dudewuttheheck

That jacket is awesome @pudaspriest !

Monsivais, Globe Specs, CSF, Freewheelers, Hollows, Railcar, Role Club

8 hours ago, mlwdp said:

I’m referring to the deck jacket version that’s usually the cheapest out of all the USN deck jackets.  It was only worn during the Vietnam and Korean War unlike the other WWII and WWII jackets.  I’m not familiar with the leather A-2 jacket’s place in History but if that jacket was also only worn during Korea and Vietnam, it makes sense for it to be thin due to climate.  I should probably brush up on my naval history.

Ah yes I had forgotten about this A-2. I always just think of the leather version from the interwar/WWII years. 

3 hours ago, mlwdp said:

I won't do a A-2 again, no matter how cheap they sell for. They aren't warm enough and the side straps annoyingly loosen by themselves.  The sleeve length can be annoying as well.  I'm already contemplating selling mine due to warmth and I've lost weight so it's huge on me now.

A-2 jackets are terrible for warmth. Mine was my best jacket for wearing in warmer weather, but it was awful for actual winter wear. The lining is always thin cotton or silk and the leather is never very thick (relatively). What side straps are you talking about? Are we talking about different jackets?

15 hours ago, ColonelAngus said:

It looks nice but $550 for a jacket with thinsulate lining? If i'm gonna spend that kinda dough on a deck jacket i'd rather have alpaca lining for maximum warmth

Agreed. That's a lot of money for thinsulate instead of alpaca. Too much in my opinion.

Those role clubs look amazing as do those Attractions engineers!

LVC Triple Pleat, 3sixteen, Railcar, Wesco x S&S

Great jacket and fit there @pudaspriest .I dig it a lot.

Globe Specs

Freewheelers

Merz

Pigeon Tree Crafting

CSF

White Kloud

On 10/10/2019 at 3:19 PM, Cold Summer said:

Pigeon Tree's stuff looks nice. For belts, my favorite is Equus - I admit I'm partial to hand-stitched belts rather than ones with a metal fastener.

Pigeon Tree does offer this. I'm the same as you and I ordered all of my belts from him hand sewn instead of with metal fasteners.

Beautiful! I love Motor's stuff. They are incredible and relatively affordable for the quality they offer.

FW, Rite Stuff, Hollows, Stevenson, Clinch

Been a while since I posted a fit pic on here, but I was really happy to be able to wear a leather jacket again.

Freewheelers, The Rite Stuff, Pigeon Tree belt, MFSC, White Kloud

On 9/21/2019 at 4:35 AM, knucks said:

What did you pay? If memory serves me they were expensive but not $1950

I paid at least $500 less.

Those Lofgrens look amazing @Iron Horse

I have to say that I am extremely glad I got my Clinch boots when I did. The prices have gone up a lot since I ordered mine directly. I'm not saying they aren't worth the current prices, but I am glad I didn't have to spend that much to get mine. That said, I do believe they're the best engineers around, though you could argue Role Club as well.

From the front I think they look quite good. That Freewheelers flare is hard to avoid, but I don't necessarily dislike it. 

I actually really like asymmetrical pockets on shirts. I feel like it gives them a bit more personality. 

That said, I can completely understand why some wouldn't like it and think it looks distracting. 

On 4/25/2019 at 12:03 PM, Cold Summer said:

After watching @dudewuttheheck's Viberg boots review on YouTube, and re-reading the last page of the Conner's thread, it's making me wonder: What, exactly, do we consider "quality" that justifies the prices of high-end casual clothing pieces?

For Jake, little things like loose threads on the vamp stitching are considered flaws that have no place on an expensive boot. For me, I see things like that and think, "this is where they cut off the last thread when they finished stitching." Some of these things honestly wouldn't occur to me to consider as flaws - I tend to see things like the finishing around the back heel (which I noticed when I had Vibergs in the past) as purposefully done like that - suggesting the hand-made nature of the boots rather than something perfectly, soullessly finished by a robot. Obviously, there are definitely things I consider to be defects - poorly-aligned stitchdown work, bad clicking, misaligned heels, etc.

This isn't to say that I don't have tremendous respect for guys like Goto from White Cloud or Brian the Bootmaker who do something approaching perfection, but for me things indicative of the hand-made process are features rather than bugs - similar to how many view the "flaws" of jeans like CSF (though in CSF's case, some of these aspects are done purposefully.)

My Flat Head 3005s, for example, have very narrow selvedge on the right outseam, about halfway down the thigh, which could be considered a defect (although there's no indication of this unless you turn the jeans inside out.) But I've been to Flat Head's denim houses in Okayama and seen them doing this stuff in person, the whole process is very inefficient and un-industrial so I just see this as a side effect of that. Most of my 3Sixteen shirts have had loose long threads/runoff at various points, so I just clip off the threads and move on.

I think you can go to plenty of fast-fashion stores and find clothing items that have technically-perfect stitching and construction (and maybe last longer because they're probably sewn with poly thread) because they were essentially made by robots/highly automated processes. So I don't mind the imperfect some degree of imperfection. Vintage Levi's weren't perfect either: hem roping, uneven fabrics, hidden rivets, cotton stitching, and fading in general were unintentional side effects to begin with. 

I think you summarized my thoughts pretty darn well and thanks for watching the review. Conner's is definitely an exception for me and part of that is due to the fact that out of all the clothing I own, jeans will fall apart the fastest so I don't necessarily want or need perfect construction on a garment that won't last forever. On jackets and boots it's essential for me because I will have them forever in theory. Also, as you said, with CSF it's on purpose. With Viberg, I don't think it is and if it is, they certainly don't say so. I don't like the idea that it's a sign of being made by hand when actual hand made shoes are finished so much better. Plus, I do have much more nicely constructed jeans from people like Roy to bask in the glory of the wonderful construction. 

13 hours ago, 501XX4EVER said:

I'm not sure it's quite that simple, but I take your point.

Well obviously it was some form of hyperbole

I love this thread so much!

Those are some nice jeans.

Too bad he's a jerk.

Those are some nice jeans.

Too bad he's a jerk.

Those are some nice jeans.

Too bad he's a jerk.

aaaaand repeat...

46 minutes ago, JDelage said:

Lovely jacket for sure. That top left pocket opens to a huge pocket bag it seems based on the stitching? For maps?

Thanks! I'm not certain, but that's what it seems like.

Why does Nicks think its OK to post such atrocious stitch work to the public? 

Globe Specs shades

Freewheelers jacket

Stevenson T

Pigeon Tree belt

CSF jeans

White Kloud boots

Never posted an update because I didn't think the jeans were faded enough, but here goes!

Took my jeans back to where they were made and the man that made them

Actual fade updates:

Freewheelers Sunset (new)

Warehouse loopwheel t

Pigeion tree belt

CSF jeans

White Kloud boots

I can completely understand the confusion at Conner's. My obsession with them is even weirder as I wasn't hardcore into vintage Levi's before discovering the brand. 

Even more strangely- I am absolutely obsessed with stitch count and finishing details on my leather jackets and boots. However, jeans are a completely different animal for me. While all of these items mentioned age, boots and leather jackets can and do last more than a single lifetime. That permanence makes the perfect construction something that can last longer and be appreciated for a longer time in my eyes.

With jeans, they fall apart sooner rather than later. It doesn't matter how well they are made and how perfectly they are finished- they will become unwearable within your own lifetime unless you don't wear them enough. That is one reason that I can get into the imperfections of CSF. Another reason for me is that I have never seen a perfectly stitched pair of jeans. I have owned 4 Roy items, a pair of Ooes, several RJBs, etc, etc. Every single one of them had or has some sort of aesthetic construction flaw. On the other hand, I have handled and in fact own a perfectly made and finished pair of boots and a leather jacket that is about as close to perfection as possible. I am not trying to discount the incredible skill that people like Roy, Hiro Ooe, Ben Viapiana, etc have. This is just my personal view and what makes sense in my head.

Most importantly, none of those other jeans appeal to me anymore. I felt a connection with Conner's Sewing Factory jeans that has actually caused me to get more into vintage than I was before, especially in terms of jeans. I also understand the niche within a niche within a niche within a niche that CSF is. I will stand from my soapbox and proclaim the objective quality of Freewheelers leather jackets and especially White Kloud boots, but I don't do that with Conner's because I understand that it doesn't compare in the same way.Honestly, I can't even express exactly why I adore the brand so much. Even after all this rambling, I could type thousands more words and still not fully explain it. I can if people wish, but I doubt it. What I can say is that I have never loved a pair of jeans half as much as I love my CSF jeans.