IH-555-XHS - 25oz Selvedge Denim Slim Jeans - Indigo
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I was planning to wear them a few weeks then give them a cold soak. Any thoughts, good idea or not necessary?
@Jett129 is right, everyone has their way. It should denim specific and pertinent to the facts in hand though.
Never really understood the point of cold soaks or what they are meant to achieve. Some jeans soften with some water, I suppose. These don’t. Only way to soften them is to beat the crap out of them. One way or another.
This denim is sanforised and unwashed. That means most of the shrinkage is gone but there is a little left. Getting the last shrinkage out may be a good idea so you know how the jean fits in it’s newly washed state and to avoid the possiblity of honeycombs being moved when the inseam shortens. A hot soak with agitation will remove the shrinkage.
If you can go for six months without a wash and not smell like a well used jock strap then by all means do. I can’t. A lot of people think they can and get surprised when their boyfriend/girlfriend tells them they stink. I don’t think any of us paid $400 to smell like a hobo. So imho, if your jeans start smelling, they’re really dirty. You should probably wash them. Wear them hard and the fades will still be epic.
Enjoy your XHS, this is some of the best denim on the planet, I think.
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I was planning to wear them a few weeks then give them a cold soak. Any thoughts, good idea or not necessary?
Never really understood the point of cold soaks or what they are meant to achieve.
It depends on the specific denim, but "cold soaks" for me is different from "unsanforized cold soaks", which have a specific purpose. "Cold soaks" in my opinion are to facilitate the crease-to-fit phenomenon that takes place the first several times you wear brand new denim, and it doesn't have to be "cold" water. As you might notice with my DWC2 pair, for example, the crease pattern on my final submission photos is the same crease pattern that was achieved immediately after wearing them for the first time. For me, this moment is EXACTLY what is wonderful about wearing denim, above and beyond any other piece of clothing. Every pair is molded to your individual form based on fit, body composition and movement. Denim wearing is art in action, and soaking, for me, is what enables the transmission of my body movements into the memory of the fabric. Just like glassblowing where the borosilicate can be formed while molten, denim can be formed while wet.
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In this case, "wearing them for a few weeks" and then giving them a cold soak would do nothing but maybe rinse some grime out of them. Since it is unwashed, you need to get that remaining shrinkage out before you wear them or you will have two slightly different crease patterns before/after the first soak.
I soak before the first wear, and then soak-to-clean when needed until the denim softens enough to safely withstand the washer, which takes a minute.
While not necessarily "cold", soaking in water (i do a soapy soak with spot treatment, and then a subsequent clean soak to rinse the soap out) instead of washing is advisable for the first several weeks to avoid the potential of hard crease lines in the washer if they aren't removed quickly from the basin and smoothed over.
And as neph said, wash your jeans when they need it. Fades are not afraid of water. After the first few months, when they gets lots of wear and relatively minimal cleaning, I wash on average about every two weeks. I work in my jeans and I think I have ok fades…
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It all started because my first pair was UHR, and my second….so the soaking before wearing was necessary for shrinkage and constructional threads etc. I put them on to check the fit and boom, the crease-to-fit was born, obviously an inevitable by-product of the shrink-to-fit process. I usually wear them while slightly damp after a wash anyway, so that achieves the same purpose without the preliminary pageantry. Just do that if you like. Might allow for more expressive crease lines when the denim is wet and crisp, as opposed to softer, less defined lines from dry denim
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First generation 2011-2016
Second generation 2016-present
Some Up close XHS to help you relax
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I listened to all the comments and decided to give them a warm soak. The jeans were a bit loose on the waist and a little too long in the leg. I bought them at Rivet and Hide, and got them hemmed to a 33", my normal inside leg is 32". The tagged waist was 33"
The jeans are now a perfect fit on my waist, they a still a bit long on the leg but I think they will stack ok since they are slim jeans.
I'm glad I did the soak in the end.
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The jeans are now a perfect fit on my waist, they a still a bit long on the leg but I think they will stack ok since they are slim jeans.
Yeah, I think an inch of shrinkage in the length on XHS is a rare thing. In my experience bit pairs I own only shrunk about half an inch. It’s risky to hem with that in mind though. The 555 looks great stacked, and the XHS drapes well. You should be golden. Worst case, R&H can take half an inch off for you. Enjoy!
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Whats the timeline on another restock of these? (size 28)
This from the 777-XHS thread today:
Will there be a re-stock soon for the 777 XHS?
Yes. Not sure when though.
Most likely, the next batch of denim is being woven for XHS iterations now.
