One Month of Denim - Day 30

Last day. I made it through. Each and every day for the past 30 days I sat down and did a post on denim. It has been hard, and I won't be doing a month like it for a very long time, if ever. I think a week suffice in the future. But I hope this has been of some help to some people, although the information I have provided you with, is probably rather basic for many of you. 

Today I was going to write about indigo dying, but I ran out of time, instead I got the idea to write about one simple term based on the pictures of the hairy denim on the work jacket from yesterday and that term is singeing.

Singeing is a process where a gas flame (most often, but I do believe you can also use razor shar knives) to burn of the tiny hairs on the denim or any other kind of fabric. This fluff is what you see on the surface, when you look across it and it looks almost sort of dusty. This fluff has been getting a revival because Japanese makers started introducing it again. To this one operator from Cone Mills noted, that they had invested heavily in singeing machines, but now the customers wanted overly hairy denim fabrics, so these expensive machines looked a bit useless now.

The fluff is generally a sign of an inferior cotton because of it shorter staple length. This is normally one of the qualities of cotton from Texas. However this is often how denim from the late 60's to early 80's looked.

I have even seen a pair of jeans from the Swedish brand Indigofera, where the hairyness has been overly exagareted. Again, not to anybodys taste, but it surely adds to the character.

Lastly a little Levi's commercial with lots of character.

One Month of Denim - Day 24



As always my weekends are kind of busy, so again I find myself with very little time to write about denim. So today you will have to settle with a link to a visit to the Cone Mills White Oak plant in North Carolina. This visit was done by Mr. Denim - Paul Trynka.

Cone Mills was one of the original suppliers to denim - besides Amoskeag, which folded many years ago - and they are also the supplier of many other brands. Cone Mills denim is probably not the most interesting choice of denim, although their technical department have done some amazing fabrics like the "Tweed Denim", that the American brand, Left Field used for a very limited run of jeans. I helped a friend of mine get hold of a pair and I can truly testify, that they are very unique and very beautiful. What you do get, when you buy Cone Mills denim is a very strong, hard wearing and very reliable fabric. So it is obviously one of my favourite fabric, which is also why that I decided on buying Cone Mills denim, when I acquired some denim. Other than that the denim is still mainly woven in the US and they also offer some other fabrics such as indigo dyed selvage canvas and some pretty rad cotton duck.

For the article - GO HERE!

One Month of Denim - Day 23

I have been posting a lot of videos the last couple of days, and how I wish I could continue doing so. I know, I can't do so for all eternity, but I'll keep going for another day.

Here are some good denim-related videos in a mixed order and with a mixed quality or relevance.


























If you have some denim videos, that you want to share, feel free to do so in the comments or send an e-mail and I'll them to the list

One Month of Denim - Day 20

I'm sick and tired of thinking about writing a post on denim on a daily basis, but as I promised, I will keep doing so, so it's just my good fortune, that we only have 10 days left.

- I'm kidding. I love writing about denim, and I hope it has helped some people out there. But I hope it hasn't made people believe that this blog is all about denim because that is not the case.

In the question the other day, I mentioned something called "Big E" in regards to vintage Levi's jeans. The red tab was introduced in 1936 as mean of identifying a genuine pair of Levi's jeans. Until 1971 one the red tab had LEVI'S written in all capital letters, and after that it was spelled Levi's. This was the end of an era for the most part.

Levi's decided to put the red tab on their jeans because they hadn't trademarked the arcuate on the back pocket by 1936, which meant a lot of competing companies were adding arcuates to their jeans. Wrangler and Lee even had an arcuate that looked VERY similar to the Levi's V-arcuate before they more or less settled on their W- and Lazy-S arcuate.

Levis arcuate (hand sewn) - pre 1936 

Wrangler jeans - 1940's

Lee jeans - 1940s

The arcuate is now conceived as the oldest clothing trademark. It was used by Levi's from the beginning basically, however it has been speculated that they weren't the first to employ it on the back pocket. Although they hadn't trademarked the arcuate by 1936, they did so in 1943.

Fun fact about the arcuate around that time (during the Second World War) is that it was painted on the jeans instead of it being stitched. This was done in an attempt to save on materials including thread.

Levis - painted arcuates - which would wear off in time leaving blank back pockets

In recent times Levi's sued a lot of Japanese denim brands because they used arcuates and red tabs that resembled the ones Levi's use. Read more about the lawsuit here and here on the great Swedish denim blog, Repeat to Fade, which unfortunately seems to be no more.

One Month of Denim - Day 18

"Ok, here's a question for you: I go to thrift stores a lot but tend to avoid the jeans section, I have trouble determining the age of a pair of Levi's for example. Can you share a few pointers on what to look for? The patch? The brand of the zipper? The rivets?"

I received this question from an anonymous reader, and I figured that it could be answered in an entirely new post. I'm very grateful for this question, so thank you very much and if I didn't answer your question in full, let me know and I'll try to add more information.

First of all, do not avoid the jeans section.

Secondly there are some give aways. Here are some in non particular order. 

1) Do the jeans have selvage? Turn the cuff - it's fast and effecient.

2) If they are Levi's jeans, does the red tab or orange tab on the back pocket spell LEVIS and not Levis. I'm refering to a thing known as "Big E", which was how LEVIS was spelled until 1971, when they changed the capital E to a small e.

3)Look for defunct jeans brands like Foremost (a JC Penney brand), Ranchcraft (Also a JC Penney brand), Key, Washington Dee Cee, Can't Bust 'em, Buckaroo by Big Smith, Roebucks - the list goes on and on.

4) If you are looking for zippers, the zippers you should be looking for are Talon (especially Talon 42), Scovill, Ideal, Gripper Zipper. 

This post may be of some help

5) Knowing this timeline from Levi's is good when you need to date jeans. Just look at the differences in arcuates (the iconic stitching on the back pockets) for instance.

This post may be of some help. And if you need some help, I'll gladly give some in depth explanations to understanding it. But please remember that there can be variations depending on the factory used even back then.

Finally I would recommend you look on the inside tags. If they are "made in USA", they are vintage and probably a lot more interesting than most new Levi's jeans. But try them on, so you don't end up in a pair of boot cut jeans - unless you are rocking a full "Freaks&Geeks" attire....

One Month of Denim - Day 16

When it comes to talking about denim, it is pretty essential to know that denim is a twill. Twill is a kind of weave with a pattern of diagonal parallel lines or rib. Now that you have that established, then you must also know that there are generally three different kinds of twill weaves used and they are all represented by the big three. Levis used right hand twill, Lee used left hand twill and finally Wrangler used broken twill - I'm sure that either of them have issued jeans using a different twill than the one stated, but that is the general norm.

Right-hand twill

Right-hand twill is the most commonly used weave for denim. This weave creates a twill, which lines go from left to right in a upward fashion. It has a slightly more pronounced twill feeling compared to the other two.

Left-hand twill

In left-hand twill the lines run from left to right in a downward fashion. There is a distinctly different feel to this type of twill than right-hand twill. It will often also have a softer hand and it will fade differently. The fades will be softer and slightly more vertical.

 

Broken twill

Back in the days the leg twist that we covered some time ago was considered a fault, which is why the broken twill weave was created. The weave changes direction, which creates a very recognisible zig-zag pattern on the back. It has been speculated that it is hard creating good, clear fades on broken twill, but old Wrangler jeans can be found with magnificent fades, so it is probably not the case, however it can be hard creating the same radient, clear fades that you can achieve with right-hand twill.

One Month of Denim - Day 15

Due to very limited time today you'll have to settle for three iconic denim related pictures - Enjoy. But do know that I'll be back with vengance soon.



One Month of Denim - Day 14

Lee was the first company to use zippers in jeans in the 1920's and in the 50's it becomes quite common and all companies make a zippered version of their jeans. Levi's even made their iconic 501 with a zipper and named it 501z, as did Lee with their iconic 101, which they named 101z - the Z meaning Zipper.

This wasn't to everybody's satisfaction, as one Levi's customer noted that it was like peeing into the jaws of an alligator. This is quite understandable as zippers back then where all made of metal, not nylon and other softer materials that we see today. But it did catch on and became a huge succes for both men and women. Though to this day many of the hardcore denim fanatics would never wear jeans with zippers. The reason would most likely be the fact that a button fly can create some beautiful fades and if you are wearing shrink to fit denim, then the zipper might start bulging after shrinkage.

If you are into vintage jeans or reproduction jeans - basically premiuim jeans - then you should know the following makers.

Talon (Especially Talon 42)

Scovill

Gripper Zipper

Universal

Waldes

Ideal

Conmar/Conmatic (I'm not entirely sure that these have been used in jeans, but it is a great zipper no less)

Riri (only used in modern jeans, but a great quality zipper)

One Month of Denim - Day 12

Let's keep it short today. The cinch back was a widely used up until the Second World War. It was used instead of a belt to tighten the waist on pants, hence the lack of belt loops on early jeans. Belt loops were added by Levis in the 1920's, but the cinch back remained for another good 20 years, until it was scrapped.

The cinch back seemed like an archaic and slightly boring detail, but after having read the book "Jeans of the Old West", I got a totally different perspective on that detail. Now, I still find it quite costumey, but I now find it quite inspiring and I may just get a pair of jeans with a cinch back one day.

Some time ago I discovered, that the author of "Jeans of the Old West" and denim hunter/collector, Michael Harris has an amazing Flickr account. You should check it out here - and by "check it out", I mean, spend some hours soaking in the stunning images - there are small movie clips too.

One Month of Denim - Day 11

Denim is graded in by weight in ounces. This means its weight per yard of fabric at a 29 inch width. But keep in mind most shrink to fit jeans will increase in weight when washed, as the fabric contracts.

Early Levi's  jeans were around 9oz, which has since increased through the years. Most modern jeans are around 11-13oz, but you can get them a whole lot heavier.

There is one particular company, that has taken pride in producing some of the heaviest and toughest garments on earth, and that company is Ironheart. Their regular jeans are 21oz denim. But they aren't producing the heaviest jeans on earth. At the moment that record is being held by the Canadian denim company Naked&Famous with a pair of 32oz jeans, that could stand on their own (you don't need to 32oz denim to see jeans standing on their own, by the way). Now, I'm glad I don't have to wear that pair of jeans. I don't think it would be very comfortable, but then again once they are broken in, I think you would be covered for a good amount of time. Naked&Famous is a very untraditional denim company. They produce everything to a high standard in Canada using some very special, cutting-edge fabrics. The 32 oz denim, which is probably only usable in bags is a good example, so are the jeans made of glow-in-the-dark denim and cashmere denim.

They do not look particularly well-sewed, but I read that they were quite a mouthful for the company, that was contracted to sew them. They put their machinery to the test and I think a lot of sewing needles were lost in the battle.

One Month of Denim - Day 10

There are many ways to classify or differentiate denim. One of the most important things you can talk about are shrink to fit versus sanforized. I'll not be discussing, if one fades better than the other, or if one is better than the other in general. Again, I would like to say that buying jeans is personal. You have to figure out, what works for you and what you appreciate. Before writing about the two, I would like to correct a common mistake, the difference is not between raw and sanforized. Sanforized can be just as raw as shrink to fit denim.

In the old days all cotton materials -including denim - would continue to shrink after the first couple of washes. They were shrink to fit so to speak. The cotton was untreated, which made the cotton fibers constrict after washing. Therefore the general rule was that the fabric would shrink 10%, meaning you would probably have to go 2" up in the waist and 3" in the length, when buying jeans.

Sanforization is a process to treat the cotton fabric, that was invented by Sanford L. Cluett in the late 1920's. The process was first used by Erwin Mills in the 1930's to make denim for workwear. Shortly hereafter many companies started using the sanforization process and you will often see it advertised on old clothing when the tag says sanforized or sanfor-treated. Many denim companies started using the sanforization process because it could reduce overall shrinkage to about 3%, which meant you didn't have to take shrinking into consideration, thus allowing the consumer to buy the exact size. Levi's however remained true to the shrink to fit denim until the 1970's - and they still make an shrink to fit 501 model in their main assortment (indicated by the XX after 501), plus most of the jeans in the LVC range are made of shrink to fit denim (with the exception of the 505 - and jeans from the Orange Tab range).

Nowadays the denim purists demand shrink to fit denim and there are many rituals connected to it. There are millions of ways to soak your jeans. Some soak them in the sea, some in a bucket of water, some wear them in the tub and the list goes on. Some people prefer to wear their jeans without ever washing them, but that is for the extremists, although recent studies show no health risks concerning the no-wash method.

One Month of Denim - Day 9

I foresee, that I will have very little time to do some blogging today and you will probably have very little time to read the blog. Now this is just an assumption, of course. If you find yourself with a lot of time on your hand with the urge to read, please go to the library and read a Raymond Carver book. Alternatively Hemingway, Bukowski, Steinbeck, Thoreau, Fitzgerald or whoever you prefer.

This is another good insight to the understanding of jeans*

*Though the info on the 501z is crap. The actual model didn't feature narrow legs FYI.

One Month of Denim - Day 7

First of all it should be said that I'm sorry for focusing almost solely on the history of Levi's. There are of course other iconic denim brands that should be focused on, but it is the history I'm most familiar with and it is the one denim brand that seems to have the widest appeal. I may be focusing on the history of the two other big, old American companies - Lee and Wrangler.

Levi's has a big gap in their knowledge of their own history from the very beginning of the company to around 1906. In 1906 San Fransisco was hit by an earthquake and big fire followed. Everything was basically lost in that fire. This has been one of the things that their very own archivist, Lynn Downey, is trying to piece together. She has been collecting old clothing and memorabilia (of literally all sorts) from the company and trying to piece their history together. This collection is unfortunately not open to the public, but you may find reproductions of some of the pieces, as the line "Levi's Vintage Clothing" is mostly based on things found in the archive.

The oldest pair in line of what became the 501 jeans in Levi's archive - or should I rather say Lynn's archive - is a pair of jeans from around 1879. This pair is locked up in a (fire-proof) vault in San Francisco and they have a value of approximately $150,000. Not bad for a pair of jeans that were bought for $1.50, when they were originally purchased.

If you want to expand your denim vocabulary some of the features on this pair are, natural dyed indigo denim, single stitched construction, hand punched copper rivets, cinch back, one back pocket (with hand done arcuate), raised watch pocket, no belt loops, but suspender buttons and a button fly.

One Month of Denim - Day 5

When Jacob Davis contacted Levi Strauss regarding acquiring a patent for his new invention he didn't invent jeans. His invention was merely, that he had reinforced a pair of pants with copper rivets. This of course made a huge difference for the common working man, who stuffed the pockets of his pants with rocks and what not to the point of actually breaking the pockets. The demand for riveted pants grew and grew and Levi Strauss with a proposition of a partnership and the rest is what we say, history. The birth of blue jeans or waist dungarees, as they were called back then, was a reality.

Up until 1937 the rivets on all stress points were all exposed. This caused for a lot of distress among cowboys and housewives alike. The rivets would simply scratch the surface of the saddles, as well as the living room furniture. This led to another invention, the hidden rivet.

The hidden rivet on the back pocket was finally replaced by a simple bar tack in the 1960's. Bar tacking is cheaper, less labour intensive and finally the hidden rivet solution was only temporary, as the rivet would wear through the protective layers of denim, and scratch saddles and chairs alike.

One Month of Denim - Day 4

My hands and arms are numb from picking apples, peeling apples and cutting apples. Therefore I will only be posting to pics which are essential, when it comes to understanding denim. I will go into details with many of the details shown in the pictures, but I won't be doing that today.

In case you are wondering the jeans that the native American is wearing, are probably made of shink-to-fit denim.

Levi's x Filson

Today the second collaboration between two American giants launched. I was highly anticipating this collaboration, as I like both Filson and Levi's. On top of that I bought heavily into the first collaboration and I have been really pleased with the pieces I got.

The highlights of this second collaboration are the 505s in Filson's famous tincloth. Secondly the the hunting vest redone in slubby denim is a refreshing and very interesting take on a denim vest.

I might place an order on the 505s, but I'm hoping that some of my favourite bloggers have some initial reviews of them before buying them. Money doesn't grow on trees these days.