Taking Care of the World Tour

[Bobbo]

Unders also dropped out to make room for Holio so I guess we've got Norway up next if Mandel is up for the task! 

[volvo240thebest]

That would be sweet. A viking chick wearing loose pants sounds like my kind of farce!

[mandel9000]

Haha, farce! ^ I hope I can live up to your expectations, Volvo.

32" is certainly doable, shouldn't be too baggy either, and way better than having to drop out because I can't squeeze into the jeans, like the last time I signed up for a tour...ahem. I'm in!

[volvo240thebest]

^ excellent! I am still awaiting to see some extras from Sir Paul T, but at the same time I am already tremendously looking forward to the next instalment of this TCB 20s tour farce haha, I foresee it will be a viking-japanese happy  jeans triumph farce!

[holio cornolio]

Following this with interest. Sorry to have to postpone my leg of the tour. Poor (no) planning on my part. The Roys are epic though ;-)

Good luck Mandel and thanks for stepping up :-)

[Paul T]

Just a quick note to say all is cool, I will probs post the jeans Monday, once they're dried, and should be able to post more pix then too, if I can find a few minutes, and if movement is restored to my fingers in this (gorgeous) cold weather.

[Paul T]

So, the jeans are drying on the radiator. Here's a few updates on where they've been i the last couple of months.

've been out and about in a few places. One was the V&A Revolution exhibition, where I gave a talk on music and the counterculture. But we won't mention that as I was dressed in Levi's for the occason (altho with my TCB Navy jumper). But when I had a trip out near Bath, they came with me to see one of England's most beautiful towns. It's called Chesham; it's where they filmed a popialr bodce-ripper TV series called Poldark, with some tall dark and handome Byron-esquer figure as the hero. All filmed on these streets.



This is the High Street. I guess they removed the large plastic bins for the filming, but otherwise it's pretty much as it was 200 years ago.



I love all these old doorways. You'll be pleased to know that a photobucket error has saved you from seeing even more of them.



I'm guessing this is an abandoned abbey. Likely Henry VIII, as well as chopping off two of his wives' heads, plundered this place of all its riches.



This was the walk up to my work place.



The office is straight ahead. Flash, eh?



And the office itself. Called Methuen House. I was actually working in the old stables, but they're not quite as photogenic, giving a talk to songwriting student on the blues form. Appropriate, huh?

 

[Paul T]

On the way back to Greenwich, I changed trains near one of my favourite old buildings, Wren's Stephen Walbrook. It's a mini prototype for St Paul's Cathedral. Walbrook was an old stream, which led into the Thames, and it's rich in relics. Whenever they building some new phallic glass and steel erection, they always find Stone Age or Roman artefacts in the dig.

[Paul T]

IN my last week, I ventured out to Spitalfields, home of one of London's best vintage markets, and lovely old buildings. The houses on the right were built for Huguenots who moved into the area in the early 1700s, and built up the silk trade. Much gentrified, it's still a great area.



I love sneaking looks into buildings that are being restored.



THis is the basement of a local antique shop, pretty much as it was made in the 1700s.



I love this cupboard; from the dull sheen you can guess it's lead paint.Yummy.



Nearby is artillery Lane. This is one of the most beautiful, original old shop fronts in London.

 

Narby the street is full of fantastic small alleyways, with old bars and pubs. Ths is my friend Carl, who still manages to make a living designing record sleeves. He's working on a Cure book at the mo!





THis was Friday morning, I think, the day before wash day. Beautifully cold, crisp and clear.

Edited December 6, 2016 by Paul T

[Bobbo]

Great stuff Paul! Always loved walking through Spitalfields on my way to work.

[Maynard Friedman]

Wow, you have a long commute from Gothenburg Bobbo!

[jigsaw]

Guys i might have a cool feed for this tour if i can get them in January

[Paul T]

So, I gave the jeans a hand wash and machine rinse before sending them off to Mandel on Monday. I like the denim, it definitely has that bright greeny natural indigo hue (I'm assuming it's synthetic indigo but dyed to look like natural). I've been wearing them alongside my Levi's three pleat jacket, which has a similar  natural indigo look. The feel is quite unusual to me, as they're a 1920s cut but in a heavier fabric, which is a little bulkier and fluffier than the Cone 1920s denim. I think I would like to try them from raw and wear them really hard - but I suspect, rather like my 201, they won't go down easy. Before I got these, I was wearing my LVC 1890s for the summer. THey've had at least 10 months of wear, but have hardly crocked. All of these early natural indigo repros aren't like Samurai that show wear after three months.

[volvo240thebest]

It looks like these will be some tough bastards to fade, which is excellent as it will make for a more challenging contest.

thanks once again for the most educational posts, well done on the tour leg Paolo!

[holio cornolio]

Great shots as always Paul. Can I ask what camera you're using?

[Paul T]

Thanks holio. I do have a Fuji  X-100 I use as my main camera, but most of these were taken with the little Sony RX100, the camera I bought the g/f! The first model, no viewfinder,  but it's tiny and pocket-sized, and even the out-of-camera jpegs look pretty good.

 

 

It looks like these will be some tough bastards to fade, which is excellent as it will make for a more challenging contest.

thanks once again for the most educational posts, well done on the tour leg Paolo!

 

Exactly. I think they will be bastards and interesting for that reason. The denim is also interesting in that it gives lots of crinkling, back yoke especially, plus you can also see train tracks already. Definitely quite distinctive.

Oh and I forgot to say, looks like substantial leg twist so far, too.

Edited December 7, 2016 by Paul T

[mandel9000]

Funny, I have a Fuji X-100S that is eagerly awaiting the arrival of the jeans later this week (probably)! Thanks for your part, Paul T. It's been fun and interesting to follow, hope I can live up to it. 

 

I live in Oslo but I'm going up north to my mum's for Christmas, so a good chance for lots and lots of snow!

[mandel9000]

The jeans have arrived!

I have to collect at the post office though, and I just got home from work, exhausted and hung-over, so I might postpone until tomorrow morning if I don't experience a surge of energy after dinner. Very excited, it's about to begin!

[volvo240thebest]

The image of a Viking girl fighting against hang over is already quite amusing on its own, let add a pair of superbly designed and deliciously loose and wide Japanese denim dungarees and what we have here is quite possibly an entertaining installment of the TCB 20's saga...

[nycsurfer530]

Can't wait to see the fit!

[FeloniousMonk]

I dunno, Volvo. It's wintertime... My baseline assumption is that all Scandinavians are hungover unless there are clear signs of current inebriation like trouble walking, terrible food choices, or smiling.

[volvo240thebest]

^ Fair play! Quite possibly you're right but in the peasant land I happen to live the sight of a drinking woman is still quite exotic. People are simply not drinking enough here!

Edited December 9, 2016 by volvo240thebest

[mandel9000]

Haha, guys! Glad to live up to the stereotype.

So, I collected the jeans yesterday afternoon and only had time to try them on before a birthday dinner with a more formal dresscode than loose jeans. I tightened the cinch a bit, but the fit is actually better than I expected. Totally workable with a belt. And they are so soft, almost like pajama pants. Fit pic to come, in the meantime here are a couple of snapshots from this morning:

 

In the house!

 

 

A grey day in Oslo. This is the view from my balcony.

 

 

Terrorising the neighbours (not on a Sunday though). This one's dedicated to Volvo. 

 

I'm one day behind because of the photo issues. Fit pics + more to come tomorrow when I remember to bring the camera to work. 

Edited December 12, 2016 by mandel9000

[mandel9000]

Just realised that the thread wasn't updated when I added the above photos as an edit, so: bump. 

[volvo240thebest]

Volvo is indeed very pleased to know that you even play the instrument of Gods and Kings.

Now tell me you drive a Volvo 240 and you'll jump right on top of my favourite superheroines list!

 

this one's for you:

 

[aho]

Really liking that blue

[mandel9000]

Yesterday evening after going to the gym, I started preparing for this year's Christmas gift project, dyeing stuff with indigo. 

 

The vat should be ready for action tomorrow afternoon. Of course, clumsy as I am, I was not wearing the tour jeans for this. 

 

Some of the things that I'm going to dye. I also have shoelaces and some kitchen towels ready. Very exciting!

 

Picked up some varied music reading yesterday. 

 

And finally, a fit pic. Funny, I'm trying to stretch my head/face out of the frame. Alas, I'm tall but not that tall. I've tightened the cinch as much as possible and can wear without a belt, although I have to double-cuff because the jeans sit lower then. Here, I'm also holding them up a little. 

 

It's quite hard to get good photos these days. It's dark when I leave for work in the morning, and it's dark when I go home in the afternoon. Winter days are short in Norway. This will be easier during the Christmas break, for sure, and I'll have my mother to take the pictures.  

[Foxy2]

got some nice projects and reading going on there!

 

fit and ensemble works very well for you!

(braces/suspenders could be another nice addition, here.)

[volvo240thebest]

fit looks good. you're hired for the tcb 20's contest!

cuffs may look a bit less bulky if you try a folded cuff rather than a double cuff.

I wonder how uncomfortable is to wear these jeans with a belt over the suspender buttons. is It doable? Any risk of ruining a nice belt?

[holio cornolio]

How tall are you Mandel? I'm guessing I will need a similar amount of cuff if not more, if these come back to blighty for another leg....

Great fit BTW