@Bobcat-Sig I just saw this after responding to your latest post in this thread. As I mentioned, I’ve shortened the sleeves on almost all my Iron Heart shirts. My only regret was not doing it sooner.

I researched the best denim tailors in America and it was very expensive to mail these shirts out to get altered. So I held back, reluctant to drop another hundred dollars per shirt. Then I just took it to my local place in Austin and they did a fantastic job for $30ish each. I started with one to test, but the place (Art Alterations) had great reviews.

The one tiny downside is the pleat at the cuff might be slightly more pronounced, but honestly, you just don’t notice it after a while. Still totally worth it not to have oversized sleeves.

I love everything about Iron Heart shirts, except this one issue of sleeve length. I’m not a Japanese motorcycle dude, so far be it from me to complain. So I’m just trying to make these beautiful garments as perfect for me as I can.

@94atromero amazing aging in that indigo vest.

I have the IH-526SVOD (overdyed vest from Self Edge Austin). But I’m waiting patiently for the OG you have. Vests are so much more wearable in the Texas heat, even tho my 21 oz IH-526PJ (modified type 3 with sleeves) is surprisingly wearable in higher temps.

@americanathreads my advice would just be to take off as much time from work as you possibly can. For me that meant three months with one of those months unpaid. Pulled it off for both kids. I would do it all over again.

Also — I never could even imagine what having a kid was like until the moment my first one was born. As soon as I saw her, the love was so deep and meaningful. Like seeing a color I’d never known existed. Second time, wham, exact same thing, like a baseball bat of love upside the head. Tears streaming. Like an ancient invisible force.

I realize it’s different for everyone, but I mention in case you’re like I was and having trouble imagining how the connection might occur.

Would love to see a lighter weight natural indigo denim work shirt with snaps and white contrast stitching. Maybe this already exists and I missed it!

@Jord top tip! Thank you

@Bobcat-Sig I did not notice much shrinking, but I just did like a cold wash and hang dry. I took it to a tailor where they shorten all my IH sleeves. Costs like $30.

Splash of bleach to SBG wash?

(Allow me to preface the following by saying I’ve spent a long time achieving fades the slow and old fashioned way. But in the true spirit of denim, I like experimenting with new techniques to achieve a variety of results.)

When I first saw EllaHarp — a singer-songwriter who also makes her own jeans — demonstrate the results of a “splash of bleach” method on her 888s, I was surprised and impressed. This was a far more vintage-looking fade than any of my jeans looked like with heavy wear.

After a year in Texas, including a long, hot, humid summer, my 21 oz indigo IH denim had already started taking on beautiful whiskers and other cool fades, so I decided to experiment. The 777s had high contrast knee fades which I wasn’t a fan of (even tho I love my two young kids!). I hoped this “splash of bleach” technique could even out the difference and make the knee fades less obvious.

Using about 50 ml of bleach in my washes every 1-3 months has resulted in a very gradual change that evolved into absolutely stunning and complex vintage-style fades with a million hues of blue. The texture was also different than, for example, the thigh fades achieved without chemicals. It’s really not too dissimilar from what she shows in her photos.

This also had the benefit of smoothing out the contrast with the knee fades, making me fall in love with these jeans more than ever.

Question: would the same method cause a similar effect with my 8301 SBG 777s? Or will the sulfur-dyed fabric react differently? I don’t need super high contrast fades, but I like that middle ground, and these SBGs are really showing some character after almost 12 months of regular wear.

@GoodtimeJohnny sounds amazing. This is the wildest journey I’ve ever embarked upon.

@americanathreads For sure, abstract is the best way to put it. I was the same way.

True story: when my wife was pregnant, i was looking at our dogs and thinking, “How could a baby be more cute than a puppy?” I just didn’t understand. Of course, I was just in the dark. I think it’s because I’d only ever known other people’s babies and it’s just not even close to the same thing, at least for me.

When someone would bring a baby to the office, I was never the one to run up and look. Now it’s the opposite, but if I’m being honest, it’s mostly because it reminds me of my kids. Even all this talk is bringing me back.

Totally get that everyone’s work situation is different, but that’s a big chunk of time. I hope the best for you man! Talking about this just brings me back. Hope you can share a pic of the little dude!

@Jord top tip! Thank you

Sorry to be that guy, but is there any ETA on a restock of this gem? I’ve been searching. My timing is terrible.

Would love to see a lighter weight natural indigo denim work shirt with snaps and white contrast stitching. Maybe this already exists and I missed it!

@sabergirl yeah, the feel of the fabric reminds me more of my IHSH-33-T, a relatively soft denim western shirt, than any of the six IH denim jackets/vests/CPOs I own. But the structure of the garment makes it look as hearty as any of them. It’s a brilliant sleight of hand.

Curious, what part of the world are you in? Hot like Texas?

I feel like people are sleeping on this fabric. I was shocked to see Self Edge still has all sizes in stock like months after it was released.

I picked one up today in XXL. It’s my first Iron Heart top in XXL. All my IH shirts, jackets and vests are XXXL and they all fit perfectly. But I tried both sizes at Self Edge Austin and the XXL just fit better.

It’s an amazing piece to see in person. The photos just don’t quite capture the presence of this garment, the texture and the highly complimentary tones of indigo and yellow stitching. It’s like flipping through a rack of Japanese selvedge denim jackets, this is the that makes you stop and go “whoa.”

It is very drapy and light, but it actually looks like it’s highly structural and maybe even a heavy fabric. The nep is more than nep as there are in some places little hairs poking through from the weft. There were one or two long hairs I sliced off with my pocket knife. But I’m new to nep and it felt like a long hair growing out of me. As a whole it is very unique and fetching.

My hope is that this will be a jacket I can wear in much higher temps here in Austin, Texas than my other IH jackets, which are all Type 3 or CPOs. I also have the IH Type 3 vest in 21 oz indigo and overdyed 21 oz indigo when I want more structure to my fit (and pockets) in hot weather, which is almost always. But this I think will be wearable up to about 80 F / 27 C or even higher unbuttoned in the shade. The more I can wear it the more I can fade it.

My only critiques are dwarfed by the glory of this marvel. The internal texture of the sleeves on my arms while wearing a tshirt is just slightly roughly textured on account of the linen weft. After about two seconds, it doesn’t bother me. My other issue is the sleeve length, which is a perennial problem for me with all Iron Heart tops. No worries, I’ve had them all shortened by Art of Alterations on South Congress Avenue in Austin. They do excellent work at a reasonable price and the turnaround is often less than a week. Or pay 10% more for “rush.”

Looking forward to beating the hell out of this thing and posting fade pics when they’re worthy.

@94atromero These are some of the best fade pics I've seen of the IH-526SV. Congrats!

I got my hands on a brand new one of these a few weeks ago through a forum member. I'm curious, how long did you wear it approximately to achieve these fades? Thanks!

@americanathreads For sure, abstract is the best way to put it. I was the same way.

True story: when my wife was pregnant, i was looking at our dogs and thinking, “How could a baby be more cute than a puppy?” I just didn’t understand. Of course, I was just in the dark. I think it’s because I’d only ever known other people’s babies and it’s just not even close to the same thing, at least for me.

When someone would bring a baby to the office, I was never the one to run up and look. Now it’s the opposite, but if I’m being honest, it’s mostly because it reminds me of my kids. Even all this talk is bringing me back.

Totally get that everyone’s work situation is different, but that’s a big chunk of time. I hope the best for you man! Talking about this just brings me back. Hope you can share a pic of the little dude!

@GoodtimeJohnny sounds amazing. This is the wildest journey I’ve ever embarked upon.

@GoodtimeJohnny Good to know!! One thing I’ve learned from this parenting journey is that I really have no idea what to expect.

@americanathreads my advice would just be to take off as much time from work as you possibly can. For me that meant three months with one of those months unpaid. Pulled it off for both kids. I would do it all over again.

Also — I never could even imagine what having a kid was like until the moment my first one was born. As soon as I saw her, the love was so deep and meaningful. Like seeing a color I’d never known existed. Second time, wham, exact same thing, like a baseball bat of love upside the head. Tears streaming. Like an ancient invisible force.

I realize it’s different for everyone, but I mention in case you’re like I was and having trouble imagining how the connection might occur.