Random Observations #011
Jeans updates and an opinionated podcast.
There are so many things I wish I could write about one day. In the Random Observations series, I attempt to put together my random thoughts and observations on clothing and related subjects in a shorter, more approachable format. This is one way for me to capture thoughts before they sink into oblivion. If you find any of the subjects helpful or questionable, do not hesitate to share your feedback in the comments below the article — I’d be happy to continue the conversation.
In the eleventh episode of Random Observations, I share highlights from a coll podcast with a cool guest and update you on the two pairs of jeans I wear.
Let’s get it!
Throwing Fits With Gauthier Borsarello
I have already brought up the Throwing Fits podcast a few times on this newsletter, and I’m pretty sure this one won’t be the last because the show brings exactly the kind of irony that makes this whole clothing thing so fun in the first place. Curiously, I also mentioned Gauthier Borsarello, the co-founder of L'Étiquette magazine and a vintage clothing collector, before. This time, I want to share the highlights from the Throwing Fits podcast with Gauthier Borsarello so you don’t have to listen to the whole thing.
- Who dresses better: guys from New York or guys from Paris?
- Guys from London. There is something we’ve never managed to do here (in Paris). It’s a bit edgy, weird, extreme. They are a bit more rough than us. There is something strong with British people, whereas in France we are like more fancy or elegant, blah blah blah. In the UK, it’s more raw. And American style is more obvious. You do whatever works. That’s what I love about America. You have everything that works for everyone. But in France, we are like this is gonna work too much, it’s not edgy enough. I think we are scared of money, we are scared of success. We think it’s vulgar to do something that works too much. We are a bit pretentious. If you do something, for example, like Aimé Leon Dore, which is a huge success, in France, we’d be like, oh, I’m going to wear this with me and my team, and when you would see all the kids wearing it, you’d say, oh, this is too late, I’m gonna stop.- What is happening in menswear in Paris right now?
- This year, in September, when kids are back to school they are all the same. Like they are all clones with baggy jeans, Levi’s or simple things, white t-shirts, the North Face jackets, and Nike, white or black. Extremely simple. And you can see dozens and dozens of kids looking the same, with long hair, listening to cheap rap, and being fan of PSG (FC Paris Saint-Germain) I think this is super interesting because they are really marking the era. I don’t know what to say. Maybe it’s sad and happy, because for them, it’s great, because they are really creating an aesthetic they are going to have nostalgia about. It’s strong, it’s very visual. At the same time they are all the same. So that’s a bit sad.- What you are interested in?
- I like the nerdy stuff. You know, that we used to love five years ago. Super classic, preby, blah blah blah. That was really for the nerd. Thanks to Aimé Leon Dore or these kind of brands, this is becoming a bit more mass and a bit more streetwear. I love this blending and I think it’s super interesting. I love to take this codes and make them super radical. So you take like a very preppy silhouette but you do it in all navy or in all black. Super simple but with the references of the past.- Generally speaking, in menswear, what do you want to see more of?
- Faded clothes in the street. Because we are all like, oh, I love vintage, but actually, in the street, everyone has new clothes. I miss patina. When I was growing up, it was cool to always wear the same clothes. Like A.P.C. jeans, a white t-shirt, and a leather jacket. And you could see the patina in the street. I miss that. Everything is too new everywhere. People can go to a thrift store and buy something vintage, but it looks new because it’s not their own vintage. And I think the patina that you create yourself, you can not replicate that. (this is something I formulated myself recently and previously, wrote about in an essay on a true luxury) Even if it’s a natural patina from someone else, it’s not yours. That’s why my latest obsession is buying very old clothes, but deadstock and to it myself.
- In a world that is full of bullshit sneakers, how does a good pair of sneakers stand out?
- I think what sport brands should chase is to support athletes and to help them to do new records and new things. That’s the only way to stand out — is to be mythical for a good reason. But I’m not a sneaker guy because it doesn’t age well. So I only have something that ages well which is classic white sneakers, super simple. (personally, I tend to agree and here is why)
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3sixteen RS-100x Jeans: 25 Wears Update
Last spring, I purchased a new pair of jeans: the 3sixteen RS-100x. After 10 wears, I took a bath in them and compared how the shrinkage affected the silhouette. Over the next six months later, I only wore them 15 times. It’s not a lot, but that’s because I was busy wearing my other jeans. Still, 25 wears is an important mark, and here is why.
Unlike lots of raw denim, the 3sixteen proprietary 100x fabric feels soft from the get-go. Yet, I could feel the thickness of the denim under my knees in the brand-new pair. After 25 wears and one bath, this feeling is gone, meaning that the fabric softened even further with wear.
The main reason why the 25-wear mark deserves its own random observation is because it’s exactly the moment when this denim is going to start fading. Although the color is still uniform, you can see that the wear patterns in the lap (whiskers) and under the knee (honey combs) areas have already formed. Over the next 25 wears, I expect the bright indigo tones to reveal themselves in these areas, as well as on the edges where fabric bends or experiences abrasion against other garments. There won’t be any dramatic changes, but my bet is that we will be able to clearly see the difference in color. As always, I will keep you updated.
Small ask: If you find this article exciting or helpful, please share it with your friends, leave a comment on the blog, or simply hit a ❤️ — means a lot to me. Thank you!
TCB 50’s Regular Jeans 250 Wears Update
Learning from experience with my first two pairs of the TCB 50’s Regular jeans, in the 219 wears update for my third pair, I predicted that at the 250-wear mark, the front pockets would be gone because the cotton threads that hold them would fall apart. Guess what? That’s exactly what happened
In other news, the coin pocket hole from my AirPods case grew a bit bigger. Also, I don’t know what it is about the way I sit, but all three pairs of the TCB 50’s Regular jeans have their left back pocket’s bottom right corner stitching worn through.
These are all expected issues that I’ve learned to appreciate. I want to get them fixed by a professional at some point, but I will continue wearing the jeans until then.
Oddly enough, I now have two pairs of exactly the same jeans worn exactly the same amount of times. The only difference between them is the number of washes. So if comparing roping on three identical pairs of jeans hemmed differently wasn’t enough, get prepared for an even geekier review.
Mystery Links
That’s a wrap for the eleventh issue of Random Observations! As always, let me know what you think in the comments section on the blog, ask questions, and share the article with friends who might benefit from it.