Care and feeding of new New Standards

[j]

So, if you haven't heard, I was given a great pair of APC New Standards by a bunch of my generous cohorts here on the forum. I now have questions as always. (Why do you think I made this place to begin with?.

) I started by folding the bottoms up inside since they will need to be hemmed. I want to wear them and break them in, but I don't know whether I should get them hemmed soon or if I can just wear them like this (even though it's kind of awkward with the double layer there). Luckily there is no danger of them dragging on the ground since the bottoms are so tight. Would it be very hard for me to hem them myself? I have a machine. I can get denim needles. I'll have to find the right thread (cotton, right? waxed?). Or do I dare entrust the job to some local hack job? I don't know a tailor around here that specializes in denim. BTW, the hem is not chainstitched now, it's not puckered or broken in at all, and I don't care about keeping them "original". Which washing "recipe" (from the APC booklet) should I follow? I doubt I am going to go to the sea any time soon to rub sand all over them and soak them in salt water (recipe #3). Actually I could do that, but I'd have to do it at night to avoid arousing suspicions. Any other tips? Thanks, and I highly recommend these if you like a slim cut. They're already feeling a lot more comfortable than at about 1 PM when I put them on (10 hours).

 

[Brian SD]

I know we talked about it a little but, in case anyone out on the board wants to hear my responses:

You can wear them however you want to.. You can wear them cuffed and if you don't like the look, get them hemmed or let them crease up at the bottom, all three are perfectly fine looks.

You could hem them yourself I'm sure. I would personally take them to a tailor (because I dont know the first thing about sewing), but there's nothing difficult about cutting off the bottom, folding it up and resewing it. I just assume there are some intricacies(sp?) that I don't know about, and a tailor would, which is why I would end up going to one.

All of the recipes from the book are good, but basically the extremist ways are going to result with the best looking patina over time, with the most "vintage" look. Here are some basic pointers for you or for anyone on the boards wearing dry denim:

1) Let your jeans get hot every once in awhile, leave them outside or on the hood of your car for a day, the heat is supposed to increase contrast in areas of wear.

2) if your jeans stretch out too much, it's okay to throw them in the dryer on high heat (while they're dry, inside out). They should shrink down to normal size.

3) the denim will get soft over prolonged wear. spraying your lap and the back of the knees with starch will help keep those areas stiff and will help them continue to crease well, thus creating sharp higes with good contrast.

4) washing with Woolite black - I dont know specifically about this detergent, but I assume since it's made for dark items that it should take out the least amount of dye. there are special denim detergents (such as the Japanese Full Count detergent) - I assume it's all based around the same idea.

Oh, and before you have them hemmed (or hem them youself), wear them cuffed for at least two weeks, because the wrinkles will continue to set and thus the bottom of the jeans will go up a little bit as the fabric is bunched up around the honeycomb / hige areas. You probably only need to wear them like 5 days but if you go two weeks it's pretty definitive that they won't be creasing any deeper than they already have. And when you do hem them, leave them a little bit long (1.5 inches is pretty standard) so that when you wash them they don't overshrink.

Okay, thats all I can think about right now, and sorry if its incoherent. Not in the most intelligent of mental states right now..

 

[raley]

I
Oh, and before you have them hemmed (or hem them youself), wear them cuffed for at least two weeks, because the wrinkles will continue to set and thus the bottom of the jeans will go up a little bit as the fabric is bunched up around the honeycomb / hige areas. You probably only need to wear them like 5 days but if you go two weeks it's pretty definitive that they won't be creasing any deeper than they already have. And when you do hem them, leave them a little bit long (1.5 inches is pretty standard) so that when you wash them they don't overshrink.

Could you explain this a bit more please? What when you wear them too long the creases bunch up the fabric a 1/4 or 1/2 inch or so as you wear them, changing the inseam? Not sure if I am reading this correctly or not.

Also, if you do want your jeans to fade when you fash them, to heighten the contrast, what is the best detergent/washer settings to use?

 

[j]

He's saying that as the creases (mainly behind the knees) set in more solidly, bunching up more fabric there, they will pull up the bottom of the hem, so it's best to get them well set before deciding on how long to leave the hem. I'm noticing this on my Uniqlo ring denims - as I wear them and set in creases, they seem to become shorter and shorter. Hopefully they won't turn into high waters.

When I wash them a few times and they soften up, won't the creases let up a bit and drop the hem back down some?

Thanks Brian.

 

[Brian SD]

When I wash them a few times and they soften up, won't the creases let up a bit and drop the hem back down some?

Not really.. they'll just bunch up in the same spots that they were in before you washed them.

And yes raley, j's last post explained what I'm trying to convey here.

 

[Sway23]

So do you spray with starch, let them dry, and then put them on?

 

[Brian SD]

Yea I do it before I go to bed, just leave them out on the balcony all night and they're dry by morning.

 

[Garrett]

You mentioned washing recepies that came with the A.P.C.'s...Would anyone be kind to direct me to a link that may have those instructions, or post them here? I'd really appreciate the effort.

I bought a pair 2 weeks ago and didnt recieve any instructions. I'd kinda like to see what they have to say.

Also, Brian, have you noticed that the heat/sunshine thing really has any effect?

Congrat's j on the new jeans. I'm sure they are very well deserved.

 

[Geowu]

Information
A.P.C. -denim washing recipes

1. Extremist recipe
let your jeans get dirty for as long as possible. first wash: dry clean. following washes: soak your jeans for about an hour in water with a little WOOLITE BLACK added, rinse, roll in a terrycloth towel and hang up to dry.

2. Semi-extremist recipe
soak your jeans for about an hour in water with WOOLITE BLACK added, don't scrub, rinse, wring and hang up to let water drain.

3. Machine recipe
machine wash at 30°C (90°F), delicate cycle, no spin cycle, with WOOLITE BLACK.

4. Seawater recipe
let your jeans get dirty for as long as possible, go swimming in the ocean wearing your jeans, rub your jeans with dry sand, and repeat several times. rinse in fresh (not salt) water and let dry in the sun.

 

[Garrett]

Thanks for that Geowu.

I guess the only one thats surprising is the seawater method. Anyone every try that out?

 

[montecristo#4]

What I can't figure out is why taking your denim to the dry cleaner is considered "extremist", but wearing them into the ocean and rolling around in the sand isn't.

Must be a French thing.

 

[ringring]

Regular (non chainstitch) hems are simple to do at home. Just shorten, fold up twice, press and edge stitch. As far as thread choice, just choose a mercerised 100% cotton thread of the same thickness and colour as the original hem.

If you want to be a wee bit more anal, then keep the hems nice and narrow, 1cm or less from edge to stitch line.

 

[j]

Ok, it's getting to be time to deal with these. I need to get them hemmed up. Do I need to do it before washing, or should I just wash them first to see how much they shrink and then hem them? If I have to do it before washing, how much extra do I need to leave to compensate for shrinkage?

Thanks.

 

[Geowu]

My newbie advice: I suppose some 1.5 to 2 inches if you do it before washing.

 

[montecristo#4]

Somewhere in one of these threads someone advocated using fine grit sandpaper to accelerate the process of breaking in raw denim. Is this really advisable?