Got blocked by Simmons Bilt Instagram because my comment

[Seb Lucas]

I find it interesting how difficult it can be to get jeans that fit and look right. Your age, your build, your look all play a key role. I spent a good 10 years wearing bad jeans (I used to call them Seinfeld jeans rather than Dad jeans). Given that jeans are ubiquitous, it's amazing how many styles there are and how opinionated folks get about them. I heard Adam Savage once say that getting properly fitted jeans is something men constantly get wrong and one of the hardest things to get right without help. Certainly played out that way for me.

But nothing worse that poorly informed, inexperienced and opinionated young people who think that only their current fad style jeans are cool and correct. Boy, how embarrassed do they end up looking at photos of themselves years later.

 

[robrinay]

Perhaps the solution is to keep a collection of styles and makes of jeans, wearing the pair your partner (the fashion police), tells you fit the occasion best? And hey you could apply that to jackets too?
Ps it's hard to type with my tongue in my cheek.

 

[Fonzie]

This is all very interesting as I need some help finding a jean that fits properly over engineer boots (Red Wings).
I'm new to the selvedge world and I've only tried one brand yet, The Unbranded UB221 (21oz) and UB201 (14oz I think), both straight tapered. Nice jeans that are quite affordable, good quality fabric and cut but it doesn't fit well over the boots, to tight.
I'd like it to find a selvedge medium weight to 21oz max. Preferably of a middle of the road brand so not too expensive.

Suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

 

[dudewuttheheck]

This is all very interesting as I need some help finding a jean that fits properly over engineer boots (Red Wings).
I'm new to the selvedge world and I've only tried one brand yet, The Unbranded UB221 (21oz) and UB201 (14oz I think), both straight tapered. Nice jeans that are quite affordable, good quality fabric and cut but it doesn't fit well over the boots, to tight.
I'd like it to find a selvedge medium weight to 21oz max. Preferably of a middle of the road brand so not too expensive.

Suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

I could definitely help, but I would need to know your budget and preferably, the size of the leg opening you would prefer in inches.

@Monitor - Yeah, those right there are dad jeans. I don't see many people around here wearing those anyway. Thanks for the kind words on my fit btw Much appreciated!

@Seb Lucas Seinfeld jeans is a perfect term as well. That show is hilarious, but boy he has no idea how to dress.

 

[Woodyear]

@Woodyear,

I was a little sympathetic until you wrote this;


A backhanded compliment is a cowards way to insult. What you really mean, is that because we don't agree with you about skinny jeans, you think our vintage denim and classic cuts make us all middle aged men who don't know how to dress.

That's fine, but one day you'll be 45, and 20 somethings will laugh in your face at your skinny jeans in exactly the same way as I do now.

So, yeah, keep up the posts, I'm sure I'm not the only one laughing my ass off at you.

I'm really not here to argue with people who aren't going to read what I'm actually saying (or trying to say) so I'll just leave it at this. I never said I like skinny jeans or claimed that anyone should. Sloan said he doesn't see how anyone could wear tapered jeans and I said I don't see how anyone can wear straight cut or boot cut jeans which from my own perspective as a millennial generally look ridiculous, though not always as I mentioned to dudewuttheheck who wears them brilliantly. Not all tapered jeans are the ridiculous skin tight jeans seen on adolescents. That's literally all I was saying, and it's my prerogative. I don't think I should be called "stupid","hipster" etc (Butte) or inexplicably be called a coward (big j) for expressing my own personal sentiments on a public forum designed for expressing personal sentiments. I've always admired the civility here and I'd like to get back to it, but piling on and branding me as some teenage punk kid in skinny jeans (I'm 32) apparently because of some unspoken angst which older generations reflexively feel toward subsequent ones really is uncalled for in this case. I'm on this forum and have been because I appreciate vintage and retro styled outerwear, however just because something is old doesn't make it classic, it has to look good in the first place which in my humble opinion dad jeans never did. And for the record, if I wanted to dress like Kanye West I obviously wouldn't be here. I also like jeans with a slight taper, if that's so heinous a crime then I guess I'm unwelcome. Forgive the interruption.

 

[robrinay]

Nope can't see it! Looks to me like the above are expressing opinions and giving advice - to take or leave as you wish. Don't see anyone disrespecting you at all. I'm sure you are in the right place though as you've made some good points and given good advice.

 

[Big J]

@Woodyear,

Calm down there kid, I wasn't calling you a coward, rather I was pointing out the cowardly manner of insulting by backhanded compliments. If you think our pants are cr8p, straight up say so, take the rebuttals like a grown up.

'Unspoken angst older generations reflexively feel towards subsequent ones'?
What's wrong with that? You wanna get yourself a couple of teenage kids, watch them dress up like clowns, and then have them harangue you day and night for being uncool, while you literally fund them and put their wants before yours.
Then you can try and make me feel bad about my tolerance deficiency.

 

[Fonzie]

I could definitely help, but I would need to know your budget and preferably, the size of the leg opening you would prefer in inches.

Thanks Dude, appreciated. My UB221 size 32 have a leg opening at the knee of 8.5 inches and 7.5 at the hem. I guess anything more than that could work, but I'm not into the retro "elephant" type of leg openings that I've seen in some vintage style jeans like some Pike bros jeans.
I have chicken legs myself, unfortunately.

 

[Davy Crockett]

My 34" waist Pike Bros jeans have an leg opening of 8.5 inches, my same size 501's have a 9 inch opening, Pike brothers do a wide range of styles to cater for differing shapes and preferences and they are very good denims.

D

 

[zebedee]

This certainly has made me think more about jeans in their various cuts and reinforced my desire to find alternatives to wearing them- oddly up until about 35 I felt ok about jeans, but now as I approach 40 I feel that Dickies or darker coloured chinos probably suit me better.

 

[Edward]

Honestly, anything under 18oz is light to me. Even the newest Gustin 17oz Japanese denim is a lot different than the 18s.
That's the line where things change...

13-14 seems to be about the average for a pair of decent, regular jeans. The much heavier weights definitely appear to be something that have grown out of the denim niche. Interestingly, I once asked Bela of Hepville about his jeans, cand hed said he won't use anything heavier than 18oz because it's much more demanding to work with and his professional judgement was that it was unnecessary. I'm always tempted by the idea of a heavier pair, though these days I don't really spend enough time outdoors in Winter for the extra weight to count for anything in terms of keeping warm. In terms of durability, I find there's rarely a link between heavier cloth and lasting longer in my wardrobe, though I do like a heavier truoser for the drape.

 

[Grayland]

Several years ago, I bought a pair of the Unbranded 21 oz jeans. I recall speaking to someone about having them hemmed and chainstitched (it may been Blue Owl who I bought the jeans from). They couldn't do a chainstitch on that heavy denim as their needles couldn't handle it. Seems odd as they came with chainstitching from the factory, but Blue Owl said it was literally busting their needles.

 

[Edward]

Seb,
I think that the same type of person who gravitates to heavy CXL leather (and I am one of them) finds satisfaction in wearing heavier selvedge denim. There is a similar satisfaction to breaking in something that starts out stiff and unyielding and then molds to its wearer and becomes quite comfortable. I can't claim that there is any advantage to the heavier jeans in my experience.

The one practical 'advantage' I can think of is that you might gain an extra second's worth of protection from roadrash in the event of an off from a motorcycle with a particularly heavy pair of jeans, but not enough to count as sensibled safety gear.
I do think it is cosmetic and psychological. No bad thing in and of itself, of course - it's all subjective. Certainly thr notion that a really heavy denim will appeal to the same guys who like things that need broken in, or who equate heft with quality or whatever, makes sense.

It's better in cold weather! At least I think so...

To an extent, though I think fit also makes a differece there. I remember the warmest jeans I ever had were drainpipes - solid black, real Dee Dee Ramone stuff. Because the denim stayed right on my skin all around, all the time, it never got a chance to go 'cold' as such.

My 21oz UBs have reached the point of softness and the fades seem to become pronounced much more quickly than on lighter denims.

That seems to be another big part of the appeal - the fades and the cosmetic appearance a pair of heavier denims take on as they age definitely differ from that you see on more 'regular' jeans.

How anyone could ever wear straight leg or boot cut jeans is utterly a mystery to me, absolutely nothing looks worse; coming from a millennial's perspective straight cut jeans may as well be bell bottoms or ass less chaps.

Fashion will always vary (if it didn't, the fashion industry would collapse in on itself); inevitably, the preferences on an interest board for peopel who prefer to dress per the fashion norms of the middle twentieth century are unlikely to appeal to those born in the 1980s & 1990s and who prefer contemporary fashion.

Men's jeans were born of workwear. The modern trend for all of men's clothing but particularly jeans is born of influence from women's fashion. For Gods sake even Target is selling men's t shirts that are damn near long enough to hit the knees. I feel sorry for the lot tbh. Trying too hard is never a good look.
View attachment 81326

Funny photo. Over the last few years I've seen a lot of folks wearing jeans too long and constantly tramping on the hem - often to the point where they wear a 'U' shaped hold out of them. Looks dreadful to my ye, but that's fashion for you, eh? I'm sure they think my cuffs look equally ridiculous.

Ooooh yeah that's bad. My least favorite is the Kanye look- buying skinny jeans and sagging them like crazy. WTF?!

I think it evolves from two things. With the hip hop kids, it seems to be that they are heading for skinnier jeans but still want to wear them the way they did the wdier ones - I've seen plenty of those kids around with their belt worn fully *below* the buttocks. Always amuses me - puts me in mind of Bert in Mary Poppins when he drops the wasit of his trousers to dance with the animated penguins. I can't begin to fathom how uncomfortable it must be, but then comfort probably isn't the top of their agenda.

With the more hipster kids it looks to be born out of necessity: a lot of them originally were wearing ladies' jeans to get the skinny cut they wanted, and as ladies jeans were not cut for men's bodies, they had to drop the waist a bit to accomodate.

All begind to remind of of MC Hammer cast-offs that shrunk in the wash, but hey.... long as they're happy and not in my face about what I wear, live and let live.

...
As far as the ridiculous pictures of skinny jeans being posted of course that looks awful, those are comical memes and not a representation of how most normal guys in their early thirties dress.
...
No offense to dad jeans guys, didn't mean to offend anyone and indeed I have a dad who I love dearly, but times do change and so do jeans.

I very much doubt that the way the significant majority of members of The Fedora Lounge dress could be said to be a representation od how most "normal" pepople - in their early thirties or otherwise - dress. Times and jeansdo indeed change, though I'm rather mystified as to why that should rewquire those of us who prefer something outside contemporary fashion norms should care to change with them.

Agreed. The term "dad jeans" has been completely bastardized. Straight fit jeans are not dad jeans automatically. Dad jeans are jeans that literally do not fit properly. They are several sizes too large, washed out to a ridiculous degree, and generally poor quality as well. They need both of the first two qualities to be dad jeans. Straight fit jeans do not fit into either, let alone one unless they are worn far too large.

I have seen quite a lot of straight fit jeans on guys on this forum and I think only once did I see actual dad jeans. There are tons of guys that are around my age that are really into more vintage fits these days. I didn't used to be, but I'm definitely leaning that way right now.

I'm completely at a loss as to what the term "dad jeans" actually means. Frankly, this is the first I've heard of it today - thuogh I'm presuming, like "mom jeans" (another phrase I'd never heard of til a year or two ago), it's intended to be insulting, or otherwise a negative. Never been able to find an explanation for it, though.

fter living overseas for a very long time (maybe too long), the first time I went back to the UK and saw skinny jeans on a man I thought he was terminally ill and was wasting away until I worked out that it was a fashion. Then there were phrases such as 'lumbersexual' and 'metrosexual' as well as 'mansplaining' on later visits back. I wasn't irritated- I thought these things were absolutely hilarious and just reaffirm the Sontag notion that the best camp is lethally serious.

What tickles me is that for years, back when I was a skinny punk, I tried and failed to find drainpipes (other than the basic black onres I could get in goth shops). Then, maybe eighteen months after my tastes changed and I evolved to prefer a wider leg, the fashion world decided to put drainpipes everywhere! Ha. Course, before discovering a 40s cut, I struggled with most jeans of any sort having an uncomfortably low waist.

This certainly has made me think more about jeans in their various cuts and reinforced my desire to find alternatives to wearing them- oddly up until about 35 I felt ok about jeans, but now as I approach 40 I feel that Dickies or darker coloured chinos probably suit me better.

I still wear denim in my early forties, but I certainly enjoy having alternatives for gonig out in - not least because I've never been sold on the look of a collar and tie with jeans.

 

[MisterCairo]

ass less chaps

Has anyone seen chaps with an ass?

Wouldn't they be jeans if they had one? Would those be called crotchless chaps?

I'm curious about these things.

The jeans discussion is fascinating, btw.

I have not owned a pair in five years. My last pair were, however, straight legged.

 

[ButteMT61]

This forum as mainly been about decorum - nice rap eh?
People say things all the time that are contrary - without being asses. Occasionally, someone doesn't convey thoughts into well-written prose on the pages and it comes of badly.
While I'm sure that everyone here appreciates your in-depth knowledge of things fashion, I'd wager the combined knowledge/wisdom here as well as good taste in clothing dictates that you just think a little more before clicking that "post reply" button down below.

Proclaiming anything with the precursor of being a Millennial straight off puts you in category of your own proclamation, and I have to say that most of us here over the years don't know/care discuss such tripe. You're either here to be part of the scene and contribute, or wind blowing our neatly raked pile of leaves.
*See wikipedia if that isn't something that is familiar.

 

[MisterCairo]

I'm completely at a loss as to what the term "dad jeans" actually means. Frankly, this is the first I've heard of it today - thuogh I'm presuming, like "mom jeans" (another phrase I'd never heard of til a year or two ago), it's intended to be insulting, or otherwise a negative. Never been able to find an explanation for it, though.

On my last deployment, I was a 48 year-old officer in a wardroom with an average age of about 28. I had the misfortune to wear white gym socks with my running shoes, socks that actually (are you all sitting down?) went up and just above my ankles.

I was told I was "rocking the dad socks".

Apparently the "cool kids" wear those Peter Pan getaway socks, the ones that go "up" just below the ankle.

Socks like my daughters wear.

You can imagine the comments I got from the guys when I dressed up to go ashore in Istanbul (I love being able to say that) in a linen jacket with trousers to match, white collared shirt and brogues. I got quite different comments from the female officers on board, let me tell you...

There have been at least two generations where being seen as "grown up" means old, fussy, and middle aged. I.E., "dad like" or "granddad like".

My reply is generally along the lines of "I dress like a man*. You should try it".


*In the sense of adult male, vice a boy. Short pants to long.

 

[Big J]

@MisterCairo,

It's like you literally read my mind!

 

[Monitor]

@Woodyear, you're not unwanted and I'm with you on this one.

Okay... I really, honestly don't see what was it that Woodyear said that could've started all this and riled people up? I think you guys overreacted a bit here and some of that stuff you said was... Uncalled for. We always make all kinds of nasty remarks toward current fashion trends many people actually religiously do follow and genuinely enjoy. People who're just as passionate about the crap they wear as we are about leather jackets, fedoras, etc. so... Isn't this the same? I mean, let's be honest, the sole purpose of all this different clothes is so that people could make fun of one another so why take this so seriously and call someone a coward, stupid, or worst of all, a hipster, over a piece of fabric?

...yeah, dude just stated his opinion on what he believes looks good. So it goes against the majority of this forum but so what? Like for instance, we believe that the stuff we wear looks better than whatever is trendy at the moment. That's why we're all here. But then again, it could easily be argued that since we're in minority with our silly hats and old boots and shirts and dad jeans and what not, we shouldn't be allowed to have any opinion on the matter?

He doesn't like loose jeans. I for one cannot fathom how can anyone wear a fedora with whatever random, contemporary clothes, T-shirts and stuff, even tho the WHAYWT thread is full of such photos. That's just... Why? But people do it.

Besides, I'm always down with someone being opinionated, even if it goes against the majority of the community. It's a good, healthy thing that keeps the place alive - just as long as it's not carried over to another thread.

 

[ButteMT61]

When @Monitor starts getting all philosophical and acting reasonable, it's time for me to buy some beard wax, buy clothing at Forever 21, and snag a case of PBR. I just can't take it...

 

[zebedee]

why take this so seriously and call someone a coward, stupid, or worst of all, a hipster, over a piece of fabric?

There are some things that we just shouldn't call someone. 'Hipster' is definitely one of those things. Let's keep it clean.