The Evolution of Jeans: Pictures, Scones and Tea

[chantheman]

SC Begin Collab

[rockon99]

Beautiful @chantheman. Love that weft poking through some of the worn spots

[mackie]

cross-post from the Denime thread. These are some 66s that I've worn for various stretches since 2011.

 

This other pair are also Shins-era 66s (I think?) worn hard for three years and regularly washed warm and tumble-dried. 

 

And some comparisons:

[chantheman]

[rockon99]

Maybe this is silly, or the wrong thread, but here it goes. 
 

I bike a lot, a whole hell of a lot, and I never want to wear my jeans while doing so because I don’t want an awkward saddle fade or to blow the crotch out early. 
 

do any of you frequently ride a bike and have either of these issues? Lol thanks :-|

[Double 0 Soul]

1 hour ago, rockon99 said:

Maybe this is silly, or the wrong thread, but here it goes. 
 

I bike a lot, a whole hell of a lot, and I never want to wear my jeans while doing so because I don’t want an awkward saddle fade or to blow the crotch out early. 
 

do any of you frequently ride a bike and have either of these issues? Lol thanks :-|

 

I used to,...for years...it does accelerate the fading 4sho. I used to wear jeans for every waking moment (and occasional sleeping) from hiking in the snow to strolling along the beach, i would get up in the morning pull on my 'home' jeans, ride to work, change into my 'work' jeans... work for 10 hours or so, change back into my home jeans, ride home, rinse/repeat. Same 2x pairs of jeans every single day, I would wash at 6mts intervals (bear in mind, it's 2x pairs sharing the day so in effect, this would be more like 3mts) and both pairs would go from raw to rags in no more than 2 years.. again 2x pairs/day so in reality, raw to rags in 12months. Around 2017 i decided to try my best to stop buying jeans (ive bought 2x pairs in the last 5yrs, i think ive done quite well) i didn't want to burn through my remaining denim collection in a few short years so i bought a pair of Showers Pass Track Pants for cycling, in the hope of minimising the wear and eke out what i have left, ive never looked back, some nights i just slob around in the track pants

 

Last pair of jeans i wore for biking was these CSF and you can see the wear from the Brooks saddle on the arse, i assume this would be worse still if your saddle has more friction.

 

[smoothsailor]

Been riding Bikes to and from work, and chores in jeans, my whole life. Never a problem. But do all my serious riding in thighs.

it might depends on the saddle and the position you are on your bike, and offcourse the time on it.

[Thanks_M8]

^Totally this. Been doing it like this as well, only problem I got is the front-pocket blowouts I get from my phone are more pronounced the more I cycle. That's on me though, since I keep it in a front pocket and I can't find a smaller phone that fits my needs anymore. 
Wide thighs and a higher rise help with this, though. Also great in winter, else you'll freeze your arse off, depending on how you sit.

[rockon99]

Thanks for the replies folks. Yeah the roomy thighs help for sure. Three of my bikes have Brooks Cambium saddles, and I suppose it’s just rough enough to cause some premature thinning. I spent a good few hours riding in a new pair of APCs that I purchased for crazy cheap, and there’s already a noticeable wear pattern and I can immediately tell where the trouble spots will form.  C’est la vie i guess

 

edit: it’s been a small battle in my head for years actually lol

Edited April 8, 2021 by rockon99
Words

[rockon99]

Moving on...

Here's my Samurai S0511XX purchased Sept of 2019, worn a lot, then a little, then a lot. Washed a few times. They were tighter before, thus the unfortunate lap fades, but are just beginning to fit well again. My very first pair of Japanese made jeans were made from the same Texas cotton (Lot 10 Samurai S0500XX), so naturally I had to revisit this fabric.

[beautiful_FrEaK]

@rockon99 is that the factory hem? The roping looks better than what you usually see on Samurai's hems

[rockon99]

@beautiful_FrEaK Thank you! They were hemmed through Self Edge PDX not terribly long after I purchased them. I really wish I had gone shorter, but I think I thought they would shrink a little bit more. Alas, a double-cuff.

[generic_guy]

Took a quick pic of my LVC 1954s yesterday, absolutely love the way these are fading.

Edited April 10, 2021 by generic_guy
Photo weirdness

[Chris T]

These are the first Japanese denim jeans I bought a while back when.... not authentic repros but had a more rough and ready vibe - slim not vintage but more modern with still the sense of older jeans.. The colour of the blue is hard to capture - its sort of right in all of them!

 

They're `skull 5010's

 

Edited April 13, 2021 by Chris T

[chambo2008]

Ah skull jeans, really nice 

[AnOldFolkSong]

Slowly forming a rotation in addition to my daily driver.

Not a lot of change since last update but a few more wears (lost track but probably less than 200) and another wash and tumble dry.

Stevenson 220 Carmel

[Chris T]

5 hours ago, chambo2008 said:

Ah skull jeans, really nice 

DOH - forgot to say jeans- Cheers Chambo yes Skulls - you'll remember when they were around a lot... They really good cut - as long as you're ok with lower rise

[chambo2008]

18 minutes ago, Chris T said:

DOH - forgot to say jeans- Cheers Chambo yes Skulls - you'll remember when they were around a lot... They really good cut - as long as you're ok with lower rise

I still have my 5010, not sure I can fit I can fit in them any more 

Edited April 13, 2021 by chambo2008

[cultpop 0217]

Recent vintage Levi's 501s.

 

Tag reads 33 x 30 but they measure 34 x 28.  Made in USA. 522 button. 

Red tab cut off or worn down,  crotch completely blown out, denim washed down and broken with bright blue indigo and a yellowish cast.  And maybe the best fitting pair of 501s I have ever owned. 

Bought these already trashed many years back at Salvo but only recently fit into them. 

 

[cultpop 0217]

How about some black 501s? 

 

Black denim is hard to fade but these came out alright. Notable for the complete lack of damage. Zero holes. Also: no honeycombs. 

Made in Mexico, 100% cotton, tagged 36 x 34 but measure 34 x 32. 

 

[cultpop 0217]

Another pair of well worn non selvage Made In U.S.A. 501 STF.

This pair still smell like grease and gasoline.  

Tags and button date these to between 1987 - 1990. Tag reads 36 × 31 but these measure 34 × 28. 

Still very crunchy and hairy denim with deep wells of indigo left. 

 

[chicote]

Another vintage pair here, some double black Lee Riders from the early ‘80s, found dead stock at a goodwill about four years ago. Worn doing more or less everything.. pulled and rebuilt my first transmission, painted several dwellings, spent a lot of time playing with my (former) dog — which explains why the knees are so shredded lol — in these, among many other more mundane daily activities, including a number of ink spills which you might see faintly on the thighs. I was really proud of the left knee patch which I weaved together in 2019 with a needle and some 60s silk embroidery floss. These are looking a little worse for wear after their most recent wash, so figured it would be good to document them now before they enter their next level of deterioration.

 

edit: found a photo from 2018, when I first tore through the knee. You can see fragments of the repair, a scrap of red fabric and a few lines of sashiko stitching, left over beneath the woven patch ... I forgot both how dark the denim used to be and how prominent that first repair was!

 

Edited April 21, 2021 by chicote

[cultpop 0217]

Wonderful pair. Love the knee. I should pull out some LEE stuff to post. 

[cultpop 0217]

"Got made in Japan for StyleForum"

A selvedge sunday throw back to 2007 when StyleForum teamed up with The Godmother at 5EP to make these amazing jeans.  

 

A few years of wear on and off since then, but weight fluctuation and a rise that was just a bit too low prevented these from getting worn into the ground. 

 

Limited to 200 pairs, the SF X 5EP was a mid low rise slim straight cut from the most beautiful hand dipped Japanese 50/50 natural and synthetic indigo selvedge denim I've ever seen, with hidden rivets, custom brass hardware, hidden back pocket design, two color thread felled inseams (a personal favorite) , non Levis inspired details (like the Wrangler-esq coin pocket) topped with a beautiful white leather patch with 5EP's  signature loose red threads and a subtle maroon selvage id. 

 

Still my most favorite denim ever. Even messing with my camera settings I can't capture all the colors. Last shot is direct sun with no filter. 

I do wish the rise was higher but in 2007 these were considered normal. They desperately need a wash but I'm hoping a day in the sun will put that off for a few more weeks. 

 

Edited May 2, 2021 by cultpop 0217
Added photo

[BrownMetallic]

@cultpop 0217  “Got Made in Japan”,  I had those back when I used to be active at Styleforum ... nice pair.  Loved the patch. 

[cultpop 0217]

As promised, took a few pairs of old Lee Riders out of storage. 

First up, some straight leg riders that actually fit me. Tagged 33 x 30 but have lost a few inches in length.   Made in USA. After doing a little research these seem to be mid seventies to early eighties. Took a few shots under different lighting this time. 

 

[cultpop 0217]

And another pair, same details but these are a bit bigger. No fit pics because they fit like balloons. 36 x 32 Made in U.S.A. Late 70s early 80s? 

 

Again, messed with lighting a bit to try to show the color accurately.  

[cultpop 0217]

Something a little different today.

Recently picked up some Levis 501s with pink weft that reminded me of my of my old Julian Red jeans. 

 If you're not familiar Julian Red was one of the Swedish denim labels first pushing the skinny slouchy look way back in 2005. This pair was called the Hoboken Nikki Sixx. Indigo warp and yarn dyed pink weft. They were very subtly distressed and over time gave some of the most unique fades I've ever seen. 

This pair was worn pretty heavily for a few years before they no longer fit.

I included a picture of an unworn pair below for comparison. 

Also included a picture of my daughter wearing my old pair and finally, one of myself struggling to breathe after buttoning them up for the first time in 10 years! 

Last shot is of my new 501s shrunk to dry. 

Edited May 10, 2021 by cultpop 0217
Added pic

[cultpop 0217]

Another pair of Made in U.S.A. 501s.

Dated 1987-1990, tag says W35 L34 but these measure 32 x 29. Color loss and marbling suggest lots of laundering and no holes, only a few frays, and the 100% intact crotch seem to back that up. Very clean pair. 

Shallow arcs. 

Amazing traintracks. 

Registered trademark. 

You can just make out the tiny red xx after 501 that dates these to after 1987. 

 

[rockon99]

I gave my Samurais another wash. That crotch is nearing repair time...

Pre:

Drying:

After a day's wear:

Thanks for tuning in.

Edited May 22, 2021 by rockon99