Schaeffer's Garment Hotel Denim

[grooveholmes]

On Friday I received a pair of Schaeffer's Garment Hotel jeans, made using the last of the denim for the first run of 100 (these might be 101?) pairs. As a "regular" (I've used their services several times over the past year), and since I have nothing but the utmost respect for Robert and enjoy supporting independent labels, I decided to buy a pair. Similar to ROY pre-relaunch, these are manufactured in-house and sold in-house. The price for these was $235 (free shipping for SuFu members). These are a really well-made, quality pair of jeans-- I'm very happy with these.

About the denim. SGH are made using 15oz. redline Italian selvedge denim. All I can say is "whoa". It is definitely thick and has a really interesting waxy look, with a very deep indigo hue. According to Robert, the threads are cotton-poly threads; the hardware is comprised of different colored rivets and buttons on the fly, with rivets alternating between the standard copper and a (edit:) light gold-color. The size of the buttons may vary from pair to pair as well. This is their way of branding, since they don't use a leather patch; it also ensures the uniqueness of every pair. My jeans have fairly large buttons, almost as wide as the top button, and they were a b*tch to button up. I'm still on the fence with the choice of button-size (I'm not used to the look), but it's certainly a minor thing, and not even a real issue. I do know (and Robert agrees) that as the fly fades it will probably look pretty sweet.

The other thing I noticed was the bar-tacked back pockets-- I didn't snap a picture, but the bar-tack stitching doesn't look quite "even" in terms of having a uniform stitch pattern. It's not that they look awful or are distracting-- quite the opposite-- I actually like it a lot. It's hard to describe, but it's very wabi-sabi to me: a flawed beauty. I'm sure others will disagree on this point, but whatever, I really love these jeans and will enjoy breaking them in this fall/winter. According to Robert, the next batch will use Japanese 15oz. denim woven on vintage looms.

I will probably need to get some hemming done, but I plan on wearing these for a few months before washing. I'll go with stacking them, but it may get to a point where I'll send them to SGH for a proper hem-job.

Approximate measurements:

Waist: 34

Rise: 10.5

Thigh: 11.5

Knee: 9

Inseam: 34

Leg Opening: 8

[robbie]

I like the rounded top button a lot.

I am not sure how I feel about the mixed bag for hardware, I suppose in time it will add to the character of the jean... right now it just looks handmade,only not in the goodway.

Thanks for sharing though, please keep us updated on how these progress.

[grooveholmes]

Thanks for the feedback. I definitely resonate with the mixed feelings on hardware. I was quite surprised when I first saw it. Each button hole on the fly could serve as a top button on another pair of jeans, but it's growing on me. PRPS uses different colored donut buttons, so I can see some similarity there. Brands that do things a little different or outside convention sometimes appeal to me. I don't mind a little asymmetry, so long as the construction and quality is there, which it is.

I really love the denim-- it seems thicker and heavier than 15 oz., and I really like the cast. I also think they did an excellent job on the fit. There aren't many bells and whistles here, that's for sure, but that's cool.