Raleigh Denim

After a few years of admiring the company and their denim,  I picked up a pair of RDs Barney's sale.  Great video about the company here.  Made in Raleigh, North Carolina.

20 Seconds to the Last Call...

Checked out the much-hyped Barney's Warehouse Sale at Ft. Mason.  Was disappointed in both selection and prices - though it was cool to see girls getting semi-naked amongst the racks (no dressing rooms and no returns - which definitely tests one's commitment). 
The only buy that saved it from being a totally wasted effort were these Evisus.  Quality Japanese selvedge denim.  They were the "skinny" jeans but that has a totally different meaning from one denim maker to the next.  They sit lower on the waist than my 1947 501's - but nothing too extreme.  Deeeeeeeep pockets which I am digging mostly - though they became black holes for lighters and the like at Outside Lands... Anyway nice to have an alternative to the 501's which have now gone 4 months without a wash...but that's a different post.

In Search of the Everyday Jeans

I have quite a bit of denim in my closet, but still felt like I was missing that pair of everyday "go-to" jeans.  My preference was rigid, selvedge jeans in a standard fit (no low-rise) with a price tag around $200. I tried a lot of options (Raleigh Denim, Tellason, Jean Shop, etc...).  While these were all beautifully handcrafted jeans, none really worked for me. Just as I was losing hope, I dropped into UNIONMADE on Sanchez.  Owner Todd Barket directed me to the Levis Vintage 1947 501s.  As soon as I put them on I knew they were the ones - the perfect everyday jean.  Gorgeous White Oak denim from Cone Mills, a neutral, old-school fit and beautiful contrast stitching. $220.  I have pretty much lived in these bad boys ever since.  If you're looking for jeans (or any everyday clothing for that matter), do yourself a favor and check out UNIONMADE.

Shop Locally

Stormy Monday.  Didn't feel much like draggin' my wet ass into retail-land, but was in the Lower Haight so I figured I'd check out Revolver.  Was glad I made the trip.  Besides getting to check out a very cool store, I had the pleasure of meeting a couple of lads who really know their denim.
Revolver's proprietor, Robert Patterson is the type of laid back guy who's unassuming attitude belies a passion for clothing, art and other things cool. I like his blog almost as much as his store - especially the entry on California surfer/photographer Ryan Tatar. Robert saw me eyeing the denim and after pointing out some nuances in the Denham and Tellason lines, had me trying on some truly great jeans.  Coming out of the dressing room (with the Denham's on -doh!), Robert introduced me to Tony Patella, owner of San Francisco-based Tellason Denim.  Tony is incredibly knowledgeable and enthusiastic when it comes to denim. He talked to me for a good 20 minutes without ever promoting his company's product or coming off as "cooler than thou."
Two things I took away from our conversation:  (1) There's something satisfying about buying from a maker obsessed with quality and, (2) There are are a number of reasons (not all obvious) to buy clothing made in the good ol' USA.  As Tony explained, "99.9%" of Tellason denim is made in America (denim from Cone Mills in Greensboro, N.C.,  leather patch from Portland's Tanner Goods, jeans sewn here in San Francisco).  Tony's motivation for manufacturing in San Francisco is as much pragmatic as patriotic.  Having made millions of jeans in China and Mexico in a previous life, he likes the fact that when a manufacturing issue arises,  he can bike down to Tellason's plant in SOMA (instead of getting on a plane) to get things sorted out.  So "Made in the USA" can actually make good business sense - what a novel concept!  Above all, Tellason is focused on providing quality denim at a reasonable price (caveat: I consider 200 bucks for a pair of jeans reasonable, since jeans like Tellason's will easily stand up to a couple hundred wearings).  Tony says it best in an interview with ACL:  "A consumer, for whatever reason, may not like our jeans, but there is no way they can criticize the fabric and sewing. As a brand, that’s all you can do. We’re really into authenticity every step of the way."   Good stuff.  Not incidentally, the fit was great and designed for pretty much every body type.
Thank you Robert and Tony for the education - I'll be back for a pair of Tellasons once I get paid...

No Static At All

I've been honing in on a jacket for Geck (to replace the broken-down G-Star jacket I bequeathed him a few years ago) for the last several weeks.  Found a couple good candidates at Diesel and G-Star, but everything seemed a little too over-the-top for a guy who prefers T Rex to TV on the Radio.  Luckily, I was recently tipped of to UnionMade on Sanchez.  I have too many good things to say about this shop, but in short, it's my new favorite men's store in San Francisco. The very easy-going and extremely well-versed salesman, Jason hooked Tom up with the military/workman inspired "Cadet Jacket", a pair of J. Crew Vintage Slim Fit Selvedge Jeans (woven on 100 year-old looms), and a great button-down madras shirt.   The entire operation took about 30 minutes. Dined at Contigo ,off 24th to celebrate Geck's new duds.  And yeah, we sat at the bar...

Down with Denim?

I see so many bad jeans out on the street that I sometimes think Daniel Akst may have been right when he called denim "a powerful force for evil" in the Wall Street Journal. But I do believe denim can be done right if you avoid some common mistakes. Also you shouldn't have to shell out $300 bucks for a pair of good jeans.

What to Avoid

As I see it there are 2 big mistakes guys make when buying jeans. The first is by going for gimmicks such as gaudy embroidery on the back pockets and artificial treatments like extreme washes, rips and "whiskers," Leave this look to the Jersey Shore kids. The other mistake is buying jeans that they feel will not make them stand out in a crowd. Too often this translates to jeans that are ill-fitting and basically make you look like a 10 year old. Worse yet are the pale blue, high-riding, baggy-butt, mommy jeans ala Jerrry Seinfeld and Steve Jobs. Ugh.

My Advice

You would think these mistakes would be easy to avoid with the astonishing amount of jean choices available. But more options don't always lead to better choices. My advice is to buy dark blue jeans (I prefer raw, unwashed denim) that is free of embroidery and other gimmicks. Your jeans should be fitted but not "skinny" (unless you weigh less than 145 pounds, own a skateboard or spend your days drinking Blue Bottle coffee in the Mission). Break them in yourself. Wash sparingly (during the first few months not at all) and hang dry (to maintain the color and fit). Pre-rinsed jeans are fine too - as long as the finish isn't trying too hard to look "broken in."

A couple of good options...

Levi's Made and Crafted "Slim - Rigid" $150

Selvedge denim (more on that another time) that are fitted but by no means skinny. A great dark blue wash.

Naked and Famous Denim "Slim Guy - Broken Twill" $140

Don't let the "Slim Guy" scare you. I'm over 200 pounds and these fit me great. Again, raw Japenese selvedge denim that is imported and manufactured in Vancouver which, Patrick at Barneys explained to me, keeps the cost down (it's usually hard to find selvedge denim below $200).