The Fine Print on Jeans
Little things to look for when considering new clothes. Plus, five shirts in one, and why navy is my favorite color to wear with denim right now.
Lately, I’ve really been sweating the small stuff: The width of a hem (3/8” or 1/2”); the placement of a bar tack (crossing over the back pocket corner seam or not, and in what color thread?); the spacing of buttons on a fly (1/8”-increment adjustments, guys). Though I never want to burden you with the minutiae of making great clothes, I do think it’s meaningful to see them from an informed place. Knowledge isn’t just power, it’s sexy!
So, I’m starting this letter with a micro-lesson in finishing – not a Master Class, but a “Hey,-have-you-ever-noticed?” approach to eye-training that can shift the way we shop. First up: Thread color. The 3 most commonly used on jeans are tobacco (referred to as pigskin in some camps), navy, and lemon-yellow, a Levi’s hallmark found on WW2-era 501s and other Big E (pre-1971) styles. My most-prized Big E’s are sewn with all 3 colors in the interior:
