Friday, June 19, 2015

Raw Denim Art Project part 2: The Wash Recipe

I have been along this journey to becoming a denim aficionado for over a year or so with my A.P.C. Petit New Standard Jeans which I first mentioned in a post from last year.  I apologize for missing the opportunity to update the blog with pictures of the 6 to 8 months or so aging process but don't worry they will be included in this post.

Nevertheless today we will be once again highlighting my A.P.C. jeans after the first wash using the "seawater recipe" mentioned in the A.P.C. informational packet included with each pair of their raw selvage denim jeans.  I purchased these jeans in March 2014 and this wash took place at the end of May 2015.  I wore them somewhat frequently--up to four times a week.  I normally try to get at least two wears in them each week.  These jeans went through some custom tailoring and some in-home repairs due to a small, and then later, nasty crotch blow-out after a skateboarding accident.  The tailoring job was to increase the taper and slightly decrease the leg opening making them more of a true skinny jean.  You can see the tailoring and damage repair below:

After roughly 8 months of wear

The damage is mainly attributed to biking

Fixing the initial small hole


Once I got the fit right, I really got into wearing these frequently in my rotation along with a black pair of A.P. C. New Standards which I also took to altering.  They unfortunately suffered a much more severe skateboard accident that my amateur tailoring skills will not attempt to correct.

A.P.C. New Standard's all but destroyed (front)


A.P.C. New Standard's all but destroyed (back)

The jeans have endured countless bike rides on hot summer days to freezing cold ones in winter.  I skateboard in these and have even climbed a mountain (ok, really tall hill) in Montréal in these jeans.  They've been through quite a bit in 3 different countries.

Alas, we get to the subject of this post:  The Seawater Wash Recipe.  As most first-time raw denim buyers who purchase A.P.C. jeans, the idea of having wash recipes may seem daunting.  I read through each wash recipe--Machine Recipe, Semi-Extremist Recipe, Extremist Recipe, and Seawater Recipe--and thought which one best suits my personality?  I looked at the seawater recipe and said, "what does this even mean?" That was my queue to run with it.  I could sit here and explain it all, but here's a visual aid instead:


Finally here is a couple of the post-wash photos along with the a better view of the custom fit:












I like the way that they came out and look forward to more years of wear on these and the next raw denim addition to my line up.

- Keilon

Sunday, June 14, 2015

DIY Style: Military Meets Casual

Army Casual
As most people already know, I'm all about the Do It Yourself lifestyle in most every sense of the word.  At the same time, I can definitely appreciate the quality and craftsmanship that goes into a well-designed often-times expensive garment.  I usually don't mind paying a little more money for exactly what I want. However, I much prefer an article of clothing that I can say that I customized and/or created.

One such garment project that I recently completed consists of what was originally a Topman denim jacket that I purchased a few years back in Chicago.  It's been through quite a bit and the light blue look has turned into an all out bleached/washed out  look.  One hot New York summer day, out of desperation and heat exhaustion coupled with the fact that I didn't want to find a new button and rivet for the cuff, this garment was transformed into a vest:
Topman Jean Jacket

The second piece to this project is a military standard issue uniform hood from the Field M-1943 uniform initially rolled out to U.S. Army troops in Italy in 1943:
Field M-1943



I came across a bin of these hoods in a Brooklyn thrift store.  My only regret is that I didn't buy the entire bin.  At the same time, due to age, and the war time conditions under which these garments were worn, it was hard to find a piece that didn't already have too much "character (ie. Holes, and questionable stains that I don't think anyone wants to know the true story behind).

apologies for the emo expression

I originally planned to attach buttons to the interior of the vest's collar to line up with original holes of the hood, but instead opted for a more permanent and less rain permeable option of sewing the hood into the lining.  This would serve me better on the days that I enjoy long walks in the summer rain (which is more often than one might imagine).

And now a brief interlude featuring the sewing process:


the process

artisan hands

trying to get the line straight


And voila...the finished piece:

front view

not pictured, I added a new button to close the hood for wind resistance

All in all, I think that the piece came out nicely and it's given new life to an older piece in my wardrobe that keeps reinventing itself for.  Maybe in two more  years, I'll re-attach sleeves to it.  On never knows.

As always, feel free to leave me praise or criticism in the comments section.  Thanks for reading

- Keilon
layered look for the streets of Montréal