they pop up every now and then on Yahoo for exorbitant prices that I'm not willing to pay (which has evidently been making the Matin owner mad). Based off a vintage pair found near the Idaho / Montana border. I've seen a few worn pairs on Instagram that look nice. Sugar Cane Super Denim Collectibles: These haven't been released yet, but they've been discussed heavily in the SC thread. Newly developed denim for the 43 and 46 pairs, looking forward to trying both.

Super nice guy, my Instagram interactions with him were great. If you ever do make it to his shop to collect a pair try to snap some pics. P.S. Hope you’re well!

Just dropped BEARS a line, will let you know once I hear back.

I think the usual suspects will be stocking heavily, but I admittedly don't have as many SC connections as some other brands. I might try to buy from PSA or Hinoya, or whoever offers the raw versions. Not sure if they do any modifications to the documents or not.