Jeans to wear with your flight jackets ...

[CBI]

the 27 oz thing is silly, just a fun thing really sometimes. My daily wearers are stretch cotton/engineered "jeans/slacks" by Kuhl, Prana, etc. Comfy stuff, super lightweight

 

[foster]

I have been pleased with the Japanese Sugar Cane denim, particularly their 1947 pattern jeans. These they make up to size 38 waist and with inseams of 34 or 36". Sugar Cane is owned by the same company that owns Buzz Rickson's. I have owned my oldest pair of these Sugar Cane jeans for almost 5 years, and they look better the more they are used. The attached photo shows the older pair which has faded to a great blue, next to a pair washed about 4 or 5 times. These are a dark indigo when new.

In essence, these are 1947 Levi's without the patented pocket stitching.

 

[Grant]

Hey Foster, I agree! The '47 Sugar Canes are pretty sweet and very close to post war 501xx denim.
They're much better than the current crop of '47 LVC's, which are horrible.

 

[stanier]

Hey Foster, I agree! The '47 Sugar Canes are pretty sweet and very close to post war 501xx denim.
They're much better than the current crop of '47 LVC's, which are horrible.

You won’t read truer words.

I know it takes some swallowing, but current LVC is generally a very pale imitation of original vintage Levi’s and there’s much, much better out there. Sorry.

 

[London Cabbie]

I am thinking about these...

Lot 47801XX 1947 Model Selvage Denim Jeans

Referring from Levi's production in 46-47, the trousers will fit in the straight after washing. Classic Hidden rivets, and the asymmetrical back pockets of the 1ST. - 15oz Selvage Denim - Materials: 100% Cotton

bronsonshop.com

 

[Grant]

Stanier, yeah it's a real shame the quality of LVC denim has declined so much.

 

[foster]

Levi's has been in decline for a long time, sad to say.

A friend of mine used to work at the White Oak Cone Denim plant (it was 1/2 hour away from where I live). I was able to see its production around 6-7 years ago. They faced some challenges with fabric production and quality, but not all of that was within their control (the ring spun yarn they were ordering had some quality problems as well). He and I discussed how the old-timers who had retired took quite a bit of the know-how with them. The newer workers were afraid to adjust anything for tension control, which is essential to the process.

 

[Grant]

Thanks for that inside info.
It's funny, until about a year ago, it was still possible to find decent '44's and '55 501xx's denim, but you had to dig through the stock to find the good stuff. I know a few denim heads that managed to collect quite a supply of the older LVC stuff, going back to the 555 Valencia St days.

 

[ausreenactor]

It's all about the label. You can't have Levi jeans without the Levi label? It's akin to having the most accurate Aero repro out there and and having an Acme label.

 

[stanier]

It's all about the label. You can't have Levi jeans without the Levi label? It's akin to having the most accurate Aero repro out there and and having an Acme label.

Ah yes, I remember thinking the same at one time. But played with cuts, erratic sizing, endless crotch blowouts before the second wash, very shallow and poor wearing pocket bags, orange stitching (that likely has a polyester core) and inaccurate details lead inevitably to the Japanese grails of vintage denim and I wondered why I ever bothered with LVC.

If you want an American make ausreenactor, go with Vintage Lee Archive 101b’s. They blow LVC away and you’ll never look back I can promise you. Lee japan do it properly.

 

[Grant]

yep, Lee Archive Japan crush it. Not to be confused with the Lee Europe garbage!

 

[ausreenactor]

Have never delved into the vintage jeans scene until yesterday. It looked like a bargain and at around US$80 shipped it wasn't too bad. I have been bleeding money at the various fashion shops around town over the last week so some money for 'me' (excluding the BR A-2 of course) was a change. The exchange rate and shipping kills us these days. Just won a 'bargain' WPG BD jacket that cost me the same again with post and import duties through eBay (not that we pay duties under $1000).

Will take a poke around the Vintage Lee sites... Thanks for the tip..

 

[ausreenactor]

yep, Lee Archive Japan crush it. Not to be confused with the Lee Europe garbage!

The Asian market is more demanding and more willing to pay for 'quality'.

 

[Happy Hooligan]

I rotate between just two pairs at the moment. A pair I made and a pair of Connor sewing factory 47 that I got in a deal. Love them both. I have about 8 pairs of LVCs in various years but for the last few years they just sit on the shelf. I’d like to try a pair of the Lee Japan someday

 

[kirova]

Stanier, yeah it's a real shame the quality of LVC denim has declined so much.

damn............ I guess there was a reason why they were discounted by 65%?

anyway, for the price I have paid (which is the RRP for a pair of modern 501 over here ), I won't complain too much, otherwise, Levi's do offer free returns

 

[kirova]

Thanks for that inside info.
It's funny, until about a year ago, it was still possible to find decent '44's and '55 501xx's denim, but you had to dig through the stock to find the good stuff. I know a few denim heads that managed to collect quite a supply of the older LVC stuff, going back to the 555 Valencia St days.

so how do you tell if it is the "good stuff"? I purchased a pair of 44 off ebay couple of years back, other then Made in USA and Cone Mills fabric, I don't know much about it...........

thx

 

[foster]

so how do you tell if it is the "good stuff"? I purchased a pair of 44 off ebay couple of years back, other then Made in USA and Cone Mills fabric, I don't know much about it...........

Cone Mills is the larger company with numerous factories. White Oak was one of their factories, the one with the name and reputation of having been at one time the largest denim weaving factory in the world. Before it closed, Cone had facilities in Mexico and also in China which were also weaving denim, however those mills could not claim the name of White Oak...

 

[blackrat2]

Just seen the recent posts on denim
So the TCB’s...I ended up wetting the waist band and stretching them, little weight loss recently and I am in them
These are the 20’s with buttons for suspender belts, I think TCB has basically made there version of what original levis were and just added there own style leather tab
Jeans are good just hit and miss with the sizing and no contact received from them
They do some killer jackets also
Am I put off?, perhaps I will go little larger next time to take into account there sizing
I have just snagged some old Lee Japan cinch backs and am blown away, will look to get some new ones in January

 

[ausreenactor]

Ordered the 1944 36 x 34.... Thanks much!

Just got deliveted. Too good to pop the tags! Impressed... Love the internal pocket fabric...

 

[kirova]

Cone Mills is the larger company with numerous factories. White Oak was one of their factories, the one with the name and reputation of having been at one time the largest denim weaving factory in the world. Before it closed, Cone had facilities in Mexico and also in China which were also weaving denim, however those mills could not claim the name of White Oak...

thx Foster, pretty sure mine said it was from White Oak, let me double check and get back to you.

ausreenactor - so where was your jeans made in? (mine still hasn't turned up yet )