How to differentiate good denim through touch/visuals

[Becks23]

For those of us who have gained knowledge about denim strictly through the i-net... when you're looking at denim, are there certain physical factors to look for?

like the only one I'm really aware of is slubbiness etc. What other things should I look so that I can come to a conclusion about the quality of the denim?

[HEWSINATOR]

I don't know if I have much to add. But "feel" alone is valuable. It is like leather. You don't need to be told what to look for (to a point obviously) and can say that one is better than the other. I think the same applies to denim to an extent.

[denimdestroyedmylife]

bobbles are a treat for the fingers

[snugglepony]

a quick check to see if the denim is ring/ring (ring spun warp and weft yarns):

look at the white yarns on the inside of the denim (the weft). if there is a good amount of variation in the thickness and texture of these weft yarns, the denim is likely double ring spun.

(i don't know of any denim that's ring/OE with the OE yarn for the warp...)

see the denim encyclopedia for why this is important.

[airfrogusmc]

I find this thread interesting because even if you can see the hand of leather or denim first hand its going to depend on what you are looking for and your level of real understanding. For instance in leather the majority of people tend to go for leathers like lambskin because its soft. I reality the more expensive more durable leathers are horsehide and goatskin. Collectors tend to search out horsehide motorcycle jackets because they are considered the best. New vegetable tanned horsehide can be VERY STIFF so someone looking for that buttery soft hand is not going to get it from horse but a lambskin jacket might only last a few years and there are some incredible 60 + year old horsehide and goatskin jackets around. Goatskin is more supple than horsehide and also very durable.

As far as denim I think it also comes down to what you're looking for. If your looking for something thats authentic as far as texture and weight to original Levis LVC with some of their denim is very good and so are some of the Japanese (sugarcane comes to mind) companies but allot of the Japanese companies over do their denim. They make it to heavy and to slubby as compared to original Levis or Lees. Just depends on what you're looking for.

[ringring]

For those of us who have gained knowledge about denim strictly through the i-net... when you're looking at denim, are there certain physical factors to look for?

like the only one I'm really aware of is slubbiness etc. What other things should I look so that I can come to a conclusion about the quality of the denim?

Slubbiness is not necessarily guarantee of quality, it's often just a case of taste. There are plenty of beautiful jeans made with relatively 'flat', compact denims (eg Studio D'Artisan's natural indies). However extremely slubby jeans (eg Sugarcane Hawaii's, Pure Blue 001s etc) are a rarity, and are appreciated as such.

Personally, I'm fond of tightly woven, compact denims. Not spongey handfeel and definitely not too stretchy. I tend to prefer a dry handfeel. But then there's no denying that some soft, loose woven denims are of a very high quality too. (a soft broken twill by Legler comes to mind).

Experimenting with wearing dry denims helps the learning process a lot.

I think to become a reasonable judge of quality is like learning to appreciate most fine things - it just takes time and experience to recognise good from not so good. To appreciate the good, you have to see a lot of bad...and just see a lot of everything. Tastes take time to develop.

[Becks23]

^^^ good post as always...

so having said that... good denim to a certain extent is in the personal preference and there may not necessarily be any concrete absolute factors that go into the determination of good denim

[cheapmuthafukr]

Slubbiness is not necessarily guarantee of quality, it's often just a case of taste. There are plenty of beautiful jeans made with relatively 'flat', compact denims (eg Studio D'Artisan's natural indies). However extremely slubby jeans (eg Sugarcane Hawaii's, Pure Blue 001s etc) are a rarity, and are appreciated as such.

Personally, I'm fond of tightly woven, compact denims. Not spongey handfeel and definitely not too stretchy. I tend to prefer a dry handfeel. But then there's no denying that some soft, loose woven denims are of a very high quality too. (a soft broken twill by Legler comes to mind).

Experimenting with wearing dry denims helps the learning process a lot.

I think to become a reasonable judge of quality is like learning to appreciate most fine things - it just takes time and experience to recognise good from not so good. To appreciate the good, you have to see a lot of bad...and just see a lot of everything. Tastes take time to develop.

perfectly stated. welcome back ringring... your contributions have been missed these past few months.

[ringring]

Thanks CheapMF

[greentea]

a ringring sighting. :eek:

[tweeds]

^^^ good post as always...

so having said that... good denim to a certain extent is in the personal preference and there may not necessarily be any concrete absolute factors that go into the determination of good denim

to a certain extent, yes.

i like a mid-weight denim (14-15oz), and especially if it's a nice and compact yarn. that's why i like my APCs...they feel nice and tight when you first meet them in the store. in comparison, i thought the eternal 811s were heavier but less compact.