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

Quelquefois

Quelquefois je juste pense tout le jour et les autres temps je juste fais tout le jour.  Où est le balance?

Sometimes I just think all day and other times I just do all day.  Where is the balance?

Made in Brooklyn

Over the past few years I have been honing my craft for creativity in visual arts, merchandising and curation.  More specifically, for the past year or so I've been working more on tailoring and garment making.  My projects have taken me from dressmaking, to denim repair, repurposing leather, and accessories creation.

My latest work has been with handmade accessory pieces using different fabrics, including, denim, wool, leather and silk.  Though I will be creating items for sale soon, the main goal is to create quality items that I am proud to display and/or add to my wardrobe.  I find the experience of seeing your thoughts and ideas coming to fruition in the form of a product or good to be quite rewarding; even more so when you can be directly involved in every step of the creation from inception to conceptualization to the finished product.

For my latest endeavor, I decided to seek out fabrics to make the perfect scarf for a perfect winter day.  I thought of what feels good? looks good? and still keeps you warm.  That led me to marrying silk with wool.  Neither of these two fabrics was perfect on their own for the weather, but when combined together they are perfect.  Feel the silk against your skin and leave the wool fight the element.  The bordering edges that reveal the two fabrics in harmony creates beautiful luxe aesthetic.  The silk against your skin not only feels soothing but it insulates and regulates, to a certain extent, your body temperature allowing you to stay warm while not overheating.  The suiting wool that I sourced gives a very premium look to garment without losing the strength of the fabric to fend off the cold.  It's not much more to say about it, besides it is truly perfect for the season.

Have a look at a bit of the creative cut'n'sew process:

A good pair of scissors is clutch

steady hands are a plus...

...but not a necessity as long as you can sew cleanly.

always be sure to find the front-side of your silk before sewing

Classic Plaid

Understated Grey

Fin.

Urban Exploration Day: Lower Manhattan to Staten

The day started with a trip to the National 9/11 Museum to see how the city and country has "respectfully" memorialized those who were lost during the tragic events on September 11, 2001. This was a free day sponsored by Conde Nast.  However, as in the spirit of all things free in New York City, it was first come, first served.  Upon arrival, Amanda and I were greeted to the news that the free tickets for admission were all spent and then that purchase tickets were sold out through Saturday; this was a Wednesday (typical in NYC for all things new and shiny).  After a few choice photo ops, we figured that  we'd try our luck at some other cultural explorations.

After a twisting and winding walk through the Financial District, we stopped to take in the site of the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Customs House.  Housed inside of this National Historic structure is also the Smithsonian Institute's National Museum of the American Indian (why they're called Indians is still bewildering to me and will be apart of a later rant). I personally did not enjoy much about this museum nor its location.  This is not to take a jab at the Native American culture; however, to me, the museum felt to be in very poor taste from the exhibits, to the historical location, and to a number of architectural details of the building.  I personally did not enjoy the visit, but check out my high/low-lights:

Beautiful symmetry in the main hall

Amanda taking it all in

Peering around corners

I didn't care for...

The exhibition's language..."beasts that talk"

Architectural details

Asia is contemplative...America is alert...Europe is majestic...Africa is asleep.

Moving along though...to mid-afternoon...

Still in lower Manhattan, and finding that we still had an entire day of beautiful weather ahead of us, I decided that we should really be tourists and hop on the Staten Island Ferry.  The ferry service runs 24 hours and day and is completely free.  It's a hit with tourists for that reason and because it offers some truly unparalleled views of lower Manhattan, Brooklyn, Jersey City and the New York Harbour in general.  The trip is about 15 to 20 minutes and is a perfect way to beat the heat--the breeze is nice and so are the libations that are available for the after work crowd or just the casual day drinkers parched from waiting every half hour to board.

Check out a few shots from aboard the John F. Kennedy ferry:

New York vs. New Jersey (so close but yet so far)

Amanda enjoying the breeze

Lower Manhattan

The obligatory tourist shot (first time seeing the front of the Statue of Liberty)

Upon arriving on Staten Island, we were faced with the question of, "what do we do now?"  In our typical urban exploration we hit the pavement to take in the sights, sounds, and diverse terrains of the borough.  Visually Staten Island looks like a conglomeration of working class neighborhoods with differing levels of diversity and affluence.  It does not have that central downtown area that you find in Brooklyn and Manhattan or even Flushing, Queens to a certain extent.  The terrain is harsh and unforgiving, with very steep hills not fit for biking up (I learned that the hard way later) and hills not safe for riding down without adequate braking mechanisms dotting the interior of the landscape.  Despite the density as is the case in all boroughs of New York City, Staten Island offers a much more "suburbanized" lifestyle, especially on the far side of the island than any other borough.

After a stop in a Stapleton neighborhood public park we decided to venture to the other side of the island via the (mostly) free Staten Island Railroad, a subway styled partially elevated heavy rail line that cuts clear across the island from one waterfront to the other at Totenville station.

Less crowded streets in Staten

Catching a breather in the park

 

Skies over Stapleton

Pause to change trains...

Upon arrival at our final destination...

Totenville Station

We met the sunset over New Jersey

Had to do it for the 'gram

Something like picture perfect

Sailing seashells by the seashore...

As the sun made it's departure, so did we...a day well done.  Until next time...Adieu!