During our visit to Paris in January, Lily and I visited parks, cathedrals and castles. We hit up late night jazz clubs, ate at amazing restaurants, drank lots of red wine and 1664, and went on the hunt for the best chocolates and macarons we could find. Yet my most treasured time spent there was with Lily’s grandparents one afternoon eating peanuts.

Though we can’t communicate very well, I quickly learned that they show their affection by keeping people well fed. After sifting through the contents of their entire refrigerator while offering to cook us any and everything (which we politely refused because we were heading to dinner later), we agreed to some light snacks.

I cherish moments of stillness with people I love and care about – it reminds me that the things that occupy my mind on a day-to-day basis aren’t all that urgent.

My Skull 5010xx jeans were purchased from Self Edge in April of 2008. They were my daily wearers for over a year… after that, I started to rest them once the crotch started needing continual repair. I brought them to Pablo at Stanton Tailor last week for a full overhaul and it’s safe to say that they’re good to go for some time. I will continue to give them some wear from time to time, but I’ve moved onto another pair of jeans for everyday usage.

What intrigues me most about raw denim is the process that it goes through with consistent wear. No two pairs age alike, and each worn-in pair of jeans tell a story about the wearer and what he did in them. Kiya once said that “jeans don’t lie.” In these jeans, I moved 3sixteen from a little cubicle in the garment district into our first official office space on Allen Street. In them, I painted, renovated, built fixtures and moved furniture into our new home.

I wore them to Canada for product development trips and endured both New York winters and Las Vegas summers in them. In short, they were a sturdy and dependable companion through some very eventful times.

Over time, I’ve had to reattach the back patch, repair the crotch, and add denim strips to reinforce the front pockets because the pocketbags were ripping out from extensive wear. I read somewhere that Skull specifically chose to use cotton thread (as opposed to poly/cotton thread which is stronger) so that jean wearers could become better acquainted with their local tailors. I’m not sure if that fact about the jeans is true, but Pablo and I have certainly become good friends.

I definitely plan to keep them in light rotation for years to come… some outfits call for a worn-in, faded pair of denim and I like that this pair’s wash is authentic and personal. I also like the occasional memories that come with wearing these jeans – thinking back on what I’ve gone through in them is a great reminder of the struggles and blessings that I’ve experienced in the past two years.

This past weekend, Lily took me to my first football game for my birthday. We made the long trek into Jersey on Sunday morning to watch the Giants beat the Falcons in overtime. Although I’ve been to basketball, baseball and hockey games aplenty, there’s just something about the tension in the air and the roar of the crowd at a football game that is really special. I had an amazing time and am looking forward to my next one already.

Self Edge New York
157 Orchard Street
NY, NY 10002
212.388.0079