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Denim Blunders, Reflections and General Nonsense.


cmboland

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I try not to hate on RgT, I have several of their pieces, but I don't get the love on IG.  I'm moving on from them as a brand, there are better stuff out there regarding price, fit and quality.  

 

I own 1 piece from RgT and honestly have not had any desire to buy anything else from them aside from a pair of their jeans. At this point I have more denim than I need so I'm good for years to come. Despite my aversion to some of their stuff I try not to hate on them either. I also don't get the brand fanatacism, but again, those simply boil down to personal tastes and who the hell am I to question what brand someone chooses to wear?

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Nothing particularly wrong with "the look" it's just ubiquitous. Still love Rogue Territory their Indigo Work Trousers are my go to loose fit engineered dark denim, they might be aiming for tight fit slim tapered cuts but they're giving the people what they want and can hardly be blamed for serving their fan base. Their price point is incredibly high for detail they provide though...

 

As for the instagrammers, if it wasn't the urban workwear/miner/lumberjack, it would certainly be something else. As I say, nothing wrong with the fit except it seems contradictory if you search too deep into where it comes from.

 

Personally I cant wait for the loose fit to translate over from Japan. Cant be long now right guys? Only been waiting several years... :D 

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Haha, here I am in Australia thinking flannels and tight pants are just what Americans wear!

To be honest, I find my flannels to be easier and more comfortable to wear compared with chambray or denim shirts, even though I have many more chambray shirts.

Regarding RgT and Shockoe... Of course they would sponsor people who are active on social media. As a brand, IMO you'll be silly not to take this option of cheap and effective advertising. At the very least a significant discount would be offered. If I started a clothing brand I'd be sending free or heavily discounted stuff to the forum regulars here, no question, but also guys like selvedge1/dopki on IG who have wider reach and will help in brand recognition. I know first hand that this stuff happens, and logically it makes sense that it does.

So I think not only is it an organic form of group think and survival of the most popular, but also IG will be dominated by brands that actively reach out to users. It doesn't even need to be sponsorship... Could be just a 'like' or a comment or a re-gram that will build brand loyalty.

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I wonder if there are IG users that turn brands down? If you're a denim nerd and wear stuff like IH, PBJ, The Strike Gold, etc, and some shitty brand like Civilianaire comes along and says, 'hey, we'll pay you $$$ and send you free jeans if you feature us on you IG,' what would you do? I don't think I could feature a brand if I wasn't genuinely interested in their stuff

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Another scenario could be that, say you have 10k followers, and you usually wear stuff like PBJ and Oni.

Shockoe approaches you and offers you their quilted indigo jacket, RRP at $550 USD, for free.

Would you do promo for them?

Shockoe not as prestigious as your usual brands, but not too far away...

You could still wear your other jeans, just wear the jacket in your photos too.

Or, same scenario, but with a RgT shirt?

But for guys like us who have dropped $$$$$ on clothes already? We wouldn't care about a shirt or a jacket... Then, maybe it's not even about the money, perhaps it's the recognition or validation that comes with being a 'brand ambassador'?

Much more grey, I think, and most people would bite.

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I'm surprised the whole big chunky workboot thing hasn't died off yet. It does seem like there are a lot of RGT fanboys out there but I blame Snake Oil Provisions for hyping this brand to high heaven. They seem to be the originators of a lot of the stuff you guys mentioned. The thing I can't stand is that deal where they wear shirts with the bottom 3-4 buttons undone, so silly looking.

 

Skinnier fitting jeans are fine but it looks weird with flannels and workboots. If you want to wear jeans like that, match it with a Saint Laurent Paris style, skater/streetwear looks, or something similar.

 

I'd never even heard of Shockoe Atelier before. Can't figure out what their look is, it looks like a blend of JCrew and RRL stuff.

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^ I've noticed even the work boots have slimmed down a bit. A few years back it was all double and triple soles plus a synthetic outsold with a more traditional, spacious shape.

Now I see a lot of single mid soles with unstructured toes, with generally thinner leathers or unlined vamps too. E.g. Truman's boots. This seems to be the preference even here, according to the recent boot survey.

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Damn I wonder what Instagram accounts y'all are talking about because I honestly don't know what you guys are talking about lol.  I just started following denim accounts though fairly recently I guess.

 

For the record, this is kind of stuff we're talking about (I feel like an anthropologist here):

 

Also, Mike brings up great points about people being paid to wear this stuff, and it being smart on the brand's part to use that kind of marketing. Personally, if it wasn't a product I wasn't it to at all, I wouldn't promote it for money, but not everybody feels that way.

 

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Edited by Iron Horse
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13385886_1572587776374949_333216071_n.jp

 

 

 

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Also, why do we always see this rolling up the hem of the jeans action shot?

I cuff my jeans and they're set. I don't walk around cuffing and uncuffing my jeans throughout the day.

I was talking to a friend of mine earlier about this. He also has seen this a lot on social media and found it funny.

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^ I've noticed even the work boots have slimmed down a bit. A few years back it was all double and triple soles plus a synthetic outsold with a more traditional, spacious shape.

Now I see a lot of single mid soles with unstructured toes, with generally thinner leathers or unlined vamps too. E.g. Truman's boots. This seems to be the preference even here, according to the recent boot survey.

 

For what it's worth, I don't consider service boots like Viberg/Truman makes to be "work boots" in the same sense as Red Wing moc toes or Iron Rangers (nor would I lump in Alden with these, though they seem to be worn by many of the same types.) These seem more military inspired (as the name suggests) and are just an all-purpose, rugged sort of boot. I think this less specific sort of appeal is part of a reason why this style has taken off, there's just less niche baggage attached to it.

 

I have a pair of Vibergs (1035 last, natural waxed flesh) and they're perfect for what I want from a pair of sturdy, outdoorsy boots. I feel that they occupy a similar place as something like Clarks Desert Boots (due to the unstructured toe and stitchdown) in many guys' wardrobes but are more distinct/versatile.

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Shit I'm a broke scientist, if someone reached out to me and paid me or gave me free stuff for putting a pic on instagram you bet I'd do it haha  :blush: . Morals/ethics be damned!

 

I feel like I'm at a point where I wouldn't feel right posting about something I don't really like or believe in.

Sure it's free, but if you don't really like it or really believe in it why bother? Guess that's just my two cents. 

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Random tangent, and trying not to throw shade...But what is everyone's thought on that whole "look"...You know what I mean: Tight raw denim, boots (iron rangers, oak street, or aldens), and general flannels all within that same shade/aesthetic (styleforum meets "workwear") that's all over instagram? I'm not sure the background on it; Is it a styleforum thing, something born out of instagram, Rogue Territory fandom, etc? If I'm being honest, I have to admit that I'm getting real fatigued of this same general look by every other post on instagram, which seems to have been unchanged since 2012. I know, I don't have to look/follow it and people can wear whatever they want (it doesn't matter at the end of the day), but I feel if you're into "men's fashion" as they generally claim, you should be trying to push yourself, explore new things and stop trying to fit the same mold. Total soapbox/angry old man post right now, but really, wish people would push themselves! 

i fucking hate it.  its like VSCO for clothes enthusiasts.  the same damn preset every time

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Damn I wonder what Instagram accounts y'all are talking about because I honestly don't know what you guys are talking about lol.  I just started following denim accounts though fairly recently I guess.

Its Red Wing boots, slim fit denim, a flannel or chambray shirt, a workwear jacket, usually duck or a jean jacket and a hat that looks like a condom that you forgot to unroll.  accessorize with wallet chains and beards

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Here in Denver, there's plenty of this look, and the two brick and mortars here only sell versions of it. I tend to find the people a hell of a lot more annoying than their clothes. I wonder, though, if the annoyance being voiced here is the look, the actual articles of clothing, or the pompous, curated, Terry Richardson meets IG chup socks and cuffing photography? I walked out of the house today wearing: a pair of 3-year old Chippewas with the same crappy vibram sole as shown on the RWs above, a fairly anonymous JCrew Wallace & Barnes flannel, an MF skivvy, a pair of SC Okis with 2-inch cuffs and a SDA duck chore coat. So, which of this is sufu-approved and which isn't? Does the fit of the Okis cancel out the boots or the flannel? Does the chore coat hold up because it's an SDA repro and not a Pointer Brand or Carhartt WIP? I suspect the beef here is less about whether flannels, denim, and boots are suddenly outre and rather 1) skinny jeans, which I agree look silly on most people, 2) the feeling that certain brands are "derivative" in ways that other brands are authentic and true to form, and 3) the general self-involvement/narcissism of the individuals posting on IG. And let's face it IG is basically a platform that's only true value is self-promotion and the creation of a herd to follow or be followed by. 

Edited by MileHighEvertonian
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You hit the nail on the head as to what it is about this style that annoys us.

 

I don't think that's the only value of IG though; Self-promotion is a part of it, but it's nice for me to have as a sort of instant access to what's going on in this scene, regardless of where people are, but especially in Japan where IG is big. Saves money on buying Japanese magazines, and time on checking lots of blogs. It's kind of another way to make the world a smaller place.

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^^. Great point.

I'll be wearing redwing and a flannel this weekend, hell I've even got chup socks (received as a gift, great socks).

My issue is that it's becoming the in thing, latest fad, to showcase and wax lyrical about "niche brands" with their craftmanship, heritage and fabrics. These people's feeds will look totally different in a year's time.

For the record Moc toe redwing with skinny jeans looks awful.

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During my short time thus far on IG, I've learnt that the rolling cuffs and the unbuttoned shirts are for photography... Getting a nice photo, that's all.

Over time people have worked out what gets more 'likes' and more follows, so the idiosyncrasies you see in the above IG photos are the end result.

This is interesting, makes me wonder what our clothes actually mean to more obsessed folks like us.

Why are we so obsessed about our clothes?

Is it some kind of coping or distracting mechanism that help us externalise psychological discomforts?

Who are we without our clothes or hobbies? Are we still interesting to other people?

Is it narcissism? If so, is it necessarily a bad thing?

Isn't an IG account like our virtual clothes? Is it necessarily a bad thing to dress or appear in a way that appeals to the majority?

If SuFu approved outfits all of a sudden became the norm, would we change the way we dress?

Why do we have to be different?

Is dressing up in a genuine 40s fit workwear any more authentic than dressing as a hipster lumberjack, given it's 2016? How many of us are actually blue-collar manual labourers? How are imaginary ideals any more authentic than popular appeal? Isn't the need to be liked a much more basic and authentic human experience than any Americana lifestyle choice?

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I also don't think anyone on here has tried to project a lifestyle that they don't already live. I think we particularly loathe the posters/photos that are blatantly "in character" or failures at the attempt lol 

 

We see through that with our discerning eyes. Eyes trained through such close inspection of our own clothes

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^If one has an interest in social media, is it wrong to take different photos for different crowds though...would that be 'posing'?

 

 Like damn dude, how many chup socks do you have...

 

I am a sock poser.

Edit: not a very good one

 

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To be clear, I don't think anyone on sufu is guilty at all of this look...

 

 

Also, why do we always see this rolling up the hem of the jeans action shot?

I cuff my jeans and they're set. I don't walk around cuffing and uncuffing my jeans throughout the day.

I was talking to a friend of mine earlier about this. He also has seen this a lot on social media and found it funny.

 

Forgive me for I have sinned.

 

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Edited by mikecch
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If all of a sudden everyone was wearing selvedge jeans, etc, I might be bummed because most people would assume I was riding some trend and didn't think for myself. Personally, here in socal when I see some girl wearing a choker I think to myself "there's no way you're wearing that in 5 years, you only are now because it's 'in'. Why not wear what you like instead of what's popular?"

On the other hand, I would absolutely love to see people like to wear high quality denims for the right reasons - interested in things that last a long time and look better with age, push the limits of luxurious fabrics, etc. Then I'd be able to geek out with more people in person!

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haha now a funny one for you my friends.

I happen to have some of my everyday normal life friends as IG friends as well, do you have them as well?

If you do, how much of a slag target have you become for your #rawdenim IG posts?

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haha now a funny one for you my friends.

I happen to have some of my everyday normal life friends as IG friends as well, do you have them as well?

If you do, how much of a slag target have you become for your #rawdenim IG posts?

 

 

None of my piss-taking friends know about my IG. They've tried to say stuff in real life but I don't care what they say, so they've either quit or come to appreciate the stuff I'm into.  B) 

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