MARGARET

Gosh but it's been a long time. Sorry. It'll probably be a while longer before I get the hang of posting stuff plus new job, partly because NO PHOTOSHOP. I know. It's my excuse for why the picture of Alexa in a sumptuous Margaret Howell shirt (Is it denim?? It says silk/cotton. I'm going with yes) isn't descreened. It's from Vogue UK (I think the July issue, with Julianne Moore on the cover).
I love Margaret Howell. It's so English. Everything is perfectly thought through, from the typeface she uses (Gill, by Eric Gill, designed mid 20th Century), a really cool selection of books in the flagship store on Wigmore Street; I was going to say that I think her daughter is called Mildred, which is perfect, but she's actually called Miriam, which is still pretty good. My friend works there. And it holds its value particularly well on ebay, should you have the odd £200 lying around that this shirt undoubtedly costs.

THE NEW DENIM

Ha! Who do I think I am? Perhaps to make up for my recent lack of industry I am taking to sweeping pronouncements on the future. The new denim. Well I think it's clear there is a shift from the fit promise of women's premium denim being the only reason to buy a pair of jeans for women (although it's still a pretty strong reason), and more cool, edgy denim claiming back some territory. Or just joining the 'denim wardrobe' to the extent that you now need jeans that make you look slim, and other denim things that make you look cool. It's a combination of edgy finishing, early 1990's styling, and a way of reclaiming jeans from Macys. Not all the above is denim, but I think the shapes, silhouettes and detailing are relevant, and all from Fashion Toast.

CHEAP MONDAY SS2010 LOOKBOOK

NEW SUMMER DENIM

Pale, butter soft chambrays. Fresh, light, simple workwear styles, with a hint of the early 1990's.

Garance Dore.

If you needed a further reason to get behind the cut-off denim jacket. It's a far cry from The Outsiders.
Garance Dore.

STELLA DEGRADE JEANS

Margiela did it first darling, and d.i.y. denim blogs have magicked the look themselves, but if you want an expensive pair, there is something very cool about this degrade wash on jeans. Stella McCartney at net-a-porter.com.

GRIPP JEANS

Haven't heard of these folks, but I like it. Their AW campaign has touches of Superfine-ish detailing and early 90's styling. Also, some ubiquitous vampire references, although these are reaching for a slightly more credible 1983 movie, rather than admitting they've read the Twilight books. Apparently:
"A renaissance of ‘gothic chic’ plays a pivotal role in the A/W 2009 Collection for Gripp Jeans. The collection is heavily inspired by the occult vampire movie “The Hunger” (1983), David Bowie’s Berlin Period and the insurgence of synthesized club sounds of Depeche Mode."

NIKITA'S REALITY JEAN

From Nylon.

WHAT SHALL WE DO TODAY, BRAIN

The same thing we do everyday, Pinky. Try to take over the world.

The exciting news is I've got a new job. This isn't facebook, so I'm not going to bore you with the details, but it's back to jeans after my hiatus in trend & development and as such I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to post with such frequency, as I'm going to have to figure out what's stuff to share and what's stuff for me to keep! I'm super excited though as the brand combines premium denim with a vintage vibe and is clearly destined to take over the world.

I guess I'm being a little coy as I'm not sure that I'm going to post who it's with. Is that weird? Anyway, my secret alter ego and I are willing to post some cool photos from the brand's website which cover a little bit of their heritage and are also lovely inspiration for 1970's denim. Look how the models smiled so nicely back then. The last photo is just nice and a current one, so for those of you who recognise the brand, it's no big mystery I'm sure.

oneculture

Mark, of the fabulous oneculture jeans brand, has been kind enough to send me through his new images that launch his second cut of jeans. Mark has a blog that describes his life trying to build a jeans brand in the capital of denim in the west, San Francisco. As someone who has been involved in the set up of a brand, I cannot begin to describe my admiration for what it takes. Years feel like dog years and your compassion for man disappears in a haze of bitter struggle and pain. It's great, try it.
But that's not it. Although I'm no expert, most brands these days are set up with some serious outside funding. It's very rare you get one person and their idea managing to create cut through, buzz, etc. without either private investment or a deal with a garment company. Not only that, but most jeans brands, especially out of California, are started and owned by the same few people, and they involve designers or stylists to work with them on the conception and front the brand. They make money through economies of scale and business savvy. I don't want to sound cynical, but the money pretty much stays where the money has always stayed. Dude, I can't believe I was about to write 'in the hands of the man'.
Anyway, someone who does it on their own is doing a great thing, and Mark is clearly doing a great thing well. He's interested in telling a different story than the other dry denim brands out there, making something more personal to him. And he has a personal history that is located in 1970's San Franscisco, which is pretty good when it comes to talking about jeans. He's got two cuts of jean (correct me if I'm wrong Mark!), the Pulsar, which he launched with, and his new jean, Hello Again. Each season he takes inspiration from a year to use for his thread colours for that particular production run of jeans, and this year it's 1970. Cue lots of vintage photography of the Bay Area. He uses American selvedge denim from Cone Mills, and for the moment it's just dry. He does a production run when he can, which makes the jeans feel like collector's items to me. I love that he brings a real sense of place and care in construction to denim that's made outside of Japan. The sense of place carries through to where you can get the jeans from, which is one store, with a few branches around SF and one in Chicago, the BLUES Jean Bar. Or I'm sure from Mark himself.

CHAMBRAY SHIRTS AT J.CREW

So I had the good fortune of seeing the men's version of this shirt up close when I was in New York last week, and I can attest to it's beauty. It's a selvedge chambray, slightly textured, and totally great. The women's one is online only, which was devastating. But the men's versions seem a touch better; for a start there are two, and one has those vintage Sunset chambray shirt styling details, like the extended collar tab and little triangles inserted at the side seam scoops. I encountered the shirt at the new J.Crew men's store on Broadway, and it's pretty cool. Like a walking version of The Selvedge Yard or A Continuous Lean. Steve McQueen picture books, Mister Freedom Denim Naval Peacoats, Japanese Levi's etc. Indeed ACL has some photos here. Anyway, although what I really want is a decent denim shirt for women, I'd take this chambray one in the short term. Women's shirt on the J.Crew site & Men's shirts on the J.Crew site

EBAY MADNESS #9b

Continuing with the vintage denim pieces on IndieCultVintage...

Piece 1: 70's disco denim bell bottom jumpsuit. Zip all the way up the front. Giant bell bottom flares. High waist. Flap pockets on chest and bum. Supermodel length with almost a 36 inseam. Unworn, New Old Stock with tags. Inseam: 35.5, rise 10, ankle 12.25.

Piece 2: 80's skinny tuxedo bow jeans. Yellow faded marbled acid wash. Skinny legs. High Waist. Zipper ankles with tuxedo bows. Inseam 27, rise 11, ankle 4.5. Stretch.

Piece 3: Acid wash leather lace up jean shorts. High waist. Leather lace up corset back with tiny tuxedo points too. Four pockets.

EBAY MADNESS #9a

Shall we check in with IndieCultVintage. There are fully 6 amazing pieces, so I'm going to spread them out over 2 days so I don't overwhelm my crazy denim quotient for the day. These first 3 make me think of the stuff that Alexander Wang is doing in denim.

Piece 1 is described as a vintage bleach wash high waist jumpsuit. Skinny legs, skinny torso. Zipper ankles + pockets. Zipper front. Pearl snap side belt straps. Rise ,12 Inseam 31-32, Ankle 5.

Piece 2: vintage 80's green acid wash cocoon denim jacket. Teal blue created from a green + navy acid wash. Scallop hem. Open front. Two pockets.

Piece 3 is a vintage 80's cropped denim acid wash tux jacket. Bold acid wash, not faded. Cropped tuxedo design with double breasted front. Skinny fit.

GOLDSIGN THIGH HIGH STIRRUP LEGS

I think I might need more information...

All I know is:

Goldsign’s developed this exclusive super stretch legging/jean fabrication that they’ve turned into a jean, which I covered here, but also into two tubes with stirrups at the bottom, so sort of like denim over-the-knee socks or thigh high boots (although you'll need to add the shoes). They’ll sell for around $128

Source: Fashionista

SAY NO TO SANFORIZED

This is so cool.

1963 Sanforized magazine ad:"Beatniks are against all garments labeled "Sanforized" or "Sanforized-Plus". Naturally. These two labels destroy their whole image. You can't look "beat" and neat at the same time. "Sanforized" stops shrinkage-an old beatnik stand-by for appalling appearance. "Sanforized-Plus" fights wrinkles as well...and also assures long lasting fabric. "So, even after days of exposure to rain and folk music in the park, clothes with our labels hold stubbornly to their original size and smoothness..."

Source: An Ambitious Project Collapsing

CURRENT/ELLIOTT CREATE 'DEADSTOCK'

Current/Elliott are launching a new/sub-brand for Autumn, 'Deadstock'. The idea is that they take inspiration from deadstock denim shapes & fabrics from the 50's, 60's & 70's, but with a slightly more modern fit (those small waists can be a bit challenging for buying real vintage. As with true deadstock jeans, the cuts and denim will be sharper, cleaner and more truly retro. It is 'cleaned up' with a 'preserved feel'. “While Deadstock doesn’t have the same look as the main collection, it has the same supersoft feel.” Elliott explains, “[Real] deadstock is a little stiff and sometimes not as flattering on the body…We cheated a bit.”

The collection features both a women's and men's line made from Japanese denim and comes in three washes, One Wash (dark), Classic (indigo) and True Blue (faded). There will be 10 women's styles (skinny, wide legged & boyfriend), and 6 men's styles. I have seen one piece in Barneys NYC, and it looked good. Given the saturation of Current/Elliot pieces in boutiques, it's a smart way to get even more product into the stores.

Also, prices are a tiny bit lower than the main collection, wholesaling from “$58 for a vest to $90 for a shrunken jean jacket” versus “$72 to $226.” “By nature, Deadstock is less expensive because the washes aren’t as difficult.”

Source: Blackburn & Sweetzer