Jay Yoo

I bought a pair of Levi’s 501 STFs yesterday from Next (SALE: $38!) and have been interested in trying the shrink-to-fit process.  I was a little skeptical about it actually working so I got them true to waist size (34) and 4” long (34).  Even so, they did seem a little baggy in the butt and legs. 

There are some folks who advise getting them 1 size bigger in the waist and 2-3” long on the inseam.  It all depends on how you shrink them (wearing them wet on the body or letting them hang dry) in terms of how much they will shrink. 

I chose to wear them in the bath tub for 20 minutes in warm water and then let them dry on the body.  The end result: They fit right in between my Nudies Average Joe and Naked and Famous Weird Guy.  Amazingly, they shrank at least 2” in length and in the inseam and just a little in the waist.  The bagginess I felt earlier turned into a nice relaxed look and feel.  Very nice!  For the price, these are a fantastic everyday jeans and the shrink-to-fit process really does work.  Give is a try. 

As some of you know, I am a huge fan of outerwear and dabble in designing my own stuff from time to time. I have to say that the G Start Garber Trench is the coolest coat I have ever owned.  Made from heavy duty wax canvas, featuring military inspired trimmings and fasteners, this jacket feels supremely robust and durable.  Style wise, the Decoy Garber is cut super tight and conforms nicely to the body.  Even though it is a little snug for my usual liking, in true G Star fashion the style bliss when worn overcomes all else.

My Nudie jeans that I have only washed once since last March are fading nicely and my new Boot Company Colrain Reissues rock! Having worked at my father’s shoe repair shop growing up, I really appreciate the craftsmanship of these stellar boots.

Photography: Grace Yoo | Products from: Rule of Next

I really love denim.  For many cultural reasons (it’s a symbol of freedom, independence and innovation), but most of all because I am a minimalist and only wear one of three pants 99% of the time.   Good denim (raw Japanese selvedge) is durable and looks better with time.  How your denim fades, like wrinkles, tells a story that is both interesting and personal.

Here is an interesting article that surfaced in the Wall Street Journal about how Jeans are making their way up the ranks.

Power jeans are increasingly common in high-ranking business and political circles. Indeed, jeans are now a legitimate part of the global power-dress lexicon, worn to influential confabs where the wearers want to signal they’re serious—but not fussy—and innovative.

From the bad jean display of our hippest President ever, to the famous Steve Jobs “anti-suits” black mock tee, Levis and sneakers look, blue jeans (I guess) are en vogue at the highest ranks of corporations and governments worldwide.

Just about everyone associates blue jeans with Levis Strauss and the infamous 501, which has been ripped off and duplicated by every maker of demin.  However, few know that it was the French town of Nimes that owns the name ‘denim,’ and Indian sailors of Dhunga were the first to sport dunagarees in the 16th century.

Jeans have been around for while as a symbol of the workman who wore them for performance and utility.  In the 1950’s, they crossed over to pop culture with the help of icons like Bob Dylan, who were making a statement with clothes against the establishment.  By wearing denim, leaders of pop culture were also making a statement that they were idealists and stood for the common good of people.

Here is what fascinates me about this article:

There’s also something of the rebel in a pair of jeans. In the boardroom, that can read as creative…

But jeans must be carefully paired with a pressed shirt and good shoes to be elevated to business class.

What?  You have to be joking.  Rules for blue jeans?

That’s the irony that makes this article so interesting.  Blue jeans are not a new uniform with codes for corporate higher ups; it’s just fashion and a statement of who you are.  Perhaps this is a new way for people way up in the ivory tower to make their own statement that they stand for the common good of common people.  Who knows.

I just love the irony and am glad to see some of these higher ups NOT upgrading to something more daring!  That would be too over the top and an insult to innovators, artists, and so called “rebels” who still need their little place in the universe of the giant garment staple that is denim.