Hello everyone. I would like to discuss the information you need to know before deciding and buying your very first pair of Japanese selvedge denim.
It's a little known fact for most, but one thing you must know is that Jean cuts extend beyond the usual categorized fits of Regular, Slim, Slim Straight, and Slim Tapered. Jeans in these categories are often patterned after period based cuts, but have been given slights tweaks in detail and silhouette for a more contemporary look.
The more popular of these 4 categories is the slim tapered. Many jeans in this category are based on a particular Levi's 501xx cut from the 1960s. Our store's primary focus is on jean cuts based on periods, the subject I will be focusing on today. Please see the a list below of the estimated shrinkage for brands we carry below. Of course this is but a touch on a select few of the most popular period-based cuts.
Let us begin!
1930's
A product of the Industrial Revolution; Jeans from this period were made and built specifically for hard work. The most common feature of jeans from this period are the cinch back waist adjuster and the following:
- A deep rise
- Wide fit
WW2
Contrary to the name, denim jeans produced during WW2 were never actually issued to soldiers, but to the workforce behind the production of America's machines and weaponry. The most prominent detail is the lack thereof! This is because material scarcity due to wartime efforts. Expect a WW2 jean
to have a lack of coin pocket rivets, haphazardly overstitched edges, and rough stitches.
1947
Known as the grandfather of all modern jeans, the 47 cut slimmed down a piece of clothing which more or less remained the same for decades. Expect a slightly lower rise and a tapered leg.
1955
The odd one out; jeans produced in this period sought to replicate the wide-fit of 1930s and WW2 jeans. These jeans are associated with the iconoclasts and rebels of post-war American (i.e. James Dean, Marlon Brando)
1966
The epoch of period based jeans. At this point jeans became more than clothing associated with blue-collar workers and the lower class, it became a fashion icon worn by Americans from all facets of life from ranchman to post-graduate Princeton law students.
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Estimated Denim Shrinkage Guide:
Boncoura
Shrinks 5% in Width and 4% in Length
Bryceland's
Raw, Will Shrink One Size Down, Size up once
Cushman
One Washed, Expect further minimal shrinkage, Size up for intended fit or take normal size for trimmer fit
Flat Head
Raw, Will Shrink 1" in the waist and 3" in length
FOB Factory
Raw, Size up once
Full Count
Raw, Size up once
Resolute
Unwashed - Recommended to size up once
White Denim - Recommended to size up once
The Real McCoy's
Sanforized, but shrinks an estimated 1.2 to 1.5 inches.
Warehouse
Unwashed - Raw, Will shrink 8%, Sizing up once is recommended
Duck Digger - Industrial Washed, Expect very miniscule amount of shrinkage