ColonelAngus

1 hour ago, Double 0 Soul said:

..or all that flash in the pan faux Native American crap i used to be so 'fond' of

Steven Seagal called, he wants his jacket back lol

For those of you in the US that have ordered items from overseas that exceeded $800 in value, what did you pay in duties and taxes? Is it % based? Is every carrier different?

35 minutes ago, beautiful_FrEaK said:

I still enjoy owning and wearing my stuff, of course looking at it and I have somehow on display. But I was certainly more excited several years ago than I am nowadays. 

Same. I haven’t purchased new denim in awhile simply because I have enough to last me years. I still have an addiction to jackets and flannel, however, I’ve become burnt out over the past few years. I also have many other interests to keep me occupied as well as a child that brings me happiness. I won’t stop buying denim related goods but it isn’t a top priority for me these days. I think I’m well past the honeymoon phase with denim. Now I just want to play the ps5 that I finally got my hands on 

5 hours ago, AlientoyWorkmachine said:

Thanks - those look nice. I ended up with a Bleu de Chauffe bag - I like it a lot. Certainly an upgrade from the 25 y.o. poly sport bag that was tearing at the seams I've had. 

I actually don’t own an Ortleib, but plan on buying a 40L duffel when I get the chance. Love that they have backpack straps built in, are waterproof and can hold a lot. My current duffels are a Gustin waxed canvas I bought yrs ago and a Filson canvas duffel I got on clearance. The Filson I use for my son’s basketball gear. The Gustin is my bug out bag

On 11/25/2022 at 1:42 PM, AlientoyWorkmachine said:

Need a weekend/duffel bag that’s on the larger side. Preferably waxed canvas but I’m not stuck on anything. Leather is probably out of the price range. Are there ones you all like? 

Ortleib 

18 hours ago, UkeNo said:

Just to clarify- this isn’t a situation that’s Self Edge can control at all. It’s related to strike action by union members of the Royal Mail here in the UK. 

Not only that but there are worker shortages with USPS, UPS, etc, here in the US. Because of this mail delivery has been wildly inconsistent 

Can anyone comment on the fit of Samurai’s flannel shirts? If I wear an xl in other Japanese brands should I go xl with Samurai?

1 hour ago, AlientoyWorkmachine said:

I wouldn't, actually - at least not all, probably not even most. There are very few here who seem to only have what they need and who take jeans through their whole life. Nothing wrong with this necessarily, but one look at people's collections and the fact that many are not involved in physically grueling work most of the time is pretty clear. There's a spectrum for all of these things (a collection of new japanese denim doesn't seem as intense) but many more new/mid life jeans here than fully trashed or ones with little life left - myself included here, much as I'd like to I do not live up to that standard.

When I first got into the denim scene I went out and bought at least 10 pairs of jeans. I thought at the time that I’d wear them all and rotate. That never happened, unfortunately. I basically started to rotate only 2 pairs per year and I’m still beating the crap out of them. They’ve both reached the point of needing repairs. My jeans haven’t reached Shredwin’s level of destruction but they’re getting there. 

On 10/2/2022 at 4:51 PM, shredwin_206 said:

$76k for a pair of vintage jeans….  
I’m not a vintage buyer/seller so I’m curious. Say you buy these jeans what’s the next step? Bragging rights? Are their many people willing to spend that much or more for vintage jeans?   
the whole durangovintagefest vids on IG showing people absolutely going nuts to grab as much as they can out of huge mounds of clothing just has me a bit disgusted. Maybe this is how the vintage world has been for years? But it’s just sad to me honestly. 
Rant over. 

Clearly a case of someone with more money than sense. I know all of us will easily spend $200-300+ on jeans or flannel but I would argue that these items are worn and abused by all of us. 

On 9/14/2022 at 11:16 PM, Geeman said:

Ande Whalls..... all the time I spent perusing the site and never ending up ordering 

Same. Kicking myself for not buying any of his denim. Really wished he’d go back to making jeans but know it’ll never happen

Anyone have a tried and true method for stretching out a button hole without tearing it? I’ve got an IH 21oz type III that I hardly wear because I can’t get one of the buttons fastened 

i’ve seen the Rollins Band several times as well as seeing Henry’s spoken word shows years ago. But, I have to be honest, Henry is a dreadful singer and this song is cringe. Now, get off my lawn lol

1 hour ago, Double 0 Soul said:

You mean Americans?

I’m American but don’t consider myself fat. I do have bitch tits though lol

1 hour ago, shredwin_206 said:

@ColonelAngus you mean they’re made for blue collar workers? 
most blue collar and tradesmen are sadly very overweight. Haha 
I actually find Filson to fit much better than Carhartt but that’s just my personal experience. 
I don’t buy any new Filson stuff since it’s all made overseas now. 
But my vintage USA made tin items are timeless and some of the best stuff. 
The quality of carhartt has gone way downhill. The last pair I bought was rags within 4 months. Pure garbage. 
So now I’ve slowly just started to use my raw denim for work and it holds up much better actually. 
Rant over. 

I would argue that most blue collar workers aren’t dropping $300+ on a tin cloth Filson jacket or whatever. Filson has basically become a fashion brand. I have some of their MiUSA pieces but beyond that I won’t buy anymore of their stuff. I don’t wear Carhartt so can’t speak to their quality. I’m sure their prices are what appeals to blue collar workers and not the quality 

On 6/10/2022 at 3:36 AM, sven said:

Filson is nice, but crazy expensive here in Sweden. 

I would’ve considered Filson a decent brand when most of their stuff was MiUSA, but nowadays they’ve shifted production overseas and are still charging ridiculous prices. And I think their fits are among the worst in the clothing industry....made for fat people 

7 hours ago, sven said:

Thinking of getting a Carhartt Detroit jacket for when fall comes and a denim jacket is not enough. Seems to be durable and goes well with anything.

Are there any alternatives in the same style worth checking out?

https://www.filson.com/outerwear/jackets-coats/tacoma-work-jacket.html#sku=20096828-fco-000000111

Not sure I’d recommend this one though as their fits are horrible, unless you have the physique of Danny DeVito. I used to own the Tacoma and sold it immediately. Only reason I’m posting a link is because the style is similar 

I’ve decided to retire my chromexcel wallet because it had stretched to the point that my drivers license slipped out and got lost. It was a Mitchell’s leather front pocket wallet that I’ve been using for at least 7-8 yrs. Nice wallet but super irritating because over time it will stretch and your cards won’t be secure. At least I didn’t lose my credit cards

No long sleeve indigo henleys?

I like 3sixteen knits. Did they discontinue their indigo henleys?

Are there any denim brands you guys dislike, for whatever reason? Could be aesthetics, business model, etc. Not asking so we can collectively bash anyone in particular. 

2 hours ago, shredwin_206 said:
Rain at indigo proof is great but she tends to go heavy on the darning which causes the jeans to end up super stiff where the repairs are. 

Isn’t that a good thing? My current issue is my jeans are going through a crotch blowout and my assumption is that the thicker the darning the longer they’ll last

Is Nine Lives still around or did they go out of business? I don’t own any of their clothes but like their aesthetic 

Is Indigo Proof considered the gold standard for denim repair? My jeans are slowly disintegrating and I’m in need of a crotch repair and pocket replacement. 

1 hour ago, Broark said:

The pricing increases have been fairly dramatic over the years, even before COVID and all of the supply chain whiplashes that it has caused. And when you look at that pricing compared to JPY pricing (which hasn’t fluctuated all that much if I recall correctly) it’s all grossly more expensive than what other western retailers are selling their Japanese made product for. I know there are a lot of operational costs associated with selling in the west (I deal with this directly in my line of work, just a different industry), but the swing in pricing has been huge and most IH fans don’t really bat an eye at it.
Also I don’t want to sound like I’m claiming to know the ins and outs of their business or anything, I just know that if I was still an IH fan my wallet would be hurting.

I look at it this way, if IH hadn’t expanded to western markets it’s likely IHJP would’ve folded, especially when Covid hit. The price increases have been incremental with certain styles and not so much with others from what I can see. 

Personally, I’ve scaled back my purchases with IH because of the increases. I might typically buy a couple of items from the Fall drop and maybe one item from Spring, but I only bought one UHF from Fall ‘21 and I’m not buying anything from the current Spring drop. In Fall ‘21 I ended buying 2 UES flannels instead because they’re way more affordable and I like some of their flannel colorways. So it was basically a two for one type purchase. I’ll still buy IH just not as much as I use to. The irony is that I don’t need anymore UHF’s from IH, but they’re so well made and warm af that I can’t help it. UES is now my back up go to for flannels provided they have colorways I like. 

On 4/5/2022 at 12:04 PM, Broark said:

Echoing your sentiments on IH John, I used to be a big fan of their stuff (mostly shirts, I can't stand heavy weight denim). I've since sold all the IH I once owned.
Over time I became a bit disinterested in their marketing and western pricing model, and I find that their forum is just an echo chamber.
Nothing constructive is ever really said about any of their products, but I guess you shouldn't expect that in their own corner of the internet.
I haven't paid much attention to their catalog lately (so I could be off base) but it feels a little copy and paste season after season with percentage price increase sprinkled in here and there.

Also agree with your thoughts on cut being king when it comes to brand selection.
 

I still like IH fwiw. And to their credit, they’ve brought bigger sizes and cuts for us fat westerners to enjoy. Yes, the forum has its extreme fanboys but at the end of the day they’re just very enthusiastic about their clothes. Nothing wrong with that. Do I like everything they release? Of course not. But as a brand they’re more accessible and open to suggestions than most. I have quite a few UHF’s and about 6 of their jackets. I love them all. My only gripe is the price going up pretty consistently. I get that operating costs have gone up as well as the cost of materials but pretty soon it’ll only exist as a brand for the rich. 
 

I will echo the complaint about PBJ. Horrible cuts. I’ve wanted to try their jeans forever but I can never find anything suitable. Either the hems are too skinny or too wide. Or if the hem looks ok the thighs and waist is too small. Their jackets fit like crap too and I’m not crazy about their sewing standards either. The armholes on my type II are a mess compared to my IH jackets which are cleanly sewn.