Jeans

[Salv]

I have exactly the same Wrangler jacket.Brand new,purchased for the princely sum of £10 Clarks Village in Somerset.Together with an amazing Lee rigid denim shirt,with the slogan 'Hoofs and Horns' emblazened across the back in gold stitching.Another £10 well spent!

That's where I got mine, but I think I paid a little bit more than £10, but no more than £20. I like the sound of that shirt; any chance of some photos?

The Lee outlet at Clark's Village is a great place and I always stop in if I'm down that way with my family. Have you been to either of the Levi outlets at Bicester or Ashford? Bicester usually have 1937 and 1955 LVC jeans, and the 50s Levi chinos (never in my size though) and occasionally some jackets. Ashford usually have some LVC jeans and once had a couple of Aero-made double-breasted LVC leather jackets which were beatiful, but a bit too pricy for me, even at the discounted price.

 

[RetroRich]

When i'm allowed to post photos i will do.
I've heard very good reports of the Bicester outlet but have yet to visit it.Will definitely have to mount en expedition there in the near future!
I have been to the Ashford one though & they had some of the 1890 LVC jeans but unfortunetly not in my size.
Just taken delivery of the 1937 Lee Hair-On-Hide jean from Vintage Denim by the way,& they're an awesome jean!
Like i said before,photos will follow.

 

[RetroRich]

Lee Hoofs & Horns Jacket

 

[RetroRich]

More Pics

 

[Jovan]

Retro: That's actually a shirt. The bottom hem, cuffs and number of front buttons give it away as one.

 

[RetroRich]

Jovan..a thousand apologies..was thinking about my new Wrangler JACKET whilst posting about my new Lee Shirt!

 

[Jovan]

All good. Post that sometime, please.

 

[RetroRich]

Latest Denim Acquisitions

Wrangler Jacket from Clarks Villag,Somerset.

Big Ben Loco Jacket by Wrangler from Charity shop.

Carhartt BO3 Rigid Carpenter Jeans imported from States.

 

[Alan Eardley]

Thanks Mud - I half suspected it wasn't an old design, since I couldn't find it pictured anywhere. The Lee Europe website http://eu.lee.com/ has a good timeline with photos of original jeans and jackets, and it wasn't on there, although originals of the Lee repros I posted above are there.

Salv,

If that was the jacket Mud refers to, and was original - you could sell it and retire! See the Vintagemotorcyclejackets.com website for some good 'dope' on Lees.

Alan

 

[Alan Eardley]

I have exactly the same Wrangler jacket.Brand new,purchased for the princely sum of £10 Clarks Village in Somerset.

Another of my 'haunts'. There used to be a Levi's outlet there that did 'Irregular' grade LVC stuff - vintage jeans for 10 - 20 GBP.

If you're in the area and into Orvis, they have a clearance outlet there. It's not as good as it used to be, but it sometimes clears 'experimental' stuff that doesn't make it into the catalogue. I got a three piece suit there (30 GBP) in khaki rhinohide (three button jacket, blanket lined and leather trim) that is my favourite cool weather adventure outfit. Very 'golden era' (whenever that was!)

Then, if you are into shoes, the Clark's Shoe Museum is worth a visit - and they sometimes clear their desert boots in their outlet.

Oh, and it's near to Glastonbury...

Alan

 

[BellyTank]

... and then time for a Cream Tea....

B
Tea

 

[Alan Eardley]

... and then time for a Cream Tea....

B
Tea

Ahh, yes! In Rainbows End in the High Street, or the Abbey Tea room, or the tea room in the cloisters of Wells Cathedral...

Alan

 

[Jovan]

Felt a need to update this thread about the condition of my jeans. The fabric is 14 oz, made on vintage shuttle looms. Far cry from most "modern mall brand jeans" discussed earlier in this thread. For the record, I've only washed them a few times. Most of the time I just let them air out in shower steam or laying on the bed. They've never stunk. They've also kept their dark indigo colour very well from me washing inside out.

So in closing, my jeans have held up very well the past three months, and I see no reason to believe they won't for many more. If Gap offers any more jeans made from vintage looms... you can bet I'll be there. Especially if they have a higher rise than these.

 

[catsmeow]

I'm looking for vintage jeans for women. I haven't worn jeans for years and now seriously considering buying some now.

 

[Jovan]

Jeans always have their place. Good luck in your search, though I think some of the old styles are starting to come back in vogue if that helps.

 

[The Wingnut]

I'm not a denimhead by any stretch of the imagination(reproduction patterns and selvege denim are neat, but not at $150+ per pair!). I want jeans cheap, presentable, well-made and with a vintage appearance / cut, that I can throw in the wash with the rest of my clothes and not concern myself with wearing them out because I paid too much.

I found all of the above in Dickies' 9393 regular fit work jean. 14 oz. rigid denim, plain indigo blue, thick, TOUGH fabric, high quality, and I bought them for $12.95 / pair(I love the Travis AFB base exchange, the men's section is HUGE and the prices are great). Made in Mexico(eh, *shrug*), but that's far better than being made in China.

Highly recommended, these get the Wingnut stamp of approval.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

I found the Wrangler Bluebell site (http://www.wrangler-bluebell.com/) and see the range they have there. I wonder if anyone is knowledgable about all the vintage repro that wrangler has produced. I didn't see the info in the "show us your denim" thread. I'll be starting a specific vintage denim jackets thread asap.

I'm specifically interested in the jackets as I picked up a jacket at the weekend with selvedge denim and features dating it to 1970-'71.

Does anyone know if they reproduced a 3 pocket (right breast with snap fastener, two waist handwarmer with "D" pocket stitching) unpleated front, black rectangular tag with ®, no M.R.? Jacket is very short but proper vintage length. I'm wondering if i've stumbled on an original - they're not too uncommon from this era, but scarce enough to be a nice find amongst the modern dross denim - or a repro. At the price it doesn't matter, but it'd be nice for it to be an original. The denim is fantastic and is diagonal weave not zig-zag Wrangdam.

What features would be the give-away for a repro? Levi's repros are easy to spot with that long white tag towards the hem, but are there similar features for Wrangler repros?

bk

 

[Alan Eardley]

Baron,

As you point out it's much harder to distinguish original Wrangler from repro than is the case with Levi's.

As a general rule 'Wrandom' denim came in with the 1972 range, the ® was introduced around 1956. The most common 3-pocket jackets are the 8MJZ, 11MJZ, 22MJZ and 33MJZ models, which come from the 50s and 60s and have the white label and zip front.

Having said that, the 3-pocket jackets are rare in the late 60s and 70s and I can't think of a 3-pocket model that dooes not have 'dot tacks' and pleats. They usually have zips - Conmar being the most common, although I have one with a Talon. You don't say that yours has a zip. Does it? And 'rope snaps'?

Alan

I found the Wrangler Bluebell site (http://www.wrangler-bluebell.com/) and see the range they have there. I wonder if anyone is knowledgable about all the vintage repro that wrangler has produced. I didn't see the info in the "show us your denim" thread. I'll be starting a specific vintage denim jackets thread asap.

I'm specifically interested in the jackets as I picked up a jacket at the weekend with selvedge denim and features dating it to 1970-'71.

Does anyone know if they reproduced a 3 pocket (right breast with snap fastener, two waist handwarmer with "D" pocket stitching) unpleated front, black rectangular tag with ®, no M.R.? Jacket is very short but proper vintage length. I'm wondering if i've stumbled on an original - they're not too uncommon from this era, but scarce enough to be a nice find amongst the modern dross denim - or a repro. At the price it doesn't matter, but it'd be nice for it to be an original. The denim is fantastic and is diagonal weave not zig-zag Wrangdam.

What features would be the give-away for a repro? Levi's repros are easy to spot with that long white tag towards the hem, but are there similar features for Wrangler repros?

bk

 

[CharlesB]

the best heavy denim I've ever owned was actually from Lucky Brand

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Hi Alan,

The vintage motorcycle jacket site lists several 3 pocket jackets similar to mine without the dot tacked pleated front. But they are from the earlier 1960s with Bluebell labels. Mine is not Wrangdam and has a 4-button front (well, 5 button if you include the collar-level button), and as i say has the black tag. This is how i can be so specific re:date. Black tag apparently came in in 1970-'71, and since mine is not Wrangdam it must be pre-'72. My one has the small black tag above the breast pocket, which is set up against the seam of the upper front panel. Also has zig-zag stitching up the buttonhole side of the front closure, and waist adjuster straps/metal buttons. All bronze-coloured stamped with Wrangler.

So, are there tell-tale signs of repros? Do they use Wrangdam (hope not)?

What's a 'rope-snap'?

Someone with your experience will know what i mean when i say that it "feels" vintage. It's giving me distinct vintage vibes. Pics will help . . . look out for the thread.

bk

Baron,

As you point out it's much harder to distinguish original Wrangler from repro than is the case with Levi's.

As a general rule 'Wrandom' denim came in with the 1972 range, the ® was introduced around 1956. The most common 3-pocket jackets are the 8MJZ, 11MJZ, 22MJZ and 33MJZ models, which come from the 50s and 60s and have the white label and zip front.

Having said that, the 3-pocket jackets are rare in the late 60s and 70s and I can't think of a 3-pocket model that dooes not have 'dot tacks' and pleats. They usually have zips - Conmar being the most common, although I have one with a Talon. You don't say that yours has a zip. Does it? And 'rope snaps'?

Alan