Shortening my A-2 list

I've tightened my A-2 shortlist to a jacket similar to the following:

Buzz Rickson
BR80105

http://www.mil-mil.net/buzz/jacket/br80105/br80105.html
156k yen

The Few
AC29191

http://www.rakuten.co.jp/beatstyle/818847/942413/
160k yen

The Few
AN6-012

http://item.rakuten.co.jp/americaya/an6-012/
168k yen

Real McCoys
MJ6103

http://item.rakuten.co.jp/americaya/mj6103/
158k yen


Toys McCoys
TMJ6603 (B.Rickson)

http://item.rakuten.co.jp/klax-on/tmj6603-051/
184k yen
(A jibe at the their competitors - the Buzz Ricksons brand)


Toys McCoys
V.Hilts

http://www.rakuten.co.jp/beatstyle/818852/833512/
180k yen
(This is a replica of the A-2 worn by Steve McQueen in "The Great Escape")

So I've given up on the idea of a jacket with patches. Preference is for a dark Seal Brown Horse Hide, with the shoulder stencil, and perhaps the name badge.
I am trending towards the Buzz 80105 because it has the Crown Chevron zipper. But I really need to see the leathers and try it on in person before I decide.

Panerai

Favourite wristwatch...


I've had it for 6 years now. One service, and on the second strap.

http://www.panerai.com/
http://www.paneristi.com/

Litigious Levis

For the Japanese denim fans who are angry about the legal proceeding by Levis, here is a quote from the James Sullivan book (page 30):

"In its first year of manufacturing the company [Levi Strauss] sued two
rivals, San Francisco's A. B. Elfelt and San Jose's Kan Lun, for patent
infringement."

So, it's nothing new.

Mario Graffiti

I took these quick pictures of some incredible Mario graffiti near my office.






Unfortunately it only lasted a few months before some idiots pulled some tiles off, and someone else pasted billboards over it.

Oxidation of Indigo (video)

In this cool Russian video you can watch the oxidation of indigo.

In its reduced/liquid state indigo is yellow. As the dipped material is exposed to the air, it oxidizes and you can see it change to the expected indigo blue.

Levis Trademark Gimmicks

Apparently Levis are cracking down on the Japanese denim manufacturers who have been creating jeans with the following features that Levis own the trademark for:

1. Patch with two creatures trying to pull a pair of jeans apart.
2. Sewn arcuate pattern on the back pockets.
3. Label tab sewn under the back pocket.

I don't know all the details. There's a busy thread on superdenim, but it has more hearsay and speculation than facts.

I don't want to write a big rant about Levis' legal action, so my quick thoughts are:

• These three features are GIMMICKS.
• This will be good for the Japanese in the long term. The sooner the Japanese brands get past worshipping the old Levis the better. They've already surpassed the originals.

Japanese Magazines

I was in Sydney for work, and dropped in Kinokuniya to get some magazines.

Lightning Real McCoys Funbook 2007

This is really a high quality catalog of the Real McCoys JP products. There are some Real McCoys Lightning catalogs from previous years.

Free & Easy

This is an old school magazine, I mean, it's a magazine about old stuff. Not antique stuff, but old hardwearing clothes and accessories. Either originals or replicas. There's plenty of pictures of Flight Jackets, Jeans, Leather accessories. This edition has a huge section on Steve McQueen. It goes into crazy detail about the clothes he wore etc.

I find the obsessiveness bizzare, but I also admire it.

Indigo
Also, it appears that the classic book Indigo by Jenny Balfour-Paul has been rereleased on Archetype books.


Amazon Japan Listing of Indigo

Archetype description of Indigo

This is great, I've been wanting to buy the previous edition of this book for a while, but it has been sold out. Now I just need a webstore that ships to Australia.

Replica Flight Jackets

A handful of Japanese manufacturers make incredible replicas of WWII Flight Jackets.

The top manufacturers in Japan are:

The Real McCoys
Toys McCoys
The Few
Buzz Ricksons

I'm considering getting a Flight Jacket during my next trip to Japan. I have a Buzz Ricksons MA-1 (Black), and now I'm thinking of perhaps an A-2, A-1, N-1, L-2, or L-2B. My list is long because these jackets are almost non-existant outside of Japan. So I'm researching the options over the next few months.

One of the first decisions is whether I should get a remake of a specific historical jacket (with patches), or a plain jacket. The patches can be loud and make the jacket look arrogant, but some of them do look cool and the historical aspects are interesting.


Toys McCoys Cotton Tanker Jacket (Phantom Batman) has an interesting back stencil.

It also has blood chit patches on the shoulder, and inside the jacket. Read the wikipedia link about blood chits. It is interesting, and strikes me as a weird situation that the Japanese are remaking these jackets with the text "I am an enemy of the Japanese. "


This remake of a Flying Tigers Jacket has some impressive historical significance. The Flying Tigers had a key role in the conflict with Japan, and they flew the incredible Tomahawk planes painted with the aggressive shark face.

The jacket also includes blood chits.


This Real McCoys "Gentlemen from Hell" jacket is a remake of a jacket from the 487th Bombardment Group. This is my favorite visually, but I don't know if I could really wear it. I also need a telescope to look at the price tag.

NDC Shoes

Well, this is the first non-denim post for indigofan. Shoes.


NDC make some unique designs with interesting washes/treatments. The materials are first rate, and the quality excellent.



The boat shoe has a rather thin sole, but is good for kicking back.



Jhoe is extremely jealous of these suede brogues. They have a fully welted sole (goodyear). They're also now available in brown.

NDC (Nom De Code) Made By Hand

Samurai Geisha GA0510LXX (8 months)

I've worn them almost everyday about 8 months now. Initial soak, and one wash at 6 months. I've got a desk job, so the wear isn't as spectacular as other people get, but I'm pretty happy with them.





The front pocket got a hole from my keys, and some of the stitching came loose. So I made some repairs with denim cloth.





The slubby denim gets some nice variations where the thicker threads standout and fade faster.

Fit

Warehouse 3001XX Close Front Jumper (New)

Apart from liking denim, I also really like half-button shirts and jackets. When I saw pictures of a selvedge denim version from Warehouse, I had to see if I could get one. 3001XX on DStock





It was difficult to research the sizes, measurements, and shipping from Japan. Actually, by the time they were getting the price for shipping I realised that I had gone too far to not buy it.





When the Jacket was being shipped to Australia, I did some more research, and it turns out that there are some very interesting features to this jacket. The cotton is sourced from Memphis in the USA. The main body of fabric is one piece, which flaps over from the back to the front. This means that there are no seams on the shoulders. The cut is also straight - so the with of the body is the with at the shoulders.





The fabric is yellow line selvedge, with a weight of around 11 oz.. Then I found this link to the original jacket that this is a remake of. Levis 211 Close Front Jumper. So the original Jacket was made by Levis in around 1910, and this original version was now on sale for 2 million yen. It explained the strange cut, the 10th Anniversary, and the reason why the cotton was sourced from the USA.





Warehouse are one of the denim companies in Japan which specialise in remaking old garments - especially old Levis. The jacket arrived in a nice box, and came with a Warehouse mook book. The size was as stated. It fits me just right.





When I first saw the unfinished fabric on the inside of the jacket it freaked me out, but I realised that the original Levis jacket must have this finishing. The cut is kindof like the antifit cut of old jeans, but I really like it. And the buttons are in my top 5 list of the greatest buttons ever.





The details and effort that Warehouse have gone through to recreate the original jacket is admirable. I wonder why Levis don't buy a company like this - or at least commission, or license, them to create garments for the LVC brand.

Web Links

• Warehouse & Co.


• Dstock


• Levis 211 Close Front Jumper

Eternal 811 (New)

I had to get these jeans after seeing the images on the Denim Gallery Heavy where the owner has achieved the most incredible contrast fade.

I didn't find Eternal available in the expected stores, and instead I stumbled upon them in the back streets of Kyoto at Loftman. They staff there cut and chainstitched them on the spot.

At 18,690 Yen, these jeans are great value. The fabric is very dark. Hopefully I can achive a fade comparable to the ones on Denim Gallery Heavy.

Web Links

• Denim Gallery Heavy


• Loftman