raw denim – Aun Tay

January 21, 2018May 6, 2018

3sixteen Type 3s Shadow Selvedge Denim Jacket Review

In 2014, the only 3sixteen piece I owned at the time was a pair of ST-120x in the shadow selvedge denim I had purchased and worn as my main denim since mid 2013. The shadow selvedge fades are phenomenal in their electric blue contrast. I remember purchasing the ST-120x at Self Edge SF on Valencia St in San Francisco, CA. I had set my eyes on this pair because @zvincler had a amazing faded SL-120x pair that was posted online.

Front View of the 3sixteen Type 3s Jacket

A few days after Thanksgiving in 2014, I had heard about Self Edge’s yearly sale where they discounted the % of the current year for all inventory. I can’t remember whether the Type 3s Shadow Selvedge jacket was released that F/W or if it was a year before that. Knowing how the same fabric faded, I decided to take purchase a size L at Self Edge LA. It was my first denim jacket with the detail of being a very dark indigo (nearly black) to start with. The price of “Black Friday’s Let’s Drink Sale” with 14% off came out to be $248.41.

Details

Fabric is 14.5oz Shadow Selvedge denim woven in Okayama, Japan (indigo warp and black weft threads)
Black corduroy cuff lining and pocketbags
Crossed back yoke with zigzag collar stitching
Inner leather patch made by Tanner Goods
Made in the USA
Back View of 3sixteen Type 3s Jacket

Initial Impressions/Fit

The shadow selvedge fabric is a very dark indigo with hues of purple. 3sixteen made a few changes from the “Type III” Trucker Jacket to make it their own. The body is slightly lengthened to make the look more modern, black corduroy lines the cuffs and pockets to make the jacket feel really comfortable, and the rear waist buttons and “cinch strap” were removed. In addition, 3sixteen added their signature crossed back yoke and zigzag stitching on the backside of the collar.

The jacket runs small and I had to size up one to a Large where I typically wore Mediums shirts/outerwear (referencing Uniqlo T shirts, Button-downs, and Outerwear) at the time. When I recently measured the pit-to-pit on my Large after a few years, it came out to 21.5 inches. An issue that I found with the jacket is that the sleeves ran short and the cuff size was way too small to button. I’m a pretty average sized dude – I’m 5’10 and about 170lbs. I pretty much always have to wear the cuffs unbuttoned even with just a T shirt underneath. Adding layers like a a wrist watch or a thicker flannel makes it even moreso uncomfortable to close.

The one cool detail about the jacket that I love is the “hidden” phone pocket that you can place your phone into on the inside behind the handwarmer pocket. The top chest pockets are too small to fit a phone without sticking out.

For the first year, I wore it on average 3-4 times a week. The fabric weight is great for SoCal – It’s a great jacket by itself anytime it’s 65-75 degrees, and maybe slightly lower if you pair it with a thick flannel. For a short while after purchasing the jacket, I wore both the shadow selvedge 120x denim and the jacket! Aka the “Shadow Selvedge Tuxedo”. I think I was comfortable pairing the both together because my jeans were quite faded already and top/bottom were different colors enough.

Quite a few people have asked how how many times I’ve washed it and by what method. I waited about 4-5 months until I first washed it, never soaked it. I use the washing machine on a cold wash with a small amount of Woolite Darks to minimize the indigo loss and then line dry. The first time when I finally washed it, much of the contrast was revealed. The jacket shortened about an inch in the sleeve length, body length, and chest circumference. Owning it now for 3+ years, I may have washed it a of 12 times but lost count. Also shortly after my first wash, I was contacted by Andrew Chen and featured on 3sixteen’s Well Aged Type 3s Jacket!

Conclusion

I’d say the Type 3s jacket was one of my best outerwear purchases. At the current retail value of $265, it’s worth purchasing if you had to own only 1 denim jacket for the rest of your life. The shadow selvedge fabric is unique enough to recognize someone else wearing it as I have a couple times in downtown LA. The jacket was likely also my gateway purchase into pricier jackets such as 3sixteen’s FW releases in the coming years. Now that many other denim competitors have joined the market, I actually think 3sixteen’s expansion over the years was due to their outerwear starting with this jacket’s release. It’s now a staple item for their site and retailers and very rarely, if ever, goes on sale.

Thick Tanner Goods dark brown leather patch

February 12, 2018May 5, 2018

Blackhorse Lane Ateliers E8 Slim Tapered Indigo Selvedge Jean Review

Intro:

Blackhorse Lane Ateliers is a relatively new London based company specializing in denim and focuses on sustainability, community, and unmatched quality. They opened their doors not too long ago in April 2016 and have manufactured a ready-to-wear line of organic & selvedge denim. Their founder Bilgehan “Han” Ates has more than 25 years of experience in the textile industry. As far as I know, Blackhorse Lane is London’s only jean crafter! When was the last time you heard of jeans that were made in London?!

Continue reading “Blackhorse Lane Ateliers E8 Slim Tapered Indigo Selvedge Jean Review”

March 19, 2018May 2, 2018

Freenote Cloth Indigo/Indigo Rider’s Jacket Initial Impressions Review

Within the last week, Freenote Cloth released a new spring jacket – a Indigo/Indigo 14.75oz Denim Rider’s Jacket in a very subtle manner. No Instagram or other social media posts accompanied the new product in their online store. I stopped by their flagship store in Highland Park a few days ago in the afternoon, and saw this jacket on the racks.

The jacket had a dark indigo color with hues of burgundy. The liner was a cotton paisley pattern Greg (@denimhound) agreed with me that this was our favorite version of the Rider’s Jacket thus far. When I first started learning about Freenote Cloth in late 2014, I had recently missed out on their limited release Raw Flecked 14oz Rider’s Jacket.

Since then, I would say that Freenote’s Rider’s Jackets, specifically the waxed canvas versions, became their staple product. Quite similar to 3sixteen’s Shadow Selvedge Type 3s Jacket (link to my review). There was perhaps one other denim Rider’s Jacket in Cone Mills denim sometime in between.

What’s cool about the Rider Jacket is that it carries features of a Type II denim jacket with the front pleats, but also adds practicality with handwarmer pockets. In my experience, Indigo/Indigo denim tends to fade in a very fast and pleasing manner with high contrasting fades.

In terms of sizing, this version runs slightly larger than their past waxed canvas Rider’s Jackets. I went with the same size as my previous Freenote Cloth Rider Jackets – a size Large. It’s roomy enough to layer a thick flannel or a sweatshirt underneath and still have much mobility. With my initial measurements to my waxed Rider jacket, this version most noticably runs 1.5 inches longer in the sleeves and at least 1 inch longer in the body length. Perhaps the difference may be attributed to the waxed cotton shrinking in wet weather. For now, I’ve decided to cuff the sleeves once upon themselves for a shorter length. In the future when I do wash it, I plan on a hot soak to shrink the fabric in all areas..

The cotton paisley lining is a wonderful pattern that I think Freenote hasn’t used before (?). Most of their Rider Jacket linings have been Chambray (for the Spring edition) or some sort of Jacquard Wool Blend (Fall/Winter). For it being a “Spring” jacket here in LA, it’s pretty darn warm compared to say the 3sixteen Type 3s Shadow Selvedge, likely because of the fabric weight plus a liner.

A couple small but major tweaks that I have noticed. The chest pockets are both longer and wider which allows me to safely stash my phone (iPhone X). The front pleats are also slightly wider in diameter. The handwarmer pockets are also denim inside which increases the pockets’ durability.

One major change I noticed was the large price increase. When the Raw Fleck Indigo Rider’s Jacket was released in late 2014, the price was $330. Even considering some inflation, this jacket is priced at $450 which makes it their priciest Rider Jacket to date. Many of Freenote’s products are limited edition because they use custom fabrics from Japan, and I can confidently say (after handling many other brands) that the price reflects the quality well.

The measurements of my three Freenote Cloth Rider Jackets are listed here (in inches). The increased body length and sleeve length of the Indigo/Indigo line up with my experience. I’m surprised that the chest “only” measures 44 inches total but that does line up with the website’s measurements!

Here’s a handful of pics and fit pics for now. If you have any questions about sizing, my opinion, or anything else, feel free to shoot me a DM on Instagram (@imaunit) or leave a comment below!