IH-101J-SR - 18oz Selvedge Denim Storm Rider Jacket - Indigo

[Oaktavia]

@Mister_Brue for real, snow works so well as a backdrop for photographing denim.

[OneEyeMan]

Hey all, I just joined the club.
I got lucky and found a large on Grailed for a decent price.
It's a good fit, looks amazing, has impeccable construction, and is very warm; with only an LL Bean waffle knit under it, I was warm at 28 degrees yesterday.
There's enough room under it to wear a sweater too for the really frigid days.
I'm 5'7", 150 lbs and the Large fits well with 2 minor exceptions; it's a little tight under the arm pits, and the sleeves are about 1" too long.
I'm sure the pits will loosen up with wear and I really don't mind the long sleeves.
Do you think a non detergent wash in cold water will help it conform to my body, or should I just wear the crap out of it?
BTW, this is a double first for me; first Japanese denim, and first selvedge denim.
Only one thing is a bit annoying about it; that big, stiff, plastic patch at the neck is totally out of place on such a nice jacket.
It should be leather at this price point!
Well, here it is.

[goosehd]

@OneEyeMan that patch is leather or it should be. Can you show a picture of it?

[hjl360]

@OneEyeMan Lots of wear will definitely do better than washing for getting it to shape and conform to your body, especially in the sleeves. It looks like a real good fit on you and once those sleeve creases set will be even better as they lose some length.

Not too sure about the pits unless you put them under direct pressure, which I would imagine could risk causing some damage.

I believe the patch is leather which will soften up nicely.

[OneEyeMan]

Thanks guys.
It's soaking right now so I'll get a pic of the patch when it's dry.
If the patch is leather, it's weird leather.
It feels like it's coated with something.
I definitely can't scratch it with a fingernail though!
That's my "real leather" test.

[Giles]

I think there are more objective tests than that.

Anyway, your test was not accurate, it is leather (cowhide).

If you soak it hot enough, it will go crispy hard, and shrink that's a better test

[OneEyeMan]

OK, after the soak I can tell it's leather.
It now passes my "real leather" fingernail scratch test.

[Giles]

This has highlighted an omission on the product pages. We don't talk about the patch at all on any of our products. Being fixed.....Thank you....

[Richard]

[OneEyeMan]

So, I did a non-detergent cold wash of the jacket.
I noticed several things after it dried:

• It is no longer tight under the arms
• it's more comfortable everywhere
• the white weft fibers show through more here and there
• the denim is slightly hairy
• 1 or 2 of these aqua dots popped up