LEVI'S FENOM CHAMBRAY WESTERN SHIRT

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

DENIM SHIRTS: 1907 SUNSET CHAMBRAY SHIRT

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.

LEVI'S CHAMBRAY SHIRT WITH CIGARETTE POCKET

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.

LEVI'S LIMITED EDITION GRAPHIC COLLECTION

Very cool-looking reverse printed Levi's, on the classic 501 shape and being released as a limited edition. They are apparently inspired by 1980's video game graphics, and the Levi's arcuate stitching on the back pocket and button on the fly match the respective print colours.
Sources: Coolhunting and h(y)r

XLARGE x LEVI'S

Another day, another Levi's collaboration. They look good; dry denim, strong graphic, slightly cartoonish feel. Now if the stripe had been woven rather than printed... I'm seeing a bit of a resurgence in dobbies and stripes in denim, not just vintage hickory stripe but more multi-widths and even checks. Kind of a combination of street meets preppy. Looks very cool, and now everyone's obsessed with making denim stand out as much as possible, it gives you denim that looks 'different' in another way entirely from crazy washes and patches and rips.

Source: Freshness

CARTOON: KAWS x ORIGINAL FAKE x LEVI'S

I love the weird 'art' jeans that pop up occasionally, and I am always impressed at the boys who wear them. The mega outscale Levi's red pieces from a couple of years ago have led me to think of these pieces as cartoon denim. It's probably one of the defining aesthetics of Evisu, and it's kind of hip hop too I guess. It's also pretty much what Levi's Red do, and were doing before Cassette Playa/Henry Holland haute neon happened. And now Marc Jacobs AW09 has happened upon the happy, creative, baggy and bright feel, so this streetwear trend has definitely tipped over into world domination.

This new collaboration between Levi's Japan and Kaws/Original Fake picks up on some of the defining features of this, my own private genre. Strong red, white & blue colour combinations. Quirky, plasticated details. Digital art & illustration. And as you seek, so you shall find. The Cassette 'Navaho' jean from a few months ago (on the right) has a very similar feel.

EBAY MADNESS #5

Nice alternative to the new versions of cut-off cuffed baggy jeans that are all over the place. These look hot.
Treasure Chest Vintage, currently yours for $12.50

ACID WASH

I'm pretty sure that this was called snowwash when I was a kid, and I'm remembering some sort of jacket and jeans ensemble, but that might be a misplaced memory. It's certainly possible, my mum did dress me in some pretty crazy things (I come from a long line of denim designers). With that history, it's surprising that I'm not an early-uptaker on every denim whim that happens past, but I've been looking at Cheap Monday acid wash jeans for a good year now, and, no. But the shade texture of acid wash jeans is beginning, belatedly to appeal, although TopShop had a pair of mid blue 'chipped' denim Eve jeans a couple of weeks ago(which I can't find on their website), which looked vintage in a much cooler way. The denim was far too thick for me to want to try them on, so to date I remain untouched by scary denim.

As is the way with trends, acid wash is actually going to be around for much longer than a one-season wonder, as designers work through the best way to make it appeal. And these pictures from the Levi's Blue F/W2009 lookbook have wormed their way in to my thoughts.

Left, mid right, Levi's Blue (source, Neighbour)
Mid left, Top Shop
Far right, Cheap Monday

DOCKERS

This is a truly gorgeous rendering of classic style. (It's the F/W2009 Dockers catalogue, done by Neighbour.) It's the kind of thing that people like me are saying a lot at the moment, but Levi's, Dockers and other classic brands are a point of refuge in the storm in our imaginations. Afer a few years of a profusion of the new in denim brands, thoughts turn to heritage, tradition, integrity, the iconic. By synchronicity or design, or more probably the elusive 'mood' and 'rightness' that trend forecasters specialising in pinning down, there is also a massive upsurge in Americana and men's trad dressing, and I'm busy storing bits and bobs away for this.

This lookbook brings together trad, Americana and the history of a classic brand in images without irony. The Dockers aesthetic isn't too far away from the uber-trendy Band of Outsiders, who manage to do style with irony and still make sincerely great things. But if you can look cool in a pair of Dockers, I reckon you win.

LEVI'S VINTAGE CLOTHING CATALOGUE

These gorgeous images, made somehow lovelier by the re-photographing by repeattofade - are in the treasure trove of the SS09 catalogue from Levi's Vintage Clothing. The dustbowl 1930's styling is timely, classic, and I could look at them for a long time.
Part of the return to tradition and Americana, various things which are pre-occupying me at the moment.

EBAY MADNESS #2

The listing for these is still going though...

http://tinyurl.com/cfwuz9

LEVI JAPAN TWISTED 10th ANNIVERSARY

Levi's Japan (www.e-levi.jp) have just launched a 10th Anniversary re-make of the engineered jeans. The two silhouettes look cracking.

Their website also has a 'weekly ranking' of their bestsellers, which is pretty interesting.