Don't let this happen to you!

[j]

Buddy of mine came over last night and I noticed he had finally washed his APCs. He had come on here to ask about them about a year ago and must have worn them for 9 months straight without washing them.

I'll get him to post pics of the rest of the jeans, because there is some seriously sick stuff going on otherwise.

But let this be a lesson to you - move the cuff around...

 

[Saucemaster]

I don't cuff my dry jeans, but I actually kind of like the ripped-where-I-cuffed-'em thing.

What I always get is a hell of a lot of fading on the back of the leg down near the hem. I know some is normal, but I get tons--more than I see on most people's pics. Not sure why.

 

[WatchGuy]

Thanks for the warning!

I've been working on breaking in my APCs and have been starting to worry about the cuffs. I kind of just want to wash them so they shrink so I can get them hemmed. Not sure what to do as there is only one cuff that I seem to be happy with.

 

[j]

If you still want to go for the long time no wash look, maybe soak them and then starch them before they dry all the way. It's a good idea to get the shrinkage out of the way IMO.

 

[WatchGuy]

Originally Posted by j

If you still want to go for the long time no wash look, maybe soak them and then starch them before they dry all the way. It's a good idea to get the shrinkage out of the way IMO.
How do I do that? Just soak in cold water w/ woolite black and hang dry. Then spray some starch on them before they are totally dry?

 

[j]

Originally Posted by WatchGuy

How do I do that? Just soak in cold water w/ woolite black and hang dry. Then spray some starch on them before they are totally dry?
Yeah, I would soak with a little woolite (optional, really), rinse, hang dry and spray down the creasy areas, then put on slightly damp and wear to dry. This isn't an official method, but people have reported that starching their jeans will help reset the creases to keep up the raw-like wear post-washing.

 

[Servo2000]

The backs of my cuffs are totally thrashed on my APCs from wearing them with Slip-ons / Chucks / other low bottomed shoes. I think it adds a mild distressing that works pretty nicely, in my opinion. It doesn't look artificial at all, although it does somewhat prevent me from, at this point, wearing them with nice shoes.

Then again, the cuffs aren't exactly conducive to that either.

 

[WatchGuy]

Originally Posted by j

Yeah, I would soak with a little woolite (optional, really), rinse, hang dry and spray down the creasy areas, then put on slightly damp and wear to dry. This isn't an official method, but people have reported that starching their jeans will help reset the creases to keep up the raw-like wear post-washing.
Thanks for the tips, J!

 

[HEWSINATOR]

Yes, if you do not plan to cuff forever, then don't. I strongly suggest soaking in hot water (no need for soap at all), then drying, then hemming a bit long.

Refer to my RRDG in the pics of denim thread to see what happens if you don't. I now hem all my dry jeans.

 

[moykky]

Aren't they sanforized? Only minimal shrinking...?

 

[j]

Originally Posted by moykky

Aren't they sanforized? Only minimal shrinking...?
APCs shrink like 1" in the length as far as I remember. It's been a while.

 

[denimdestroyedmylife]

I don't know if you want to starch after the soak if you want to avoid rips like that. The Japanese practice of soaking (noriotoshi?) is to remove starch and other unwanted elements from the manufacture of jeans that would break down the denim. I am beginning to think of starching as crack-cocaine for jeans. Maybe fun in the short term, but...

 

[LA Guy]

Originally Posted by Saucemaster

What I always get is a hell of a lot of fading on the back of the leg down near the hem. I know some is normal, but I get tons--more than I see on most people's pics. Not sure why.

That's because you wear your jeans a fair bit looser than most people here (from your pics, your fits are pretty close to mine.) There is a lot more contact with the ground at different areas near the hem during different parts of your stride. I get the same, FWIW.

 

[Saucemaster]

Originally Posted by LA Guy

That's because you wear your jeans a fair bit looser than most people here (from your pics, your fits are pretty close to mine.) There is a lot more contact with the ground at different areas near the hem during different parts of your stride. I get the same, FWIW.

:slaps forehead: That's totally it. My RRDS, which I wear low, but are not loose (I have a hard time riding my bike in them because the thighs are so tight), don't have much more fading there than normal. My APCs, which I wear pretty loose, have tons there. And my RRDGs, which I wear somewhere in between, and were pretty long pre-hem, had the same thing. Don't know why I didn't think of it.

 

[JoMak_NYC]

Well I took some of you guys' advice and made another cuff. Now, depending on what shoes I'm wearing I can cuff at a level where they don't touch the ground at all. The lower cuff is pretty worn but not all the way through. The higher cuff is new, and apart from the crease itself - there's no sign of any wear at all.