The Year Dot For Denim Jackets: Levi's Vintage Clothing 1880 Triple Pleat Blouse

LVC may be moving in a more contemporary direction with their recent collections, but this does not mean the label are forsaking their vintage roots.

The reintroduction of the 1880 Denim Blouse, the first denim jacket Levi's ever made, proves this.

This jacket is perfect as a mid layer

First released a few years ago, LVC also made canvas duck and indigo gingham versions for their 2012 Miners range. Great jackets, but it's good to see a raw denim type back in the fold.

The unearthed example in the LVC archive, upon which all reproductions are based, was exactly that - dug out from a Nevada mine.

The fit is not as boxy as the later 507 jacket, but still cut short to rest on the hips - accurate for the era, given that workmen would have all worn very high waisted trousers. If you want to tweak the fit further there's the cinch on the back.

Fabricated from loom state Cone Mills 10oz denim, this light weight reflects how the originals would have been worn - as mid layer blouse, probably with a heavier duck jacket over the top. 

Unusually the weft has been woven vertically. LVC are not quite sure why this was done historically, but think it was to help shrinkage occur only on the width.

The stand out detail for me is the triple pleating on the front. Aesthetically it looks fantastic, but again it's something that shows the jacket's DNA as a utility garment - the pleats allowed more freedom of movement for manual workers. Further reflecting this simplicity are the two copper riveted open patch pockets. 

LVC have had a bit more time to spend on this reissue and have tweaked the stitching slightly, but other than that the jacket is as close as they could get to the original.

Every now and again you see an item that turns your head - exactly what happened to me when I clapped eyes on the 1880 Blouse at Bread & Butter in 2014. If I could pick one denim jacket to have above all others it would be this one. For me that's the mark of an excellent repro.

Simply put, it's the best jacket in the LVC collection.

With the sad demise of Cone Mills quite what the future holds for the label is uncertain. Watch this space...

OldBlue Co. Duck Canvas Jacket

When people think of quality selvedge denim what automatically pops in to the mind is Japan or the USA.

However, there’s some great things coming out of places like Indonesia. One such label is Oldblue Co.

Can a Man Have Too Many Jackets?

Founded in 2010, Oldblue Co. is, perhaps unsurprisingly, inspired by work wear of the late 1800's to the 1950's. The label take a lot of their styling from Levi’s Vintage Clothing (LVC.)

I’d been on the look out for a duck canvas jacket for a while so when I saw this one I knew it had to be part of my collection. I must admit here that I own far too much denim... I couldn't justify buying more of the indigo stuff, so duck canvas seemed like a good compromise.

An Alternative to Levi's

As with the LVC original, the first jacket the company ever made in 1878, the key features of the garment are characterized by the triple pleats front and back with box stitching, round bottom pockets (with no arcuates) and a cinch back. The waistband has a little tilt on it, so shorter in length at the back than the front.

Old Blue added their own details to the jacket. The front pockets are larger and they’ve added a hidden pocket on the left chest. All the seams are felled for added strength. There’s black selvedge line detailing on the hang loop and down the centre seam.

The cut is also more like a modern jacket, longer than the original vintage blouse, cut to sit on the hips.

You Want Duck?

For fabric Oldblue Co. use an 11oz brown duck selvedge. (It says 12oz on the label and 11oz other site, I suspect the former is the post wash weight.)

The duck fabric is produced by Cone Mills, their famous vintage shuttle looms using single continuous threads to produce a tighter, heavier and more durable fabric. (The same mill where the bulk of LVC’s fabric is produced.)

This duck fabric starts out quite rigid and gets heavier after it’s first soak

For the hardware Old Blue have used Japanese made 100% copper washers - burr rivets and silver "Laurel Leaf" iron plated doughnut buttons. The custom-made brass cinch back hardware is made in Indonesia, and given an antique copper finish.

The leather patch is a bison hide imported from its origin, USA. According to Old Blue it varies in thickness, 3-4 oz on average, or 1.4 – 1.6 mm. Genuine American bison leather is more than 40% stronger than the traditional cowhide and known for its strength and durability. Compared to the cowhide, bison leather grain is more pronounced, and the fibers are also thicker.

The fabric sanforised, however after a first soak there's just under a centimetre of shrinkage on the sleeves and the jacket in now nice and snug across the chest.

So, the verdict? This is great little jacket and very well made. I hope labels like this grow and thrive to make the denim industry, or the selvedge part of it at least, a more diverse place.

The jacket is available from Oldblue Co. here.

Tackling a Heavyweight - Pike Brothers 19oz 1948 Roamers A Year On

I've finally buckled... after almost a year of near constant wear my Pike Brothers 48' Roamers are starting to hum a little. So, they’ve had their first wash.

A nicely broken in leather patch.

Since getting them last December I’ve worn them as much as possible, switching only to a lighter pair of LVC 505’s or my 11oz 37’ Roamers for the hottest days of the summer.

I gave the jeans a pre wear soak for shrinkage and to get the starch out of the fabric, but that’s it.

At 19oz this beautiful Kurabo denim took a fair bit of breaking in. Even tackling the button fly was a battle of wills in the beginning. The jeans almost wore me for a while…

Fresh out the box this time last year.

One year in. One soak, one wash and developing well.

But it’s been worth it. The jeans have gradually softened up - I’ve got some lovely whiskers around the pockets, and my wallet pocket is just starting to show signs of wear. Clearly when breaking in heavy-weight denim you're in for the long haul.

Whiskering around the pockets.

Now, Pike Brothers suggest that you don’t wash these babies at all, instead favouring a dry clean.

Other hardcore denim heads might raise an eyebrow at simply bunging them in the washing machine with a bit of detergent but that’s exactly what I’ve done. Turn ‘em inside out, put them in a cold wash and hang them damp. Done.

Denim this beautiful deserves to be looked after and I simply don’t see how dousing it in chemicals at the dry cleaners will help the longevity of Kurabo’s finest fabric.

Just starting to develop some fraying around the cuffs.

If other items in your wardrobe are dirty, you wash them, right? As Denimhunters' Matt Wilson argued in his recent article on washing denim it makes no sense to spend serious amounts of wedge on premium denim to then not look after it.

I love seeing how selvedge denim evolves as much as the next denim head, but not at the expense of smelling like a bath-shy farm hand.

Coin pocket detail.

The 48’ Roamers are tough jeans. If, like me, you like your jeans old school then the classic fit is spot on and denim is evolving wonderfully. They are hands down my go to pair and will doubtless serve me for a long time to come.

For more details my earlier full review is well worth a read. If you’d like to get your hands on a pair check out Pike Brothers here. 
If you're thinking of tackling a pair of these beauties now is the perfect time of year to start.

Those of you lucky enough to be in Munich can also visit the Pike Brothers pop-up store until December - details here.

Making Heritage Contemporary – The Pike Brothers Wabash Series

I’ll make this clear from the outset, Pike Brothers is one of my favourite labels.
Pike’s core line, focussing on European and American inspired military and workwear, speaks to my depths. One of their guiding principles is that their clothes, whilst remaining true to first principles, still function as practical working garments.
With the release of their new Wabash series – a couple of waistcoats and a jean – they’re expanding this range whilst staying true to their roots.

A Striped History

Although mostly associated with railroad workers, the Wabash fabric has seen much wider use. Its ruggedness makes it perfect for heavy labour. Just like Hickory stripe, it gives a different appearance to work attire, smartening up the workman’s wardrobe.

In the early stages of Wabash production, stripes or dots where resist dyed. However, from approximately the 1930s onwards, to speed up production, patterns where woven in.
Pike’s fabric has been made to these standards; a shuttle loom weaving the stripes into the fabric.

A Question of Modern Fit

The fit is fairly relaxed, with 3 outer patch pockets and an inner pocket. It’s also lined with a layer of grey cotton twill.
Yes, this is a heritage garment, but it’s been cut slightly longer than vintage examples would have been. I guess the motive was to accommodate today’s lower waistlines.
I particularly like the real ivory nut buttons – and the little detailing quirks like the selvedge on the coat hook.

The waistcoat is available in both grey and blue 13 oz. Wabash denim. The jeans are based on Pike’s 1942 Hunting Pant, and for now are just available in grey Wabash.

As ever, Pike Brothers suggest that you wear their stuff in from dry – the denim is sanforized, but my previous experience with their jeans is that you’ll loose just under an inch off the leg after a pre wear warm soak. Either way I’m looking forward to seeing how this Wabash ages.

All the rugged Pike detailing we’ve come to expect is there; the heavy bar tacking and lock stitched hems. Another definite period feature is the D ring and watch pocket. There are little flourishes too. The decorative stitching on the front pockets looks fantastic, yet is still functional, helping to reinforce a natural stress point.

The jeans are cut quite traditionally – with a loose fit and mid-rise, brace buttons, and zinc cinch at the back to adjust the waist. The 1940’s were very much a cross over period when it came to braces vs. belt, so there are also belt loops.

Call me obsessive when it comes to buttons, but it would have been great to see the same ivory nut used for the brace buttons, rather than the coated metal ones they sport now. Still, they're meant to be a rugged working trouser, right?
My only other slight grumble is that it would have been useful to have cinch on the waistcoat too. (However, that’s perhaps the author’s fault for being a skinny bugger.)

A Modern Take on the Past

With the Wabash series, especially in terms of how it has been cut and made, I think Pike has perfectly struck the balance of taking 19th century heritage and making it relevant and stylish for today. Arguably, this is a challenge faced by the wider heritage fashion industry.

Now, I can’t be the only one out there thinking that Pike Brothers need to release a matching Wabash jacket? My covert mission to look like Al Swearengen from Deadwood will then be complete!
You can check out the Pike Brothers Wabash series here.

Selvedge & Sustainability

Denim is arguably today's most ubiquitous fabric, with examples in virtually every wardrobe. However, it started life as workwear - the rugged shuttle loomed indigo dyed cotton twill having been worn in Europe since the 1700's.

Normally the hallmark of decent denim - the selvedge edge on the outer seam of a pair of jeans.

This tough fabric unsurprisingly found popularity in the rough milieu of 19th century America. Famously in 1873 Levi Strauss began production of his riveted overalls, with the first 501 jeans (waist overalls) appearing in 1890.

After WWII denim made the leap from work to casual wear, experiencing a boom in popularity.

Unable to keep pace with demand, by the early 1980's the Big Three - Levi's, Lee & Wrangler - had all switched to wide loom production, selling their old shuttle looms for scrap. (Not sending them to Japan as denim folklore has it.)

Today almost all denim is produced this way -  on wide looms, capable of churning out enough cheap fabric to keep pace with demand, but giving an end result of vastly inferior quality.

The rise in the popularity of selvedge denim - driven by early Japanese brands like Evisu in the 90's - has gone some way to countering this. Today there are a plethora of selvedge denim brands out there, from Japan to America & Europe.

The American brands caught on rather late. In fact Levi's unleashed a raft of lawsuits in the 90's preventing Japanese labels from using their branding and arcuate.
As a company Levis realised their mistake - with their jeans filling bargain bins at $30 a pop customers must have got wind that quality and craftsmanship had somewhat fallen off.
This is where Levi's Vintage Clothing stepped in to redress the balance. Luckily they had kept a few of the old shuttle looms in a dusty corner of Cone Mills and today produce some of the nicest selvedge denim out there. (And being Levi's so they should.)

Lee and Wrangler also caught on and still produce high quality selvedge denim under Lee 101 & Wrangler Bluebell.

Hardly a month goes buy without a new brand launching. And the quality does vary. To say that all selvedge denim is good is misleading, just as not all non selvedge is bad. Just look at brands like Old Town as a case for the latter.

One of the most appealing aspects of decently made selvedge denim is that it will last for years. In short it's more sustainable - you don't have to repeatedly spend money on inferior jeans, putting yet more burden on cotton production, and exploiting low paid workers in some far flung sweat-shop churning out umpteen garments a day.

If you buy raw (which you should) you're doing the environment a favour too - some poor bloke then does not have to blast your jeans with a load of chemicals just to pre distress them. When did people get so lazy that they couldn't be bothered to break in their own clothing?

An indicator of selvedge denim's current popularity is that the big brands are getting in on the act. At the fashion trade show Bread & Butter in Berlin last month, several commercial labels were launching lines of selvedge denim for Spring / Summer '14. Whether the lines will last more than a few seasons I'm not sure.

Nudie have just launched a selvedge denim line for kids. As a brand they make a point of stressing sustainability and, to Nudie's immense credit, are very open about their production processes.

So the launch of a selvedge range for ankle biters came as something of a surprise.

I am reliably informed that children grow. There's no stopping them. Perhaps I'm being cynical, but all that beautiful selvedge denim, bought by wealthy parents with more money than sense, will probably get binned once the little blighters have out grown it. It might end up in a charity shop, or the most positive outcome - be passed down to a younger sibling. At 900DKK for a pair I hope the latter prevails.
To be fair to Nudie they have designed the jeans with waist tabs so the things can be let in and out as offspring grow.

Is that sustainable? In fact, with the explosion in popularity of selvedge denim as a whole I wonder if the mills still using old narrow looms can keep pace. After all, is that not why manufacturers switched to wide loom production in the first place?

I'm all for selvedge denim, in fact I love the stuff and would like to see more people wear it. Put simply it's higher quality and better for our planet. You don't need loads of pairs cluttering your wardrobe, just rotate a couple of jeans and they will last years.

Perhaps I'm generalising, but most folk tend to buy too many clothes and are nowhere near discerning enough in their purchases.
Selvedge denim may have a higher price point, but you'll buy less of it and be buying ethically - a principle it would do no harm to extend across your entire wardrobe.

For a brand like Nudie, the launch of children's selvedge denim line rather goes against this idea and against the sustainable principles they profess.

Then again in days of yore kids always wore selvedge denim and I'm sure ageing 30 something denim-heads will be tickled pink to clothe their spawn in selvedge denim.
Looking at the positives it might instil a love of the fabric in to a whole new generation and encourage parents to recycle their kids clothing, but this relies on said parents doing the right thing.

As an industry I suspect this might be the wrong way forward. I hope I'm wrong.

Have a look at Nudie's new kids range here.

Levi's Vintage Clothing 1967 505-217 Selvedge Jeans

A Thoroughly Modern Pair of Bottoms.

Levi's are justly famous for their jeans, in particular the 501. But, it's only Levi's Vintage Clothing (LVC), the brand's heritage arm, that still use the narrow loom selvedge denim of their forebears, scouring an extensive archive to make faithful reproductions of the originals.

Introduced in 1967, the 505 sported a narrower fit than the 501, with a taper from the knee.

However, by today's standards (read hipsters wearing their girlfriend's denim) they would be regarded as more of a regular fit.

The 505s lost the button fly in favour of a Talon zipper. They do retain the high back rise and deep yolk of Levi's earlier jeans, so are still meant to be worn high. Quite right too. (Though if you're minded, you can sport them lower.)

They’re quite similar in cut to the LVC 1954 501s, the first zip flied narrower legged 501, though interestingly this earlier jean sports a lower waist.

Talon Zipper

This similarity to 1950's jeans means you can get away with a chunky turn-up, but they'd also suit a narrower double turn-up. Of course, as you'd expect from LVC, the hems are chain stitched. 

The other main difference are the back pockets - they’re slightly slanted on the 505.

LVC normally favour Cone Mills for their fabric, but the beautiful 14oz denim for the 505 was milled by Kaihara in Japan. Most Levi's are 11oz or 12oz, so it's nice to see them do something a little heavier.

Coin pocket fade - Kaihara denim ageing gracefully

As denoted by the '217' on the patch, it is sanforized, (shrink-to-fits are indicated by a '0117'), so the leg only shrunk by just under an inch after a pre-wear soak.

I wear them high so went of a slightly larger waist size then normal. (According to some they come up small in the sizing.)
Simply wear them damp and they'll mould to your body perfectly.

Natural cotton pocket bags

I bought them in April of last year and, aside from a brief Central Asian hiatus with the military, have worn them constantly since. 

They recently had another soak (post epic beer spillage) and are developing some nice fades. 

Alas, they've now been consigned to the wardrobe. But it is not all bad - I'm breaking in a pair of 19oz 1948 Roamers from Pike Brothers; the lighter Levi's will come out again in the summer.

1967 is a about as contemporary as we get here at NU without getting a nosebleed and having to lie down in a dark room.
If you're new to the world of selvedge denim, not yet prepared to tackle a pair of shrink-to-fits but looking for some excellent quality selvedge denim in a fairly modern fit (well, modern by New Utility standards) then the 505's are for you.

Chain-stiched hem and red line selvedge edge.

Every denim-head should have a pair of selvedge Levi's in the collection. This jeans' versatility, combined with  the fact they don't cost the earth, I think I paid DKK 1200 at Brund in Copenhagen, means they're one of Levi's Vintage Clothing best sellers.

To find your nearest LVC stockist click here.

Pike Brothers 19 Oz. 1948 Roamer Pant

Japanese Denim, German Engineering.

Taking their inspiration from both European and American workwear, Pike Brothers focus on making beautiful authentic clothes, eschewing trends that seem to govern most of the denim industry in favour of simply producing what they like. This makes them a firm favourite of mine.

Most of Pike Brothers’ other denim is only 11 oz, a trifle light by selvedge standards. However, they did cause a bit of a stir with the uber heavy 23oz 1958 Roamer Pants, and this is where the inspiration for the 1948’s came from.

As Pike Brothers’ founder, Fabian Jedlitschka, says, “we had several people asking for a little bit lighter version and a wider fit.” 

Clearly I wasn’t alone in wanting them to do something in between the two, with a cut closer to the 1937 Roamers.

As their regular mill in Turkey is only capable of working with denim up to 16oz, Pike Brothers had to turn elsewhere.

For Fabian only Kurabo in Japan could deliver the quality needed. 

Simply put these jeans are a thing of beauty. Fabricated from 19oz right hand twill raw selvedge denim they’re satisfyingly heavy. 

The indigo really is quite a deep, well, indigo. The contrasting blue and golden stitching on the selvedge, replicated again on the coin pocket, is a great touch. 

Selvedge detail on the coin pocket

At 19oz I was interested to find out whether these jeans presented any of the same production problems as the 23oz Roamers, “production was a bit more difficult. We had to sew the denims a bit slower not to risk any needle damages but besides that it wasn't too bad.”

 The 1948 Roamer has lost the cinch and brace buttons of their 1937 cousin.

Fabian argues that by 1948 manufacturers had ditched these in favour of belt loops, “we looked at our archive and also studied pictures from the 40s and decided not to outfit the 1948 with suspender buttons and a cinch. These features are hardly found during that era.” 

By way of comparison the 501 lost its brace buttons in 1937, younger workmen preferring to sport a belt.

D ring for your watch or wallet chain

In cut the 48’s retain an authentic "anti fit" feel, with a decent rise and a wide, un-tapered leg, again entirely accurate for the era. 

All the details you expect to see from Pike Brothers are present and correct - the honey yellow stitching, the heavy bar tacked belt loops, seam ends and pockets.

As is the lock stitched hem. In an earlier interview with Denimhunters, Fabian argued that European work wear manufacturers would not have had access to Union sewing machines capable of chain stitching. Maybe an issue for some people, but I don’t see a problem. 

Lock-stitched hem

My one quibble is that it would have been nice to see Pike Brothers dispense with the light zinc finish buttons and rivets in favour of something worthy of such heavy denim. In all other respects they’ve gone the extra mile with these jeans. A minor point though. The quality of this Kurabo denim is such that it’s not a deal breaker.

Maybe too light? Zinc buttons..

Pike Brothers recommend that you break in the jeans from dry. It’s been covered before in the Denimhunters Rinse Guide, but I always give raw denim a pre wear soak. Not only will a soak make your denim last longer, it will prevent them shrinking after the first wash. 

There’s not much point investing months of your time breaking in such beautiful jeans only to have them not fit you afterwards.

That said, post soak the jeans had lost only an inch off the leg. The waist stretched by just 3/4 of an inch. 

I’m genuinely excited at the prospect of breaking these in over the next few months. At 19oz this will take some work, (just buttoning the fly is a challenge), but that’s why we love raw denim, right? Thank Christ it’s winter though, these baby’s are heavy!

Pike Brothers have surpassed themselves here. Clearly a lot of hard work went in to developing the 1948 Roamar Pant, and the end results are impressive in almost every way. Tempted? You should be.

Available direct from Pike Brothers in two inseam lengths, 34” and 36”, you can order them here.

(With thanks to Fabian & Olivia at Pike Brothers for letting me try them out on behalf of Denimhunters)