julian-wolf

Finally found a Trailblazer in my size + preferred color on Yahoo (paid ¥20k plus shipping)

Really really pleased with it so far after a few days

Tilley / Great Lakes / Tender Co. / Hollows / Cane’s / Frank’s 

If you think the DD-1004 will be too wide, the 601XXC will be just as much of an issue

I’d expect the TCB to be way on the slimmer end for a ‘37 (although I haven’t tried them on personally)

Maybe the SC40303, if you can find a pair? Those should be fairly slim…but with a less ordinary repro style fabric

My partner and I are going to be staying in Italy for 5 weeks this coming April. We're in the phase of starting to iron out concrete plans, and I'd love to get any input from folks who know the country!

The rough plan is to stay in Florence for around 10–14 days, then somewhere on the Ligurian coast (maybe Genoa or Levanto) for 20–25 days. At some point we hope to spend 3–4 days in Sicily, as my partner has some ancestry there. Beyond that, we're open to just about anything.

Some particular areas where it would be great to get some input:

• Places that are known for specific crafts, and that still stand up to their reputations. We'd be glad to go out of our way to find good glassware or ceramics or (of course) textiles or leather goods.
• Other things to do around greater Tuscany? I've spent some time in Florence, but haven't explored the surrounding area much at all. We won't have a car, but are happy taking trains and walking.
• Restaurant recommendations in Florence, in particular! Really, though, any food related recommendations anywhere. My partner and I met through the farmers' markets here, and are both really passionate about agriculture, fresh food, good cured meats and cheeses, fancy meals, coffee and wine and aperitifs and digestifs…all the things Italy's known for doing well.
• Thoughts on towns or neighborhoods that would be particularly nice to stay in in Sicily or Liguria?
• Any cities or regions that would be worth staying in for 2–4 days? We're looking forward to doing a few day trips from our main home bases, but are also open to the idea to doing longer jaunts to any cities that are worth exploring a bit more.

@Mankind on M34-4602151-B  That's a 45 rpm sub-label or something, right? Or am I mixing things up

Can confirm

Tilley / Sun Surf / Ballpark / Hollows / Cane’s / Frank’s

^ They look like a good size. I def. wouldn’t want them any slimmer through the thighs

JK Superduty S

These are just getting to the point of feeling pretty fully broken in, and they’re extremely comfortable. They’re also lighter weight than any of my other PNW boots, probably due to the single piece sole unit and the lack of screws (by my request). Good as hiking boots. Would definitely recommend.

Slow day…so here's a photo dump of some Sassafras action shots. Lots of really good times in these shorts.

@Double 0 Soul Yeah, I'm really pleased with how both are looking. The Sassafras, in particular, have seen quite a bit of very demanding wear, so it's no surprise that they've lightened up a good amount. That said, I'd say most of the fading on both pairs is from sun exposure. See the fly placket in the second photo of the Sassafras shorts, and the inside of the back pocket in the last photo of the Bushmasters—plus the interiors of both—for reference.

Great Lakes / Bubo also seems to have some great options, although I haven’t explored them much. I’d really like to try the PCT shorts, in particular, if they re-release them in another canvas.

My one pair are the Bushmaster shorts in a very tightly woven light cotton canvass, and they’re the only poorly thought out / executed thing that I’ve ever had from Freewheelers. The bar tacking (of which there’s quite a bit) is done at high density and with thick thread, which seems to have punched right through the finely woven fabric, weakening it significantly right at all the points of stress. Incidentally, I recently got a pair of shorts from Sassafras (don’t remember the model number) that seem to be made from the exact same fabric, and that seem to have the same issue. It’s possible that this specific fabric is just way more susceptible than expected to this sort of thing, but it still seems like a pretty major manufacturing & QC oversight.

Anyway, I have a sort of love / hate relationship with the Bushmaster shorts, as they really are well-designed and have aged beautifully in the short time that I’ve been wearing them. It’ll be a shame when they inevitably give out.

I've got a slew of shorts at this point, but Sassafras are generally my favorite.

Here's my most-worn pair, the SF10484. They've held up incredibly well, and I’m really pleased with how the fabric’s aged. (Wet spots on the back are just from the table where I took the photos.)
 

5 hours ago, AlientoyWorkmachine said:

Pacific Gas and Electric would like a word. 

Hey, I’ve got my fair share of down vests & heavy wool sweaters

& Anyway, our blackouts happen when it’s hot out, and no one here has A/C to begin with ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

Just wait for this year’s round of power outages and you’ll be set

Haha that thing’s awesome

@Disharmony Most of the stores that get mentioned here have loopwheeled tees in their inventories

Yeah, that would def. make sense

Yeah, it’s clear in that photo that the fly is twisting some, but it mostly just looks like your shirt placket is way off center…

@Duke Mantee ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Looks plausible, but hard to say on looks alone. Feels pretty similar to the Softee Grain that Tricker’s uses, but with closer / rounder bumps.

More Russell Mocs, unknown model & unknown leather, stripped and partially redyed by me a few years ago

I think I’ve written about these before at length, so I won’t go into too much detail. I’m really, really pleased with how these have aged. The leather was a black scotch grain, not struck through but dyed pretty thoroughly. I stripped the coating with acetone and bleached the bumps—but not the creases—with wood bleach, then brushed on a few coats of kakishibu by hand. It’s really difficult to get the color to cover through in photos, hence all the weird angles, but they’ve been looking better and better.

Just like the Traveling Sportsman posted above, they’re extremely comfortable. Unlike the Traveling Sportsman, they’re single bottom with no structure, so they’re even lighter weight and flexier, but also less water resistant. They’re about due for a resole.

Russell Art Carter Traveling Sportsman in French calf, courtesy of @illumin8em

These are very, very comfortable as every-day shoes. To anyone who’s never given moccasins a try, I’d strongly recommend it (with the stipulation that you avoid brands like Yuketen that incorporate extra insoles, as this really removes the whole appeal). I tried to show, in the last two photos, how well they’ve molded to the shape of my feet. They’re like good slippers, but for wearing anywhere.

I’ve been underwhelmed by this leather. It’s held up fine, but it always feels a little dry no matter what I do, and it hasn’t taken on much real character over time. That said, with how comfortable they are it’s hard to complain.