I’ve been thinking a lot about jeans lately. The whole time/place/value proposition thing…there really seems to be a formula and an attitude that goes into jeans. More on that later.
One of the coolest things about raw denim is how it becomes one with the owner after a relatively short period of time. Like a second skin. I’m not a fan of tight jeans, but I do like jeans to fit. And jeans that fit will develop wear and whiskers. I work in a business casual environment where jeans aren’t allowed (but I still wear quite a bit of colored jeans – thanks Levi’s), so it’s tough for me to reach the optimum faded look in short order.
There are so many choices for raw denim. The first pair I had was from the Gap, which were great. That pair of jeans really helped me understand a couple things: 1. dark denim is good, 2. making your own whiskers is cool, 3. jeans are really tough, and 4. you really don’t have to wash jeans unless they absolutely need it.
I lost some weight and had to retire those jeans, and have moved on to some Levi’s Made & Crafted, Naked & Famous, and APC. They are all great…and different. At night and on the weekends I pretty much wear jeans and khakis exclusively, and I’m over the ‘well, maybe I need a pair of jeans to bum around in’. Buy well and wear it.
That said, a worn-in pair of selvedge jeans is a thing of beauty. Google Images is a goldmine for this sort of thing. Here are some examples of APCs that have been well loved:
Pretty cool, huh? Yeah, looks like APC thinks so too.
Images: Google Image Search
I’ve never quite understood the appeal of buying something already worn in for you especially when it is artificially done, but even if it is done organically like the Butler jean. I can appreciate the faded beauty of a pair of jeans and all but seems to me like one should earn the fades, not pay for them.
Not sure I understand the authenticity argument when there’s a false imprint of brass knuckles in one of the pockets…unless of course you regularly carry brass knuckles.
@JW, I was kind of thinking the same thing, and on a related note, I dreamed about something the size to a Skoal can being sold for people to put in their back pockets to get the tell tale ring.