Phases in your jeans-wearing life

[Guest Fade to Black]

So do people here ever go through phases where you have a certain pair of jeans that you just rock to death? I'm not really talkin about people who are tryin to break their raw denim jeans in...i mean it could be a pair of raw denim, or distressed, or whatever, just that one special pair of pants that you never feel like takin off and wear pretty much every day. Until one day you get tired and eventually it happens again with another pair of pants.

I was goin through a phase last month where I rocked my Dior raw denims practically every day just because that's what I was feelin at the moment. Right now I feel like goin back to basics, I'm gonna go back to wearin my Levi's 501s that I got in Hong Kong back in summer of 2004, it was a much belated birthday present from my grandfather whom I haven't seen in 3 years at that time, so they got special meaning to me. They're not even LVC or selvedge or nothin, just a faded medium blue pair of 501s with some crease detailing on the thighs, knees and ankles, two sizes up so they fit pretty baggy and comfortable (i'm gettin kinda tired of wearing slim jeans). Kinda like a security blanket.

[polly7]

i only ever rock one or two at a time max

[Guest Fade to Black]

man...to continue with the rant i made in the original post, i don't even wanna wear high end shit no more. It's like, when I've gotten to the point I had to think too hard about what I was wearing it doesn't feel natural. All that couture and obsessive fashion beasting was fun for a while, but at this point it's not me anymore. I'm goin back to AA hoodies, Banana Republic button downs, plain white tees and the dunks I wore back in 2004 when I first started getting into clothing.

[mspark]

I hear you, FTB. Im down to basics myself. Uniqlo hoodies, tshirts, 501s or 517s and Nike terminators,am 90s or Vandals.

[b_mang]

yeah its nice to just dive away from all those branded stuff sometimes. I guess it is a phase, sometimes i feel like i want to get away from it all and start digging up what i wore 5-6 years ago. And it feels good.

[evisu 2000]

Quote:

man...to continue with the rant i made in the original post, i don't even wanna wear high end shit no more. It's like, when I've gotten to the point I had to think too hard about what I was wearing it doesn't feel natural. All that couture and obsessive fashion beasting was fun for a while, but at this point it's not me anymore. I'm goin back to AA hoodies, Banana Republic button downs, plain white tees and the dunks I wore back in 2004 when I first started getting into clothing.

--- Original message by Fade to Black on Mar 28, 2006 09:43 PM

does that mean you're going to be selling all your shit?

[ozric]

Great thread. I am the furthest thing from a fashion beast.... but a pair of black 501s I picked up in San Francisco in 2002 are the jeans I put on when I don't care about my ass looking like a boat sail or I'm just sitting'round at home. They're very relaxed fitting and made in the USA

[Serge d Nimes]

I hear you there. I have become so jaded that I can't find anything I like in any "hip" boutiques and such. If I buy any jeans to wear, its like one pair a year that I wear every single day, other jeans I buy are just in a collection and are ususally vintage. I wear sweatshirts and "gay christmas sweaters" or holy wool ones that are 20-40 years old and skip all that designer bullshit. Most of the shirts I buy are from the 80's. I buy shoes like once a year. I have one belt that I always wear and it was 50 cents. IMHO you can't go wrong with good vintage stuff.

Carpe Denim! (not the jean brand silly!)

[crisis]

I've always really liked clothes and standing out, but never found myself obsessing over things like my jeans until i came to this site. So getting back to the question posted originally, before i started wearing all the "high end" stuff, about a year ago i used to rock these raw express x2 straight legged jeans. I've always liked the dark indigo color of raw jeans, these were okay, but had the wrinkles pressed in heavily at the back of the knee and in the crotch area. Looked fake as hell, but i liked them. I wore them all the time and tried not to wash them. I wore them so much they started to rip apart where the pressed in folds were and started developing a decent fade. I even got complements and question from people at stores i went to. Anyway, the jeans have a huge hole in them and i risk my sac being exposed so they have been retired. I've been wearing my cane 47's pretty much every day now, really like them, i'm pretty sure these are the ones i'll be rockin for a while.

[ayn]

great thread, yeah, the highend thing gets kindda tiring... when you spend over $1k on a hoodie or some kicks that is kindda f'ked up...

i got some AA hoodies and a dozen Beefy-T's coming in from eBay, back to the basic... for jeans I'll be wearing my APC NS and RRDS, still got a thing for dry selvage denim...

[M.O.A]

cant go wrong with vintage....

F**K HYPE

solecollector.com

getlifted.net

overstand.net

[sneakeraddict]

to original question.

At the moment its my (second hand) Edwin Nashvilles. They cost me a tenner, and this is one of the reasons I love them so much. All that quality of the natural indgio, selvedge, quality detailing that you really notice etc etc and it only cost me a tenner cos someone else had worn them once.

Havent taken them off since I bought them nearly 2 months ago. Incredibly comfortable!!!

I would nevr buy a DIor jean or any other 'designer' jean.

[manis]

I'm far from designer stuff and lots of things people seem to wear around here. The clothes I feel most comfortable in are 70s-80s vintage tees, quality denim (rocking the same pants for one year in a row), simple sneakers (only have one pair). I like plain and simple.

whatever..

[nairb49]

Fade-maybe your fashion sense is subconsciously guiding you towards the minimalist aesthetic and disguising it with this new attitude....

I totally agree with Serge, I find that the most annoying part of being involved or interested in this sort of thing is becoming a "snob".

Not towards other people and what they wear, but for everything you buy for yourself. Most stores just don't manage to pique my interest anymore.

I went on a jeans buying spree last year because I had the idea to turn over my entire collection, and get down to 3-4 solid pairs. Alas, I've ended up with a "few" more, and find that the outfits I end up wearing are getting simpler and simpler.

Usually ends up with a pair of regular fitting (read: non-dior like) jeans, and a tee-shirt (read: wings and horns etc).

No scarf, no jewellery, etc etc

nairb49

[djrajio]

Fade, I really think is just comes down to balance in life, especially with respect to fashion. The (fashion) industry is built upon making individuals feel inadequate otherwise there would be no desire for people to cave into expensive goods. The industry spends billions every year to make women (and men) feel inferior and convince them that they only through obtaining a certain luxury good will they feel better, look better, etc. Living here in Tokyo is sort of a hyper-inflated expression of that. Lots of youth have not a lot of hope or anything to look up to, so they seek brands to fill the void; ergo why LV/LVMH makes nearly 2/3 of their profits from Japan alone. Japanese society is a depressing society when you strip away the skin and one reason why I don't plan to continue living here for the future; they place too much importance on the idea that consuming = happiness. As a result, I've found myself moving towards a mixture of designer and vintage/simple. One reason I came to Tokyo was because how dynamic the couture/designer clothing ideas are (lots of amazing labels like Julius, Diet Slim Skin Butcher, etc. are doing designs that reflect my own ideas and looks and can't be found anywhere else in the world. Really crazy shit! ) I've sort of taken those unique couture ideas and made them my own with old reliables and new ideas from my own perspective. Perhaps what I'm getting at is that fashion/clothing should develop and reflect your own image; developing designer ideas and old standards to fit your own style; rather too many people appropriate a style/trend without thinking whether is represents them or look to designers to create their style. I suspect you might even get tired for the simple and basic and find a middle ground later on. Who knows. I know IÂfm rambling, but in the end think of it as a balanceÂcOh yeah, IÂfve been wearing the same pair of Nudies for almost a year and a half. HavenÂft bought a new pair of jeans since and donÂft plan to. Cheers!

[Cue]

There was an interesting programme on BBC4 last night about Japanese consumerism - Countre Culture.

It was presented by Tyler Brule, who founded Wallpaper

Not sure when it's on again, but worth having a look at if it's repeated

[sneakeraddict]

Quote:

There was an interesting programme on BBC4 last night about Japanese consumerism - Countre Culture.

It was presented by Tyler Brule, who founded Wallpaper

Not sure when it's on again, but worth having a look at if it's repeated

--- Original message by Cue on Mar 29, 2006 05:40 AM

Yeah, I watched that programme it was quite sad.

As a culture / country why is it so peculiar to the Japanese (country - not ethnicity) to buy so MUCH luxury brands?

Like, it said prostitution is common amongst young girls, not to feed drug habits - but so they can buy designer brands!!!

Its really interesting to me that they are fascinated by western culture and brands and vice versa here in the west.

[denimdestroyedmylife]

great thread, fade.

it is amazing to see people "waking up" on superfuture, noticed it in a couple threads this week. a budding group of Neiman Marxists, yeah?

anyway, philosopher/film maker Guy DeBord's book Society of the Spectacle immediately came to mind, here's a link to the text, as well as an excerpt:

Chapter 2:

The fetishism of the commodity - the domination of society by intangible as well as tangible things - attains its ultimate fulfillment in the spectacle, where the real world is replaced by a selection of images which are projected above it, yet which at the same time succeed in making themselves regarded as the epitome of reality.

The world at once present and absent that the spectacle holds up to view is the world of the commodity dominating all living experience. The world of the commodity is thus shown for what it is, because its development is identical to people's estrangement from each other and from everything they produce.

http://www.bopsecrets.org/SI/debord/

Edited by denimdestroyedmylife on Mar 29, 2006 at 06:12 AM

[cheapmuthafukr]

first off... best thread in a long time.

fade, its kinda nice when you realise you dont NEED all the designer crap, ya know. and as youre finding out, you will actually feel better about what you have when theres more behind it than a label and alot of your money. i dont buy designer clothes. i think STFs are too much to pay for jeans. i lust after some things(and if you wanna get rid of your diors for a fair price, i might break my rules here), but i dont think that it is the best use for my money. i have 2 kids, one whos mom gets 765$ a month from me, so thats where my money needs to go. when i want clothes i go to the thrift store. if i want some tapered jeans and i find some boot cuts i break out the sewing machine. i search and search till i find what im looking for, and i feel a real sense of accomplishment when i find it. i will also give away anyting that i dont wear alot to friends, just to keep myself uncluttered.

now, buying the high end stuff isnt wrong, just not what i am able to do. i would love to have so many things i see on here, but i know its not within my means so i tke it as inspiration and use that idea in my look. i am grateful actually for all of you who go out and buy this stuff, it lets me expand my ideas of how clothing should look, how it should fit, and then i go to the thrift and make it happen.

"simplicity we use to survive"-Sizzla

denim is the new crack

[denimdestroyedmylife]

chpmfkr,

i would guess that a lot of people on this board are living beyond their means, but instead of doing the right thing (paying child support), they are maxing out credit cards, screening their calls to avoid collection agencies, etc. i paid the inflated price of RRDS in the states despite the fact that i can't afford it, so i'm guilty there. BUT i expect these jeans to last me for a good long time, so i'm hoping it will balance out somehow. it's a tightrope walk all day every day.

[tweeds]

I think that with many things personal dressing works on a pendulum--literature and fashion and many other art forms work along this broad principle too. There will always be a period of interest in certain things, like branding, street fashion, designer influences for example, and inevitably after a period it fades into ennui, but i think also that sooner or later one will look at the closet and wonder "Why am i wearing all this old stuff?" and something will prod us towards looking at other stuff. In a general manner of speaking.

[cheapmuthafukr]

i know what youre saying. im sure i could do it too, but its just too much psycologicly. i have enough stress in my life that i dont need any more. i feel if i had to, i could give up everything but one pair of my orange tabs, my chucks, and a couple pain tees, and be completly happy and still have people telling me how good i look every day. i think once you start getting into this stuff its very easy to become obsessive about it, especially if you come to this board, where people examine evry little detail. ive seen the level of obssesiveness grow since i started here, and i see the backlash that is gaining strength. think about it, you have more "do what you want, theyre just jeans" then "OMG... you washed your dry denim? you fucked up bad" then you used too, and its a good thing. moderation is the key to sustainability, and in the long run things always even out.

simplicity we use to survive, do what you doing properly, thats the way thru life

[Edge_Of_Denim]

Great thread! Denimdestroyedmylife, citing Debord, you just kicked my ass this early morning. That book and Raoul Vaneigem's "Revolution In Everyday Life" have been at my bedside for longer than I can remember. Here's something for you http://www.akpress.org/2001/items/beneaththepavingstones

djrajio, if the rabid consumerism of Japan depresses you so that you contemplate leaving, don't bother coming to the States. True, the Japanese are doing very well using our own model, hell, we wrote the book on that subject. But here, faced with the same epidemc, it may make you consider savage acts of random violence as an appropriate response.

We contemplate spending exorbitant sums on reproductions of vintage denim, which leads us to fetishize the various elements of detailing therein which sets the reproduction, and us, apart. Life as simulation. Advanced capitalism makes sociopaths of us all!

WORD UP,

EVERYBODY SAY, WHEN YOU HEAR THE CALL

YOU GOT TO GET IT UNDERWAY.

[denimdestroyedmylife]

the timing of this thread is great--------with students rioting in paris again

thanks for the link Edge-o

Edited by denimdestroyedmylife on Mar 29, 2006 at 07:07 AM

[Guest]

I guess I have a big, 'life-long phase' - only wearing the truly authentic, classic denim. Levi's 501 and Wranglers are the jeans I will ONLY consider. In my mind, the rest are wannabees, and that sorta bothers me.

I realize there's been a gradual decline in quality with the off-the-shelf 501s, but the fact you can (sometimes!) obtain reissues (such as the 1947 model) is very encouraging. I must admit, the latest cut of the 501s aren't my fav, as I feel like I always need to slightly pull them up, but the '47s are nice to wear, and fit very well.

The 501s have a special meaning to me as they're the jeans I wore as a teenager, and just about ever since. In fact, I'll always remember the first 501s I bought in early high school - with my own money - for $5.00 a pair at a local department store! That was back in 1969, for the record...

I also enjoy the Wrangler 13MWZ - the best aspect of those is the fact they've retained the rear pocket rivets, which is very cool to me. It's interesting that my two favorite jeans came about at the same time - 1947. That's when the Levi's were at their zenith (cut-wise) and when Wrangler made their 13MWZ model available.

The downside to the Wrangler cut (and it's only a very small one) is they are ever so slightly high in the rise, but when 'worn like Levi's', and not 'cowboy' style, they really seem quite stylish and comfortable to me. Plus, there not your usual jeans - just different enough to be different, ya know?

I started wearing these as a wee lad, due to their slim fit and long inseam availability, even back then. My kids now wear them, as they are lanky like I always have been, and most importantly, well made and very durable.

Plus, you just can't beat their price!

While I certainly respect the Lee brand, they've never clicked with my personal taste - something funky about their fit, and the rear pockets bother me a tad, I think.

So, I guess that's where I am on this interesting phase discussion - it's a 'classic' one!

[Edge_Of_Denim]

Exactly! We have it far to easy over here. We're too comfortable, complacent, narcotized by television and drunk on the idea of fame and money and acquisition. We have a fucking war criminal running this country, who daily lies to us, and why do we tolerate this?

Have you seen "V For Vendetta"? Not a good film. The mask goes on and on about how ideas are dangerous, but the movie has no ideas. It has slogans. "Governments should be afraid of its people". Gee, ya' think? It is a spectacle designed to provide yet another jolt to people who sport Che Guevera t's and listen to Green Day through their ipods. As I was exiting the theater how many people did I hear say, "Maybe this will get people to wake up." Are you fucking kidding me? Wake up? We're half dead.

<font face="verdana">WORD UP,

EVERYBODY SAY, WHEN YOU HEAR THE CALL

YOU GOT TO GET IT UNDERWAY.</font id="verdana">

Edited by Edge_Of_Denim on Mar 29, 2006 at 07:22 AM

[LA Guy]

Quote:

Quote:

There was an interesting programme on BBC4 last night about Japanese consumerism - Countre Culture.

It was presented by Tyler Brule, who founded Wallpaper

Not sure when it's on again, but worth having a look at if it's repeated

--- Original message by Cue on Mar 29, 2006 05:40 AM

Yeah, I watched that programme it was quite sad.

As a culture / country why is it so peculiar to the Japanese (country - not ethnicity) to buy so MUCH luxury brands?

Like, it said prostitution is common amongst young girls, not to feed drug habits - but so they can buy designer brands!!!

Its really interesting to me that they are fascinated by western culture and brands and vice versa here in the west.

--- Original message by sneakeraddict on Mar 29, 2006 05:49 AM

Yep. Although I really don't share the fascination with Japanese fashion that many here do (I am a big proponent of American brands, although one of my favorite brands is made in the US but designed by a Japanese guy), I see the fascination with American brands in Japan astounding. Just check out the number of stores on Rakuten devoted to American brands of different ilks. One of the Japanese guys I work with, really into fashion (when he first got to the States, he wore CdG and Yamamoto, exclusively,) tells me that his group of friends (and these guys are not your typical fashion victims, they really know their stuff) hold Rogan up as the industry standard. Actually, of all the shit I have, the one thing he couldn't get enough of was my Edun alpaca blend James jacket from last season, which I think is pretty nice, but in the States, among fashionista and haute streetwear types, Edun, as a brand, is seen as mildly interesting, at best, and mediocre mainstream stuff at worse.

www.styleforum.net

[cheapmuthafukr]

people cant wake up untill they realise that they are asleep. its so easy to just go thru life and do what youre told youre supposed to do. watch american idol. support your president, were at war. buy, buy, buy. that dude did you wrong, fuck him up. the arctic monkeys are the best thing to happen to music since(insert last fad here). you have to seperate yourself from it completly before you can see how pervasive it is.

i was lucky, when i was 19 i got married, had a kid, and moved to a rural town in soutern va to work construction. i had no tv, no internet, and the closest city was an hour and a half away. i no longer had the corprate idea of whats best for me pushed on me all day long, and it forced me to develop my own ideas. i still dont watch tv. i get my news from npr. my entertainment is skateboarding, playing with my son and daughter, making music, and posting here, and thats enough.

simplicity we use to survive, do what you doing properly, thats the way thru life

[denimdestroyedmylife]

damn, i'm amped now. about to burn down the internet.

[Lars]

Quote:

people cant wake up untill they realise that they are asleep. its so easy to just go thru life and do what youre told youre supposed to do. watch american idol. support your president, were at war. buy, buy, buy. that dude did you wrong, fuck him up. the arctic monkeys are the best thing to happen to music since(insert last fad here). you have to seperate yourself from it completly before you can see how pervasive it is.

i was lucky, when i was 19 i got married, had a kid, and moved to a rural town in soutern va to work construction. i had no tv, no internet, and the closest city was an hour and a half away. i no longer had the corprate idea of whats best for me pushed on me all day long, and it forced me to develop my own ideas. i still dont watch tv. i get my news from npr. my entertainment is skateboarding, playing with my son and daughter, making music, and posting here, and thats enough.

--- Original message by cheapmuthafukr on Mar 29, 2006 07:57 AM

He's not the founder of Fight Club, he just wore non-selvage Levi's for a while.