very new to denim

[aeqxitas]

alright so i've been reading around, searching around through the forums trying to find answers to my main questions but haven't had any real luck, and any answers would be very much appreciated

now i've noticed that most project jeans people have are on the more expensive side, limited levis, nudies, apc, etc, now is it possible to get similar results from wearing, say a pair of levi 505s from sears or will it come out like crap haha.

also on top of that, say i do pick up a pair of higher end jeans, do you basically just wear them for extended periods of time as much as possible or is there more involved.

any answers would be wonderful

thanks

[Geowu]

as for the 2nd question:

yes, you wear them as much as possible, and you don't wash them too much (preferably no more than once a month, some people will say six months or more before washing). (what I just wrote above is in case your jeans are unwashed).

welcome.

[rnrswitch]

You can get decent results with unwashed levis like the 505s you are talking about, but I would check on ebay and see if you can find some old 517s or 501s that were still made in the USA. You would get much better results. The best results comes from the higher end denim like the lvcs, nudies, apcs, etc. You may pay $140 as is the case with apcs or $265 as is the case with nudies, but you will get jeans that will last you for a long time and only get better over time. The new basic levis will look good after one wash, but you will already start to feel the denim getting soft and frayed, and the look just isn't as appealing as on some of the higher end denim.

As to how to wear them, some folks like to wear their jeans every day for 6 months and then wash them and some will wear them for a month then wash them. It depends how you want your jeans to look. There really isn't any one way to wear your jeans so they look a certain way, but different fits and wearing periods will yield different results.

If you don't have the money for the higher end denim and can't find anything on ebay, then run to mervyns or kohls and buy some shrink-to-fit levis. there are plenty of threads on these jeans. They look the best for the unwashed "cheap" jeans. Good luck and welcome to the gang.

[sonick]

The thing with cheaper jeans is most of them are pre-washed, thus they will not lose indigo/create very high contrast in worn areas. also they are not as stiff/rigid because they are washed, which means less defined creases.

It is possible to find cheap raw denim though. I found my first (and current) pair of raw denim for $30USD, Levis Skinner Premiums

There is also the Levis 501 shrink-to-fit which have a rep of having low quality denim, which means they will lose indigo very quickly with each wash, and thus not producing very nice/high contrast results. However there are a few pairs of 501STF that have turned out real nice (there is a pair on the front page).

[johninger]

i would say if you are going to try and wear in a pair yourself you should get a nice pair. I would hate for you to spend 6 months with a bad result.

So here are the main things to look for in a premium pair of jeans.

1. Fit and Construction - They must look good on you first and foremostly, or else you won't wear them enough to get good results. Also they must be built tough so if you wear them everyday for a year they won't break.

2. Indigo concentration - the darker the indigo the better. light coloured jeans will not allow very much contrast through wear.

3. Quality of denim weave - this is hard to tell for beginners and it depends what you are going for. Slubby or irregular weave denim is the most prized on here as it will give a much more varied surface result. Shuttle loomed denim is important in my books, however, not as important as the earlier criteria.

3. Brand - this is the last criteria you should think about, if the others are fulfilled you will no doubt have a credible brand anyway.

Hope this helps.

If loving denim is wrong i don't want to be right.

[aeqxitas]

this was great, thanks for the all the answers

alright so for right now i think i'll grab a pair of stf's given i dont have much money haha

i wear a 32x30 in 505s, so should i get the same size for a pair of stf's or maybe a little bigger for the shrinking?

[youngluc]

yeah i did some reading around about sizing for STFs

add about an inch or so for the waste and 3 for the length

thats according to some site i came across cause i'm thinking about picking up a pair today mysefl

now what would be my best bet for making sure i get hte minimum shrinkage, cause i'd rather shrink them to my size before i wear them out and such so that i dont have to buy a perfect fitting size to chance them shrinking to a point where i cant wear them 2-3 months down the line

thoughts?

[Geowu]

you mean the maximum shrinkage before you wear them? for this you can either soak them for some 5-6 hours in cold water or for half an hour in hot water. using cold water they will loose less indigo, I think.

[Seething Tortoise]

Quote:

alright so i've been reading around, searching around through the forums trying to find answers to my main questions but haven't had any real luck, and any answers would be very much appreciated

now i've noticed that most project jeans people have are on the more expensive side, limited levis, nudies, apc, etc, now is it possible to get similar results from wearing, say a pair of levi 505s from sears or will it come out like crap haha.

also on top of that, say i do pick up a pair of higher end jeans, do you basically just wear them for extended periods of time as much as possible or is there more involved.

any answers would be wonderful

thanks

--- Original message by aeqxitas on Feb 26, 2006 08:20 PM

Just check Chungy's thread.

http://superfuture.com/city/supertalk/index.cfm?page=topic&topicID=9121

You don't need to spend a load for fantastic results.

[rabka]

invest in a good pair of higher end denim....my first pair were rawish h&m jeans which ive worn like 2 times. apcs wont kill ur wallet

ak