JohnM

^ Isle of Skye, yes -- home of the MacLeod clan!

As an old guy, who grew up with shrink-to-fit Levi's from the '60s, I just saw them as pants to wear to school.  Interesting pants, since they came flat and stiff and soaking them was almost a science experiment in the backyard.  Once they were shrunk, and if I got lucky enough to pick the right size, I'd wear them and am reminded of Roy Slaper's comment that jeans are an ill-fitting garment.  They hung sort of low on the hips and went straight down.  In truth, I was happy when the GAP came along and made jeans that fit a little better.

While I feel a nostalgia for youth, I don't look back on those 60s Levi's as anything special or particularly well made, though they were thick and tough, which was cool.  I didn't know who Marlon Brando was, had no familiarity with post WWII Japan, and Steve McQueen was just entering the scene, so Levi's was nothing more (to me) than a company that made denim pants.

When I started looking for something better than GAP jeans from Sears, I discovered the same brands that b_F mentions, including Samurai, TFH, FC, and Iron Heart.  These were heavy duty, much more expensive, and included interesting arc designs that I liked then and still appreciate.  Removing threads to make these jeans look like Levi's never crossed my mind.

Only since joining this group did my appreciation for Levi's' history begin to grow.  It's an old company by American standards, with ties to history and culture.  I think what I appreciate more than Levi's (honestly) is the dedication and enthusiasm that the Osaka 5 (and others) brought to denim, as well as the knowledge and appreciation for history and detail that are shared here.

Apart from this arc business, we all now know who the owl of Minerva is and I’m grateful for that. Why I love this group.  

I'll let others explain the FC/TCB history since I can't remember the details anyway.  But that new 1103 sounds interesting.  The 1108 was pretty trim in the thighs and the 1103 is supposed to be similar to the 1101 in this area, while having a narrower hem.  Will be interesting to see measurements of these when they come out.

While on the subject of measurements, how do the new 1101 or 0105 fit compared to the older models with arcs and tabs?  I only have the latter.

Thanks for the link edwardlj -- interesting article.

I've always liked Full Count, especially the older 1101 and 0105 -- very soft, comfortable denim and nice fits.

And much respect to Mikiharu Tsujita for staying interested and committed to making jeans and tweaking his designs.  I think he has a point about the significantly higher back rise relative to the front -- makes for a comfortable fit.

^ the only time b_F where I have a smaller pair than you (33 vs. 34).  Pants, that is ;-)

Iron Heart Super Heavy 11oz. t-shirt Olive -- XXL, too big for me / unworn.  $125 firm (was $160 new) + $15 CONUS shipping

Color is more like the top pic.

Chest:       22.5"

Shoulder:  20"

Length (top of back to bottom):  29"

Sleeves:  9.5"

^ FW Big Chief flannel in size 17.

Chest  22.5"

Shoulder  17.5" seam to seam (18.5" if I just lay the shirt down and measure across the natural shoulder)

Sleeve  24.75" (or 25" if I stretch the sleeve a bit)

Length  30.0" from bottom of collar (in back) to bottom of shirt

Just received these three Freewheelers shirts from Seiichiro.  All size 17, but run a little smaller/trimmer than other FW 17's I have.  The off white is a light-medium weight chambray, the blue check  flannel buttons only half way down (which I failed to notice initially), and the black is a beautiful soft, heavy cotton fabric (jet black, darker than in the picture).  All are brand new and unworn.  $160 for the chambray, $160 for the blue check, and $180 for the black.  CONUS shipping included -- extra for international.

Sorry for the double post -- old and unskilled.

Just received these three Freewheelers shirts from Seiichiro.  All size 17, but run smaller/trimmer than other FW 17's I have (i.e., if you're a size 16 in previous FW shirts, these will likely work for you).  The off white is a light-medium weight chambray, the blue check  flannel buttons only half way down (which I failed to notice initially), and the black is a beautiful soft, heavy cotton fabric (it's jet black, much darker than in the picture).  All are brand new and unworn.  $150 for the chambray, $150 for the blue check, and $175 for the black.  CONUS shipping included -- extra for international.

I'm no expert on the details of WWII jeans, but I appreciate those I have, including LVC 44, TCB 40s, and CSF.  The fit is so different on each, however, that the commonalities seem almost trivial compared with the differences.  That said, all three have high rises.  I love the color of the CSF denim, the texture of the TCB, and the fit of the LVC.

So, do I have it right -- Ultima Thule is made by FW but with synthetic materials?

b_F, those look great -- congrats on a great find!  You gonna keep the long hem?

^ Crazy good Duke.  I need another belt like I need more jeans.  But we're fanatics and temptation is what it is ... ;-)

^ agree on the 14.5 oz. Memphis denim Josh'N'Roll -- thick, yet soft and comfortable.

^  Nice comparison pic.  Sounds like you like them enough to replace them!

I had a pair briefly in size 35, which fit great in the top block but very loose from the hips down.

b_F, I assume the XX will fit like the pair we both have. Any thoughts on what the BigE will be like?

Cold Summer, if you're interested in something different than minor variations on the same repro denim themes, you might be interested in the work that Mohsin Sajid is doing at Endrime.  I attended his presentation last night at Standard & Strange in Oakland and he covered topics ranging from denim history to the future of denim, including non-cotton materials (e.g., hemp, tencel), (almost) zero waste pattern cutting, non-cotton/non-poly threads, etc.  Mohsin is a consultant to Cone, among others, and also designs jeans, jackets, and other clothing.

^ exactly Maynard, same for me.

Regarding the 800 vs. the 1001 Cold Summer, I'd agree that the 800 is a little trimmer and more tailored up top.  But neither has an especially dark or hard-finished denim, so they're both pretty casual, as jeans go.

^ I agree Cold Summer -- we're talking minor variations and extreme hair-splitting.  I thought that was what we were supposed to do here!

More seriously, there are some jeans that are trimmer, more linear, or harder-finished that I might wear out to dinner and others that are heavier, nubbier, or wider that I'd do real work in.  At the end of the day, they're all five-pocket jeans, no doubt.  But to my extreme hair-splitting, OCD eyes, they're not all the same.

It will be interesting to see what (if any) changes Warehouse brings to Denime's cuts and denim.  With encouragement from b_F, I've recently added XX and 66 pairs from Denime's Original Line.  They're fairly similar, with mid-rises and a really nice denim that is initially fairly stiff and hard-finished, but not heavy.

Never having owned anything from Denime when Hayahsi-san ran the company, I can't say how these Original Line jeans compare to the actual originals, but they're consistent with (what I understand to be) his appreciation for 'smart', clean, European lines, and less workwear oriented than what I've experienced from Warehouse.

b_F, I'm really enjoying these jeans.  The denim and cut are both good -- normal, not exaggerated.

Is there a Resolute model that fits like this?  The 710 is trimmer through the hips.

Here you go b_F.  Nice to have a pair that isn't way too long ;-)

^ I've only soaked them b_F.  But I owe you a pic and will get it done.

Great jeans, by the way, and thanks -- wouldn't have known about them without ya.

Thanks Maynard.  In searching around, I found this 800 review from b_F, including his specific comments regarding the denim.

Do you or others know if there are other Warehouse jeans in their current lineup that offer this same 14 oz, Memphis denim?  I see various models with similar (1000XX) nomenclature that have different denim (e.g., 13.5 oz. banner or lighter weight DSB).

https://indigoshrimp.wordpress.com/2016/08/27/warehouse-800-review-by-beautiful_freak/

"The 800 model uses Warehouse’s 1000XX denim , which is a 14oz 6×6 denim made of 100% Memphis cotton, warp dyed with pure indigo. This denim was also used in the Warehouse 660 Contest that was held by Blue in Green many years ago. It isn’t overly engineered like Oni, Samurai or PBJ denim but has a decent amount of hairiness, neps, slubs and irregularities without losing the vintage-vibe of the denim."