Fall in Wisconsin

The last day of July. Can you see Summer slipping away? Daylight at 6am ain't what it used be.

52 new Fall offerings from Lands' End Canvas. How can I not indulge?

Fall sure looks promising from our friends in Dodgeville, WI.

My fave regular fit khakis in my closet are those from Lands End Canvas. Their new slim fit offerings have everyone abuzz.


Check out the sweatshirt, this handsome wallet, these boots, and the waxed cotton bag.





As my boy Juan C. would put it, "Are jyou keeeeeeeeeeeeding me?"

Next up, Monday: LL Bean Signature Fall 2010. Get your ducks in a row, if ya know what I mean.

316+

I have a lot of denim in my closet. On my floor actually.

If I had to chose just one pair to hold on to, it would be my 316 SL 100x. If my lifestyle allowed it, I'd wear these babies 5X a week for sure.

Shimon from 316 told me back in April about an upgrade to their denim coming soon. (Shimon, if you're reading this, please grant me access to your blog!)

Kiya over at SelfEdge dropped word today that the 316+ line would be debuting on Aug 4th. The word is better denim, better construction, hidden rivets, etc.

My 316s are not even 5 months old, but I'm still looking forward to seeing the new product.

Soaking Effects

Here are the pre/post measurements of the 501 STF Selvedge jeans (post 25-min hot bath) in case anyone is keeping score at home:

PRE
Waist: 17
Rise: 12
Thigh: 11 1/4
Length: 33 3/4
Cuff: 8 1/2

POST
Waist: 16 1/4 (stretched back to 17 after 2 days wear)
Rise: 11 1/4
Thigh: 11
Length: 31 1/2
Cuff: 8 1/4

501 Project

It has already been discussed here that yours truly is a suckah for new denim. Especially that made by Levi Strauss & Co.

Is it any wonder then when said company added a 501 STF in Selvedge denim to their roster that I couldn't resist? Ok, I resisted for a few weeks. Then a 40% off coupon landed in my inbox. Ok, I give up. What the hell, I need a new project to keep me busy while the wife and kids are away.

Made in Mexico, but hell, Mexico is only a few miles away from Cali, so we'll let that slide.

At first look, its evident the denim here is different that your run of the mill Sears STFs. Much deeper indigo. Nicer to the touch, or maybe that's just me.

I went TTS and they fit so well on the first try that I wondered if a hot soak was even necessary. The STF instructions in the Levi's store in NYC actually said buy your TRUE SIZE, wear them out of the store and dont wash/soak for 6 months minimum.

In the end I decided to go with the hot soak only to get the length down a few inches (34" standard inseam on these) and get the thighs a bit trimmer.

Here are the pre-wask measurements for a size 34x34:
Wasit: 17"
Rise: 12"
Thigh: 11 1/4"
Length: 33 3/4"
Cuff: 8 1/2"

Here some shots of the process. They're drying on me right now, which is not gonna take long given the mercury is set to hit 100 degrees F in the area today. I'll give post-soak measurements once they're dried.




I was surprised that the after-water was more greenish than blue-ish. Aunty-way, I'm loving these already. Highly recommended. Great value for your denim buck.

Made in the USA, make that Canada, make that China

Just came across a pair of J. Crew jeans I had from Fall 2004.

Guess what I found inside? A tag that reads "Made in the USA". I don't remember the jeans being made in USA, but whaddya know!

I distinctly remember buying these jeans. Paid full retail of $69.50, which I thought was crazy at the time.

So, lemme get this straight...Since then, J. Crew jeans production has shifted from the USA to Canada to China. And the price has gone up almost 50%.

Hmmmm, sketchy, eh???

Tee

You probably know by now that I'm not much of a summer wardrobe kinda guy. Ixnay on the shorts. Very thin selection on Polos.

Flip flops, sandals, mandals, etc, no thanks.

But I have become a bit of an addict for tee-shirts lately. Its tough though, cuz I don't want to be the 30-something guy with a cutsie graphic tee trying to be hip, cute, funny, ironic, or political.

Here are a few of my faves from this summer:

1. J Crew Jaspe V-Neck: a carry-over fave from last year. If you have this tee, you undoubtedly love it, and own it in more than one color.


2. LL Bean Signature: Great fit. Original logo. Wonderfully balanced color and a nice thick cotton.


3. J Crew Rogues Gallery: 282 Halifax Tee. No picture available on this one. Some authentic designs on the Rogues Gallery collection. Hope there is more to come.

4. GAP has teamed up with Mister Freedom (You aint the only one J. Crew!). I like the results.

LL Cool Bean

Being a suckah for new denim, I had to get my undeserving hands on the new LL Bean 1912 Selvedge jeans. I've been quite the LL Bean Signature fan of late, so I had high hopes for these.

Not available on-line or over the phone, so I had to phone up my local LL Bean in Marlton, NJ. The store wasn't so local (almost 2 hrs away) so I asked the good folks there to ship these to me.

Ship 'em they did and I received them next day.

Out of the box, the denim was impressive. Cone Mills supplied the White Oak selvedge denim and some friends in Mexico put the jeans together. The jeans weren't raw. Looked like a one-wash rinse. All in all, not a bad color. A bit blah though.

The quality of the jeans seemed up to par. No chainstitching on the hem though. Wide belt loops. Nice Mid-rise. They ran close to TTS, with my 34 waist measuring in at just under 35.

The top block of the jeans fit pretty good. Didn't know what to expect from the LL bean Standard Fit, but I was pleasantly surprised.

After that, it went down hill. The back pockets were too odd. Silly lines across the back pockets, trying too hard to be hip. The pockets were too square and just looked like old dude jeans to me. The thigh and bottom of the leg down to the hem was too large for my liking. The cuff measured 9.25" across. Too roomy.

Alas, these had to be sent back to LL. For $79 I guess you could do a lot worse but I couldn't see myself giving my 3Sixteens or Jean Shop babies a day off for these.

Read more about them HERE

Streeeeeeeeeeeeeeeetch

Been wearing my APC New Standards since mid Dec '09 without a wash or soak. The first few months they saw some good wear, but not as much after March, when I picked up my 3Sixteens.

Back when I bought them, the sales dude warned me about stretch. I bought a tagged size 33. They were probably a 33.5 - 34 in the waist. They were quite uncomfortable at the time.

Well, this weekend I couldn't take it any longer. They had to be washed. They had stretched all the way out to a 38" waist. I could barely wear them anymore.

I did a hot soak for an hour and then a hot wash, followed by 15 mins in the dryer. Blasphemous, I know.

The jeans, after hanging dry, measured just over 35 in the waist. When I slipped them on, they fit perfect. I was quite happy. They were a bit stiff, so I wore them while mowing the lawn. Two hours later, they had stretched out in the waist beyond my liking again. What to do, what to do?

Have these babies gone too far???

Suggestions?

Let-down

Here is a letter I just emailed off to my friends at J. Crew (including Jack!)

Hello,

I've been a faithful fan of J. Crew denim for many years now. A big selling point for me was that the jeans were made in Canada. It's not the USA like a denim die-hard loves, but close enough.

Yesterday I received my order of the new Vintage Slim Fit in Dark Worn Wash (Fall 2010 collection). I was extremely disappointed to find the jeans are now made in China. Even worse, when I tried on the jeans they seemed a bit short. I got out the measuring tape and found that the 30" length was actually not even 29.5" ! This makes a difference. I hope this is not a sign to come from your new supplier.

I'm aware that in 2010 the "made in China" label doesn't automatically signify an inferior product, but still...

I know the majority of J. Crew clothes are made in China these days, and all it comes down to dollars and cents, but I have to tell you, this is a big let-down for me.

Disappointed,

JB

Start of Summer

When I was young I always felt that Summer didn't really start until after July 4th. School used to get out around June 24th, but Summer didn't really kick in until the fireworks were done.

July was always that wide open month when you felt like summer would last forever. September seemed like a century away. So many long, free, hot days to spend doing whatever we wanted.

Nothing made a summer day complete like a visit from the Ice Cream Man. Ours was named Andy. His truck was a mint green color. Andy used to go through my cousins' neighborhoods on the other side of town for a few years before he came to my neck of the woods. Man, was I jealous.

When Andy finally paid our street some mind it was like the Pope had showed up. You all know the Eddie Murphy routine...

And every time he came around and we ran to him with our fists tightly clenched around our dollar bills that our grandfather had slipped us my mother would say the same thing: "Don't think you're doing this everyday!"

May your summer be filled with as much excitement as the Ice Cream Man used to bring me.