ATWM

Yep there is this ^ - and to add I’ve come to understand my favorite pairs never start out that way and it all depends on the journey they’ve had which is never something that can be purchased. So, with that, I understand intellectually it’s never a solution to be solved by getting another of the same pair. It will probably turn out differently anyways. Hasnt stopped me from getting off the train yet but it’s something I sort of want to do, but I still see stuff I want to try!

I have a few repeats but in variation - ie same model different fabric, same model different size for a different silhouette. Reality is a little bit of change is enjoyable and 3-4ish years in a single pair is enough for life - at this point for me. Which tends to be about what I get with the rotations I keep. It’s not like the next pair will be really that different from the previous. Lots of subtle differences yes, but that’s fun. For me, buying two of the same thing has come to feel perilously close to hoarding that brings me little to no day to day use. That on top of the varied pairs stashed away that are probably enough for a decade plus - if I can keep in shape - which is why I’ve been selling off a few things. I may eventually buy a second pair of freewheeler 51s, but I’ve got a lot to get through before I ponder that seriously.

done

I really don't blame people for not liking it. Some years ago, I didn't. You've got to have a certain predisposition for things that run slightly afoul of a perfect order and consistency that so many modern products strive for - and have space for that to not be a problem. Not the best analogy, but if someone told me the charm of a particular camera was that it light leaked on the last few frames of every roll (I have an old Rolleiflex that does this) and use it at as a sales point, I'd figure them trying to pass one over on me. Unless, of course, something had brought me to my own attitude adjustment over time where I could embrace such a thing - like I do with my camera now, but did not when I used it on magazine work - as part of the fun and unpredictability that you don't get with perfectly clinical, precise, reliable modern digital imaging. Fwiw, I certainly did notice it on my first jeans that had it - I'd look down and see the seam over my shoe and feel that everything was draping off kilter. It drove me nuts for awhile. Now I like it but that took time. TLDR I think understanding it and appreciating/embracing it are two different things.

…can they not be returned since they’re not what you ordered? I know the shipping to Japan is a thing, not everyone takes returns etc, but even still it seems a little rough to just eat it - twice especially when the error is on their part!

Happy birthday @mlwdp! We’re of the same relative vintage. I hope your knees and ankles are holding up better than mine.

Well, I wasn’t quite thinking that! It’s reasonable for any non denim head to consider leg twist a flaw - it’s presumably one reason it’s eliminated in modern denim. Perhaps it’s on LVC - selling vintage repros to a mass audience - to let them know such things like leg twist are considered a part of the charm for many.

Someone should tell the poor fella

YMMV but I've never liked a denim more over time than the '51 denim. I think one reason I like it the most is it's been sort of the most subtly rewarding pair. It doesn't fade to electric blue, the beginning fades take awhile and are really hard to tell - the creases never set in too much, combs are not where this denim shines. But over time the fades come in and the puckering throughout is the best I've ever seen. Not to mention it is the most tough and durable denim I've had out of any repro pair - probably due to the same reasons it doesn't give great combs. It's tough but pliable. I have the other denim in my S516 jacket and I like it too, but it actually feels a little less unique to me. We'll see how I feel about it in jeans - mine are in storage and with the WOM contest coming up I think I won't even know until well into the latter half of this decade, if I can keep my size haha.

Same I gave away my entire collection which was mostly 90s punk and hip hop with some later electronic stuff sprinkled in. I ripped it all before I put it on a website called freecycle and an excited teenager came in a beat up el Camino to take it all. I think I made that gen z’ers day. sometimes I miss it but made a decision that photography books would be my primary physical collection - just didn’t have room for both.

Ha, me too. But I didn’t feel like that about them when they were new - it took time. It’s a little nostalgic for me - they’re the closest fit to the jeans I wore for many years that - usually different skate brands that I found on bargain racks and I think maybe just the best general sort of cut for me. In this way they’re just the best version of the thing I’ve worn for most of my life whereas most repros are a little different. But, I still want to try the 47s! (Of course)

'51 have become my favorite of any jeans I've owned since I got into this whole mess years ago. If I could only keep one pair it would be them.

well let's slap a patch, cinch and some belt loops on it and get these shipped out already! ok ok n/m i'll wait for everyone else.

No! They run smaller. It's weird. I wear a 30 in the 0105 with room to spare in the waist, and the 32 in the chinos fits a bit similarly, if slightly looser. That said, after that the cut is rather similar. Measurements at Bears are pretty accurate from what I found.

@Double 0 Soul I may get to that at some point, I’m still relatively new to my current town and learning the nooks and crannies. Everyone just knows it for the university, understandably - which does brisk business and is a big reason it has not hit the same sort of hard times so many other towns have. Most of my life was in the Chicago area but I’m so tired of moving I’m pretty sure I could die happy in the current place I’m in.

This could be a reach and unrelated but seeing the storefront just brings it up - the collapse of main streets/small retailers in so many towns and smaller cities is one of the biggest bummers of whatever you want to call the highway system/tech boom/post-covid long era we’re in. It’s not happening everywhere but it’s happened in so many places that really would be wonderful little communities if they hadn’t gotten sold out by any number of forces. I hope Hudson’s Hills vagueries keep open the possibility for another spot - but it’s just in the abstract, I’m not sure when I’d pass through Gboro again. I would think the main issue with this stuff is I would bet in a town like Greensboro, the store probably has a tough time making the argument for the cost of the goods to enough of average residents, and that is the support that is so crucial to brick and mortar. I still don’t know how my local shop stays open unless they do brisk online business - every time I’m in there it’s more staff than customers.

That's a real bummer to hear. So few markets are well served with a brick and mortar that stocks this stuff. Even tougher because they're in the hometown of White Oak, so it feels like a bigger deal. But the website just says the physical store is temporarily closed - that's changing? We have something close-ish in Ann Arbor with Today Clothing - which is a much better store than a town this small deserves to have, but it's a small overlap in the venn diagram of what I really prefer and what they carry - still would be quite bummed if they turned over. At the same time, I'm not the type to keep them afloat, though I try when they do fill a gap.

@81FXR is there a reason you’re not considering Full Counts own 1201 (1941) chinos? YMMV but I got them with the same reasoning (wanting 0105 silhouettes in chino) - and I found they fit the bill.

Lovely photos. I second looking out for a pair for my son. He's in an outdoor/forest based preschool and I know he would shred them. He's finally probably old enough to wear a pair of those Nippers, but it seems like that didn't stay afloat. I wonder if they're still out there?

@yung_flynn how are you finding the break in on those Beckman’s? The back mid calf part is rough for me. Rest of the boot is a bit more comfortable out of the box though.

You should. I'd love to read it. And it's great to hear. My experience has been the opposite - and it comes from the side of being a photographer (another industry where an assumed hierarchy loves to exploit workers in legally dubious ways and then tell themselves they're actually helping them out by bestowing deep knowledge), but of course that's only my experience. All I will say is that - and this is just for me - the explanation you give to the RO line doesn't translate in what I see in the way that they market, style, and model their stuff. Perhaps it goes over my head - this is quite likely even, and I'm fine with that. But perhaps it's also a failure to communicate. Either way, it's a breakdown. That's going to happen in any medium of creative expression for some message senders and receivers. Of course maybe I would know more if anything I saw from RO made me want to learn about the brand, but it very much doesn't, so why would I? Even if it's a joke it looks like the sort that just isn't my flavor, and it doesn't have to be! That said, I'm all people doing their thing and making it work (whether it's the designer or the wearer). Responding a little more generally, I don't think saying something isn't to one's taste is shit talking though. Character denigration, sure. That's not cool. Art ≠ artist and all.

Penis balcony pants is the first bit of lightheartedness I’ve seen in the RO collection. Still not for me, but laughter is good medicine any way it comes. Perhaps I need to reconsider my assessment!

Anyone have experience with the strike gold’s sweatshirts and sizing comparison? I see a lot of size up with it, but I’m looking for a slimmer/less bulky fit that can go under denim jacket. Shorter is better. If I fit into a 38 of freewheelers/powerwear (sweat), can I get away with a medium - or should I really go to a L? I know a M will fit my arms and torso length, it’s just the damn shoulder/chest thing.

Still mostly same. Inis meain, Ooe Tux, Kapital, red wing

I think there are quite a few labels appreciated here that are designers. Only speaking for myself but I react to the vision and the aesthetic of a designer - not the fact that they are one. I’d even call most denim labels here designers. But in a narrower sense then Tender, de Bonne Facture, Kapital, 45r, Blue Blue Japan are a few that I appreciate, for example. So yea, love me some weird shit - but not all weird shit floats my boat. One of the worst sorts of brand images to me is a sense of deep and unbending seriousness. The industry of high fashion is about as toxic a concentration of egos as one can find in my experience. I’m sure there are other industries that could tie it but not sure any exceed it. It would be funnier if it weren’t so sad.