derek guy

this is excellent

me driving to get lettuce because i can't afford a home in a walkable neighborhood after an american knife maker voted a certain way without realizing he needs swedish steel

still thinking about the Montana knife maker who said you don't have to worry about tariffs if you buy american. and then three months later, he realized he imports swedish steel and german equipment. and even MiUSA equipment costs $100k more now because of tariffs

Some of these are obviously a bit more daring — probably not the sort of thing you want to pull off at the office — but the article includes some links to some stylish Instagram accounts if you want to draw inspiration.

www.thetimes.com/life-style/f...

I wrote something for The Sunday Times's style section about how men have been undressing for over a hundred years. And how they should go further and show a little cleavage.

Link in the next post.

Brilyn Hollyhand on Twitter writes: "BREAKING: Trump just announced "drug prices will be coming down by 500, 600, 800, even 1,200 percent." YES!👏"

some of you spend too much time on facebook when you need to face books 😔

Then last week, he told a podcaster that he's looking at paying upwards of $600k because of tariffs. The reason?

He imports equipment and steel to make those knives. Even if you make the machines in the United States, you will pay more.

Many people don't realize how much they import.

On April 30th, Josh Smith of Montana Knife Company said you won't have to worry about tariffs if you buy American.

In the video, he holds up an egg to represent the zero dollars you'll have to pay if you purchase his made-in-USA knives.

I post a thread on Twitter about whether American Eagle jeans are good. Someone replies "They're great; [Sydney Sweeney] is great."

A screenshot showing the same person saying "Buy American" a bunch of times to various people.

The inside of American Eagle jeans show they're made in China.

many such cases

Michael Flynn Jr. tweets: "Never bought anything from American Eagle but my brother said he only buys their jeans. I figured what the hell. Great time to support a non-woke company!" He then posts a photo of himself in his new American Eagle jeans.

The DEI page on American Eagle's website. "We believe Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access are the foundation to our REAL culture."

From their foundation website. It says they donated to It Gets Better, an organization that helps LGBTQ+ youth. Since 2017, they'e donated $4.8 million to this organization.

For black history month, they donated $100k signature grants to the crisis text line to help HBCUs.

thank you for your business

A woman on Twitter talks about how she bought three pairs of AE jeans.

In a separate tweet, she complains about how people outsourced American jobs and sold us out to China.

The inside of AE jeans show they're made in China.

Many of these companies — such as Tellason, 3sixteen, Gustin, Raleigh Denim, Imogene + Willie — also produce their jeans in the United States. This way, you can support US jobs (if that's important to you).

IMO, it's better to buy one pair of high-quality jeans than three pairs of low-quality ones.

Man in a pair of Buck Mason saddle cut jeans.

I also like Buck Mason's Saddle Cut (available in raw denim).

If the prices above take you aback, check Gustin. Their newly introduced "vintage straight" — a roomier, more classic cut — comes in Cone Mills denim.

Todd Shelton and Williamsburg Garment Company can also do custom

Whether raw or processed, jeans can be "good" depending on your taste.

If you'd like to explore raw denim, check out stores such as Self Edge, 3sixteen, Standard & Strange, Blue in Green, Division Road, AB Fits, Blue Owl Workshop, Tellason, Rivet & Hide (UK), and Dutil (Canada).

Man wearing raw denim jeans with a raw hem and black t-shirt.

Man wearing pre-washed black jeans with a black jacket.

A man wearing vintage chain stitched jeans with a tan raincoat.

A man wearing pre-washed blue jeans with a tan polo coat.

My goal is to not push you in any one direction (raw denim may not be your thing!). Only to help you understand the basics of jeans (AE jeans are objectively bad). And give you a sense of how to understand fabric and details so you can find what's right for you. Develop taste!

Stevenson Overall Co jeans with leather backed buttons and a cleaner serged seam

Stevenson Overall Co jeans with handmade belt loops and single needle sewing. They're made from 14 oz raw selvedge denim.

Our Legacy jeans don't have any reinforcement for the buttons. The serged seam is messy.

These Our Legacy jeans are made from washed projectile loom denim. They have machine-made belt loops and double needle sewing.

Of course, when you get into the upper tiers of denim, there may be other details that separate a pair of jeans. Stevenson jeans feature leather backed buttons and handmade belt loops (pics 1 and 2). This is a step up from even designer jeans, such as Our Legacy in pics 3 and 4.

Vintage Levi's that have been naturally faded.

Trump in the late 1990s wearing pre-processed jeans.

When you combine these things, you get the differences below. First pic shows vintage Levis (shuttle loom, natural fading, chain stitching). Second pic shows jeans from the mid-1990s, when denim was almost entirely mass produced (projectile loom, pre-washed, lockstitch).

Chain stitched hem with roping.

Lock stitched hem that's flat.

In the early 1980s, denim brands also moved from chain stitching to the faster, more economical lock stitching. The chain stitch was historically used in certain areas, such as the hem, which resulted in the roping effect you see in the first pic. Without it, the hem is flat.

Naked & Famous jeans that have been naturally faded through wear.

Processed Gap jeans. The fabric looks very flat and uniform.

The older method of producing jeans resulted in a fabric with a lot more character, which yields better looking fades. Once denim moved from shuttle looms to projectile looms, and was put through all sorts of finishes, you've squeezed the life out of it. It's processed baloney.

Stevenson Overall Co jeans. They've been faded through natural wear

Stevenson Overall Co jeans. They've been faded through natural wear

Stevenson Overall Co jeans. They've been faded through natural wear

A pile of naturally faded vintage jeans.

But the advantage is that it looks much more natural. The top of the pockets bust because you repeatedly put your hands into your pockets. Fades develop around your actual lap and the back of your knees, not in weird places that don't even match your body.

A photo showing how raw denim jeans fade over six years.

Pre-washed jeans are popular today because they're softer and more comfortable out the box. The problem with raw denim is that it can be stiff and cardboard-y at first. The fabric will also bleed for a bit, which means indigo can rub off on your white couch. Takes about two months for this to stop.

YouTube video by Stridewise How They Fade Jeans At the Factory (Made in USA!)

Over time, new finishing processes developed: sanforization (pre-shrinking), mercerization (making the fabric smoother and more lustrous), and of course, pre-distressing. You can find jeans today with pre-faded laps & pre-torn knees. Some are even faded with lasers!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAtc...

Three men in jeans and trucker jackets.

A man in a trucker jacket and some jeans.

The other dimension has to do with finishing. When men bought jeans during the first half of the 20th century, they were typically buying raw denim, which is to say that the material was in its "natural state." It was not pre-washed or pre-faded — you put the fades in yourself.

Around the 1970s, denim producers started to use faster, more efficient projectile looms. This was the dawn of mass-manufacturing for denim. By producing things at higher speeds, mills could cut cost and offer lower-priced materials. Of course, brands were happy to adopt.

But why did so many men look great in jeans in the past? And why do so many look terrible today?

A big change has to do with how denim is woven. For much of the 20th century, denim was woven on shuttle looms, which produce narrower width fabric finished with selvedge (self-edge).

Cary Grant in a suit.

James Dean dressed as a cowboy.

The above should help you buy a better pair of jeans no matter your taste. But I will now talk about my preferences.

As always, I have presuppositions. Just as I believe men wore tailoring better in the past, I believe the same is true for denim and workwear.

Two men in skinny jeans and boots. They are dressed like rockers.

Matt Walsh in skinny jeans and boots. He's dressed like a J. Crew ad.

Of course, jeans aren't just about quality — you're buying these to look good. So consider whether the fit and silhouette work for you. Skinny jeans look great with boots and leather jackets because of the history of rock and roll. Less good with prep and business casual bc that makes no sense.

The inside of AE jeans shows serged seams.

The inside of Chimala jeans shows flat-felled seams.

Peer inside and you can spot more cost-cutting. To prevent the raw edges from fraying, AE uses a messy overlock stitch. On a higher-quality pair of jeans, this area (the seat) will be made with a flat-felled seam. This is more labor intensive, but also adds durability.

A pair of jeans that have been patched.

A pair of jeans that have been darned.

Worse still, they can't be easily repaired. Pure cotton jeans can be patched or darned when they develop holes. While you can still do this with elastane-blended jeans, the repair won't hold very long, so the cost is not worth it. The jeans eventually end up in a landfill.

From Denim Therapy:

American Eagle relaxed jeans.

The specs show these are $50, but have been discounted to $30.

Sometimes manufacturers add elastane to skinny jeans to make them more comfy (common in womenswear). But AE even uses it in relaxed cuts.

Why? Because their jeans are cheap and thus require low-quality materials. Recycled fibers are shorter and weaker. Elastane helps them not fall apart.

American Eagle jeans product page. Shows they use sythethic blends.

American Eagle jeans product page. Shows they use sythethic blends.

In this thread, I will get into the basics of jeans. And then talk about my personal taste.

So what makes a pair of jeans "good?" We start with material. American Eagle typically uses blended yarns, such as cotton mixed with recycled cotton, polyester, and elastane.