Denim Blunders, Reflections and General Nonsense.

[Cold Summer]

And that black cordovan wallet of yours was sick.  I was actually a bit bummed I bought my TSG long wallet maybe a month or so before you listed yours because I would have snatched that up immediately.

 

Yeah, it was a really nice wallet - the thing was, it was just way too big and thick, that's my problem with the FH wallets. Because of all the lining and additional stitching inside, my FH long wallets were way bulkier than my Redmoon wallet ever was. But it's really just a matter of personal preference, I'm kinda past the point where I feel like I need to have the absolute best wallet in the room.

[Maynard Friedman]

I can't understand why anyone would want a wallet that is likely to:

1) Give you a bad back/hurt when you sit down and

2) Invite people to steal, even if it has a chain/rope attached

These really are among the most illogical and ostentatious items I've seen.

[Flash]

Never understood them either , some of them really take the piss to the point where they look like a purse

[Cold Summer]

In countries like Japan, where you use cash for 99% of purchases and often need to carry a lot of it, a wallet with a lot of bill and coin storage space is actually quite handy. But if you use mostly cards it's a lot less practical. If I was going to be sitting down for a long period of time I'd just take the wallet out and set it in my lap or something, and with a chain attached, it's not like you're accidentally going to leave it behind. Otherwise I never had any issues with discomfort, although a lot of this will depend on the fit of your jeans, pocket spacing, the specific wallet, and your body type - I'm skinny and my wallet only ever touches the very edge of my bottom, I'm never sitting directly on top of it (which I could understand might cause problems.)

 

Pickpocketing is virtually nonexistent in Japan, and I never found myself in any situation even back in the US where it seemed worrisome. Long wallets are great if you need a lot of storage space, but beyond that it's really just about if you like the style or not.

[Iron Horse]

I don't use a long wallet, but I have a fairly large mid-length wallet and yes, I find it very useful here in Taiwan. It's a cash society, including change; what's more, there are various cards I have to carry here and whatnot. Likewise, pick pocketing doesn't really exist here.

I do think the long wallets can be too much, hence why I like the mid-lengths that just poke up above the back pocket. Also, I don't sit on it when I sit down, as it naturally rides up, so it doesn't give me any back pain.

Edited January 21, 2016 by Iron Horse

[Maynard Friedman]

I use both cash and numerous cards (credit, debit, driving licence, zoo membership, oyster, etc) regularly and never have a problem with a folding Samsonite wallet. I also carry my change in my front pocket. I wouldn't want to be lumbered with a wallet that I have to put on my lap either. Very unconvincing arguments for in my opinion, but each to their own. It seems more of a statement to me - hey look I customise my expensive jeans with an expensive, visible wallet and chain!

[Iron Horse]

It's showy, for sure, but if done well it can look good IMO. Hence why it's so popular in Japan, and those cats don't need style tips from us I think. Hell, I've even seen a few middle-aged ladies in Japan rocking little lanyards. Maybe this stuff is going the way of the aunties.

There's likely a nuanced sociological argument to be made about the appearance of having money in Asia versus the Protestant tradition of dressing modestly, but it's getting late and I've had a few.

Edited January 21, 2016 by Iron Horse

[Maynard Friedman]

I've even seen a few middle-aged ladies in Japan rocking little lanyards.

Granyards.

[dwilson123]

Hell, I've even seen a few middle-aged ladies in Japan rocking little lanyards. Maybe this stuff is going the way of the aunties.

 

I'm so hipster I take my fashion notes from Japanese retirement homes

[Cucoo]

I don't understand long wallets either, but I like the look of concho wallets. I have a mid-size one that fits in my back pockets. I just enjoy handling it I guess. A wallet is a pretty personal item, no one but me pays close attention to it. It has enough space for all the stupid coins and paper cash you still need in Germany (although it's slowly getting better) and it's not that much bigger than the generic leather bifolds I've used before.

 

Same with the wallet lanyard, I just like how it looks. I don't think people understand it as me "flashing expensive accessories", same as with 99% of people having no idea what my jeans cost.

[Geeman]

I wear an Obbi Goods Label mid. Really slim profile so no issues sitting on it. Just pokes out the top of my back pocket so nothing obnoxious. It's actually one of my favorite possessions and I feel weird without it. I wear a wallet rein with it also but it's not a big long showy one.

I couldn't wear a long wallet with all the tassels and beads hanging off them.

[MellowYellow]

I love the look of the long wallet and chain, and I wish I could pull it off - break one in and age it. Unfortunately, I can't for pretty much all of the reasons others have given above. 

 

Thanks to all those folks rocking the long wallet - keep the pics coming!

[dwilson123]

Same with the wallet lanyard, I just like how it looks. I don't think people understand it as me "flashing expensive accessories", same as with 99% of people having no idea what my jeans cost.

 

Aye if I was concerned with people knowing how much my clothes cost I wouldn't wear brands that hardly anyone knows what they are and let alone how much they cost.

 

And my lanyard is just a really simply and getting quite old leather strip lanyard from Kicking Mule Workshop.  It just has brass hardware and is maybe a foot long.  It isn't braided and it doesn't have tassles and beads on it but I do think those lanyards are pretty cool.

[Max Power]

I still use the custom Obbigood Wallet I got 5 (?) years ago - 5" high with the SDA-design. All my cards, bills and coins fit in yet it doesn't peek out nor is very thick. In fact that's the main reason I'm sticking with it: The shape has a big advantage - it makes the wallet thinner at exactly the spot where the main friction happens when sitting down.

 

 

 

 

Since I got it I never had my wallet rip my jeans with sharp thick edges. The resulting fade is not exactly what I like nowadays, but as often as I thought about replacing it with an IH cordovan wallet or an FH mid wallet I think it's still the best option out there for me.

Edited January 22, 2016 by Max Power

[Cold Summer]

Great looking wallet Max - what's always kinda turned me off about OGL is that the cutting around the edges/burnishing is a lot rougher compared to brands like Flat Head, Redmoon, Angelos, etc. but they still make a nice product. Have you found your cards to get bent/broken by the vertical card slots in that wallet? I always had that happen with vertical card slots on wallets I've owned before.

[Geeman]

My OGL has vertical slots also, never had a card break

[VivaMarlon]

Aye if I was concerned with people knowing how much my clothes cost I wouldn't wear brands that hardly anyone knows what they are and let alone how much they cost.

 

And my lanyard is just a really simply and getting quite old leather strip lanyard from Kicking Mule Workshop.  It just has brass hardware and is maybe a foot long.  It isn't braided and it doesn't have tassles and beads on it but I do think those lanyards are pretty cool.

 

In regards to people not knowing about these brands, how much they cost, or even about raw denim in general: has anyone ever been approached or asked about their jeans? I'm curious how an interaction like that would go and how the person reacted to learning about how much can actually go into a pair of jeans.

[Cucoo]

Not from just wearing them, but I had a pair delivered to my work address once and colleagues demanded explanations when they saw me inspecting that blue piece of cardboard a fresh pair of raws is I share my office with two women and they're pretty open to the idea of paying more for jeans that fit and look better than 40€ H&M jeans. One of them even kept looking at denimio's page of women cuts for a few days ^^

[Max Power]

Great looking wallet Max - what's always kinda turned me off about OGL is that the cutting around the edges/burnishing is a lot rougher compared to brands like Flat Head, Redmoon, Angelos, etc. but they still make a nice product. Have you found your cards to get bent/broken by the vertical card slots in that wallet? I always had that happen with vertical card slots on wallets I've owned before.

 

No, just one small crack in one cheap card. And I'm wearing the wallet on my back pocket almost all the time. It helps that I can store the important cards in the middle section, there's room for two credit cards, my driver's license and my ID (all these behind the four slots in the front).

The burnishing is fine on my wallet, might not be as good as on FH but is still sufficient for me.

 

 

In regards to people not knowing about these brands, how much they cost, or even about raw denim in general: has anyone ever been approached or asked about their jeans? I'm curious how an interaction like that would go and how the person reacted to learning about how much can actually go into a pair of jeans.

 

I had that only a few times. One funny thing happened at the airport while checking in the officer felt my pants and asked me about why they're so heavy. And he had felt a lot of jeans in his life. I wore Samurai 5000VX 21 oz then.

Another guy asked me about my UES while I was at a Doomriders gig and complimented me on how good the looked.

Of course you get asked about jeans a lot while visiting premium denim stores but that's a different thing.

Edited January 23, 2016 by Max Power

[bod]

My old evisu 2000's really bulged at the crotch when I sat down, my girlfriends in the pub used to joke and tug my t-shirt down to cover up my modesty    The crotch rivet was always a focal point too.

 

Also had a pair of Fullcounts delivered at my office, my lady co-workers were quite interested in the fact that they had to be shrank down to fit, one old enough to remember sitting in a bath in her levis.

Edited January 23, 2016 by bod

[dwilson123]

In regards to people not knowing about these brands, how much they cost, or even about raw denim in general: has anyone ever been approached or asked about their jeans? I'm curious how an interaction like that would go and how the person reacted to learning about how much can actually go into a pair of jeans.

 

Only once.  It was when I first got my PBJ's and my aunt liked the leaf on the back pocket and wanted to get some for my cousin.  After I told her you can either buy them from BiG or import them she was out.

 

The latest was my wife's parents I was wearing a $300 sweater for Christmas because her grandmother wanted to buy the same thing so I was kind of cornered since she wanted me to show her where to buy it on google

[clt3]

Where was the sweater from?

[unders]

Spotted this book on American-inspired Japanese style - http://www.amazon.com/Ametora-Japan-Saved-American-Style/dp/0465059732  Looks like it was only published a couple of months ago. Sure some of you chaps will have copped this by now so be interested if anyone rates it.

Anyway, I was looking for a review and came across this extract. It's probably going to clog up the page (sorry) but it's too good not to paste. I'll be buying it if it's full of gold like this.

 

Workers at the city’s top uniform maker, Maruo Clothing, watched in sorrow as stacks of unwanted vinylon garments piled up in its warehouse. Founder Kotaro Ozaki needed to act. In the fall of 1964, he summoned his two lead salesmen, Shizuo Kashino and Toshio Oshima, back to headquarters for a meeting on the fate of the company. After strange dreams each night about ninth century scholar-poet Sugawara no Michizane, he decided to take the two men on an impromptu overnight pilgrimage to Dazaifu Tenman-gu, the Kyushu shrine where Michizane was deified. After paying religious tribute, the Maruo team received their divine inspiration at a nearby hot springs resort. Ozaki asked what kind of clothing Maruo needed to make to rescue the business. Without hesitation, Kashino and Oshima both answered jiipan, or "G.I. pants." Americans knew them as "blue jeans." 

 

Kashino first learned about jiipan from the store Maruseru in Tokyo's Ameyoko district. While no longer a black market, the area was still chaotic in the late 1950s; packed crowds roamed hundreds of stalls selling pickles and fish, pilfered hotel supplies, smuggled contraband, semi-legal parallel imports, and luxury items illicitly procured from PXs. Maruseru's proprietor, Ken'ichi Hiyama, found his own lucrative niche reselling surplus American military garments, as well as new American-style work coats and pants from makers like Maruo. During the Occupation, American soldiers often paid Pan Pan girls in old clothing rather than cash, and the streetwalkers went straight to Ameyoko stores like Maruseru to sell it off. Hiyama noticed that many of the women came in with faded, indigo-blue work pants, which rumors identified as the bottom half of American prison uniforms. Anyone who had visited U.S. military bases knew that soldiers often wore pants like that while off-duty. Lacking a better descriptor, Hiyama nicknamed them "G.I. pants," and the shortened term jiipan (or "G-pan") became common parlance around the neighborhood. 

 

By 1950, jiipan made up more than half of Maruseru's sales. Hiyama's wife Chiyono told Shukan Asahi, in 1970, "We would buy them at ¥300–¥500 a pair and then sell at ¥3,200. Jeans were so scarce that when you put them in the store, they would sell out before you even put on the price tag." At the time, most men's pants came in wool, and the cotton jiipan was much better suited to Japan’s temperate climate. ­The blue color also stood out in the khaki sea of wartime kokuminfuku ("citizen clothing") and American soldiers’ uniforms. In the words of writer Masatake Kitamoto, jeans glowed with the "blue of victory."

 

In the hunt for more jiipan, the Hiyamas noticed that boxes sent from America to family members stationed in Japan often contained torn-up jeans as packaging material. ­ey bought up these scraps and hired companies to patch the holes. ­The results were Frankenstein-like creations that stitched together disparate elements of mangled pairs, but even these sold out immediately.

 

By the early 1950s, Ameyoko stores had developed a brisk trade in used jiipan, but no one in Japan was able to buy a new pair. There was one notable exception—elite bureaucrat Jiro Shirasu. The handsome, Cambridge-educated businessman and diplomat first discovered jeans while living in San Francisco in the late 1930s. After the war, he played a critical role in facilitating relations between the Japanese and American governments, and it was this intimacy with General Douglas MacArthur’s GHQ that allowed him to purchase a crisp new pair of Levi's 501s from a PX. Shirasu nominally wanted the denim to wear when tinkering with his car, but he ended up living in them. When he boarded a flight to San Francisco in 1951 to sign the peace treaty with the U.S., he immediately shed his suit and spent the rest of the flight in his Levi's. In 1951, the entire country learned about his love of jeans when a photographer captured the graying gentleman lounging in his favorite outfit.

 

 

[redragon]

Halfway through the book.

Really meticulous writing.

pretty sure this is the book Kiya mention awhile ago when there is a discussion about Japanese mindset on fashion...somewhere on this forum (forgot what thread)

[kiya]

Halfway through the book.

Really meticulous writing.

pretty sure this is the book Kiya mention awhile ago when there is a discussion about Japanese mindset on fashion...somewhere on this forum (forgot what thread)

 

 

Yup, this is the book, if you don't already own it, but it.  It's essential reading for anybody into denim/fashion or Japanese culture in general.

[unders]

Cool, thanks fellas. Hadn't realised it had already been posted - rarely venture into the other forums.

[dwilson123]

Where was the sweater from?

 

Its just an SNS Stark.  A pretty common piece but it is by far my most complimented piece I own.

[Ayebomb]

In regards to people not knowing about these brands, how much they cost, or even about raw denim in general: has anyone ever been approached or asked about their jeans? I'm curious how an interaction like that would go and how the person reacted to learning about how much can actually go into a pair of jeans.

 

Generally if people like your jeans enough to comment on them then I find they're prepared to hear that they were expensive. Unlike a lot of other things I think people tend to understand the scale of price on jeans, whether that be due to quality, design or label. It's like "wow, never seen jeans like those before, they look good. Were they expensive?" "Well, sure. They cost more than your Levis" "hmm, fair enough" Then you explain why and they're left saying something along the lines of "okay, I can tell you really like your denim. I think I'll just stick with my Levis"

[Iron Horse]

Thanks for the tip on the book Unders, just ordered it.

[tigerstrom]

I ordered it too! Thanks!