Footwear to go with our jackets

[Edward]

Was just thinking today... I found a L30 jeans, even tho I normally only wear 32 or 34 and they look SO much better on boots. I never liked cuffs and never cuffed any of my jeans, but I didn't particularly like the look of a bunched up legs, especially on baggy jeans either so shorter jeans is where it's at.

I know what you mean about bunched up legs... About fifteen years ago here there was a fashion for men to wear "bootcut" jeans (i.e. stealth bellbottoms) which were about two to four inches too long for them. Never cuffed - they just let them pile on their shoes. What looked really stupid was they they'd always walk on them on the back hem, til there was this big, dirty, frayed, inverted 'U' shape worn out of the back of the leg. Yuk. If yer not going to cuff 'em, get them hemmed or buy them the right darn length!

My parents really don't like or understand the cuffed things. Last time I was over there my dad, bless 'im, asked me "can you not find jeans the right length?" (innocent tone.) Sigh. "No, dad - I buy them overlong because I like how they look when I roll them." "oh." End of conversation. I remember much the same when he was bemused that we wanted, on our teens, to buy clothes out of the army surplus place; in his day, that was for work clothes for labourers and those who simply couldn't afford anything else. Funny how these things go. Doubtless in a few years' time I'll struggle to understand what my brother's kids are wearing. Mind you, I do already - nephew is 14 (the age I started to really pay much attention to what I wore) and he's like his dad - really doesn't care what he wears, doesn't want to stand out. At that age, I couldn't be different enough from the herd (much to my mother's annoyance).

Jeans are crappy, anyway. Fades are okay but overall, I'd rather if there was a decent alternative.

In all truth, I dream of the day when someone will invent the "goathide" of denim: a perfect indigo (or black - with contrast cuff, of course) that breaks in and softens nicely, but doesn't 'fade'.

 

[dannyk]

Same as a few of the other comments here: fades are cool, they look nice; but I just want good fitting, durable jeans. Fades are ancillary to me. If I get them that’s nice and an added bonus. I just like the look and wear of heritage or heritage inspired jeans, and the fact that many of them are really quite durable. So I’ve never really gotten into the denim game. I have a few pairs of Schott, Pure Blue Japan, Brixton, and just picked up a pair of Tellasons. Never worn on Grailed for 40 bucks. When I need a new pair I look on eBay or grailed for good deals on them. I already spend way too much on jackets and collecting t/shirts from fan made reproductions of Clash-Big Audio Dynamite/Mescaleros...so not in on the denimhead or fade bro side of things. Which isn’t to disparage it. Everyone has their thing and it’s no different than the junk I like and collect...just not for me.

 

[TG3]

Oh yeah, you have no idea how deep the denim rabbit hole can go. In fact, I would say it may go even deeper than the leather jacket rabbit hole possibly. There are quite a few different routes to go as well. You can go more modern/more texture oriented, heavyweight, or more repro oriented.

I personally have been sticking to repro stuff for a few years now. I hate slim cuts and I prefer more subtle denim texture, though I pretty much refuse to wear sanforized indigo fabrics. My favorite jeans are generally WWII and immediate post-WWII repros.

I'm still a noob to the leather jacket genre (learned a lot here at TFL) but I would have to agree with you on the rabbithole with denim. There are so many different options and styles. You are into repro and non-slim fitting. Where I prefer a slim fit and into all the little hidden details they can cram into a pair a jeans. It's a cool genre in the world of fashion for sure.

 

[TG3]

That's the killer on so many for me - I really dislike jeans without a nice 2" or so cuff; 36" is great for a double roll, though I'm loving the 38" on my Wranglers that lets me do a third roll. Nice bit of body to 'em.



Took me a while to get used to the buttons when I fist had a pair years ago. I like 'em a lot now, though there's also something very satisfying about the quality brasszipper on my Wranglers. As memory serves, the 13MWZ's immediate predecessor (before they upped the denim from 11oz to 13oz; nowadays it varies around the 14oz mark) the 11MWZ - "men's, with zip" was the first commercially available jean with a zip fly on release in 1947, and it was a big marketing feature. The wife , who is gretly more knowledgeable on women's fashion than am I, has informed me that women who opted for Wranglers over Levis were seen as real bad girls, the 'easier access' zip fly taking a very different meaning for them over men.

I have more of a preference for button flies over zips by a long chalk in "proper" trousers, for one simple reason. At home, I can sew regular buttons back on or replace them very easily; it can even be done 'on the go' in the office in an emergency. If a zip breaks, however, I have to take it to a pro...

Oh wow, I didn't know that about the zippers. Thanks for the history listen as that is very cool. "Easier access" HAHA

I unfortunately don't know how to sew so you got me on that one!

 

[Monitor]

I know what you mean about bunched up legs... About fifteen years ago here there was a fashion for men to wear "bootcut" jeans (i.e. stealth bellbottoms) which were about two to four inches too long for them. Never cuffed - they just let them pile on their shoes. What looked really stupid was they they'd always walk on them on the back hem, til there was this big, dirty, frayed, inverted 'U' shape worn out of the back of the leg. Yuk. If yer not going to cuff 'em, get them hemmed or buy them the right darn length!

Yeah, chewed up back of the hem isn't particularly nice as well. While I normally don't dislike bootcut, and actually find it rather cool if done the right way, I'm less and less inclined to wear any of my jeans over boots because... Why do that to a perfectly fine, beautiful pair of footwear? Why hide them under some ridiculous cotton tent?

Thing is, nobody really cares for trousers. Nobody notices them, nobody sees them. People notice jackets but more than that, people see boots. Nice pair of boots can kick your entire outfit into another level, no matter what it consists of. Cheapest jeans suddenly become cool with a right pair of boots.

 

[Edward]

Yeah, chewed up back of the hem isn't particularly nice as well. While I normally don't dislike bootcut, and actually find it rather cool if done the right way, I'm less and less inclined to wear any of my jeans over boots because... Why do that to a perfectly fine, beautiful pair of footwear? Why hide them under some ridiculous cotton tent?

Thing is, nobody really cares for trousers. Nobody notices them, nobody sees them. People notice jackets but more than that, people see boots. Nice pair of boots can kick your entire outfit into another level, no matter what it consists of. Cheapest jeans suddenly become cool with a right pair of boots.

Interesting notion. I have come to suspect that the over/ under trousers thing is a mix of climate, habit, and trouser-width. Horse-riding boots were traditionally worn over narrow-calf jodhpurs. I believe cowboys in the original cowboy era mainly wore their (in that era, narrower / tapered) trews tucked into their boots because of snakes? Then you get bikers of the Brando era - wider legged trews, boot shaft up inside the jeans. Come the late fifties / early sixties, Brando undoubtedly had a big impact on British rocker fashion despite - though more probably because of - the film being banned in Britain until 1968, but there were significant tweaks. For one, they wore their boots over their trews (probably their jeans - if denim, as many wore leather - were uncuffed); by that point in time, trousers were narrower again and could more easily be tucked into boots. For another, the much wetter, damper climate. And then the old British bikes' legendary tendency to spill oil (a rider of some models could be identified by which boot was covered in oilstains, according to legend)...

I noticed a difference with my first pair of engineers; when I first got them, I had to wear my drainpipes over them, a la Sid Vicious; a decade later, the jeans were too wide and cuffed to fit inside the boots. Were I to wear boots over trousers today, I suspect I'd probably go looking for something like plus-fours or jodhpurs. I still tend to prefer day to day the 'boots under' look (there's a definite Hollywood- Americana influence on my 'vintage', common here in the UK, not least because the post-war period was far form the prosperous golden-era it was closer to being elsewhere), though there's a lot to be said for the right 'boots oot' look too.

 

[dwilson]

I've heard quite a few anecdotes about older generation being confused by the cuffing trend. I think back in the day you'd cuff your jeans mostly out of necessity for children who were growing into the pants. As an adult you expected to have the inseam tailored to your length. So seeing an adult cuffing implies he has jeans which don't fit. Of course since all denim was selvage back then the concept of "showing off the ID" is completely foreign.

 

[JCSD]

I did a review of my Grant Stone shoes recently. https://almostvintagestyle.com/2021...utsourced-boots-and-shoes-grant-stone-review/

Just picked up a pair based on your review. Thanks for the insight.

 

[JCSD]

Sagara Cordmasters Badalassi Olive w/ Black Overdye


View attachment 316423



View attachment 316422

Best shade of green for a shoe

 

[dwilson]

I'm still a noob to the leather jacket genre (learned a lot here at TFL) but I would have to agree with you on the rabbithole with denim. There are so many different options and styles. You are into repro and non-slim fitting. Where I prefer a slim fit and into all the little hidden details they can cram into a pair a jeans. It's a cool genre in the world of fashion for sure.

I've been really into raw denim for over a decade now and there are still so many brands, cuts and denim types I want to try out! The problem is you really need to wear the denim over a year to really understand if its working out for you so it takes a while. Like my Iron Hearts showed virtually no noticable fading for about 8 months then all of a sudden they're getting deep blue contrasting fades. I loved my The Strike Gold's Self Edge denim when it was just starting out to fade but disliked how the fabric eventually ended up. And I still need to give Oni a fair shake, I need a pair of TCB and Fullcount, I want to give PBJ another go-around with a lighter weight fabric ... so many jeans so few legs.

 

[dannyk]

I only just discovered TCB. But browsing their site a few times their prices actually look to be pretty fair for high end denim. Especially high end denim from that part of the world. They sound promising. I’ll keep them in my radar for eBay/Grailed or any potential sales they may have.

 

[dwilson]

You can pick up a pair of TCB off Okayama Denim or Denimio pretty cheap (well ... relatively.). Denim tastes fluctuate depending on where you're at. Like SuFu is all about TCB/Fullcount or what I'd categorize as "normal" jeans where if you pop over to /r/rawdenim if it isn't 44oz short-slub indigoxbright pink they'll hit it with a miss-me. I think you just need to find what fits your personality and style. I used to be all about experimental denim but anymore I lean more towards the TCB aestetic.

 

[dannyk]

You can pick up a pair of TCB off Okayama Denim or Denimio pretty cheap (well ... relatively.). Denim tastes fluctuate depending on where you're at. Like SuFu is all about TCB/Fullcount or what I'd categorize as "normal" jeans where if you pop over to /r/rawdenim if it isn't 44oz short-slub indigoxbright pink they'll hit it with a miss-me. I think you just need to find what fits your personality and style. I used to be all about experimental denim but anymore I lean more towards the TCB aestetic.

Which is what I’m after. Like I said in a previous comment....for me fades and creases are cool. They look nice. But I just genuinely enjoy the look of heritage or heritage inspired denim. Most of them are also well built and if taken care of can last many, many years. Those are the things I care about, any creasing or fades that happen are the icing on the cake as the saying goes. I don’t need anything built to survive a nuclear blast, I don’t need anything so beautifully constructed I feel like I’m wearing art, or the craziest new trend in denim. Which to be clear all those things are fine...we all are into specific things. I’m friends with a bunch of people who worked with or for a band called The Clash. They have designs and models for shirts and badges the band had when they existed and they do limited runs of repros of them. I collect those. To anyone else they would say you’re crazy haha. But denim just isn’t my thing. I love the look and feel of heritage type jeans but that’s as deep as my love goes. TCB look to be a really sweet spot for that. I’ll just have to see what shipping is to see if those prices are still as good a deal as I thought ha.

 

[TG3]

I've been really into raw denim for over a decade now and there are still so many brands, cuts and denim types I want to try out! The problem is you really need to wear the denim over a year to really understand if its working out for you so it takes a while. Like my Iron Hearts showed virtually no noticable fading for about 8 months then all of a sudden they're getting deep blue contrasting fades. I loved my The Strike Gold's Self Edge denim when it was just starting out to fade but disliked how the fabric eventually ended up. And I still need to give Oni a fair shake, I need a pair of TCB and Fullcount, I want to give PBJ another go-around with a lighter weight fabric ... so many jeans so few legs.

Preach brotha! I would love to add a pair of Oni and Samurai to my collection. But as we all know, it's an expensive hobby and I already have a solid rotation.

 

[Bfd70]

Do you have a link to anywhere posting Tcb measurements? The one retailer i found just had waist and inseam which might as well be a blind grab bag.

 

[dannyk]

https://tcbjeans.myshopify.com/collections/jeans/products/tcb-50s-jeans-one-wash

 

[dwilson]

Do you have a link to anywhere posting Tcb measurements? The one retailer i found just had waist and inseam which might as well be a blind grab bag.

Yeah most stockists seem to have good sizes.

https://www.okayamadenim.com/collections/tcb
https://blueingreensoho.com/collections/tcb-jeans

 

[Fonzie]

I’ve fallen into the selvage rabbit hole about 6 years ago and I personally care more about the fit than the fades but in saying that what I enjoy the most is how the fabric feels and the depth of color.
I have 25 or so pairs of different brands, some high end some more affordable and my favourite is probably TCB which sits in the middle in terms of price. They really do a nice jeans and I think 15oz is the sweet spot.
Heavy denim looks cool but is a chore to wear the first few months and less than 13oz can feel flimsy after wearing the heavy stuff.
The Unbranded Brand can be very good for the price but I’ve noticed that the quality can vary lots between pairs, specially the fits.
So far the best value for money I’ve found in selvedge is, wait for it, Uniqlo.

 

[Jin431]

@JCSD yes, it's a nice shade for sure! Green really pops while under the sun. Did you see the green thedi of Robbie? Now that's nice, love to have that for a boot lol

 

[Ayeteael]

I recently picked up some Glenn’s Denim cords that I love. Probably gonna kop a pair of his slouchy tapered jeans to dip my toe into the high-rise game. May have to start smoking lucky strikes again to complete the look.