Caustic Man
Stylish Dinosaur
- Joined
- Apr 17, 2012
- Messages
- 10,575
- Reaction score
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Full disclosure: I received these jeans gratis from Mott & Bow.
Accepting that we rarely talk about denim on this side of Styleforum, I thought I would hazard a guess that this might be of some interest to people who dress in CM. Over time I have come to prefer un-distressed, even colored, denim when wearing clothes that tend toward classic. There is no "rule" that requires this but I think it makes sense when attempting to couple denim with some element of tailored clothing. This particular model is Mott & Bow's Mosco slim fit in dark blue ($96): 98% cotton, 2% elastane, 10.62 oz. (https://www.mottandbow.com/slim/slim-mosco-resin-rinse.html). The size is 34x32 (actual waist measurement: 35 in. Inseam: 31.5 in.) Mott & Bow has an interesting way of selling online, somewhat akin to Kent Wang's "trial suit". They will send you two waist sizes at your request so that you may try both on and keep whichever pair fits you best. Returns in this program are free of charge, of course.
This particular model is a "Resin Rinse" which means that resin coloring is sprayed onto the garment and then cured in an oven. The end result in this case is a pleasing, even, dark blue that catches light very well creating the appearance of randomly grading shades. The denim come from a factory in Turkey that Mott & Bow claims is one of the best, called Orta Andalu. A quick Google search for this company indicates that it has been manufacturing denim since 1985. Orta Andalu claims that all their products contain 5% organic cotton. Orta Andalu supplies denim to companies such as Levis, Seven for all Mankind, Uniqlo, Burberry, Diesel, and many others. The denim on these jeans wears much softer than Levis of a comparable price, though not as soft as higher end brands.
The manufacture (done in Honduras) is where Mott & Bow begins to show some signs of being a modestly priced garment. The stitching is large and clumsy in places.
Despite this, the button hole is finished nicely and the stitching along the inseam is thin and even.
The denim is non-selvedge
Mott & Bow calls these a mid-rise but being a CM fogey I would consider them to be well within the range of a low-rise. By my measurement the rear rise is 15 inches. Certainly not high enough to comfortably tuck a shirt into, but high enough for a reasonable degree of comfort.
Concluding thoughts: I would consider these to be by far my most CM-casual friendly jeans. They do miss the mark in some respects. I wish the rise was higher to facilitate shirt tuckage when desired. The stitching is good in some places, disappointing in others. There are many positives, however. Despite being "slim" I don't feel like they are too slim to be worn with dignity. The denim quality is certainly better than what you would find at most big brands for a similar price and the nuance with which they are treated makes them sophisticated enough to be worn in CM casual fits IMO. I'd say they are a pretty good value for those of us who dabble in denim, although hardcore denim nerds will quickly seek out more features.
Accepting that we rarely talk about denim on this side of Styleforum, I thought I would hazard a guess that this might be of some interest to people who dress in CM. Over time I have come to prefer un-distressed, even colored, denim when wearing clothes that tend toward classic. There is no "rule" that requires this but I think it makes sense when attempting to couple denim with some element of tailored clothing. This particular model is Mott & Bow's Mosco slim fit in dark blue ($96): 98% cotton, 2% elastane, 10.62 oz. (https://www.mottandbow.com/slim/slim-mosco-resin-rinse.html). The size is 34x32 (actual waist measurement: 35 in. Inseam: 31.5 in.) Mott & Bow has an interesting way of selling online, somewhat akin to Kent Wang's "trial suit". They will send you two waist sizes at your request so that you may try both on and keep whichever pair fits you best. Returns in this program are free of charge, of course.
This particular model is a "Resin Rinse" which means that resin coloring is sprayed onto the garment and then cured in an oven. The end result in this case is a pleasing, even, dark blue that catches light very well creating the appearance of randomly grading shades. The denim come from a factory in Turkey that Mott & Bow claims is one of the best, called Orta Andalu. A quick Google search for this company indicates that it has been manufacturing denim since 1985. Orta Andalu claims that all their products contain 5% organic cotton. Orta Andalu supplies denim to companies such as Levis, Seven for all Mankind, Uniqlo, Burberry, Diesel, and many others. The denim on these jeans wears much softer than Levis of a comparable price, though not as soft as higher end brands.
The manufacture (done in Honduras) is where Mott & Bow begins to show some signs of being a modestly priced garment. The stitching is large and clumsy in places.
Despite this, the button hole is finished nicely and the stitching along the inseam is thin and even.
The denim is non-selvedge
Mott & Bow calls these a mid-rise but being a CM fogey I would consider them to be well within the range of a low-rise. By my measurement the rear rise is 15 inches. Certainly not high enough to comfortably tuck a shirt into, but high enough for a reasonable degree of comfort.
Concluding thoughts: I would consider these to be by far my most CM-casual friendly jeans. They do miss the mark in some respects. I wish the rise was higher to facilitate shirt tuckage when desired. The stitching is good in some places, disappointing in others. There are many positives, however. Despite being "slim" I don't feel like they are too slim to be worn with dignity. The denim quality is certainly better than what you would find at most big brands for a similar price and the nuance with which they are treated makes them sophisticated enough to be worn in CM casual fits IMO. I'd say they are a pretty good value for those of us who dabble in denim, although hardcore denim nerds will quickly seek out more features.
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