Tag: Osaka 5

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Warehouse Warehouse 1221

Warehouse 1221 US Army denim pants

Warehouse 1221 topblock

I rarely buy new jeans these days but when I saw the Warehouse 1221 denim pants I couldn’t pass on them. Since my stance on shorts is that they’re pretty much only for kids, the postman or a visit to the beach I get kind of excited when I find a good pair of summer jeans. I’ve been raving for a few years about TCBs Seamen’s trousers that I enjoy so much. Warehouse 1221 is an excellent successor.

The fit is a loose, high waisted one. All about functionality and the many purposes it had to serve. It works just as well for a modern day home office worker, dabbing in the blogosphere and walking the dog. Comfort is key.

Warehouse 1221 front
Warehouse 1221 back

Warehouse 1221 specs

The jeans is made of a lovely light 10 oz “slub-yarn” sanforized denim that is perfect for the Swedish summer. It’s kind of interesting that the fabric is marketed as a slubby denim. It doesn’t look slubby, nor does it feel like it. I’m looking forward to seeing how it shapes up after a few washes when the yarn pops a bit more. I haven’t been able to find out much more about this fabric except that it’s has a yarn count of 8×10. Shoot me a message if you know more about it!

The hardware is very neat, both the US Army buttons and the cinch. True to the original army pants used in the late 1930’s (that this is a reproduction of) there’s no rivets, instead using bar tack stitching.

Warehouse 1221 button
Warehouse 1221 cinchback
Warehouse 1221 backpockets

Let’s talk about pocket shapes

One thing I find intriguing is the front pockets. For one thing that they’re sewn on the outside of the legs but mostly that they’re kind of difficult to use thanks to the shape of the pocket openings.

Warehouse 1221 pocket

Most jeans have curved pocket openings to make them easy to access. Then you have the straight but diagonal pocket openings like on TCBs seamean’s trousers. The Warehouse 1221 is also using straight, diagonal openings, but these are almost horisontal, which for me works kinda bad together with the high waisted fit. Still love the jeans, but they’re not the perfect pair.

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Warehouse Warehouse 800 C/L

Warehouse 800CL

Warehouse 800CL topblock

My Warehouse 800CL has been with me for quite some time now. Think I got them in Osaka back in 2016? Not that many updates of them on the blog so far, just a one year update from 2 years ago. Yet again it will be a rather short update.

2 more years of 800CL

So, what’s happened the last two years? Mostly they have seen wear during the summer, working out great thanks to the cotton/linen mix and lighter fabric. The cut that felt a little tight two years ago have felt better since I lost weight. The 800 is when all comes down to it not meant to be a slim cut.

Now that the jeans have seen some proper wear for a longer time the texture have started to change, smoothing out the rough patches that I liked so much when I got them. It still looks and feels like nothing else I’ve tried from Warehouse, an excellent fabric I hope they use again at some point. You can see the kinda neppy texture that is still there, to some extent, on the pictures.

Warehouse 800CL front
Warehouse 800CL back
Warehouse 800CL fades

What jeans to wear this summer

The thing I’m mulling over now is wether to leave them on the shelf for this summer or not. The other day I got a pair of Warehouse 1221, their US army denim pants, that will be even better during the warm summer days. And then there’s the TCB Seamens trousers that I like so much. Stiff competition for sure. We’ll see what happens with the Warehouse 800CL, still a great pair of jeans and much life left in them.

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Evisu Evisu 2001

Underestimated Evisu 2001 NO.1

Most denim interested people have probably at least at some point come across the name Osaka Five, the five now classic Japanese denim brands that propelled the denim industry in Japan to what we know today. Consisting of household brands Denime, Evisu, Full Count, Studio D’Artisan and Warehouse there’s a shitload of heritage (if one can consider 30 years enough time) amongst them. But then again there is Evisu with its slightly, if one puts it nicely, tarnished reputation after the brands venture into pop culture from the heritage wear.

It’s bugging me aswell, but I still have no qualms whatsoever to state that Evisu makes some of the very best jeans there is. The No.1 denim used for my 2001 jeans is one of my favorites, in tough competition with Warehouse banner denim and TCB’s fabric for the 20’s jeans.

Evisu 2001 No.1 excellence

Eight years ago I finally managed to find a pair of Evisu 2001 No.1’s in my size with the longer inseam they had earlier. Back then they didn’t get that much wear, they were borderline too tight, no way I could tuck shirts or tees.

Fast forward a few years, about 2,5 years prior to today I picked the Evisu 2001 No.1 out of the denim pile again. I had lost some weight and suddenly they fit me well, into the rotation they went, together with my Warehouse 1003xx, Resolute 710’s and the collab jeans I made with Denimbridge.

It’s a nice loose straight cut but what I really really love about the jeans is the fabric. Stubborn faders to say the least but now they’re slowly coming alive. A soft fabric with just enough character to it, some vertical falling but not so exaggerated as we see some other brands go for. Vintagesque to its core. My pair isn’t that far gone yet, but google a bit if you haven’t seen a pair of faded No.1’s and see for yourself.

This to me is the heart of Evisu. The part that harks back to where they came from, what started it all. And it’s done so very proudly. I get that one finds favorite brands and models but I also feel like Evisu deserves more time in the limelight. You won’t be sorry if you decide to get a pair.

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Studio D’Artisan Studio D’Artisan SD-101

Studio D’Artisan SD-101 rides again

It’s been almost 10 years since I last wore my SDA-101’s regularly. Back then I found other pairs I liked more and once I felt like wearing them again, they no longer fit. Fast forward to the present, past many different pairs of jeans, some sales and a curious weightloss on my diet of beer, no workout and a homeoffice, the Studio D’Artisan SD-101 fits just right again.

Studio D’Artisan – underappreciated

When it comes to the classic Osaka Five brands it is at least my thinking that Warehouse, Full Count and to some extent Denime has pushed ahead of Studio D’Artisan and Evisu in the denim community. You only have to take a quick look at my old blog posts and you’ll see I not wholly disagree, plenty of Warehouse jeans as well as Denime.

But I also think that Evisu’s No.1 denim might be the best there is. And to keep this post somewhat related to the topic – Studio D’Artisans banner denim that they use on the 10x-line is marvelous as well. Definitely worth a try if you haven’t given them ago so far.

The fit of SD-101

The only thing that has bugged me about the Studio D’Artisan SD-101 jeans is the rise of the cut. It might sound a little odd, but the fact that they the ratio between the front and backrise is less than on many other cuts I’ve worn over the years makes a big difference. It used to feel a little odd, much like my Flat Head 3005xx which feels the same way, albeit the 3005xx having a lower rise.

I’ve been thinking about that every now and then since I started wearing the jeans again. Truth be told I feel a little surprised that it doesn’t bother me anymore. Now they fit me just fine and the rise works well with my bodytype. It will be interesting to see both how much I will wear them now and how the great fabric develops.

Oh, and an excuse might be in place for the somewhat shoddy images. The lighting isn’t the best. Colourwise, the backpocket shot is probably the closest to how they look.