Duke Mantee

Oh I know, dear god don’t I know

Thank you I’m not sure I have a conclusion, I’m not even sure I have a clear reason why I started. I’ve always been interested in clothes, been wearing them all my life ... Ba Dum Tsh ... but the Japanese denim thing came from the Japanese designer thing I guess. I sampled loads - Warehouse, Sugar Cane, SDA, RMC; it’s been a big list but for me FW just stuck out from that crowd and in the process of getting some bits I started to get to know some of the folk (retailers, factory guys et al) and it just became a way of life. The culture of FW is important to me - what the designs represent, what are the influences, the fabrics, the methods of construction - when you talk about these things every day, and wear the things you talk about, it becomes more than just buying a new shirt. The quantity was never planned, but there’s a logic of sorts in that I’ve got most patterns and/or fabrics so in a small way I have knowledge and representation of the entire catalogue. That last part might also be one of the reasons why I have less desire to keep going ...

The poor owners and shareholders have been badly hit by the pandemic - you just need to dig into any savings you have to get them back their profits

Should these go in the Levi’s thread?

I agree with much of what you say Neal - prices are spiralling upward and getting more unaffordable (or have less worth). From my perspective FW prices, on new models, have taken a noticeable jump (although that sweat is actually 2 sweats and probably not so representative but still not exactly cheap) and are becoming less attractive to me. Even reissues of older models are creeping up. Long gone are the halcyon days of great exchange rates and buying a pair of 1951s for £130 and a Neal shirt for £75 ... and getting them shipped over for £15. The same package would now be £300 shipped. But I think it’s just not about the money, I guess there’s only some many pairs of jeans you need or can wear. Sometimes I look at my collection and genuinely wonder how I got to this point ... and why. Despite my interest in FW diminishing, what keeps things fresh for me is seeing what others are doing and wearing, and every day remains a school day (guarantee tickets being a recent, ongoing, lesson). I’m just going to buy a shitload less and read a shitload more ...

The Neal will shrink to the same size as the Ironall, which itself will shrink just a touch - as @Broark says they look to be a good fit

I think given the weight (it’s basically 2 sweatshirts) and the quality, all of my FW sweats have been regularly worn and washed and they’ve barely aged, then £200~250 is ok in my eyes too. That said FW prices have gone up noticeably over the last couple of seasons. However, SoaS are ripping the arse out of this IMO. I know the split for supplier/shop is similar to the UK model so I’ve no idea why they’re charging this way unless they are simply buying at shop price from McFly or somesuch and then adding their own shipping, customs and profit on top. If that’s the case then anyone buying FW from them is daft or has too much money ... or both

It’s ¥36,000 ... about £230, not cheap but not as bonkers. Even with shipping from Japan I would still only pay half of what SoaS are charging.

Barnstormers SF Curios AZ Porter - #57 (of 75); all vintage silver, brass and leather

Yep, I’ve got that bit out of the book - but there’s still dates of 1872, 1873, 1950 and 1953. I’m just trying to join the dots about the changes and trying to understand the logic of the guarantee ticket dates ... not something I’d paid an awful lot of attention to until now, apart from that little query tucked away in the recesses of my tiny brain

And an example of the type of change (and therefore to me a gap or disconnect) in the timeline where this guarantee ticket from 1966 changes the ‘Patented May 20th 1873’ to ‘Since 1850’ immediately changing all the ‘For Over XX Years’

And the registration of the red tab as a trade mark - Levi’s themselves saying it has been in use from September 1936

Here’s the NRA code cover and sample text Doc was using to triangulate dates - November 17, 1933