The Japanese Repro Clothing Thread (Real McCoys, Freewheelers, Etc.)

[bry2000]

Thank you. Kind of wish The Armoury picked up the Patchwork Hunting Coat - definitely something I would want to try on first.

Have you heard of the RMC's Jeep Coat pre-order through Lost & Found? That one also looks good.

 

[whorishconsumer]

Thank you. Kind of wish The Armoury picked up the Patchwork Hunting Coat - definitely something I would want to try on first.

Have you heard of the RMC's Jeep Coat pre-order through Lost & Found? That one also looks good.

I saw that and have seen an original somewhere recently. It's definitely a vibe and probably warm as hell.

 

[whorishconsumer]

Came upon this 'Old McCoy's' jacket. The tag reads 'Made In England', so it seems they didn't always do production in Japan (which I know was the case for the shearling bombers).

https://buyee.jp/item/yahoo/auction/b525286643?conversionType=search_suggest

 

[whorishconsumer]

What are the zines of record for Amekaji/reprowear outside of Free & Easy, Lightning and Popeye?

 

[Treble]

Timeworn purposely doesn’t have any socials or an official website. Anything you see online isn’t official, even if they use the name. They’ve been around since 2010 as well and despite having no presence have a very loyal following in Japan, China and Korea and a few guys in Europe, and Australia. Maybe a couple guys in the US.

Only the vintage showroom in London and VMC in Zurich stock them. Outside of that there just the three locations in Japan.

I like that they keep a low profile, and don’t allow photography in the shop in Japan. They’re still a really small company compared to a lot of brands so I’m glad they aren’t overexposed.

Vintage Showroom (London) have closed their consumer retail presence now unfortunately. They only had a small but regular quantity of Timeworn clothing / Butcher Products but had a good relationship with the brand, and the fellas in there were always helpful. A few years ago I think one of them went to work at TWC Tokyo - very nice bloke and the service was top notch.

It would be good if they produced their Tales From Tomorrow catalogue more widely, and would like to know if they have expanded their points of reference into related styles.

 

[Gerry Nelson]

I can finally wear my Real McCoy's peacoat!

 

[Mghart]

Vintage Showroom (London) have closed their consumer retail presence now unfortunately. They only had a small but regular quantity of Timeworn clothing / Butcher Products but had a good relationship with the brand, and the fellas in there were always helpful. A few years ago I think one of them went to work at TWC Tokyo - very nice bloke and the service was top notch.

It would be good if they produced their Tales From Tomorrow catalogue more widely, and would like to know if they have expanded their points of reference into related styles.

I had heard about the vintage showroom closing its physical location which is a shame, but I knew they got small quantities of stuff from the brand.

The Tales of Tomorrow catalogue is still produced every fall season, but I don’t think it makes it outside Japan, but not certain. Last year was its 7th year in publishing. There’s typically a smaller spring catalogue as well ( I should have it soon)

 

[upsett1_spaghett1]

I can finally wear my Real McCoy's peacoat!

How do you like it? I've been considering picking it up as my Schott NYC Peacoat is 11 years old now and starting to show it's age

 

[Gerry Nelson]

How do you like it? I've been considering picking it up as my Schott NYC Peacoat is 11 years old now and starting to show it's age

I really like it. Very well made and I like the way it fits.

 

[ErikW]

How do you like it? I've been considering picking it up as my Schott NYC Peacoat is 11 years old now and starting to show it's age

I have the same peacoat (3 winters). It's a little tight around the armholes/shoulders for me, but otherwise, I think it's an excellent design and seriously warm.

 

[whorishconsumer]

It'd be cool if we could get some heads posting some history in this thread, especially if it comes with pictures, (perhaps from Amekaji/repro magazines I'm not yet familiar with).

One little nugget I'll contribute is pulled from an interview I did with Yuki Matsuda (of Yuketen, Monitaly) near a decade ago:


Growing up in 1970s Osaka, Japan, the 44-year-old Matsuda was inculcated with a love for the United States.

“America was kind of a dream country,” he said.

Young Osakans cherished vintage Americana like a tender memory. From excavated remnants of popular American culture they sought to reconstruct the archetypal ethos of cool.

Their local dispensary was Osaka’s Amerikamura (“American Village”), where clothiers traded in vintage Brooks Brothers suits, L. L. Bean duck boots and Pendleton shirts. It was under the tutelage of these proprietors of hip that Matsuda developed a keen eye for detail.

“When I was teenager and I wanted to buy a Pendleton shirt at the store, it cost me 150 bucks brand new,” Matsuda said. “But if I bought used Pendleton shirts at the vintage clothing stores, it was only 35 dollars. So, I started going into vintage stores and studying more, and each time I went I would see that these Pendleton shirts had different labels depending on their age.”

Older Pendleton garments were identified by a satin label, as opposed to the modern cream-colored tag. Details such as this were valued by the designer and his peers because of the high quality of classic American textile and design. He says their dedication to minutia bordered on cult-like.

“People were so freak about all the details, I grew up around kinda freak people. But that was normal for me. That was my normal life,” he said.

Matsuda still speaks with reverence when describing the Big Mac brand chambray work shirts worn by he and his young friends.

“It was awesome,” he said. “You must have a Big Mac chambray shirt at the time. It was made in the USA, had triple-needle stitching and felled seams all over.”

The designer says Levi’s redline selvage 501s were held in similarly sanctimonious regard.

Historically, Levi’s cut and sewed its jeans in America from rolls of denim that were woven on American shuttle looms. The continuous horizontal weave of the denim thread on these looms formed sealed white edges on either side of the roll, which were marked by a signature red line. Called the “self-edge” or “selvage”, this special finish kept the denim weave from unraveling."

By the 1950s, however, denim mills had begun replacing their shuttle looms with more efficient projectile looms, increasing output but yielding inferior denim with a hasty finish.

For Matsuda, the red line that peeked outward from the up-turned cuff of his 501s was a testament to classic American denim construction.

“They don’t make it that way anymore. People make money, but I think American workwear is trashier now. You wear it three months and then throw it away and buy new clothes,” he said.

 

[whorishconsumer]

Well, after visiting the Armoury Westbury again and giving the jackets an honest go, I can honestly say:

I have no idea what I am talking about.

First a brief note on the leather. As I mea-culpa’d earlier, I had initially noted a brittleness to the horshide of the Grizzly, Mobster and Bucos. After being schooled over at The Fedora Lounge on hide and tannage, and after wearing my A2 the past couple months, I can’t account for my previous statements. The leather for all of these models is both dense and flexible (although not spongy like processed lambskin).

Secondly, the fit of the Mobster and Grizzly are not as boxy or wide / short in the arms as my first impression had led me to believe. Again, I really can’t account for this impression. I will note the Mobster was a bit boxy in the 44, which is the size I would need in this model. The arms, however, were long, not short, and I don’t think I’m swimming in them. It’s definitely a looser fit that an SLP DR or my Falcon Garments, which I had made on the slim side. The Grizzly was awesome, if not impractical. It should also be remarked that the pinlock zipper on both made it pretty difficult to open and close.

Finally, much to my surprise, not only did I like the Buco J-100, but it’s presently the jacket I’m wrestling with whether or not to purchase.

Two more corrections: the wool serge lining of the Mobster and Grizzly feels like wool jersey, not cotton. So it is a bit warmer because of this. The Bucos, on the other hand, had a silk or Bemberg lining.

Mobster 42
View attachment 1590902
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Mobster 44
View attachment 1590905

Grizzly 42
View attachment 1590910 View attachment 1590911 View attachment 1590912

Buco J-100 44
View attachment 1590906 View attachment 1590907 View attachment 1590908

Buco J-82 Padded 44
View attachment 1590909

Not pictured:
Buco J-24 42 (Couldn’t zip)

Swung back through the Armoury Westbury today so I could try the Grizzly again in a larger size, and so that @upsett1_spaghett1 could see the J-24.

I’m 6’3” with a 41” chest last I checked and a 42” gut, with long legs and long arms. I take a 19-19.5” shoulder width measured across the back. I’m flirting with 205 lbs.

Grizzly 44 (over a sweat):

J-24 44

Over sweater. I didn’t bother to try zipping.

Over T.

I tried a 42 last time and couldn’t zip it over a T. It fits smaller and tighter than the Grizzly, Mobster, A2, J-100, or padded J-82 in the same size.

J-82 Padded 44 (again)

All over a T.

I wore my J-100 so they would know I was cool:

Also, as it turns out they have some delayed stock that has arrived/is arriving, some of which is on the site. They’ve got some chambrays, a denim western, sweats and a restock of M-65s, with one more box coming.

 

[bry2000]

Any idea how long they will be hosting the RMC pop up?

 

[whorishconsumer]

Any idea how long they will be hosting the RMC pop up?

I don't think it's definite but end of May is what they said previously, I believe.

 

[bry2000]

Grizzly and J-24 look amazing.