Friday night at home, playing guitar and kicking back on the sofa. Good times.

@Oaktavia
I understand the anxiety you speak of.

In my early days of IH and Japanese denim, i did what a lot of people do: i bought way too much stuff. Over time it began weighing me down - the anxiousness of feeling like i had to try every type of denim, combined with the guilt of excessive consumerism. In hindsight, in a lot of cases i think i just wanted to see and feel the product, not necessarily own it. It took me a while to realise this.

I stepped right back for a number of years. I still wore good jeans in that time, but would go months (even years) without looking at things online and drooling over them. It was amazingly liberating - i was oblivious to whatever was going on in the denim world.

The (unintended) tradeoff for me was that i got heavily into guitar building in that period, and ended up with way too many guitars. I guess it’s my personality to go a bit over the top when i find something i like!

These days, i’m fairly restrained with my denim purchases, although arguably still have too many jeans. The other thing that’s changed (although i can’t put my finger on why) is that i don’t give a fuck about fades. At all. I love the look of new jeans just as much as old ones.

Just my story…all the best finding a strategy that works for you. Cheers!

Why do some people expect/want a reward for buying stuff? Isn’t a well-made item enough?

I wasn’t aware a loyalty scheme existed - my purchases are sometimes quite spaced out (sometimes by years), which is probably why. Also I’ve sometimes bought IH stuff from SE and R&H.

Controversial idea perhaps, but I’d consider going the other direction and adding a surcharge to purchases after an individual has reached a certain annual spend. IH then donates the surcharge to charity, and it doesn’t stop people buying things if they have the funds to support an indulgent clothing habit.

@Oaktavia
Moving stuff on can feel really good, huh.
I think many of us have been through periods where we got carried away wanting almost every new release, but it can reach a point where it weighs you down mentally. These days, at any given time i only have a handful of IH things, and the rest I’m happy to admire from the sidelines.
[edited for typos]

@Alex said in IHSH-316-IND - 9oz Selvedge Ombré Check Western Shirt - Indigo:

No plans, but we often look to the past for the future

No worries. An UHF in a similar colour scheme would also be welcomed (by me).

Please put my vote in the ‘random bloke asks for random shit’ folder, if it's not at capacity.

I’m smack-bang in between sizes on this run, so will sit it out and see what the next lot yields.

I was thinking recently - to use a guitar analogy - that the 634s is like the Telecaster of jeans: Not fancy. Never goes out of style. Lasts forever and gets better over time. Goes well with everything.
Just as Leo Fender got it right the first time, so did IH.

Pretty hard to put that genie back in the bottle, eh?

I spent several years away from the forum while indulging in other (equally expensive) hobbies, and on returning was pretty surprised to see how the IH product range has exploded. To be honest, i also sometimes reminisce about ‘the simple times’ when there was just a handful of IH options, but the comments in the initial post about diversification make sense.

Good on you for responding to the question so calmly, Giles. Not sure I would have the same level of patience.

Weird times in the world.

I reckon I’m finally grown-up enough to get a pair of 634S. Not sure how I’ve managed to avoid them for so long - guess I was just caught up in the 666 and 777 models.

Looking forward to a restock whenever it lands.

Release time is 1am in my corner of the universe. I’m not getting up in the middle of the night to order jeans, so I’ll see if I can snag a pair a few hours later at a locally sensible time. I don’t feel great about my chances, but either way I win - either I get a great pair of jeans, or I save $600 (yep, that’s the exchange rate for ya).

Cheers. I expected the arms to twist during the soak, but not to arrive pre-twisted.
In any case, it’s not a complaint - I embrace the twist!

This is very sad news.

I had a pair of Roy duck jeans a long time ago, when SE started stocking them. The sizing/fit did work out for me at the time, but i recall how beautifully they were put together, like pieces of art.

@Oaktavia
I understand the anxiety you speak of.

In my early days of IH and Japanese denim, i did what a lot of people do: i bought way too much stuff. Over time it began weighing me down - the anxiousness of feeling like i had to try every type of denim, combined with the guilt of excessive consumerism. In hindsight, in a lot of cases i think i just wanted to see and feel the product, not necessarily own it. It took me a while to realise this.

I stepped right back for a number of years. I still wore good jeans in that time, but would go months (even years) without looking at things online and drooling over them. It was amazingly liberating - i was oblivious to whatever was going on in the denim world.

The (unintended) tradeoff for me was that i got heavily into guitar building in that period, and ended up with way too many guitars. I guess it’s my personality to go a bit over the top when i find something i like!

These days, i’m fairly restrained with my denim purchases, although arguably still have too many jeans. The other thing that’s changed (although i can’t put my finger on why) is that i don’t give a fuck about fades. At all. I love the look of new jeans just as much as old ones.

Just my story…all the best finding a strategy that works for you. Cheers!

@EdH that is possibly my favourite IH flannel of all time.

Measurements look pretty good. Been getting into the 634 cut over recent times, and the 18oz denim seems to have a fair bit of character. Might end up with a pair.

Nice jeans. Busted up pocket bags are super frustrating, especially when the rest of the jeans have plenty of life left. I’ve been through this many times with IH and other brands.

I know it’s possible to get the bags fixed/replaced although I’ve had trouble finding people that do it well. I wish synthetic fabric options were used, in the same way that IH uses poly/cotton stitching for extended durability.

@SuitOfUHF

As for the slightly odd English on the tag, it’s a quirk of many Japanese brands, and a lot of westerners enjoy it. Sure, they could ‘fix’ it if they wanted, but then it would be less memorable.

Embrace the “true goodness”

Will any more blanket or sherpa lined Type III jackets be coming in the near future?

Pretty keen on getting one, ideally non-denim.

Cheers. I expected the arms to twist during the soak, but not to arrive pre-twisted.
In any case, it’s not a complaint - I embrace the twist!

Finally got one of these curious beasts.

Initial thoughts (pre-soak):

1. It’s like wearing a fucking cardboard box - a very good-looking cardboard box.
2. There’s a surprising amount of arm-twist, which i assume will be amplified by the soak.

I’m not much of a photo taker, but will aim to get a couple after it’s soaked.

Friday night at home, playing guitar and kicking back on the sofa. Good times.