May
White Denim: a summer staple on sale
White denim is fantastic for summer — a favorite of mine last year. It pairs well with blues and tans, making it a great fit to either contrast with hopsack blazers or linen sport coats. For those looking to take a more colorful approach to summer in their tailored jackets — either preppy or Pitti inspired — the neutral tone of white works well to compliment them, too, be they a wild madras or vivid washed cotton.
If you’re unsure of where white denim might fit into what you already wear, treat them like you would khaki chinos or grey trousers in your wardrobe. I find white denim works best as a casual alternative to trousers and a warmer substitute for fabrics like linen on sunny weekend days.
Best of all, getting white denim isn’t that costly and fits right in for those of you on the ramen noodle budget.
Levi’s 501s in white denim are on sale for $33.60 with promo code FF2012, which knocks 30% off during their Friends & Family sale. (Sale ends May 7th.)
As far as sizing goes, I went down 2” from my waist size, as the denim will stretch out over time. Also, I took mine to the tailor to have them altered to a 7-inch leg opening and hemmed to no break. They look great with a pair of suede tassel loafers or chukka boots.
Apr
Yes or no to denim jackets, was looking into maybe getting one for the spring/summer. If yes, any advice on how to properly wear and maintain a denim jacket, or well I guess maintain denim in general.
Given how suitsandboots kills the denim jacket look so often, I’m going to give it the thumbs up and defer you to him for proper care for such things.
(FWIW: Denim jackets aren’t my thing. I prefer to wear a blazer of some sort.)
As for my jeans, I just wash them when they smell unbearable. Put This On’s first episode gives a good howto on washing denim.
ADDING: gaws said:
Sean Hotchkiss makes the strongest point for a denim jacket. Check Justin Chung’s February archives.
Well, there you go.
Mar
Self Edge — This is the place to go for denim. Some of the most amazing selvedge denim brands are carried at this store and they’ll even hem your jeans with a chain-stitch machine for you — complimentary, of course.
Picked up a pair of 3Sixteen SL-100x while here. Great store, great service and great denim.
Jan
What would you do with “unwearable” jeans?
I’d like to open the floor to suggestions on what to do with your used denim that’s pretty much beyond repair and would otherwise be thrown out.
sashu said:
there really needs to be some kind of denim recycling plant because throwing out your jeans just strikes me as wasteful. :\
One idea I had was to maybe take parts of the leg to use as elbow patches on a casual cotton sport coat. I think that would look pretty badass on a khaki chino jacket — I’d wonder how using the honeycombs at the back of the leg near the knees would look on a jacket’s elbows.
If you were any good at sewing you could maybe reuse the fabric to make an iPhone case (perhaps even using the red-line selvedge along an edge).
Any other ideas folks?
Jan
I have a question about jeans and your new uniform. At what point do you consider raw denim to be too faded or worn in to be worn with a sport coat? My last pair of raw denim is pretty torn up (crotch blow out, wallet holes, etc) but still work casually. My current pair is starting to show some whiskering and wallet fades but I think can still be dressed up with a sport coat. When do you replace your denim?
First, you have to consider the “high-low” mixing argument. Denim itself is more workwear than formalwear, which is where the blazer falls in more readily. Mixing “high and low” pieces together has been done forever. The question then becomes, “What degree of “low” do you wish that element to take?”
That ratty pair of jeans you have? Maybe save those for that dive bar you frequent or a casual day. The newer pair of jeans, perhaps consider those instead for the casual dining restaurant or “nicer” places you visit.
As for when I replace my denim, I haven’t had the chance to, yet. I’ve had my Levi’s 501s about 1.5 years and my Edwins maybe half a year. I’m still thinking about purchasing a pair of 3Sixteens in a few months.
I know a lot of people like to just wear one pair every day forever, but I kind of like to rotate them around throughout the week — maybe even working white denim into the mix.
I suppose I’d only throw out a pair of jeans if the crotch blew out or the knee got a hole. I don’t really have a need for jeans that are that worn out.
Jan
referring back from the mid rise selvage jeans, is the jbrand kane fit more of a normal rise?
No clue. Sorry. Anyone have some info for him?
Via greyongray:
yes, more normal. thinner straight leg. we sell ‘em in flat indigo at my store and they’re great fitting, but better if your waist is 34 or under. the leg gets a little thin for bigger waisted guys.
Dec
recommendations for mid rise selvage jeans that still have a decent taper? willing to spend $100-$150. thanks!
Going to leave this here and let the denimheads take over and answer this one. My first instinct is to maybe say Levi’s 511s, but I’m sure there’s other options out there. I hear the unbranded denim at Urban Outfitters is OK.
Via: thesecond-handman:
Unbranded is a good bang for your buck, only $78. They have them in 3 different fits. You can find new A.P.C.’s on ebay for sub $150 (I got some New Cures brand new for $85. If you wanna spend a little more, Rogue Territory Stantons are $190.
jsigmon also pointed out that the Rogue Territory Stanton jeans are sub-$150 with code 25THX2011.
Nov
Levi’s on sale — All items 25% off with free shipping on orders over $50. Use promo code THANKS25. This puts the price of their selvedge denim at $111.
Nov
Long live the white denim man.
I love white denim, however, their uncanny ability to get dirty in lousy weather conditions prevents me from wearing them more often. Only downside, basically.
Oct
Just wanted to tell you that if you taper the 501s from the inseam (like all tailors do, no idea what kind of tailor would taper a leg from the outside seam) you will have a tapered leg and the original width of the selvedge
Good point. My non-selvedge 501s were tapered along the outseam though by my tailor. Maybe that’s easier to do on denim? I’m not sure.
Oct
Any familiarity with G-Star Raw denim? Will it stretch a lot? Wondering if I should size down or be true-to-size...
I’m not a denimhead, so I don’t have any knowledge of that brand specifically or how it’ll stretch.
However, my experience has been with denim that it will stretch out in the waist and other areas where you’d find it a bit “tight” initially. Granted, we’re not talking spandex here, but the waist does definitely stretch out quite a bit.
To give you some perspective, I’m a 34” waist size, but I sized down to a 32” waist on my Levi’s, and the waist definitely has gone from “Oof, that’s a bit tight” to “these are really comfortable to wear” in the year or more that I’ve owned them.
It’s generally suggested that you size down when buying denim and I think that’s likely good advice for whatever you’re looking at getting. If you’re unsure, then it doesn’t hurt to contact customer service for the retailer or G-Star directly and ask.
Oct
I just bought my first pair of selvage 501's which I love, but the leg opening is a bit too wide. Can you recommend what to say to my tailor about tapering width? I have zero experience with asking for a taper and I want slim, but not "full-Seinfeld".
Depends on how slim you want it. For most trousers, I like about 7-7.5” leg openings, tapered through the entire leg. For my white 501s though, I asked for a 7” opening and had the tailor pin the legs the whole way up.
Basically, have a conversation with your tailor, try on the jeans and have him pin it up while you’re there. If you want something done a certain way, then you have to communicate it. They’re not mindreaders.
ADDING noahzagor said:
Tapering selvage denim will make the selvage on your cuff look wider. Not necessarily a bad thing, but a clear marker that they’ve been tapered. Just something to consider.
Good point. I think that’s just something you’re going to have to decide: Do I live with a wider selvedge line or a wider leg opening?
Oct
as far as ramen budgeting goes- the one thing that i'd likrecommend is 501s as replacement for serious jeans (quality denim is like the single most expensive piece of a non-suiting wardrobe in my experience) is tailored 501s. Besides maybe gap 1969 (which i've no first hand with), most mid ranged price denim (jcrew etc) is terribly marked up and generally not worth it. 501s tend to be of comprable quality to anything below like $200 jeans, and fifteen bucks tailoring get's you the fit you want.
Yes, definitely. Especially if you can get their selvedge ones, which I think run around $150 or less on sale. I’m not convinced I really need to pay a lot of money for denim given how rarely I wear it and mainly just use it for when I’m home lounging around, doing chores or running to the store.
For my money, I’d rather spend $200 toward a lot of other things besides denim — like shoes, jackets and trousers.
ADDING abearemerges said:
their selvage 501 is about 100 bucks right now (pretty worth it if you can spring), but (if i dare repeat myself on a comment on your blog) if you have to do a lot of tailoring, be careful about the selvage line
Yeah, I should clarify that I didn’t get my selvedge pair tapered.
Oct
I know it is almost winter, but maybe that means it is the right time to buy white pants. I had a pair, but they were horrible so I got rid of them and want to upgrade. Any suggestions? Gilt has some Acne white jeans for around $80 I think.
Can’t speak to the quality of Acne, but I’d go cheap and get some white Levi’s 501s off of Zappos and get them tapered at a tailor. That’s what I did.
ADDING brian-m said:
How much tailoring do they need? Less than $20?
Talk to your tailor and ask what they’d charge. Each person is different. I’d guess it’s around that ballpark though.
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