Anyone looking for vintage style selvedge in a forties or fifties cut should check out www.freddiesofpinewood.co.uk. Fantastic stuff, very competitively priced.
There is a label out of Montreal called Naked and Famous. The denim comes from Japan but the jeans are "assembled" in Canada. The quality is excellent and they are very reasonably priced compare to other selvedge. I actually buy my N&F at http://www.blueowl.us They do not charge for chain stitching. They also carry Unbranded selvege, I believe that denim comes from Japan but they are assembled in Macao.
I heard good things about Pike Borthers. Don't own one of their products though.
http://www.pikebrothersshop.com
I have numerous pairs of selvedge denim. RRL (which is some line from Ralph Lauren) are the ones I wear the most. I find them most similar to Levi's 501. They are very well made. I also have a few pairs of Kicking Mule Workshop and 2 pairs of Ernest Sewn. I bought all of my pairs off of StyleForum for less than $100 new. My first thought was, "what? that much for a pair of dungerees?" - but they are damn nice and better built than cheapo jeans. In addition, since I'm not 12 years old anymore, they should last me as long as they fit me. There are two factions at StyleForum, Men's Clothing and Streetwear/Denim. Many of the MC guys questioned paying that much for denim, but the Streetwear/denim guys made the point that the MC guys spent all of this time looking for the best made shoes, ties, suits, shirts.....why not look for the best made jeans?
JanSolo - The selvedge Lees are very nice, but Lees always had a lower tier status when I was growing up in Virginia. Could've been a regional thing (as Wranglers were hugely popular when I lived in Texas), but Levis were always the jeans, with Wranglers next. Lees were a distant third. Of course, the Lees of my youth weren't selvedge. The Lees 101 model looks incredible, but when I did a search for them, most of them were in Europe. Funny how certain brands have a hard time establishing top-tier quality in the US. Seiko makes some watches (Grand Seiko) that are world-class, but most Americans think of Seiko as a well made, but inexpensive watch.
There definitely are regional differences. I remember back in the Eighties Levis 501s - which were viewed as basic workwear in the US at the time, AFAIK - were considered the last word in denim in Northern Ireland, and the fashion / labelhound set used to pay crazy money for them. The local army surplus place made a killing on ratty, second hand pairs bought in from US Prisons where they were finished-with uniforms. GBP35 a pair - new they were GBP50.00. Bear in mind this was the mid 1980s - you could probably at least treble that now, relatively speaking. There used to be a Lee factory shop in Northern Ireland - seconds (where you could rarely find the flaw) were GBP12.00 in 1992. Alas I could never wear them. Even before I disliked low waists from an aesthetic viewpoint, I always found them uncomfortable to wear. Same thing that put me off 501s.
If in doubt - overdress.
Vivienne Westwood
Iron Heart 634s...enough said.
Filson and Levis have a collaboration selvedge jean, I think. 505's, which is a 501 with a zipper instead of button fly. I can't speak for the quality.
unionmadegoods.com has a bunch of different boutique brands of selvedge jeans.
Great info guys!
Jan - superb pics, as always. Do the Lee fit to size? I'm wearing 36's now in almost everything. I've got a lot fo jeans I have to sell now as they're too big. Some Levis, some Lucky Brand.
I'll have a look at some of the suggestions here. The 501's I got are not a heavy pant. Good for summer weather, but I want to get some heavier stuff for later in the year.
Hi Butte!Originally Posted by ButteMT61
So, I finally decided to have a look at some of these things that everyone seems to love. What do you guys wear/recommend? There's no shortage of brands and styles, and I don't think I'll be dropping $300-$500 on a pair. Any good, reasonably priced denim that has a more traditional cut? Nothing low and skinny for me. But I'd love to see what you guys have regardless. Even in the khaki or olive colors. Open to somethin' new whilst we wait for jacket weather again
My favorite jeans are the Ironheart Triple Work, followed by the Ironheart 634s (which is heavy stuff - 21oz !) and the Lee McCoy Z101. The Z101 is more a slim fit, so if you are slim figured like me, it will fit good, otherwise it might be too tight.
Regards,
Johannes
Last edited by Lungomare; 06-01-2012 at 11:24 AM.
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. (Samuel Beckett)
Are these Lee 101 Z jeans? Very similar.
http://www.unionmadegoods.com/Lee_10..._Dry_4614.html
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