#WhatI’vehadonforthepastyear
Gave these a wash while back in Nashville over Thanksgiving. Gentle cycle, a touch of Bronner’s. Hang dried until damp then wore them the rest of the way to dry. They’re my go-to, continue to fade so nicely and have a ton more wear left in ‘em. Stay tuned.
I’ll get some more info from Emil on the fit and these soon…
Here is some info on the materials and denim:
16oz Japanese blue-line selvedge denim
- Cut and sewn in Leicester, England
- 100% cotton thread
- Deep V yoke adds room in the seat
- Large square back pockets, lined with English selvedge calico, overlap the yoke
- Front pockets angled for ease of entry; pocket mouth will soften and curve with use
- Pocket mouths reinforced with hidden selvedge strips for durability
- Hip-stitched pencil slot in right pocket
- Reverse top-stitched inseam and double-stitched yoke prevent blowouts in the crotch and seat
- 6 belt loops lined with English selvedge calico
- Double folded hems for maximum “rope” fading
- Care label attached to yoke at back, can be removed if desired
- Removable brass waist button is cast in small batches using time-consuming “lost wax” method
- Kick-pressed copper dome rivets
- Finished jeans are dip-dyed by hand in pure vegetable indigo by Woad-Inc. in Norfolk, England
- Dye sourced from Amigos del Anil, an indigo farm in El Salvador (this region is the plant’s native home)
- Though unsanforized, the jeans shrink during the dip-dyeing process
Back in Rotation.
Just as most, these jeans were put into a summer hibernation in favor of some lighter colored denim, but with fall in full swing they are back in the game. The fading/breaking in has come along way. Although there is not as much contrast in these that some of the other contributors have achived, if you take a look back to the initial fit pics they have come along way. Initally I though they were a little too “baggy” but I have come to like the sort of relaxed fit they have because of the sizeing. Within the next couple months I will be coming up on a year of wear and I could not be happier with the way these have broken in as well as they way they have held up to wear and tear.
The brand: Imogene + Willie
The Details:
*The cut is called Imogene.
*It was designed to look great on all ages and body types.
*Basically their goal with the Imogene was to design an everyday fit that blended vintage and modern seamlessly and stylishly.
* rigid 13oz raw Japanese denim.
* mid-rise, which sits above your hips (about 1″ below your belly button) and a slim straight leg with a 16″ leg opening).
The fit is a little different than I’m used to, a little higher waisted but I’m loving it. They’ve kind of created an entire new look for me for fall. I ended up having to size down 2 sizes – Ian at I + W was super helpful in choosing the style, size, length, etc.. especially since I was ordering everything over the phone. I’m digging these and I’ve been wearing them for the past week almost straight – which I rarely do, they’ve stretched just the right amount, and don’t feel like they’re going to stretch too much more- they’re perfect right now. Stoked about breaking these puppies in!
Lauren runs a fantastic shop down in Austin Texas called Bows + Arrows…
She is a fan of awesome denim, which I found out over drinks at the lobby bar of the ACE Hotel this past summer… She’s going to give us the run down on the denim and initial fit here soon, so I’ll keep this short till she adds in her two cents…
Thanks for contributing Lauren! -Ryan
These pics were taking on the avenue of the giants
On my last otp road trip down the west coast
They are breaking in beautifully
Feel like they are my second skin and even shrunk a bit (got them wet in the ocean once)
Love how the threads break down some
How the color fades in places and becomes shiny and rich in others
I’m happy with them and glad I picked these – some of the best jeans ive ever had.
I’m a freelance writer and Online Brand Manager for Save Khaki, so reviewing jeans is a conflicting enterprise for me. However, living in San Francisco obligates me to take a crack at it, even if they’re designed in New York City…These jeans are likely to see a lot of coffee stains and walking wear from my daily jaunts into the “office”, as well as the occasional commando run after my morning surfs. I’m not usually that tough on denim, but I’ll do my best to beat the piss out of these for your benefit.
Blog: dmongan.tumblr.com
Wearing: 4 Stroke Jeans – Warsaw, Wash: ArrestYourself
Twitter: dmongan
About the Brand:
4 Stroke is a relatively new offshoot of denim megaproducer Aalfs Manufacturing, designed and run by New York-native and denim-industry lifer, Tobias Levine. While not necessarily the face of the artisan denim movement, 4 Stroke’s churning out an extremely high-quality product and is able to source and develop fabrics, as well as wash and production methods, most smaller outfits can’t. Indeed, both passion and resources run deep in this outfit. And it’s this dynamic that helped them secure the aqua cone-mills selvage fabric that is what 4 Stroke calls the “ArrestYourself” wash. The unique aqua warp and grey weft combo makes for an interesting pattern and should yield some interesting wear patterns throughout the coming months.
The first trimester was met with oohs and awes. Everybody wanted to know their name. In the second, people got used to the sight of them, but they’d comment on how skinny they were. After six months of trudging through the wilds of the Midwest, I put them on bed rest for the third trimester, and manned it out, keeping cool in lightweight khakis in the sweltering heat of summer in The Heartland.
Nine Months into the Denim Debate, and these 3Sixteens are finding their legs. Over the weekend, I attended the NorthernGRADE Men’s Market in Minneapolis, and Ryan Plett, overseer of the DD, photographed the masterpieces Andrew Chen and his 3Sixteen crew have created — and I have destroyed.
They’ve whiskered nicely. I can pull them on and off without unbuttoning a button. The tack is all baconed. I use the hell out of my pockets. I cuff them to show off the selvage. Yesterday, a suit maker in Chicago, a master tailor, commented on the jeans. “They’re nice.” He mused. “Good fit. Tight in the calves, but I bet you like that.” He wrote down, “THREE SIXTEEN,” before I corrected him, “3Sixteen.” Get it right. They sure did.
3Sixteens, 9 months in. In the few months since my last update, I’ve been wearing these here and there. Maybe a few times a week. Seeing as it’s been a hot summer, and I’ve mostly been in swim trunks for the better part of it, when I do pull on a pair of jeans, it’s these.
They’ve continued to fade beautifully. Some really nice stuff happening. I recently sized down wallets, from a Billykirk zip wallet to the smaller Maxx & Unicorn, and my back pocket is starting to show it.
I also gave these a thirty minute warm water soak about a month or so ago. Just to release some of the embedded dirt and funk that had begun to gang up on them. I was hesitant at first, as to not lose any of the really great wear that had come with age, and after they had air dried, they had kind of darkened in the worn areas. However after a single wear, everything seemed to magically reappear. Total relief.
These have really taken a shape that is totally my own. They feel like an extension of me. I never have to think about them. Just pull ‘em on and go. The denim still has a great feel to it. And I’m really digging the varying hues of indigo throughout. As the weather turns crisper in the coming months, I look forward to wearing these into the ground. Although, Stay tuned.
