Grin

The Eternal 811s have strong vertical falling. I think this is more obvious because there is also a noticeable lack of grin.

Here is a close up of the washed Samurai denim. You can clearly see the indigo rows with the gaps between revealing the white weft.

On the comparable closeup on the Eternals you can see very little weft visible. This makes for a much darker looking denim, with an almost overdyed appearance.

The difference is even more evident in this black & white image of the denims side by side.



One is not necessarily better than the other.

I've been thinking about what weaving variables would be used to reduce the amount of grin.

I have no experience in weaving, but I imagine that the following would be methods to decrease the grin:

1. Using a lighter weight (thinner gauge) weft, compared to the weight of the warp threads.
2. Higher tension on the weft, compared to the tension on the warp.

I'll do some more investigation to see if I can find some accurate explanations to update this post. Feel free to post answers in the comments. :-)

Well, we're off to Japan this week, so there will be no posts for one month. I hope to have some good updates when I return.

Kurashiki Jeans Map

This Jeans map is from the Krashjapan web site (illustration by Yosuke Hasegawa).

http://www.krashjapan.com/v4/jeansmap/index_e.html

I've cut the map out so you can print it.

Krashjapan is a free magazine for the Kurashiki region. All the content on the web site is available in English. I found the stories and interviews interesting and surprisingly moving... worth reading if you have the time.

Denim-Rakuten-style Shops (maps)

Google have release some new map building tools, so I compiled a list of Denim and Flight Jacket stores in Japan, and plotted them on a map.

Denim-Rakuten-style Shops

There are actually two pages of stores (scroll the left panel to the bottom)... so unfortunately you can't view them all at once.

I'll be using the map as the basis of a more focused map of shops to visit next month.

One interesting observation is that there are a couple of stores in Narita (near the airport), so if your flight is delayed or if you only have a few hours transit at the airport you could visit these stores instead of taking the massive hike to Tokyo.

Polo Chambray (12 years)

I've had this shirt for 12 years, but obviously haven't worn it consistently over the 12 years. Chambray goes drammatically darker when wet, so I didn't wear the shirt in summer months to avoid dark sweaty patches.
As much as I like the shirt - it has reached the end of its life, and it's retirement time.
I like the cutback collar. It's a neat and practical shape.

The label is looking pretty sad now.

Worn out collars and cuffs are fraying to reveal the white canvas re-inforcing. I like the way the colour becomes a darker blue where the fraying occurs.

Ralph Lauren shirts are always a reliable high-quality. 100% cotton with all seams fully-felled.

I don't know much about mother-of-pearl, but I think this chipping in layers on many of the buttons may be an indication.

I really like the fraying on the collar and cuffs, but this hole in the shoulder is the reason for retireing the shirt.

RIP.

Boss Leather Jacket

Here are a couple of pictures of a Hugo Boss leather jacket that I picked up a while ago.

The pictures are quite representative of the jacket. The leather is an unfinished Italian nappa. As you can see it's highly distressed.

I like the military styling. It very comfortable. The leather is a raw nubuck. So it adsorbs oil, water, any other liquid. I am tempted to condition the leather but I think it will ruin the look.