Josh'N'Roll

Congratulations, Austin! Glad to hear mom and daughter are doing well!

Waiting for the “generous” one hour early release from work on Xmas eve. Only 6.5 hours to go! On to the important stuff. These are the Warehouse 1001xx Aizumi Festival jeans that ace mod and all around good guy, @Broark, sold me last month. Details on the denim are scarce, but they have the Duck Digger arcs, an offset back belt loop, and are neppier than the Banner Denim. I’m stoked that Austin was willing to part with them.

I used to live in Chicago and frequented Mildblend. There was a shift in customer service at a point that coincided with one of their long-ish term staff (Kevin was his name IIRC) moving on to explore other opportunities. The crew that was there with Kevin mastered the basics of denim retail and gave sound advice about sizing (though they could be annoying in pushing newbies towards expensive brands like Iron Heart and PBJ when that person came in asking about Naked & Famous). The employees have been a mixed bag since Kevin left save for the owner’s daughter. She knows her stuff and is great finding/suggesting items for women. My wife had some great experiences trying on things with her help. The rest of the staff has turned over a few times and most of them seem new to heritage clothing and raw denim.

That’s a great point and something I’ve noticed, too. Items sell out quickly and popular sizes are hard to snag unless one checks the site regularly.

I’ve proxied Kapital items from the Kapital website using From Japan. Setting up an account is simple, ordering items is as easy as dropping a link in the From Japan order form, and the fees and shipping are reasonable. You'll save a ton of cash particularly if you purchase more than one item.

Great thread revival, @Talan! I’m having a blast reading everyone’s choices for favorite denim. Number 1 on my list is Roy, early run Black Seed Denim. I bought a pair of Kinda Special 1001 that I was not initially smitten with. That changed as I put wear into them. At 13.75oz, they’re a comfortable weight. The denim starts out slightly hairy but becomes smooth as it fades. It’s a seemingly ordinary denim that is subtly spectacular. What I love most about it, though, is that it reminds me of the way my jeans felt when I was a kid. The denim used for the Freewheelers 601xx 1947 is next on my list. I’m not fan of over engineered fabric with snow-like nep or slub the size of ping pong balls, but the texture FW achieves using 5 different thickness yarns for this denim feels great to wear and to run one’s hand over. A truly thoughtful and well executed denim. Last is the Warehouse Banner Denim. At my core, I have simple tastes and a deep appreciation for the basics. The Banner Denim is a foundational fabric for me, the Platonic ideal of what denim should be. It fades at a moderate rate, has a small amount of texture, and softens into an almost plush feeling fabric. I just wish it was a bit more durable so I could wear my 1001xx into my golden years before the hens start to fray. Keep the “most sought after” lists coming!

I've run into this issue with Warehouse jeans, too - some retailers copy/paste the measurements from the Warehouse site, others list their own measurements but not their measuring method. I ask the shop to measure a specific pair, let me know how they measure, and to send pics of the measuring process if possible. Most shops are open to this kind of request. It's worth it to get actual measurements. Last time I asked a retailer to send me measurements for the 1001xx, the actual measurements were vastly different from what was listed online - so far off that it appeared the measurements on the website were for a one-wash pair, while the pair for sale was "raw, unwashed." Shrinkage for the banner denim in my experience is 2"-2.5" in the waist, 3"-3.5" for the inseam. My 1001xx shrank at the waist from 37" to 34.75" and stretched with wear back to 36". The inseam went from 35" raw to 31.5" after 20+ washes. That S&S listing is annoying. Those jeans look suspiciously like Dead Stock Blue 1947 that was released recently.

The 800 is made with a different denim that is ~14.5oz. It also feels like a tighter weave. I think that’s why the inseam shrinks less on a pair of 800s compared to a pair of jeans made with the Banner Denim. My 1001hxx are Banner Denim and the inseam shrunk from 35” to 31.5” over 3 years. It’s easy to stretch the inseam 0.5”-1” if needed.

Sold.

Warehouse x Hinoya 2021hxx collaboration jeans in Banner Denim, 1001 cut, and with a longhorn patch. These have been my main pair for daily wear since 2021. The front pocket entries have holes, so they’re on hiatus until I get them repaired. Love the Banner Denim and how easy-wearing the cut is.

“Pure Energy” vibes.

Sold out everywhere. Believe me, I've looked! The 1001xx in banner denim is a core piece of Warehouse's collection, so I'm sure they'll release a new lot in the near future. Just not sure when.

Nice pair of black jeans. The patch looks remarkably clean for all the wear you've put into them.

Sad news out of Japan as Toshikiyo Hirata, founder of Kapital, has died. One of the highlights of my trip to Japan was visiting Kapital shops across the Golden Route. I admired the brand’s aesthetic, but didn’t think it would fit with my personal style. While a lot of the stuff they produce is too wild for me, most everything they make is high quality. My wife and I had a blast trying stuff on and purchased a few of their tamer, more basic pieces. The man had a vision and his contributions to denim and fashion are undeniable. RIP Hirata-san

That’s the shoe that let’s Magic do what he was born to do!

I support this decision. You’ll never again be this young with this much time off from work. Take the opportunity and go! It might cost a bit to get there, but the weak Yen will make things affordable once you arrive. I’ll bet Hoosiers would welcome a visit if you made it to Kyoto. It would definitely be the trip of a lifetime.