Roy. (expurgated edition)

[goodrain]

Fair enough Guess it's the principle.

[reallypeacedoff]

If anyone is looking for some original Roy SE-DUCKS...Time to let them go. 

[srudy]

Selling ROY red chambray short sleeve shirt in medium 

 

p2p-20.5

[andrewrose]

One less pair of unworn Roys after today. I should’ve gotten one size up, but I’m pretty lean right now with my A race in ~two weeks, so it seemed like a good time to get them soaked and hopefully stretched out a little!

 

Edited July 15, 2021 by andrewrose
Changed the to them.

[julian-wolf]

I keep saying I'm gonna stop wearing these, then I keep repairing them & putting them back into rotation: I can't keep them off my legs

[Smallrod]

Will probably regret it but I listed my R01 XVUS size 32 in the sale thread if anyone is interested.  

[srudy]

15 hours ago, Smallrod said:

Will probably regret it but I listed my R01 XVUS size 32 in the sale thread if anyone is interested.  

Still available?

[Smallrod]

2 hours ago, srudy said:

Still available?

PM sent.

[cause4pause]

I'm curious. How many of you would put a pair of Roy through significant alterations (eg. waistband reduction and taper) to get a suitable fit? I understand the sentiment and spirit about Roy's craftsmanship, and that the construction of his jeans shouldn't be messed with. It took a long while to just start thinking of them as a nice pair of jeans. I love the details such as the exposed rivets, shape of the back pockets and the fabric but just can't make the fit work for me.

I know a reliable place that could definitely alter it in a manner that doesn't significantly affect how it looks externally but it would dramatically improve the fit on me. In summary I'm torn about whether to sell them (and never be able to replace them with anything similar) or just bite the bullet and alter.

[Broark]

@cause4pause which pair / size are they and what's wrong with the fit?
Personally I don't think I would, maybe I'd trust someone like Rain from Indigo Proof to take on some massive alteration job like this but outside of her work I don't think I'd trust anyone besides Roy himself. I think it might just be best to cut your losses and hope you find a pair down the road.
Reason I ask what pair and size is because depending on these two factors you could be more likely to score a pair second hand.

[cause4pause]

Thanks @Broark, they are the Peanut Pants in size 31 that I wrote about sometime back. I was lucky to try a size down from the pair I initially bought (size 32), and for a moment it seemed the size 31 was going to work. But I had to be objective about this. The waistband is still a little looser than I'd like and it probably stretched after just a handful of wears, even with a belt, so there is a tendency for the jeans to sag down. The whole fit seems more relaxed than my build can handle. I'm not sure about the chances of finding a size 30, and a 29 probably never existed in the first place.

[Broark]

@cause4pause yeah I think it'll be slim pickings if you're looking for a 29/30, Peanut Pants were a pretty small run if I recall correctly.
I think maybe if you're just going for a waistband reduction it might not be too risky with a reliable denim tailor. But personally I try to avoid stuff like this.
I'm guessing you've hot washed/dried them? The Black Seed Cone has a tendency to shrink a bit more over time with more washes.

[cause4pause]

@Broarkyup, they were hot washed and dried as soon as I received them, mainly for hygiene's sake. They didn't even shrink a smidge so it's likely they are fully cooked.

Unfortunately, I seem to be shrinking myself, since this pair looks too roomy on me now. 

I considered sending them to Williamsburg Garment Company for all the tailoring work, as they did a mighty fine job of tapering a pair for me once, but I've never tried their waistband reduction. 

They would be preferable over Railcar, given that WGC could still preserve the original waistband button. The back belt loop should hide the cut in the waistband. 

Tough decision, since I'll probably never get them back if I decide to let them go now. 

[Broark]

@cause4pause I'd recommend reaching out to Rain at Indigo Proof, in my opinion she does some of the best work around (repaired two pairs of OAs for me in the past).
She does alterations, the turnaround might take a little while, I think her backlog for the summer is completely full. But it's worth the wait IMO if you're altering a pair of Roy's.
Here's some Flat Head pockets that she altered (looks like they're actually @Cold Summer's jeans!), dropping the pocket opening lower so they're more accessible.

 

[cause4pause]

My goodness, that is crazy good. 

[youngofthesoonest]

I definitely wouldn’t do that many alterations to a pair of jeans esp if it’s a pair that you haven’t really worn yet. With that many changes, it hardly seems like a Roy Jean anymore. Part of what makes his jeans so good is how well done the cuts are.
 

To each his own though! If you really want to do it, do it some justice and send them to someone who really knows what they’re doing and does it well. I’ve seen enough mediocre work done by Williamsburg garment company that i wouldn’t recommend them to do this much work. Indigoproof does some great work but the waitlist can get crazy. 

[julian-wolf]

^ Def. agreed. Plenty of folks can sew jeans pretty much perfectly—you’ve got great options from Ooe, Double Volante, Ben Viapiana, etc. A huge part of what makes Roy’s jeans so special, at least to me, is how well he has the patterning & grading figured out. Very few jeans fit as well as Roy’s on as wide of a variety of body types, esp. after some shrink & stretch. If his jeans don’t fit you well, you’re gonna be missing out on that part of the magic one way or the other—might as well leave them for someone who’s in a position to make the most of them & treat yourself to something comparably  fancy that fits well out of the box.

[mpukas]

^^ I agree with the above opinions. Since it's a pair of Roy, I wouldn't mess with them. There is something special, almost magical, about his cuts. Making a few alterations l like the waist band may mess up the overall fit. My guess is that if they are too big in the waist, then perhaps they're too big everywhere, and just taking in the waist won't give you a satisfactory fit. Consider: keeping them as is for yourself even thought they are too big, just because they are Roy. Embrace the loose fit. I'm sure it's comfy! You may "grow" into them; or, move them for someone else to enjoy. 

[cause4pause]

Thanks everyone, I think that was the healthy dose of tonic that I needed. So my mind's made up to never alter them and I'll either make the fit work or sell them on.

If I engaged in a lot of outdoor pursuits or manual labour, this would have undoubtedly been the perfect fit. It's unfortunate Roy no longer does this sort of work. 

[Jared_Lee]

@cause4pause, the other thing we haven't discussed is taste over time. Personal tastes change and evolve. Don't sell them just because you don't like them now. Keep them even if you don't like the fit at all right now. In two or three years, it may be the exact fit you're after. If they weren't Roy's, I don't think it would be so worth it. But similarly, I held onto Deviant contest jeans for years before I fell in love with the cut. I did that because I was never, like never ever, more never than finding those 30 Peanuts never, ever going to be able to buy them again. Now they're one of my favorite jeans I own.

[cause4pause]

@Jared_Lee do you have any photos of those Deviant contest jeans? I was curious and did a Google image search. Came up with a weird bunch of photos instead.

Usually, I wouldn't be too concerned about fashion, but apparently loose jeans are "in" right now, so I should just ride the wave, eh? 

[Jared_Lee]

@cause4pause - this was a post in the Deviant thread from May 2020.

 

Years later the jeans live on. I've never been super consistent with wearing these. Initially, the size was too big for my taste (32 where I'm a true 30). I've since grown to like them oversized, though not for every occasion. Been off and on about the length, but never wanted to hem further as my taste always changes and I didn't want to shorten these to a point of no return. Thankful I didn't as I learned to ride a motorcycle in these jeans and the extra length is needed for boots in the seated position on the bike. I've put a lot of miles in with them, but not a lot of labor. So here they are today.

 

 

Edited August 7, 2021 by Jared_Lee

[scooby]

2 hours ago, Jared_Lee said:

 

 

one of the best fits I’ve ever seen. 

[cause4pause]

@Jared_Leejust my opinion but that fit is 0% oversized and 100% badass. That's the kind of straight-ish fit I'll be aiming to get. Looks great! 

[mpukas]

I prefer my fits fitted, so I can se how you think they're over sized. Regardless, the fit and cut look great. 

[andrewrose]

Noticed this cool feature in the middle of the right thigh on My RT02’s. Sure he did too!

[cause4pause]

Trawling through Roy's little website tonight was a great exercise. On the surface, there wasn't much on there. Then I found some interesting reading here while reclining with a glass of red. 

Roy: "Most jeans, in spite of the cut, will essentially look the same on you as all other jeans. This is because denim fabric stretches out for comfort and literally takes the shape of the wearer...in my experience, the issues most folks are attempting to solve with “the perfect fit” are really more body issues than a fit issue...the issues most folks are compelled to improve are things that observers of the wearer rarely have issue with. Conversely the “solutions” that the wearer employs often cause the majority of observers to scratch their heads."

This was so curious I had to read it several times as I was so fixated on looking for jeans that fit well. It seems to say that body shape makes a bigger difference to the fit and look of those jeans, rather than the cut of the jeans. 

I may have been overly concerned about small issues that really were not worth fixing. This also seems to suggest that in trying to find a better fit, we could be making things worse! 

Then perhaps, we shouldn't take things too seriously. 

Roy: "We’re all wearing costumes that try to convey something about who we are, so express yourself and don’t worry too much about it."

Followed by this gem of a closing statement,

Roy: "Jeans are essentially an ill-fitting garment by design and this is what gives them their unique look." 

A timely reminder to wear it, own it, and have fun. 

[Broark]

This is the Roy ethos, no doubt.

[Denimstoyevsky]

So with Roy's above statement's in mind, I'd vote cause4pause go ahead and alter his waistband. Fuck it, you only live once and they are just a pair of jeans. Go be happy. 

[cause4pause]

@Denimstoyevskyvery candidly put, and true. Although on the other hand it could be a suggestion to accept their ill-fitting nature and just wear them! 

We occasionally come across photos of jeans in their well-worn state along with fit pics, and the owner stating he/she wasn't completely happy with the fit but still wore them as they didn't own/buy anything else. Those jeans almost always look great and many of us couldn't level any criticism at the fit.

Those examples probably reflect Roy's words about how jeans, no matter their cut, take on the shape of their user. With continued use they will look incredible, in spite of their fit (and whether we're happy with it or not). For me, it's a rather interesting philosophy to consider since I probably ditch jeans too soon because of some unhappiness with the fit, when I should have given things more time.