INDIGO SLIMS

PULP ART

2010-05-28T08:31:00.000+01:00

I'm as obsessed as everyone else with these Pulp Art images by Neil Krug, and the polaroids on his flickr. I should say still obsessed, as I've been deciding which one I want since January.

WHOLE COLLECTION

2010-05-27T08:21:00.000+01:00

All these painfully cool people we're getting to see beautifully photographed these days on the interweb, it's enough to make me never want to leave my basement flat in my rubbish clothes. I never thought I'd say this, but I really really want my tiniest possessions fetishized and photographed and held up as the last word in cool.

The good thing is you could build a whole collection on these amazing shots. It doesn't replace getting outside, reading books and doing research but there are so many incredible images everywhere you look.

HERE COMES THE SUN

2010-05-26T08:34:00.000+01:00

It's been getting pretty wintery around her recently as I try and wrench my mind towards future seasons. However, I've been thinking more about light and texture than ever before as we plan photoshoots, and hazy spectrums of sun plus vintage broderie plus white denim never gets old.

THE BOOTS

2010-05-24T08:31:00.000+01:00

Image from Fashion Gone Rogue

PLUM COLOURED FLARES

2010-05-23T08:28:00.000+01:00

In velvet! Also rust coloured would be OK.
Sources: Fashion Gone Rogue, Garance Dore

SHIRT

2010-05-19T08:19:00.000+01:00

From the new Boss Orange campaign, courtesy of Denimology.

BLUE AND CAMEL

2010-05-18T10:21:00.003+01:00

I'm not immune to all the Celine furor. I love classic things and I loved Pheobe Philo's stuff at Chloe and I think I love the things from Celine more. And I love these bright blue denims with blush, caramel and tan. Neil Young again I'm sure.
Pretty sure all of these images are from Jak&Jil.

LATE FOR THE SKY

2010-05-18T10:14:00.002+01:00

From Oyster Magazine, October 08. I've been pondering something I read a while ago that Jonny Johansson from Acne said about Neil Young being the inspiration for his SS2010 collection. Surely Neil Young is one of the inspirations for any denim collection, Jonny? It's really nice when you're taste is reinforced by someone who does great things, but I kind of want my things to be mine, and not co-opted for Spring Summer 10. I'm not a sharer.

WHAT JEANS ARE FOR

2010-04-09T10:23:00.004+01:00

All these very stylish people wandering around in double denim and camel coats look very authentic and fashionable, but sometimes there's nothing better than a great pair of jeans, and these look amazing. MiH Jeans 'Roadtrip' style if I'm not very much mistaken. Perfectly lit picture from Garance Dore.

NEW WOMAN

2010-04-07T09:03:00.000+01:00

I keep seeing these images, mainly from Chloe AW10 but also from all the street style photographers and bloggers, that remind me of Brian Duffy photographs from the late 1970's. Scale, volume and colour were so different, and so much softer - at once more covered up but so much more open and less aggressive. The strong simple details are beautiful.

The Chloe AW10 images are from the Love Magazine blog, and the girl in the black jeans & Ferragamo jumper is a photo by Garance Dore. The Brian Duffy photo is from French Elle from 1979.

RESIN DENIM

2010-04-06T09:09:00.000+01:00

Resin Denim's SS2010 LookBook. I haven't seen this brand around for a while, but I think this has a really strong point of view. It's cool as opposed to feminine, and very Gothic Folk.

Source: Fashion Gone Rogue

LACE UP & PATCH

2010-04-01T09:57:00.003+01:00

So I have pictured some lacing before, not least from the Erin Wasson x RVCA jeans, and certainly some patching. It seems it's not a real jeans collection unless some eager beaver patches together old jeans from the brand's archives and charges $1000 for it. But there's something so great and 1970's about these, and I love the combination of really tarty and really elegant that this encapsulations. It's like Chloe meets Two Lane Blacktop.

Source: Fashion Gone Rogue. Shoot from BlackBook magazine.

EXPOSED

2010-03-31T09:53:00.000+01:00

So the skin colour is a little alarming, but it's a nice idea from a vintage breeches-type inspiration, and exposed fastenings are never wrong. VPL from ssense.com

THE MOOD

2010-03-29T09:05:00.001+01:00

I'm sure you all read The Selvedge Yard and bathe in the vintage images, but these by Michael Cooper are keepers. Google tells me that he's the photographer on whom Blowup was based. The photographs are of Gram Parsons, Keith Richards and Anita Pallenberg at Joshua Tree National Monument in 1969. It also tells me that Gram & Keith became enamored with Joshua Tree. The two would disappear in the desert for days, searching for UFOs while under the influence of psilocybin or LSD. Very lifestyle. As are the Southwestern blankets. Definitely the mood for now.

All images © MICHAEL COOPER

BLONDE ON BLONDE

2010-03-27T09:03:00.000Z

Although I can't really imagine wearing white jeans, all I can think about is different shades of cream & white.
4th and Bleeker

I LOVE MY LAUNDRY

2010-03-25T12:42:00.004Z

Sometimes, it just comes together. There's generally a sinking feeling when I open a box of new developments based on washes that I've spent time imagining, describing and coaxing into existence, and what's in that box is not what's in my head. But I am in LOVE with this one.

I haven't been spreading any of my love towards indigo slims for a while, and for that I apologise. I'm not a professional blogger and honestly just use this as a good place to store pictures and ideas. I haven't been able to figure out how to do a design job and continue to share information, but I've decided to start posting again anyway and see how I go.

I seem to have picked up some followers, and also as many visitors yesterday as when I was posting regularly - clearly you're not visiting for my sparkling way with words. So I enjoy sharing the images and I'll stick them up here when they come my way.

MARGARET

2009-08-14T15:56:00.004+01:00

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

2009-07-21T09:27:00.007+01:00

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

2009-07-17T08:41:00.000+01:00

NEW SUMMER DENIM

2009-07-16T08:50:00.000+01:00

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

Garance Dore.

2009-07-15T12:42:00.002+01:00

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

2009-07-11T21:26:00.001+01:00

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

2009-07-10T16:14:00.000+01:00

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

2009-07-10T11:31:00.000+01:00

From Nylon.

WHAT SHALL WE DO TODAY, BRAIN

2009-07-09T16:35:00.000+01:00

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

2009-07-08T08:27:00.001+01:00

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

2009-07-07T08:00:00.000+01:00

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

2009-07-06T08:33:00.004+01:00

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

2009-07-03T08:21:00.005+01:00

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

2009-07-02T08:34:00.001+01:00

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

2009-07-01T08:29:00.002+01:00

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'

2009-06-30T08:14:00.003+01:00

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

NYC

2009-06-25T06:50:00.000+01:00

Hello. No posts for a few days as I'm in New York. A google search for denim in New York yielded me this gem of a site, which have customised denim jackets for various iconic American things. I preferred this one to the New York ones, so this will have to be the holding page for a few days...

PRE JULY 4

2009-06-24T07:23:00.001+01:00

Stars & stripes, cowboys, Native American craft, surfing, hippies, Woodstock. I don't think there's an American allusion that these photos don't make. Can't go wrong.

Source: Fashionising

FRINGING & STUDS

2009-06-23T07:19:00.000+01:00

Well we haven't had any studs or fringing for a while and I think it's time to remedy that.

Source: Fashionising

DENIM BY PV JUNE 2009 TREND SUMMARY

2009-06-22T07:18:00.000+01:00

DENIM BY PV JUNE 2009 TREND SUMMARY

2009-06-21T08:15:00.000+01:00

DENIM BY PV JUNE 2009 TREND SUMMARY

2009-06-19T06:36:00.000+01:00

DENIM BY PREMIERE VISION JUNE 2009_DICTIONARY OF WASHES

2009-06-18T06:32:00.000+01:00

Denim PV had some great displays of washes done by Martelli & Jeanologia. Taking pictures seemed to be encouraged, which was refreshing. What was less great was that it was as dark as a nightclub, so my picture quality is embarrassingly low.

I haven't grouped them into themes yet, that might come later, but to give a bit of context to the pictures below, the washes were mainly based around the concept of 'rough luxury', which in practice means super vintage, super authentic, stained, dirtied, patched, 'hobo' type jeans. The more modern washes looked watered and lightly tie-dyed with bleach tide marks, ripping and subtle chemical washes.

BLUE GOLD

2009-06-17T08:18:00.000+01:00

Just received a note about a film about jeans. I'll let you decide whether it sounds like a Saturday night date movie:
"A new documentary, BLUE GOLD, follows the fascinating story of the blue jean, a truly American icon that has evolved into a global phenomenon. This historic journey that begins in rural Nevada more than 130 years ago when the jean was a miner’s solution to a working man’s pant, travels throughout the US, all the way to a denim auction in Yokohama, Japan. Speaking with collector’s, dealers, designers, legends and historians, this unique film creates the narrative for the behind-the-scenes players in this subculture. The relentless search for vintage jeans is a continued source of inspiration for high-end designers and brands as well as for collectors all over the world. Nowhere is this more apparent than in Japan, where an estimated 80% of all vintage denim resides today, along with the original Levi’s shuttle looms discarded by American factories after World War II. Japanese fascination and adaptation of Americana is hugely responsible for having generated the current interest in vintage jeans. BLUE GOLD is a positive film about the global love for American blue jeans. The images and the myth that made the world fall in love with the original American hero, the cowboy, the rebel, and the frontier. The structure of the film is the intersection of the history of blue jeans as the ultimate symbol of Americana, the global underground network of vintage dealers keeping the dream alive, and the high-end fashion industry and pop culture."

You can watch the trailer here: Blue Gold The Movie

CROPPED & DROPPED

2009-06-16T08:31:00.000+01:00

There's something about the shape of this pant that I really love. Coming Soon.

SUMMER JEANS SHOPPING #2

2009-06-15T08:14:00.001+01:00

Do it. Asos.
Go on. They are surprisingly flattering. Madewell for ShopBop.
Current/Elliott.
Current/Elliott.
I think these would actually look really lovely. Colour isn't that different to a pair of chinos, and their back pocket detail is super cute, its an embossed-effect heart. My Lovely Jean.
Not necessarily summer, but seriously nice for £50. Religion.

SUMMER JEANS SHOPPING

2009-06-12T08:27:00.000+01:00

I feel like I’ve seen so many scary jeans lately. Not scary as in bad, scary as in ‘face down the bus driver, I promise I don’t feel like a twat in these’ jeans. Super cool, but not necessarily suitable for every occasion.

All this exposure to the fashion future of jeans has made me long for nice, easy, blue denim. It's always easier to pick up on the extreme, and get excited by the new. I flip between being someone who secretly wants a pair of mega-ripped jeans to go with my horizontal stripe mohair knit grunge jumper (which I don’t have yet), and the girl who bought a pair of slightly carrot-fit chinos yesterday from H&M, and is wearing them with a blue shirt. As in, am I willing to dress crazy, or do I just end up dressed like a Gap commercial?

So, there'll be two days of Summer shopping, and day one will be nice, blue, classic, chic. Day two, well still nice, but perhaps not suitable for Sunday lunch with the in-laws. And it's not warm yet in England, so apart from a couple of pairs of shorts, I'm definitely not at the stage where I understand the purpose of a denim mini skirt.

Not for real people, but so sexy & cool. Acne.
I just want to find a great denim shirt. I don't think it exists. This looks close. Acne.
Acne.
Should be worn cuffed. Acne.
I've been looking at these for a few months now, and I finally think I love them. Acne.
Always! Current/Elliott.
The H&M Squin fit in rigid denim (i.e. not stretch) has this kind of fit, but H&M doesn't do photos, so this is the expensive version. Current/Elliott.
I am not sure whether these are kinda tacky, but I think I love them. Anything that makes me think of 1960's San Francisco wins. Goldsign.
Little bit of a cheap-looking wash on the whiskers and the honeycomb perhaps? Current/Elliott.

DENIM ILLUSTRATION

2009-06-11T08:23:00.000+01:00

I have been seeing a return to painted illustrations in advertising, like the old travel posters for Wales or the Lake District, or Enid Blyton book covers. I love this kind of picture, it never gets old.

MADEWELL EX-BOYFRIEND SHORT

2009-06-10T08:26:00.000+01:00

I'm off to New York in a few days and I hope these look as good in person as they do in this picture. Madewell 1937 ex-boyfriend shorts.

OCEANS BLUE

2009-06-09T08:02:00.000+01:00

These images have a real new-supermodel, Guess advert feel to them. They've been around for a month or so (April or May 2009 Vogue UK). Source: FashionGoneRogue

INDUSTRY LURKERS

2009-06-08T15:05:00.000+01:00

Hello readers from the denim industry!
I have a favour to ask.
Indigo Slims has never been about what I do everyday, it's a purely creative outlet to catch the overflow from the everyday.

But, I thought that it might be interesting to include a little of what I'm working on, and ask for some information in return.

The 'what I'm working on' means, for the purposes of this, a denim line that I'm developing with my very talented mother. And by denim I mean denim fabric, not jeans. For me, it's one of the most rewarding things I do, working with a niche denim mill and developing the fabrics in line with trend, fibre innovations, new finishes, yarn counts, slub lengths, new shades, coatings, I could go on! You get to learn, you have to really anticipate the market, you get to impact on someone's business in a very real way, you have to know your shit.

My mum has 'previous' with mills in India. 12 or so years ago she joined Arvind Mills, and took them from a mill that sold within India to the international behemoth they are today. Similarly, 6 or 7 years ago, she did the same with Raymond Denim.

Well, our lovely niche denim mill wants me to help bring their denims to a wider audience. Specifically the USA, but as I'm based in London, I'll detour to the UK if anyone's interested! (Also, happy to go to nice cities - I'd love a few days in Stockholm/Copenhagan/Oslo/somewhere in Italy perhaps - it's summer soon - but the main focus is the US.)

So, to all the industry lurkers on Indigo Slims, I'd love the opportunity to come and show you the denim line we've built. There are some CRACKING denims. The mill is in India, and I say niche as it's not a leviathan in terms of production (25 million metres a year). Price is good - not bargain basement, but not Japanese prices. I've said it before and I'll say again, I'm not a denim snob. I've designed jeans with denims from Italy, Turkey, Japan, Pakisatan, Hong Kong. The point is the passion of the mill and the developer. We all know denim has a personality, and that comes from the man at the loom, not the country the loom is in.

So, my e-mail's at the top left of the blog - just click on the 'VIEW MY COMPLETE PROFILE' , contact/email and give me your company details if you want to see a great new denim collection, and AW10/11 denims & trend presentation can be yours, and a trip to the US can be mine.

HIGH SUMMER 09 DENIM TRENDS

2009-06-08T08:21:00.000+01:00

I love it when someone does my job for me. ShopBop have sent a mailshot with their shoot of SS09 denim trends, which I've added titles to for an insta-presentation.

SS2011 SNEAK PREVIEW

2009-06-05T08:45:00.000+01:00

We've been doing SS2011 trends at work and I'm currently so pleased with the way this one is working I thought I'd share it. With compliments to the team in the studio of course!

DENIM BY PREMIERE VISION JUNE 2009

2009-06-04T10:52:00.004+01:00

So yesterday was Paris (naturellement), and Denim P.V. When you haven't been to a trade fair for a few months, the shock of an outdoor d.j. at 10am on a work day is as fresh as the first time. It's not, and never will be, a cool thing to go to a trade fair, so the idea of recreating an Ibiza-style 'chill out' area remains mysterious to me. And it's not 1996 anymore either. With that out of the way, I really like Denim P.V., and I wish more mills would show than do at the moment, and not just denim mills but mills that do some denim, and some other interesting wovens, like japanese double cloths & checks, and indigo knits, and a couple of interesting jersey mills & treated wovens. Not too big, not too small.

What's also amazing is you can pretty much photograph anything, which is unheard of at trade fairs generally. Although the lighting is so moody you're not sure what you're going to get. I attempted to photograph some of the ubiquitous Martelli installation and I'll post some pictures here, along with a summary of what was jumping out in terms of wash & shade trend, in a few days.

As a brief teaser: lots of PP/bleach and dirty tint to create yellowed, aged, hobo washes. Lots of repair on rips. Lots of coloured wefts, either tub-dyed or fabric overdyed, in greys, indigos, blacks, browns, and dark orange looking particularly cool. Earth tone denims (khaki, burgundy, brown). Black & waxy resin coatings. Lots of lighter blues, even though technically everyone's showing AW10/11 fabrics. Some great looking left hand twills. Classic low tension cottons/oe look yarns to create classic 3x1 lumpiness/marbling. Denser, stiffer hands on tighter constructions. Still some great lightweights around, for bottoms & shirts.

Finalement, the freebies. Thank you Tavex for my very chic bandana, it's just what I wanted.

TOPSHOP WEBSITE

2009-06-04T08:08:00.001+01:00

Great picture of Jourdan Dunn on TopShop's website in some extreme distressed jeans.

Can we just take a moment to have a look at the own-brand jeans TopShop has in store at the moment? They stock Lee, Wrangler, Levi's J Brand, My Lovely Jean and others at their flagship, and I'm sure that most of us would end up in these brands rather than TopShop's more extreme jeans. But nevertheless their offer is pretty breathtaking.

THE JEGGING, PART TWO

2009-06-03T08:20:00.001+01:00

It might interest you to know that my highest visitor numbers are for my post on the jegging. Certainly it's fairly disappointing that my lovingly crafted sketchbooks, inspirational and authoritative trends and wistful musings on vintage Americana are passed over in favour of knitted jeans-look leggings. I'm sure jeans themselves feel the same way.

However, I have decided to bow to popular demand and give a run-down of the current available jeggings from the UK, including styling & fabric composition. I am not sure which are the best fitting, but I do know that I haven't seen that many pairs on the street that look good, apart from yesterday when a girl was wearing what appeared to be a woven jegging with orange jeans stitching where there are normally pockets & seams. They looked pretty cool, but I think it's because a woven fabric just looks a bit cooler anyway, there's some wash effects at the seams etc.

I am also willing to bet that the UK is the world centre of the jegging. It's just that we love the combination of trendy and unflattering that this trend seems to promise.

Your decision is basically between a woven fabric (a super stretchy lightweight denim) 'pull on' jean, or a legging made with denim-look jersey. I would council people to go for a super-stretchy woven fabric rather than a knitted denim-look jersey, if only because the denim jerseys look really hairy, and you know you are going to look back on it with that awful sinking feeling of regret you get when remembering past fashion mistakes.

But what I think would be best is maybe a dark denim jersey with some kind of resin or cire coating, to give a edgy cross between the leather-look legging and the denim-look legging (hey, I say edgy, others say terrifying mutant cross breed). I think the coating would add a bit more structure to the jersey and you'd start to get the 'fashion wrinkles' that make jeans so flattering.

Anyway:

Asos has the 'Kate' jegging, which are pretty much all 85% cotton, 13% polyester, 2% elastane. There are a couple (grey & printed) which are 98% cotton, 2% elastane. I am going to go out on a limb and say they are made from woven fabric, based on what I can tell from the zoom.
They do them in black, indigo, vintage blue, grey, acid wash, cropped length and printed with roses.

TopShop.
They have a printed jean-look legging, which is an acid wash look, like a photographic transfer of a jean, and made, interestingly, out of slinky viscose: 94% Viscose,6% Elastane. Their denim-look leggings are jersey, and 96% Cotton,4% Elastane. Dare I call these the classic jegging? They also have something called an Indigo knitted Tregging, 85% Cotton,10% Polyester,5% Elastane, with back pockets.

River Island, Urban Outfitters - both good places to go, both have good websites, forgive me if I've run out of steam a bit with picture editing. We'll save that for the third update.

CURRENT ELLIOTT SUMMER 2009

2009-06-02T08:59:00.001+01:00

Never a truer word spoken than when starting your own brand, hire a really good stylist. Or be a stylist. Can someone put me out of my misery and please please tell me where they get all those amazingly cute vintage shirts?
Current Elliott

LINEAR DESTRUCTION

2009-06-01T08:22:00.000+01:00

I feel like we need a new vocabulary to describe the profusion of rip types we're seeing on jeans.

Ultra-destroy

Repeat slashing

Holes

Oversized damage

Personalised destruction

Clean cuts

Scratching

Multi-Slashing

Feathered wefts

Horizontal slashing

New patchwork

Linear destruction

Meadham Kirchhoff

THE RELIEF OF WIDE LEGS & PLEATS

2009-05-29T15:23:00.000+01:00

How lovely are these against all the continuing skinnies. Opening Ceremony

SUPERFINE AW09 MENS

2009-05-29T08:14:00.002+01:00

SUPERFINE AW09 #2

2009-05-28T08:59:00.000+01:00

SUPERFINE AW09

2009-05-27T08:56:00.002+01:00

I've just received a timely e-mail from Superfine with their men's & women's AW09 collections. This is much appreciated as:
a. Superfine's images are always stunning, and this season continues their thing of scoring an amazing model and making them look like they were always Superfine girls. This season uses Irina Lazareanu being all casual, edgy and semi-naked. No cigarettes although Superfine are never shy of using 'smoking is cool' iconography. (I don't disagree, I'm just glossing the pics.)
b. I've been super-busy lately, and haven't had much time to devise exciting posts.
c. It makes me feel really important when people e-mail me stuff, even though:
d. I only post it unless I am interested in it. If I'm going to shill stuff for people, then I require free gifts at the very least, e-mails won't do.

Having said that, if I like it, you only need do the bare minimum to get me to post it. The e-mail with the the Superfine AW09 collection images was totally blank, just the attachements. I figured out from the e-mail address they were from Superfine's PR - Hi Neil! Perhaps we'll work up to a word-based relationship. In the meantime, thank you.

I'll put 1/2 today, 1/2 tomorrow, and the men's after that.

ARNSDORF

2009-05-26T08:57:00.000+01:00

I think it might soon be time to have a separate category for Australian brands (and include New Zealand brands in it just to annoy Kiwis).

Arnsdorf is the label from Melbourne designer Jade Sarita Arnott, who I first noticed wearing tonal jeans & shirt combinations on the Garance Dore blog, looking like a fresh-faced daughter on Dallas. Her collection doesn't disappoint, especially in the tonal jeans & top styling, which I love. I think the pale colours are really brave, and beautifully styled, and I think the fit looks, well, brave also. Higher waists and defiantly 80's fits around the rise, thigh and in the leg lengths.

RAVE ON EEL PIE ISLAND

2009-05-23T08:24:00.002+01:00

Love these photos!

Eel Pie Island, 31st August 1960. From Google’s Life magazine collection. They feature some teenagers at a ‘rave’ on Eel Pie Island at Twickenham on a Wednesday night August 31 1960.

Two girls called Marian Dawson and Kathleen Mayo, the original caption made sure we knew that Kathleen is holding her boyfriend's drink while drinking apple juice.

The wall decoration is described as 'beatnik graffiti'.
Source: Another Nickel in the Machine

EBAY MADNESS #8

2009-05-22T08:34:00.000+01:00

The original 'thrasher' jeans.
Source: IndieCultVintage

INDUSTRY LURKERS

2009-05-21T10:28:00.006+01:00

Hello readers from the denim industry!
I have a favour to ask.
Indigo Slims has never been about what I do everyday, it's a purely creative outlet to catch the overflow from the everyday.

But, I thought that it might be interesting to inlcude a little of what I'm working on, and ask for some information in return.

The 'what I'm working on' means, for the purposes of this, a denim line that I'm developing with my very talented mother. And by denim I mean denim fabric, not jeans. For me, it's one of the most rewarding things I do, working with a niche denim mill and developing the fabrics in line with trend, fibre innovations, new finishes, yarn counts, slub lengths, new shades, coatings, I could go on! You get to learn, you have to really anticipate the market, you get to impact on someone's business in a very real way, you have to know your shit.

My mum has 'previous' with mills in India. 12 or so years ago she joined Arvind Mills, and took them from a mill that sold within India to the international behemoth they are today. Similarly, 6 or 7 years ago, she did the same with Raymond Denim.

Well, our lovely niche denim mill wants me to help bring their denims to a wider audience. Specifically the USA, but as I'm based in London, I'll detour to the UK if anyone's interested! (Also, happy to go to nice cities - I'd love a few days in Stockholm/Copenhagan/Oslo/somewhere in Italy perhaps - it's summer soon - but the main focus is the US.)

So, to all the industry lurkers on Indigo Slims, I'd love the opportunity to come and show you the denim line we've built. There are some CRACKING denims. The mill is in India, and I say niche as it's not a leviathan in terms of production (25 million metres a year). Price is good - not bargain basement, but not Japanese prices. I've said it before and I'll say again, I'm not a denim snob. I've designed jeans with denims from Italy, Turkey, Japan, Pakisatan, Hong Kong. The point is the passion of the mill and the developer. We all know denim has a personality, and that comes from the man at the loom, not the country the loom is in.

So, my e-mail's at the top left of the blog - just click on the 'VIEW MY COMPLETE PROFILE' , contact/email and give me your company details if you want to see a great new denim collection, and AW10/11 denims & trend presentation can be yours, and a trip to the US can be mine.

EBAY MADNESS #7

2009-05-21T08:26:00.000+01:00

Source: IndieCultVintage

2009-05-20T08:35:00.000+01:00

Souce: A Time to Get

SYDNEY

2009-05-19T08:21:00.002+01:00

A truly dreamy vision of Sydneysiders in denim. The gentle side of life.
Source: Garance Dore

70'S FASHION - VINTAGE FASHION ADS

2009-05-18T08:54:00.005+01:00

On the surface, the book '70's Fashion: Vintage Fashion & Beauty Ads' looks supremely tacky, but it's a goldmine of imagery and shapes from shoes to glasses, and especially jeans. There's also a few great ads for sewing machines, zips and thread, the best of which has the tagline: 'Motorcyles are a thing with Karen and Carl. He does a great quiche lorraine. She's into Yoga. He makes their jewelry. She made these clothes.' He makes their jewelry. Genius.

Anyway, I'm just posting my favourite jeans ones for now, but I may come back for Karen and Carl if someone would like to see the clothes that Karen made.

CROPPED TOPS

2009-05-16T08:20:00.001+01:00

The tops, they are cropped.
Source: OakNYC

MADE IN HEAVEN

2009-05-15T08:38:00.001+01:00

From Made in Heaven. I love this skirt. Can't find it for sale on their website though.

TEXTURE

2009-05-14T08:21:00.002+01:00

Textures moving towards extremes, the textile version of the Beyond the Thunderdome aesthetic. Slit sweatshirt material, ragged khaki and slubbed cobweb knits from Graham Tabor.

PIMPING

2009-05-13T08:38:00.003+01:00

...or whatever the equivalent is that you do in a leather biker jacket. Someone recently asked me if I get lots of free stuff sent to me courtesy of blogging. The answer is not enough / should I sully my integrity in this way / what would I want if someone was going to send me free stuff?

Well, what I would like, Mr. VF EU, is this Lee leather biker jacket, which I've seen recently on asos. And while we're at it, I'd like a lifetime asos discount voucher for all the mentions. And now you see the dilemma; once you start, where does it end?

I AM IN LOVE

2009-05-12T16:05:00.004+01:00

I think it's probably clear by now that Australia has a large piece of my heart. It's strange, because when I lived in Sydney I really struggled to adjust to the different pace, and for the longest while I felt that I had lost my sources of inspiration. What eventually happened was that I started relying less on what I encountered and more on going out and taking photos and that kind of thing. I discovered lomos (pretty chuffed about that, thought I was pretty cool), and as a result have some lovely Holga polaroid shots of the Northern beaches which are amongst my most treasured possessions. I always associate Syndey with the 'analogue' camera aesthetic - low key, edgy, heightened colour/blue overtoned, beaten up camper van kind of thing. While we're talking about it, I'd love to be able to surf, but it's never going to happen. Also, surfwear, whilst super cool, looks really really bad when worn in North London.

All of this leads me to the admission that I'm totally in love with Loversland blog. I don't care if they were sponsored to have a good time. I'm not even jealous. I am in awe.

DISINTEGRATION

2009-05-12T08:32:00.004+01:00

I feel like ripped jeans are turning into an episode of 'When good jeans go bad', where the rips go feral and take over the whole jean, leaving only the seams holding out against the rabid warp threads that are attacking the defenceless weft, to leave only the skeleton of the jean behind. Ah, denim humour.
Anyway, I think these jeans below look pretty good, and below that is an amazingly explicit tutorial from Park & Cube on how to achieve the effect, d.i.y. style. Image below through Park & Cube also.

COLOUR OF THE YEAR

2009-05-11T08:28:00.003+01:00

Apparently 'Mimosa' has been declared colour of the year by Pantone (PANTONE® 14-0848).
They say: "In a time of economic uncertainty and political change, optimism is paramount and no other color expresses hope and reassurance more than yellow. The color yellow exemplifies the warmth and nurturing quality of the sun, properties we as humans are naturally drawn to for reassurance," explains Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. "Mimosa also speaks to enlightenment, as it is a hue that sparks imagination and innovation."

Now I peddle this kind of thing for a living, and even I will admit this is rubbish. And also, how hard is it to say what the colour of 2009 will be in December 2008? This is not a challenge with a professional level of difficulty.

So, with scorn duly poured, check out these lovely acid yellow jeans as work by Park & Cube.

COWBOY BOOTS

2009-05-10T08:33:00.000+01:00

I don't know what's wrong with me. Cowboy boots used to epitomise all that I could hold in certain hatred... Golden Goose through Kate Boutique.

COACHELLA

2009-05-09T08:25:00.002+01:00

So I have no idea what Coachella actually is. It sounds like the combination of very annoying people & a very overbranded festival, accreted around a kernel of very cool, that LA seems to specialise in. There have been lots of pictures of the folks there, and these have been reproduced endlessly. And this has made me think again about how people get their inspiration.

One of the tenets of a 'good' designer is that you get out and pull inspiration from around you, and I don't think you'll meet a designer who wouldn't like to travel for research, spend time wandering aimlessly round sydney or tokyo, go to gigs and festivals. But for the majority of folks with a full time job and the pretence of life, this can be unrealistic. A varying degree of wandering and going to gigs gets done anyway, because you do what you love and what you're interested in and what inspires you as a matter of course. However, there aren't endless budgets for travel, there isn't endless time.

If you then bring into the equation the occasional lack of trust in design demonstrated by some businesses that results in meetings where questions are asked about how you know it's 'right', how you can guarantee that it's 'on trend', what exact week it needs to be sent into store to anticipate the 15 year old customer's desire to wear it. I'm not knocking interaction between design, sales and merchandising - pressure makes the diamond after all - and design should be backed up by research and elegant thought. But what's asked for now is more forensic - people need evidence.

That's where coolhunters, trend services and websites come in. They do the travelling, visit the shops, take the pictures, interpret the vibe on the street, collate the research. But that's almost not enough. There's this need to know that you're getting your research from the place where everyone else is getting it, so you don't miss a trick. In denim a couple of years ago it was suddenly imperative to go to the Pasadena Rose Bowl market. Before, it was a great place for research and inpsiration. Suddenly, if you weren't there, your entire line would fail, because you wouldn't be inspired by the same things as all the other denim lines. (God forbid you might develop a collection that had an inner narrative, a sense of place, time and style.)

Anyway, I get the feeling that the current must-be place is Coachella (which is a bit of a shame as it's a 12 hour plane journey from where I am, and it sounds horrifically hot. Added to which, my tolerance for crowds of people that annoy me is pretty low). I have reviewed the photos, and inspiration-wise I feel like I can save you the trouble. Denim shorts. High-waisted. Tuck a vest in. I don't want to sound cynical, because being in a particular place at a certain time you occasionally get that vibe, and you're just drinking the whole thing in through your pores, and it's an amazing feeling. But every single person poring over the same picture of the same girl at Coachella in a pair of high-waisted denim shorts at their desks on Monday morning is not that feeling.

I'm not really sure what my problem is. It's life, it's work. WGSN and other trend sites do a good job, it is good to see real clothes worn in inspiring ways, fashion is much more adventurous than the glossy mags would have you believe, and you could never see as much by yourself at the event as you can with photos from the event. Perhaps partly because you'd have a bottle of beer if you were there. But I can't help thinking that it's too much information, it takes up the space in your brain where your mind wanders after an elusive mood. And some of the pictures that you see aren't spontaeous outpourings of natural style. A friend who takes some street pictures said that on a recent trip to Brick Lane she found the same people, in the same clothes, standing in the same place, waiting to be photographed for style sites and blogs. That's depressing.

So sometimes it's nice to take a journey against reality, through someone else's eyes. Coachella through the eyes of Hedi Slimane.

HOT DARK WASH

2009-05-08T08:27:00.000+01:00

Just caught sight of these Lee jeans on asos. Don't normally go for a bootcut, or a standard dark jean, but the wash on these looks stunning.

SEQUINS FOR ME

2009-05-07T08:34:00.000+01:00

All this studding, zips and rips demands a softer side of shine, a counterpoint, for when the fetish and bondage looks just aren't going to cut it. Slightly deco, geometric and all-over flapper-style sequinning make bleached, tie-dyed and marbled jeans a bit more easily accessible. Pixie Market Leopard Sequin bomber jacket Siwy sequin jeans Ksubi sequin tank dress Never Denim jeans

TEEPEE

2009-05-06T15:49:00.000+01:00

Beautiful inspiration shots from Cecile Bortoletti. Iconography based on American myth, history, sense of place and sense of itself is bottomless and endless, totally transports you each and every time. I think all I need for inspiration is the name of a place: the Haight, the Blue Ridge Mountains, Oregon, Idaho, Tennessee. Perhaps it's because I don't live there and have no real idea what those places are/mean/look like that they can mean so much in my head.

VINTAGE MADNESS: WRANGLER FLEECE-LINED COAT

2009-05-06T08:39:00.000+01:00

This makes me think of living in Canada in the 1970's. I didn't. But I think the vibe is undeniable. For sale on Etsy.

ALEXANDER WANG/VENA CAVA FOR GAP

2009-05-05T14:06:00.004+01:00

So I'm not much interested in the ins and outs of why or how these collaborations come about. In England, there's a collaboration every 17 seconds, and everyone in retail is desperately hoping that Matthew Williamson will save our souls, which... no. But it's a good thing in general - accessible, affordable design, bringing a whole range of aesthetics to the fore; diversity, choice, availability, all good things.

The second part of the story of the collaboration between Gap and award-nominated designers is what they choose to work with, and currently the plan is to re-imagine icons. Last year, they chose the white shirt to revamp, and the icon they are re-inventing this year is khaki. Whether these things are American icons, fashion icons, or just Gap icons is unclear, but neat going to claim such style icons as your own, Gap.

I feel like Khaki falls under my remit, as it's made by many of the same mills as denim, and it's trousers, and all the cool kids are doing it these days - Acne is so preppy I'm surprised they haven't re-invented the letterman sweater, and Band of Outsiders is like the Rotary Club come to life. So I've winkled out the pictures of the Khaki collection that's getting everyone so excited and I have edited above for your delectation. (The hat and the dress are for me - not relevant to denim & street inspiration!)

Pleats & biker jackets. Good. Exciting. I've said before how much I love a pleat. The shorts look super cute. The black details on the straight leg chinos scare me. However, perhaps if you bought them baggy, cut them off at the knee and roughly cuffed them they'd look pretty cool. Hi Gap. Call me. We'd be great together. I'd move to San Francisco (I know your design offices are in New York but come on, I think you need to be designing your denims on the West Coast, and truthfully, I'd prefer to live in SF). Your jeans would fit great. We'd make them even cooler. Add a button here, an eyelet there, possibly a small cuff, perhaps a rip - I don't want to go to far, I too have classic taste, but a little edge maybe wouldn't hurt?

Source: Racked

VINTAGE MADNESS: DENIM FLYING SUIT

2009-05-05T07:59:00.000+01:00

I think it needs a yellow-cover paperback of Fear of Flying peeking out the top of one of the pockets. Bliss Vintage.

LEVI'S FENOM CHAMBRAY WESTERN SHIRT

2009-05-04T08:38:00.000+01:00

Soft, loose, gently shaped yoke, subtle mitres on pocket flaps, everything shaped in a more understated, workwear way.
Source: Levi's Japan

RETRO GEO/90's HI-TECH

2009-05-03T08:45:00.001+01:00

Seams and panels. Diagonals and cut outs. Cut outs and seams. Seams and Diagonals. Oh, I could go on. Seams and denim together are made in heaven, no other fabric behaves in the same way when stitched to itself. The seam movement and indigo fading... In a previous incarnation, the brand I worked with actually washed the panels of denim before cutting and sewing, to try and get a super clean finish in amazing traditional tailored pieces made out of denim. Not many factories would do it, and the wastage, well, let's just close our eyes to that. This styling should achieve the exact opposite; a kind of retro futuristic geometric feel, it's denim as fashion rather than denim as heritage. Panelled jeans: Indie Cult Vintage
Lightening bolt jeans: Never Denim Cutout dresses: stylestalker Panelled denim skirt: Current Elliott

IF HIPSTERS WORE JEANS

2009-05-02T08:41:00.002+01:00

A new blog that takes pictures of achingly lovely looking people showing just how stylish they are. You can hate them, but you can't deny how greatness of the pictures. It's kind of like a The Selby for their outfits and hairstyles rather than their apartments.
Backyard Bill.

BANDS IN JEANS: NIRVANA

2009-05-01T08:20:00.000+01:00

So now I think we've established that we're firmly in the 1990's, trend-wise, these are unavoidable.

CYBERDOG

2009-04-30T08:44:00.000+01:00

All images through Jak&Jil, and the jeans from my new favourite Hot Topic. These are pretty stunning, a combination of serious, almost sterile, medical metal panels and studs with blind puching and embossing. But the Givenchy clutches remind me of nothing so much as the accessories from Cyberdog in Camden Market. A slightly different price point.

FETISH

2009-04-30T08:20:00.000+01:00

Clockwise from left!
Herve Leger swimwear
Opening Ceremony dress
Alaia shoes
Body webs - yes, I too would walk quickly past these if I saw them in real life
Alexander Wang
Hot Topic (new favourite online jeans, very Adam Lambert from American Idol)

HELL'S ANGELS

2009-04-29T08:00:00.001+01:00

I'm super-inspired by the BleachBlack website/blog at the moment. Their aesthetic is so perfectly right, with the combination of 1990's skater, edgy d.i.y. fashion and very Kate Lanphear-esque fetish couture.

What I particularly love is the road-hog hippy looks that are half Burning Man, half Hell's Angels, with lacing, fringing, studding and American classics mixed in. If anyone can persuade me towards cut-off denims and cowboy boots, it's them.

Legalise jeans from RVCA X Erin Wasson, bright red Frye boots, tank top customised by Bleach Black. The bags are from Sawgrass Blossom, and are making me revisit my desire for some handcrafted leather goods. In keeping with my current trends being inspired by trashy TV (stay tuned for the American Idol reference tomorrow), I think this look is all about Rock of Love.

EBAY MADNESS #6

2009-04-28T08:35:00.000+01:00

My new favourite ebay store: indie cult vintage. Great diagonal panelled jeans, similar to the Never Denim lightening bolt jeans, and super cool idea for studding on jeans, reminds me of Alexander Wang-style understated extremes.

SURF

2009-04-27T09:55:00.005+01:00

I found these paintings by Raymond Pettibon at the end of last week, in my naivete tried to find a print or poster, only to find out he's a. pretty famous; b. pretty cool; and therefore c. no way was i getting my grubby little paws on a print - unless someone has $5000 they would like to share with me.

I love surf brands and surf movies in particular - a very cool, distinct sense of style that is definitely coming back into play with the return of all things 1990's. I think we'll see a combination of the 1960's original surf aesthetic, plus the harder edged, more 'fetish' side of surf style, with rips, studs, seams, check, bandanas and printed cotton jersey - and hopefully less of the funky fish graphics.
With perfect synchronicity, the Raymond Pettibon pictures are accompanied by shots from Hedi Slimane that I found this morning.

2009-03-08 _

BLEACH BIKER

2009-04-27T09:24:00.000+01:00

Cute acid wash denim biker. Pixie Market.

SKETCHBOOKS: TATTOO

2009-04-25T08:13:00.000+01:00

DENIM SHIRTS: 1907 SUNSET CHAMBRAY SHIRT

2009-04-24T12:40:00.002+01:00

Levi's Vintage Clothing have remade 3 early 20th Century workshirts for SS09. There is a 1907 Sunset workshirt with a shrunken left chest pocket and pullover/henley 1/2 button through front. There's also a 1902 Sunset striped shirt - the original was found in a mine in the West. Made in a soft, striped brushed cotton fabric, with a hidden button down collar. It also has the small left chest pocket that was used by several brands at that time. Finally a reproduction of a Levi's Make, 1910 Chambray shirt. Repeattofade says the original was found in a bunkhouse in Sierra Nevada. It had started out black, now it was worn, faded and torn. It has a hidden button-down collar and is kept in style by a Levi's arcuate on the back yoke. The original vintage shirt picture is from e-workers, as are the detail shots of the chambray shirt, which suggest that the original shirt that LVC have recreated had authentic wash scratching on the elbows, fraying at the seams, and some printing on the back.
They all have the strange mini pocket on the left chest, and the pattern image, from Unsung Sewing Patterns, is from the 1920's, so the mini pocket was clearly quite the thing for the dashing scout-about-town. I particularly love the collar stand with the button across fastening on the Levi's shirts. And of course the box! It's a piece that looks definitively vintage, harder to wear than a western denim shirt I would think, as it's slightly smock-like.

SKETCHBOOKS: CONCEPT ACID WASH

2009-04-24T08:44:00.000+01:00

The new acid washes are all about creating texture, almost like white paint and plaster have been applied to the surface of the denim, then cracked and scraped off. It can be very decorative, almost rococo. Would be interesting to see it created with a bleach print, or white pigment treatment, rather than the flatter results from the laundry.

VINTAGE LEE RIDER SAWTOOTH DENIM SHIRT

2009-04-23T13:07:00.000+01:00

I'm not 100%, but I think that the double peak on the pocket is the Sawtooth, so that's what I'm going with. Images from e-workers.

SKETCHBOOKS: CHAINS AND RINGS

2009-04-23T08:38:00.000+01:00

SKETCHBOOKS: BOWERY

2009-04-22T09:09:00.000+01:00

Ramones. Suzi Quattro. Black leather. Silver studs. Blue denim. Black denim. Blue suede.

SKETCHBOOKS: BLACK LACE

2009-04-22T08:34:00.000+01:00

LEVI'S CHAMBRAY SHIRT WITH CIGARETTE POCKET

2009-04-21T09:21:00.000+01:00

Levi's Japan has a Chambray shirt with a cigarette pocket this season. I think this styling fits in with the pared down workwear aesthetic, and although I love a vintage denim shirt with flap pockets and pearl snaps, this kind of shirt, with white stitching and plastic buttons looks very clean and current.

DENIM SHIRTS: CIGARETTE POCKET

2009-04-20T12:01:00.000+01:00

So I promised several weeks ago that I'd post the results of my research into denim shirts here. I'd like to know the proper descriptions for the different stylings of each element, although I'm finding it hard to find references to what the different pocket shapes and yoke styles are traditionally called. Reviewing all the front pocket styles on the shirts has turned up symmetrical and non-symmetrical front pocket designs.
The symmetrical pockets can have a double mitre/peak or a single mitre, with straight diagonals on the flaps or curved (what I would call western) flaps. The single mitre is either centred, or offset to the inside - which appears to be a 1960's/1070's Wrangler favourite detail.
The bottoms of the pockets are either square cut, or diamond shaped, and the square cut bottom seems to be pre-1950's, the diamond shape more popular from the 1960's onwards, but I could be talking rubbish. The definitions for non-symmetrical pockets are easier to pinpoint, as their purpose is generally more functional. The first, which is making a comeback in chambray shirts this season, is the cigarette pocket, on the left chest as worn. It inverts the mitre, and doesn't have a flap, so the pocket itself has a peak, with a button fastening, and a square cut bottom. The other pocket, on the right chest, is simple a rectangle, sometimes also with a button fastening (rather than a snap), and both pockets are 'patched' on. The vintage plaid shirt advert is from e-workers, the chambray shirt is Urban Outfitters.