New gap denim - Page 55

While waiting for the wife to try stuff on I picked up a pair of the dark bucklebacks before going the LVC route. This isn't a flagship store but they still have/had a ton of the selvage denims with even some of the Japanese selvage still on the shelves. Now I used to only get 33/34s until recently but decided to try the 32s. They were a hair tight where the 34s felt huge but after 1 day of wear they are pretty stretched out already which is really what I wanted. Very weird sizing. I haven't worn 32s in about 15 years. The selvage back pockets and the coin pocket have been toned down with a sharpie as well. Much better... less "LOOK AT MY SELVAGE!!!". Only thing I'm not too happy with is the weight. They almost feel like starched paper. 2 different pairs of 21 oz jeans have spoiled it a bit. Also a little while back I picked up a really dark indigo chambray pullover shirt I never saw online or in any other stores. It's starting to wear like denim. Not as nice as say a $300 Self Edge shirt, but it was only $30 on sale and not one single person I have seen where I live, work and drink would know the difference anyway with shirt or the jeans.

I received a pair of the skinnys size 28x30 in the mail today; waist was 30" with an inseam of 32". Quality of the denim seemed OK, nothing special.

Got a pair of the gray selvedge authentics at the Michigan avenue store today on sale for only $44. They had the browns and khakis on sale for the same price. Tried on the skinnies, I can't stand the hyper-low rise though.

I've worn my Authentics in the "one-rinse" (or something like that) style for 3-4 months without a wash. Will they have fades if I wash them? Or do these not produce fades since they have one rinse before they're ever sold?

i've had the skinny "authentic japanese denim" gap selvage for close to a year now. recently purchased 3sixteen st-100x from self edge and will continue rotating the two pairs. have also tried on nudie, apc, n&f, unbranded brand, levi's 501 stf, and maybe a few other "budget" raw/selvage jeans the verdict: pros - NOTHING under $200 (including the 3sixteens i'm currently wearing) can touch the gap jeans for fit/finish and build quality. every cut/seam/stitch seems neat and tidy--amazing quality control for a mass-market jean produced in a developing nation. also the only pair in this price range that i recall having hidden rivets on the back pockets--certainly not essential but a nice touch. since i only paid $39 for mine this was truly a steal. - the cut is perfect for me. low rise. skinnier than most slim/straight cut jeans, but not so ridiculously narrow around the ankle as other "skinny" jeans. haven't found anything quite like it yet, although the 3sixteen st series is close--just has a higher rise, slightly skinnier thigh/knee, and MUCH nicer denim which brings me to my next point. . . cons - the denim is just not very good. it's comfortable and smooth, but really lightweight (guess 11-12 oz?), and rinsed/washed at least once at the factory. somehow, it retains a weird slightly-iridescent factory sheen (from starch maybe?) that persists until you wash it another time or two. it's also crazy stretchy (my size 32 stretched to about 35.5" in the waist). definitely stiffer than other mall jeans, but nowhere near as stiff and heavy as competitors offer. this can be a pro since they break in pretty quickly. however, you'll never get awesome whiskers, honeycombs, or stacking--the denim just isn't rigid enough for that. fades around wallets and other objects in pockets come in pretty quickly, but otherwise fading is slooooooooooow and not very contrasty. i'd rate the denim (quality-wise) above the unbranded and levi's STF, but lower than all the others that i referenced above. - cheesy details (depending on the year/season you bought them). i removed my 1969 leather patch and any extra gap tags. the selvage coin pocket is usually hidden by my shirt and i learned to live with it/ignore it. zip-fly doesn't really bother me but it looks a little funny as it starts to fade through the denim that covers it bottom line--if you like the fit/cut, and you can get them on a good discount you won't find a better contstructed pair. however, if you're a stickler for quality denim or are looking for high-contrast fades you're going to be disappointed.

the standard (non-selvage) gap jeans definitely were revamped between 08/09 but
the "authentic" selvage jeans currently in stores look and feel like the same denim used in my "authentic japanese denim" purchased a year ago and probably produced in FW08. i don't think the selvage denim has changed recently.

well, my selvage authentics from the late summer are 'ringspun' at least. don't know about double ringspun.

Just got mine today and definitely worth $70, IMO.

thats a really nice fit.

I was there last friday and they had a 40 percent off the sale price promo going on.. I'm guessing it's over?

So I'm guessing the "rinsed rigid" is in fact the raws?

I had the same issue where they fit when I buy it, but then become really really big that even a belt won't hold them up. Probably went from 32" to 35.5" like above. I stupidly bought a second pair before knowing this. If anyone wants the old Gap Japanese denim, they have never been worn or even had the tags removed.

I assume your extra pair is 32''? What's the labeled W and the actual W?

Yeah, unfortunately - but it was still worth the $40. I did nab a fur-lined unwashed indigo denim jacket for $15 from $88 last week during the extra 40 off.


Also, Ivan K - those look great!

these are the authentic. i guess it's the one rinse. they are not as easy to crease like other jeans but have shown some fade/wear in certain areas, though they're stiff enough not to stack very neatly. i just don't wear them very hard or anything at the moment so they haven't changed much. had them since the summer.