The Official RRL Thread

[Lotuspath]

I have a pair of 101Z's that I've worn for the past six or so months that I'm quite happy with. Construction is quite good and the fit is just about perfect for my body. Despite being raw, they've been pretty slow to fade, I'm just now getting slight fading around my where my wallet and phone are in my pockets. Can't see a reason to pay 3x as much for the RRLs (maybe if you really wanted the hair-on-hide patch or prefer RRL's arcuate to Lee's Lazy S), though I haven't held the RRLs in hand so I can't say for certain that they're not worth it. The current season high-slims appear to be right-hand twill rather than left-hand, too, which isn't great if you want that Lee "authenticity" or whatever. They've got a lower rise than the 101Z, too, which is a negative for me but comes down to personal preference.

This is a really good comment and I think you make many valid points. To be honest, I haven't seen much online conversation about LEE jeans lately and was unaware that they are still a major player among the original big three (Levi's, LEE and Wrangler) and especially in the raw denim field. When I hear LEE I usually think of the famous LEE Storm Rider jacket but not necessarily raw denim jeans. You have given me an education.
I have done some exploring on the LEE site and see they now do a 15 ounce denim and even 21 ounce denim (which I find far more appealing).

I believe (please correct me if I am wrong) the RRL high slim jeans you are talking about are a Limited Edition. Of course, there are other factors than just the pocket brand stitch, twill direction and hair-on-hide leather patch. Number one on my list for raw denim would be the denim weight. To be fair, I think the more iconic RRL heritage denim jean is the East West 16 ounce denim ($340) and would say that might be a more appropriate comparison when making your LEE versus RRL evaluation. The LEE 101z jeans look great but are 13.75 ounce which is more of a light weight for raw denim than the other more studious denim brands like Ironheart and Samurai usually offer.

In terms of the twill, left hand twill fabric (originally started by LEE) appears to be more soft and the fade lines are more fuzzy while the right twill gives sharper fade lines. Left versus right seems to be a personal preference more than a deal killer. Personally, I also prefer a button fly to zipper fly. I always thought the back pockets on the LEE jeans are too big and sit too far down for my taste. In addition, the pricing difference all depends whether you are paying full price or not. I believe the LEE 101z straight leg jeans run around $170 full price (note: three times $170 would be $510). Most quality Japanese selvedge indigo raw denim usually runs somewhere in $300 plus range from my experience.

Overall, I'm not personally sure it's worth the bother to break in raw denim. I have read that you should NEVER wash your raw denim jeans. When I bought a pair of once rinsed East West 16 ounce jeans, the SA and I even had a brief discussion about how often to wash and whether it was necessary for me to take the train out to Rockaway Beach once a year to gently rinse my jeans in the ocean or would I be a total slacker if I just walked over the East River and beat them against a rock while the waves crashed over my head. Come on .... seriously .... I'm just not that dedicated to putting in all that extra effort to make any piece of clothing "my own". To me, the real lure of RRL jeans and the pricing IMHO is more in the quality of the already stressed denim jeans that actually take all the hard work out of breaking those raw jeans in over several years. Fast forward to February 2021 and just get the stressing you like now. Life's too short.

I will definitely have to check out the LEE jeans store the next time I'm in the city now that you have peaked my interest and then maybe I will change my mind. In the meantime, here are a pair of RRL E/W jeans I bought about 5 years ago (after apppox 6-8 machine washes) next to pair of the same jeans I bought for $167 (half price) about 6 months later and have never worn yet.

 

[Patek]

This is a really good comment and I think you make many valid points. To be honest, I haven't seen much online conversation about LEE jeans lately and was unaware that they are still a major player among the original big three (Levi's, LEE and Wrangler) and especially in the raw denim field. When I hear LEE I usually think of the famous LEE Storm Rider jacket but not necessarily raw denim jeans. You have given me an education.
I have done some exploring on the LEE site and see they now do a 15 ounce denim and even 21 ounce denim (which I find far more appealing).

I believe (please correct me if I am wrong) the RRL high slim jeans you are talking about are a Limited Edition. Of course, there are other factors than just the pocket brand stitch, twill direction and hair-on-hide leather patch. Number one on my list for raw denim would be the denim weight. To be fair, I think the more iconic RRL heritage denim jean is the East West 16 ounce denim ($340) and would say that might be a more appropriate comparison when making your LEE versus RRL evaluation. The LEE 101z jeans look great but are 13.75 ounce which is more of a light weight for raw denim than the other more studious denim brands like Ironheart and Samurai usually offer.

In terms of the twill, left hand twill fabric (originally started by LEE) appears to be more soft and the fade lines are more fuzzy while the right twill gives sharper fade lines. Left versus right seems to be a personal preference more than a deal killer. Personally, I also prefer a button fly to zipper fly. I always thought the back pockets on the LEE jeans are too big and sit too far down for my taste. In addition, the pricing difference all depends whether you are paying full price or not. I believe the LEE 101z straight leg jeans run around $170 full price (note: three times $170 would be $510). Most quality Japanese selvedge indigo raw denim usually runs somewhere in $300 plus range from my experience.

Overall, I'm not personally sure it's worth the bother to break in raw denim. I have read that you should NEVER wash your raw denim jeans. When I bought a pair of once rinsed East West 16 ounce jeans, the SA and I even had a brief discussion about how often to wash and whether it was necessary for me to take the train out to Rockaway Beach once a year to gently rinse my jeans in the ocean or would I be a total slacker if I just walked over the East River and beat them against a rock while the waves crashed over my head. Come on .... seriously .... I'm just not that dedicated to putting in all that extra effort to make any piece of clothing "my own". To me, the real lure of RRL jeans and the pricing IMHO is more in the quality of the already stressed denim jeans that actually take all the hard work out of breaking those raw jeans in over several years. Fast forward to February 2021 and just get the stressing you like now. Life's too short.

I will definitely have to check out the LEE jeans store the next time I'm in the city now that you have peaked my interest and then maybe I will change my mind. In the meantime, here are a pair of RRL E/W jeans I bought about 5 years ago (after apppox 6-8 machine washes) next to pair of the same jeans I bought for $167 (half price) about 6 months later and have never worn yet.
View attachment 1553728 View attachment 1553729

Not sure where you get your information from, but there is a lot of misinformation in that post. You can of course wash all denim. Some people prefer the fake distressed look and others like to create it themselves--it is all personal preference. I tend to buy jeans every 3 or so years so I will always have dressier jeans that can be worn to work with a button up and more casual jeans that are 3+ years old that are better for casual wear.

 

[gnatty8]

This is a really good comment and I think you make many valid points. To be honest, I haven't seen much online conversation about LEE jeans lately and was unaware that they are still a major player among the original big three (Levi's, LEE and Wrangler) and especially in the raw denim field. When I hear LEE I usually think of the famous LEE Storm Rider jacket but not necessarily raw denim jeans. You have given me an education.
I have done some exploring on the LEE site and see they now do a 15 ounce denim and even 21 ounce denim (which I find far more appealing).

I believe (please correct me if I am wrong) the RRL high slim jeans you are talking about are a Limited Edition. Of course, there are other factors than just the pocket brand stitch, twill direction and hair-on-hide leather patch. Number one on my list for raw denim would be the denim weight. To be fair, I think the more iconic RRL heritage denim jean is the East West 16 ounce denim ($340) and would say that might be a more appropriate comparison when making your LEE versus RRL evaluation. The LEE 101z jeans look great but are 13.75 ounce which is more of a light weight for raw denim than the other more studious denim brands like Ironheart and Samurai usually offer.

In terms of the twill, left hand twill fabric (originally started by LEE) appears to be more soft and the fade lines are more fuzzy while the right twill gives sharper fade lines. Left versus right seems to be a personal preference more than a deal killer. Personally, I also prefer a button fly to zipper fly. I always thought the back pockets on the LEE jeans are too big and sit too far down for my taste. In addition, the pricing difference all depends whether you are paying full price or not. I believe the LEE 101z straight leg jeans run around $170 full price (note: three times $170 would be $510). Most quality Japanese selvedge indigo raw denim usually runs somewhere in $300 plus range from my experience.

Overall, I'm not personally sure it's worth the bother to break in raw denim. I have read that you should NEVER wash your raw denim jeans. When I bought a pair of once rinsed East West 16 ounce jeans, the SA and I even had a brief discussion about how often to wash and whether it was necessary for me to take the train out to Rockaway Beach once a year to gently rinse my jeans in the ocean or would I be a total slacker if I just walked over the East River and beat them against a rock while the waves crashed over my head. Come on .... seriously .... I'm just not that dedicated to putting in all that extra effort to make any piece of clothing "my own". To me, the real lure of RRL jeans and the pricing IMHO is more in the quality of the already stressed denim jeans that actually take all the hard work out of breaking those raw jeans in over several years. Fast forward to February 2021 and just get the stressing you like now. Life's too short.

I will definitely have to check out the LEE jeans store the next time I'm in the city now that you have peaked my interest and then maybe I will change my mind. In the meantime, here are a pair of RRL E/W jeans I bought about 5 years ago (after apppox 6-8 machine washes) next to pair of the same jeans I bought for $167 (half price) about 6 months later and have never worn yet.
View attachment 1553728 View attachment 1553729

Agreed, I'd never really had Lee on my radar, but after a quick scan of their stuff, I am definitely interested in giving them a shot.

 

[jhcam8]

Not sure where you get your information from, but there is a lot of misinformation in that post. You can of course wash all denim. Some people prefer the fake distressed look and others like to create it themselves--it is all personal preference. I tend to buy jeans every 3 or so years so I will always have dressier jeans that can be worn to work with a button up and more casual jeans that are 3+ years old that are better for casual wear.

I thought @Lotuspath was making a point about going to extreme lengths with raw denim and that he didn't want to - not that it can't be washed. Raw is for the youths with tougher hides.

 

[zippyh]

I just realized my old man beard and red neck warmer coordinated with my RRL overshirt.
Filson wool cruiser.
RRL cargo pants
Tricker's boots.

 

[clee1982]

Agreed, I'd never really had Lee on my radar, but after a quick scan of their stuff, I am definitely interested in giving them a shot.

+1, never pay attention to the old 3 besides Levi, though I don't need more jeans...

 

[noretailplease]

Beautiful - a bit busy - can’t wait to see the back

 

[gnatty8]

+1, never pay attention to the old 3 besides Levi, though I don't need more jeans...

I wish I could remind myself the same!!

 

[harveyrabbit]

Irish Country Sale prices.

 

[oceansaway]

Anybody have the Waxed Cotton Liner Jacket? I'd be interested to hear about the sizing, particularly whether it runs short or not. Thanks.

 

[clee1982]

I wish I could remind myself the same!!

I already have too many shoes, too many suits, too many sports coat, adding another one is not going to be great for my closest space...

 

[heebalabala]

Irish Country Sale prices.

Thanks! Do we know the start date?

 

[heebalabala]

RRL/Faherty/RRL/Alden

 

[harveyrabbit]

Thanks! Do we know the start date?

I was told next week. I have already started communicating with an SA to be sure I don’t miss out on any items that I want.

BTW, the patchwork is really excellent. It is lighter weight than I expected, but it is a fantastic piece and a highlight of a stellar RRL season.

 

[Ralph6005]

WOW, check out the new hand-knit ranch cardigan:

Hand-Knit Indigo Ranch Cardigan

Ralph Lauren

www.ralphlauren.com

Just got it. Amazing perfect fit

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