ColonelAngus

^^

that's why I like forums. You at least get honest feedback about brands and businesses that you otherwise wouldn’t get from IG.  

Another point that I made earlier is that when something becomes monetized or received as a freebie objective reviews become less frequent. When I had an IG a few years back I only posted pics of brands I owned, which wasn’t much. As I tried other brands over time I learned which ones were decent quality and which ones to avoid. Had I known about the lack of quality with certain crappy brands I likely wouldn’t have made posts about them. At the time it was mainly pics of me saying, ‘hey, look what I bought.’ My point being, I know it’s probably unlikely an influencer will post honest reviews of product as IG is only about promoting stuff rather than saying something sucks. There are some YouTube vids that I watch where the person is at least honest about their reviews— if something sucks they’ll say so.

The enabling is what keeps me away from IG most of the time. I check out certain brand hashtags just to see what’s out there but the reality is that I’m not made of money and can’t afford to buy all the stuff I come across. It’s fun to check out every now and again but I don’t exactly miss it either if I’m not browsing the internet 

 yeah, the adjusting my cuff pose is so played out. It wouldn't be as bad if it was just one person doing it but there's this tendency for other IG users to copy, rinse and repeat the same boring ideas. On the one hand, I like that there's a denim community that seem to support one another and the hobby. On the other hand, there are those that are clearly in it for personal gain and nothing else.

14 minutes ago, kiya said:

The list of users which have demanded free product from us is so long that it would be easier for me to list the well known denim IG accounts who haven't requested free product than the ones which have.   

It's mind boggling to me that a lot of IG influencers feel entitled to free stuff. I'd have far more respect for an influencer that posts pics of brands that he/she paid for over someone who solicited free goods

Agree @Cold Summer

To me it's fairly obvious when an influencer is posting on IG as a hobby versus for monetary gain. I think, too, that when something becomes monetised it loses all authenticity. Meaning, influencers tend to shill for any brand that pays or provides free goods and thus honest representation are missing. There are, of course, those influencers that genuinely only post pics of brands they support, but it seems that far too many push shitty brands because they were paid to do so. Content matters and if an influencer is doing the same lay flat, or pic of themself shilling for some whiskey brand then i've lost interest. Very few influencers actually come up with unique content with most being mediocre at best.

You're right. I think that there were certain businesses, especially on the West coast, that helped push the RgT brand, and IG helped a lot with that exposure. I'm not bashing RgT by any means....it's just not for me.

I like 3sixteen as well and think they've been pretty consistent with their core offerings but also with their quality. I rank them #1 when it comes to US denim brands.

@mlwdp

I've never owned any RgT denim but i'm with @Cold Summer and @Broark. I never quite understood the appeal of the brand but RgT has their fans, so take my comment with a grain of salt. I'll give RgT credit though for doing their own thing.

The easiest solution would be to contact N&F and ask them about the buttons on your pair. Either their buttons have always been branded or they weren’t at some point

On 5/16/2019 at 7:11 PM, Denimheadly said:

Hi,

I hope you guys can help me out.  I just purchased a pair of weirds guys at a second hand store.  I noticed the hardware does not say naked and famous on it and the patch at the back is brown suede.  I am wondering if it is real because I've never seen that before.  The quality seems decent and the selvedge is definately legit.

Thanks in advance!

N&F have branded buttons and the patch on the back usually has their logo. Why do you think they’re N&F if they don’t say so?

13 hours ago, mpukas said:

I'm just so frustrated that Levi's is chasing and creating new throw-away fashion trend garbage season after season, year after year, yet they won't make a high quality, reasonably priced version of their core garment. 

Sadly, this has been going on for years. Levi's only goal is to increase its market share and appease its shareholders. Quality and longevity are secondary.

2 hours ago, Geeman said:

I've never watched any of those YouTube vids, like a lot of the IG posts with people looking like they adjusting their cuffs to show their socks and moc toes it's just click bait. 

Taking a format that originally got a lot of likes then replicating it over and over for more likes.....

There's a  lot of people now who seem to be trying to hard, coming across a little 'manufactured ' and seeking a perfect product that probably doesn't exist..

 

You took the words right out of my mouth.  The cuff adjusting mimicry is out of control. 

I don't watch very many fashion related YouTube vids but I like the ones by Carl Murawski. His videos are cool because he seems to research the brands he talks about and doesn't hold back if he has criticisms. I think it's important to have a balanced approach to reviews, otherwise, you'll just be that guy that praises everything.

Social media has its purpose. When I was on IG it exposed me to a lot of brands and users who shared similar interests. But, I got fatigued on it pretty quickly once I saw it slowly becoming a way to monetise yourself and shill for brands. I also got tired of certain denim memes that would pop up everywhere, or seeing certain users posting the same stupid pictures of their closet because they're not creative enough to come up with new content.

Fair points but I think we tend to look at the amount of money spent and compare that with the finished product. It's hard not to consider something a flaw if you've spent hundreds or even $1000+ on a piece of clothing.

I’ve officially burned out on the whole denim/clothing/brand craze. Don’t get me wrong, I still like what I have but I now have zero desire to accumulate more  stuff. Any of you experience this? 

6 hours ago, JDelage said:

I have an indigo heavy flannel shirt, and it is a gorgeous material. I'm not sure it's the same as the one in preorder here. Mine has acorn shaped pockets.

One thing about UES shirts is that I found they tend to gape when you sit down. I don't know if it's due to the number of buttons or how close the buttons are sewn to the edge of the placket.

I wish UES was consistent with their pocket shapes. I really like the acorn pocket style and think this is a detail that separates them from everyone else. Not a big fan of those giant rectangular pockets

Any of you jumping in on the flannel pre-orders? UES is a brand i'd still like to try but am unsure of fit. How much does shipping usually run to the US?

https://www.japaneseselvagejeans.com/index_en_usd_12-49.html

On 3/14/2019 at 7:58 AM, SmokeStackLightning said:

I am looking to get a new belt. My current favorite (and most comfortable) is the HTC Self Edge Peanut sting ray belt. It's not thick at all, and is my best belt by far.

Something like a Corter or Strike Gold is much too thick and uncomfortable.

Anyone have any recommendations for something that is comfortable for when I want to wear something a bit more plain? I was looking at the Sugar Cane ones, but they seem very thick as well.

Rancourt makes nice chromexcel belts

On 3/7/2019 at 1:22 PM, unders said:

Please share photos. This sounds too good to miss. 

I’m picturing something along the lines of...

I’m not gonna post pics. Just genuinely curious if people are trying to turn it into a thing like denim. I like ponchos in theory but then I see pics and think it looks costumey. Big hats are just stupid looking imho. I mean, some dude somewhere is wearing a ridiculous looking hat that looks like a prop from Blazing Saddles and he actually thinks it looks good. “Mongo pawn in game of life.” lol

23 hours ago, Cold Summer said:

I know the "Railroad And Construction" look has been justifiably bashed over the years, and I'll always think the DenimBro look of "1890s Gold Prospector Cosplay" is pretty silly/ironic, but the more casual looks of most members here are well-composed and versatile, and closer to the Clutch Magazine sort of style that combines Japanese-curated vintage Americana with a tinge of old-world refinement. We are all super nerds for our denim obsession, but most of what's worn here these days doesn't look like a costume or like it's trying to get attention. I enjoy looking pretty normal to everybody except denim geeks who recognize a Flat Head shirt or whatever.

 

Speaking of costumes, i've been seeing dudes on IG sporting ponchos and big silly hats. Is this a thing?

1 hour ago, 1fookntitefd said:

so how often is everyone washing their jeans these days? 

Once a month or whenever they get filthy. Sorry but people that don’t wash their jeans because they want sick fades gross me the feck out

8 hours ago, Geeman said:

Always fit first for me. All the details we crave mean nothing if they don't get worn because the fit is wrong!

This.

But to answer the OP's question, I try to stick with a fit/cut that works for me.

18 hours ago, mpukas said:

I just sold my Steer Ryder's to a fine feller on ebay for two fifty. From either a buyer's or seller's perspective that's prolly as good of a deal as could be expected. The loss really stings since I paid as much as I did due to hype. The 'bay and PP fees make it even worse. I decided to suck up my loss and I'll look for something else to roll it into. 

I was seriously considering pulling them from auction and just keeping them for the collection just before the offer came in, as the selling price was getting so low that it wasn't worth it to me to let them go. But as I'm not into repro stuff, there were enough things about the pair that I didn't like that I prolly would have never worn them much if at all. All in all, they're a great pair of jeans. Unless you're really into repro specific details, they're no better than any other decent pair I have. 

Yep, the eBay & PP fees really suck, but at least you were able to sell them and get some of your money back. It’s hard resisting hyped items too. I’ll splurge on things every once in awhile and then get buyers remorse immediately afterwards. I’ve had to learn to be more discriminating when making purchases 

On 1/25/2019 at 3:59 PM, Broark said:

I’ve kinda fallen out of the whole IH thing.  I still have a bunch of shirts and stuff but I’m not buying it like I once did. Don’t get me wrong, they make nice stuff. But from a value perspective their stuff is very expensive. I just can’t justify a 325 dollar shirt I can’t wear most of the year anymore. Especially given the JP retail price by comparison. Not saying their stuff isn’t worth the asking price, just has gotten too rich for my blood and like Michael was saying too oversaturared. There’s a new super hype release every week. So I don’t really check out IHF very much anymore.

IH being more widely available is a good thing imo. Not all vendors carry the same stuff and items still sell out. The hype releases you speak of are typically items that have been in development for many months. I’d rather they show sneak peeks often instead of nothing at all.