Johnson Leather Jacket

[TheDonEffect]

Yeah I wash mine inside out, only with other jeans which is to say underload the washer, I use delicate and a little detergent and the key is to air dry, I just hang it up on a railing inside my place. It's good practice in general, washing machines and driers really pound your clothing, this method prolongs the usage.

I've recently discovered stretch jeans and am never, ever going back, lol. And uniqlo makes raw selvedge denim for 50 bucks. Only thing that sucks is the id looks like 50 dollar jeans, but whatever, I don't live to impress denim heads.

 

[handymike]

I was excited with my first pair of stretchy jeans too, but after wearing them a bit, I prefer the non-stretchy ones (except for air travel, then I love ‘em).

 

[El Marro]

Gustin, Bravestar and Naked&Famous are solid entry-level jeans, with a variety of weights for every season. Or go all in with IronHeart!

I think Brave Star would be my top recommendation for a first pair of Selvedge jeans. You can’t beat the price and you get a lot for what you pay in terms of quality denim and construction. I also think that they have a really good fit.
Another personal favorite of mine is Left Field NYC.

 

[Kubatu]

Left Field NYC is at the top of my list next time I actually need another pair.

For those who want a high rise, straight leg pair of raw denim, don't sleep on Wrangler's classic 13MWZ rigid jeans. The pattern they use is practically the same as when it was created in the 1950s. A lot of people don't realize they're actually raw, too. Durable, and they have very nice fades if actually worn. I have some pricier raw denim that I like for the unusual aspects (21oz denim, for example), but it's hard for me to argue against the 13mwz value.

For some reason, they look like pleated jeans on the Wrangler site though.

 

[TheDonEffect]

Yeah brave star is great value, and they chain stitch hem so ready to wear right out the box, but not returnable if you hem so you gotta know your fit and size.

 

[Jin431]

Hey @Jin431 what size waist do you have? I’ve got a few pairs of Gustin in 32 that I don’t wear. I have both straight and a pair of dark blue/black slim that you could try. Let me know.

Thanks for the kind offer @handymike but it's most likely too large on me. for levis I wear a 29 slim tapered and 30 if it's skinny. Thanks again

For more pronounced, high contrast, fading - add additional starch to your jeans.

Hit the key areas with a little spray starch. Don’t iron it in, just let it dry naturally. You can even pinch in the creases by hand. It also acts as a deodorizer. The jeans will be stiff and scratchy in the area you hit, but at least it won’t be all over. Repeat after washing.

I don’t bother with this anymore, but I did get some amazing results in the past by adding starch around the front pockets and behind the knees.

In my experience there’s no magic to getting the perfect whiskers, honeycombs, or fades. I used to avoid washing my denim but they just got gross and oily. I didn’t see any accelerated fading. I shudder when I see jeans with years of wear but a single wash or ocean soak. The only “trick” i know is to wear them and then wash when they get dirty. I also follow Carlos’ routine. I just cold wash inside out with woolite dark on gentle cycle and then dry on a towel rack.

Like Justin, I also like to keep some jeans crispy for dressing up. More excuse to have multiple pairs.

Mine follow a rotation-
1. Dark (I hand wash them in the tub) I wear these for work with a collared shirt. I can usually go 2-3 wears before a wash (airing them out between wearings)
2. Once they start to look a bit worn in, I switch them over to “casual” they still get tub washed at this point.
3. Grubbies, after they start to get lighter I just throw them in the machine inside out. I alternate with the dryer and hang dry. They exist in this state for a long time as I patch up / mend the ones I love. This is when they really start to fade and get lived in.

The spider webs come from the spin cycle in the first few washings. I hate them, so I tub wash for the first year or so...never had crotch blow out.

Learning lots about denim and it's care. thanks for sharing all the tips and tricks of the trade.

 

[Jin431]

I was excited with my first pair of stretchy jeans too, but after wearing them a bit, I prefer the non-stretchy ones (except for air travel, then I love ‘em).

Agreed, love those stretchy denim for plane travel. Sigh I miss flying now even though I hated flying before lol

I think Brave Star would be my top recommendation for a first pair of Selvedge jeans. You can’t beat the price and you get a lot for what you pay in terms of quality denim and construction. I also think that they have a really good fit.
Another personal favorite of mine is Left Field NYC.

Yeah brave star is great value, and they chain stitch hem so ready to wear right out the box, but not returnable if you hem so you gotta know your fit and size.

Cant beat the value and price, looks like is the top pick for me for entry level selvedge

 

[Jin431]

Another maker worth a mention is Freenote Cloth. They are local to me, and have some great fabrics in a variety of cuts. Standard & Strange carries some of their stuff. I’m lucky that I could try on various styles nearby.

I know them a little as I love my free note cloth waxed jacket. I also have a wool blend button up shirt from them, I'd buy more of their shirts but they are too long for my short self lol

I missed out on their denim jeans sale last time around because I don't know my size and it's non returnable so I didn't gamble

 

[JMax]

Left Field NYC is at the top of my list next time I actually need another pair.

For those who want a high rise, straight leg pair of raw denim, don't sleep on Wrangler's classic 13MWZ rigid jeans. The pattern they use is practically the same as when it was created in the 1950s. A lot of people don't realize they're actually raw, too. Durable, and they have very nice fades if actually worn. I have some pricier raw denim that I like for the unusual aspects (21oz denim, for example), but it's hard for me to argue against the 13mwz value.

For some reason, they look like pleated jeans on the Wrangler site though.

For the price, the Wranglers are tough to beat. Just ordered a gray pair. The rigid are really nice.

 

[handymike]

Where do you get the rigid? Do they have dark Indigo?

 

[Pandemic]

Part of the appeal of Gustin straights for me is that that are fairly slim in the top block and thigh without being skinny, but then fall straight down for an 8 to 8.5” opening (in size 32), which is just wide enough to fit over my engineer boots.

I’m eyeing a pair of IH461s for a similar cut with just a tad more of a boot cut, but that’s just a bit more than I’m willing to pY right now.

I wish someone else could offer that fit.

 

[El Marro]

Gustin was my first Selvedge denim and I still wear my favorite pairs to this day. Their super heavy slub is really unique as well as their Japan red fire. I also wear the straight fit and it is a good cut for me as well.

 

[Psant25]

Where do you get the rigid? Do they have dark Indigo?

On my amazon right now the wrangler cowboy cut rigid jeans ive been wearing are a whopping 18 bucks.

 

[handymike]

On my amazon right now the wrangler cowboy cut rigid jeans ive been wearing are a whopping 18 bucks.

Just ordered a pair, will be here tomorrow to check ‘em out!

 

[Psant25]

Just ordered a pair, will be here tomorrow to check ‘em out!

I get the legs tapered they are a little too wide at the bottom for me. And i wash them usually right away. All in a solid pair of jeans and I like the higher waist. Feel kinda wonky when I first put them on esp with my cowboy boots my wife gets a good laugh calls me woody like from toy story

 

[Pandemic]

I get the legs tapered they are a little too wide at the bottom for me. And i wash them usually right away. All in a solid pair of jeans and I like the higher waist. Feel kinda wonky when I first put them on esp with my cowboy boots my wife gets a good laugh calls me woody like from toy story

How wide are they?

 

[handymike]

I will write them up once I try them on! Has anyone tried the slim cowboys?

 

[Kubatu]

Where do you get the rigid? Do they have dark Indigo?

You can find them on amazon, but in case you find the 13MWZ too baggy or wide, you might also look into is their 936 fit. It's the same construction and higher rise, however, the thigh and seat are much more slim. I couldn't find them on Amazon, last time I checked. The slim thighs didn't work for me though, so they went back. Definitely a good alternative if you want the sturdiness of their rigid jeans, while also opting for a slim, straight fit.

The rigid pair is probably a mid-range indigo. They're not light wash or anything like that, but definitely pretty blue. I've heard they look like a blueberry for a bit after being washed for the first time, and it takes awhile to get past that point. To an extent, that may be why they're not as popular with the designer raw denim crowd. Very blue, no details like selvedge fabric, and it is very difficult to get the high contrast fading many aficionados like unless you wear them heavily. They will fade, but it's a much more "overall" fade, like this.

How wide are they?

They're pretty wide. My pair of rigid 13MWZ in size 31x34 are 11.5 at the thigh and 8.25 at the hem. They're classified as a boot cut, but it's more of a straight cut since they don't really expand the width in order to fit over most boots.

For the price, the Wranglers are tough to beat. Just ordered a gray pair. The rigid are really nice.

My experience is limited only to the rigid right now, but I do want to try out some of their other colors. Many of them have a pretty substantial weight, too. I took a look at their site and saw a number of them that used 14.75 or 15 oz fabric, which is heavier than most denim at comparable prices.

 

[Psant25]

How wide are they?

Pretty wide, but they shrink some when washed. I cannot recall all in my closet now have been tapered from knee down to a 7 inch across opening. I have 4 pair 2 blue, 1 black, 1 brown. Pretty much all I have been wearing. I dont think i would/could wear them if I did not get them altered. I even alter levi 501. Those are too wide for me at 8 plus inches at the bottom.

 

[regius]

holy cow, already way too many pages for my patience...but here's my comment: this is UNCANNY, in all meaning of the word. I just finished reading the Lou Reed A Life bio book, and have been browsing Getty images, saw an early 80s photo of him wearing a leather jacket, straight zip, some kind of highwayman style, with a non-shirt cuff, nothing special, slightly spread collar (not as slim as the Premier HWM and not as full as the standard Aero collar), it has a horizontal left chest pocket with a tear drop shaped Talon (I think), and two slant hand warmers, musculine shoulder/armhole contour and seems to be a bulky/boxy cut. I was fascinated, and was checking out Aero's HWM. Then I wanted to post a thread about the shoulder width of the Premier HWM as it seems narrow. Then I saw your thread. Upon opening, boom, here is the Lou Reed jacket!!@!@!$#$@#$%@!!