IH-555-XHSib - 25oz Selvedge Denim Slim Jeans - Indigo/Black
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Hello everyone,
I am forever seeing posts asking for "real-world" experience before you buy a fit or variation within a fit, so I thought I have now had enough experience with these jeans to leave some valuable information.
First of all, I bought a pair that were 38" waist (I am actually like a 37) and they were WAY too big (39"+). I sent them back and changed them for a 36.9" waisted IH-555S-21od and started wearing them. They fit tight and great at first, but after about 15 wears and a wash (had to because my muddy-foot dog jumped on me) they were beginning to stretch out to the point that they were slipping down my hips "just a little".
So I ordered the IH-555-XHSib in a flat 37" waist and (like someone else said) they were murder to button, bend, squat in, and seemed to eat the back of my knees like a chainsaw. I am at 7 wears now and they are just getting some electric blue in high stress areas, but I have noticed virtually ZERO waist stretch. So little, in fact, I am afraid to wet them. Maybe this is the pair that I literally wear for a year with no washes!
They have softened ever so slightly, but nothing like the 21oz denim does. Still feel like a tank or sheet of steel, only pliable steel now.
You can judge the fit for yourselves and see what you think.
My questions are:
1. Will these ever stretch? ::)
2. Will they shrink too much to wear once washed?
3. Will they "return" to wearable and stretch back out if they do shrink?
4. Will these ever be soft? If so, when? ???These are BY FAR my favorite IH and I have owned the IH-777S-21, IH-666S-21, IH-555S-21od, and now these. I have sold my 777 and 666 (both in 38–thinking they would shrink) and now I am left with two very different 555 versions. I love them both, but the color of these XHSib are just other-worldly unreal! So essentially I feel like I am left with an "I feel full and need some extra belly" jeans and an "I feel slim, trim, and ripped" pair of 555s.
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Hi @tnjyoung, congrats on your purchase, and welcome to the club!
I'll give you some of my experiences below, but I don't know everything, so maybe some others will chime in too.
1. Will these ever stretch? ::)
They will. Not as much as the 21 oz denim, but some. Maybe a quarter or half inch?
2. Will they shrink too much to wear once washed?
If they're very tight now, maybe you should postpone washing until they're more comfortable.
3. Will they "return" to wearable and stretch back out if they do shrink?
After a wash, they'll tighten up a bit, but they will also stretch back out again to where they were (i.e. beyond the measurements upon purchase).
If they're still too tight in the waist, you could try some at-your-own-risk techniques like stretching the waist using a car jack. I think there are some of us here who have successful experiences with that. See here: https://www.ironheart.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=14597.msg650555#msg650555
4. Will these ever be soft? If so, when? ???
They say the XHS softens up so much they'll feel like sweatpants after some time. I think that's mostly a manner of speaking, esp. since the 555 cut is very tight. But they will soften up considerably! Maybe after about 100 wears? I'm guessing here–I don't really remember. I'm at about 350 wears right now, and they're entirely comfortable to me.
Good luck with the journey! Let us know how you get on.
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Thank you so much! Exactly what I hoped to hear!
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And rightly so! What a glorious pair of jeans @Jcaz6996
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I'm putting these away until the Fall. But first a little update. Now at 382 wears.
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Great work
looking awesome
How many washes ? -
@Lowlander Those are insane fades!
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superb
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Thank you gents!
@Daniel San 1 initial soak, 1 bathtub wash, 2 machine washes.
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Look great @Lowlander
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You should easily make it to 500 wears.
Yes I think so too! They're still in pretty good shape. Just some cosmetic DIY repair here and there, but nothing structural yet. Actually, I'd really like to try and wear these at least a 1000 times. But I'm taking my time. These have been in rotation for 2.5 years now.
look amazing..
