These are my first pair of 3sixteen jeans that I’ve really worn in. Prior to this, I had another pair of SL-100x that were starting to break in nicely until they fell victim to my chainstitching mishaps. I figured what better jeans to learn to hem than my own, so I tried a few times, messed up, cut the jeans shorter, etc. until I ended up with highwaters. It’s not unlike trying to salvage a haircut you are giving to a friend.

I started on these in May of 2010, right when I headed out to San Francisco with Lily for a short vacation. They were my daily wearers throughout that summer but then sat idle through the wintertime. I broke them out again this spring and have had them on just about every day since then. I’d say they have just over 1 year of effective wear, and unlike my other raw jeans, I gave this pair consistent hand washes every 2-3 months.

This batch of denim was sourced from Kaihara, before we started developing our own exclusive denim with Kuroki. One thing I liked about this denim was that it gives a pretty contrasty fade and  yields more vertical streakiness than I expected.

Love that roping effect that our Union Special 43200g gives.

About a month ago, I was repairing jeans in the basement when I came across a beautifully worn pair of Lee jeans in my queue that needed some minor cuff reinforcement. I looked at the slip and recognized the customer’s name – turns out, they did indeed belong to Thomas Hooper who tattoos at Saved in Brooklyn. It’s always fun to work on a pair of jeans that belongs to someone you’re a fan of. If you’re not familiar with his work, he specializes in ridiculously detailed geometric shapes and dotwork shading:

Thomas was one of the central artists featured in Marcus Kuhn’s recently launched travel and tattoo magazine, “The Gypsy Gentleman.” Here’s the episode for your viewing pleasure (I think he’s wearing those same jeans in the video):

Last week I got a haircut at Freemans; while the cut and the experience were less than stellar, I did get introduced to a new pomade from Japan called Cool Grease.

Up until now, I’ve been using Dax Wave & Groom; while the hold is super strong, I really can’t stand the perpetual film it leaves on my hands and the total inability to wash it out (plus, Dirbab was right… it smells like old man). Cool Grease is a water-based pomade, which means that it washes off my hands and hair with great ease. I don’t think I’ll ever be going back to the petroleum stuff. It also has great sheen and smells much better than most other pomades I’ve tried. I think we have a winner.

One of the best parts about having a kid is being able to dress him up however you please.

A gift from Thomas.

Jazzlife.

Sinn is releasing this gorgeous 358 Jubilaum watch to celebrate their 50th anniversary. It’s limited to 500 units – thus, WatchBuys (the only authorized US dealer for Sinn) is taking preorders on it now. There are a number of technical achievements worth noting:

• The case is filled with inert gas and also has a copper sulphate capsule inside to absorb extra moisture – this prevents the face from fogging in extreme conditions and protects the movement components from humidity.
• The movement that is developed for this watch is entirely new to the line, which is why the dial layout allows for new placements of chronograph registers.
• The grey dial is electroplated for UV resistance, thereby giving it extra resistance to fading over time.
• Domed sapphire crystal for additional strength and shatter resistance.

I like how Sinn will be deciding what watch strap color “will best suit the watch’s design” and has not yet announced it; as of now it will be grey, but Sinn reserves the right to change it prior to delivery without warning. In other words, if you like the watch, you’ll have to trust them on the strap color. At a price of $2,740, this will be an easy one for me to resist.

I am loving Bert Krak‘s bold, clean lines. His shop – Top Shelf Tattooing in Bayside, Queens – is just a 10 minute drive away from where I live. I’ll have to stop by sometime.

I love this photo Regino took of Kiku on Orchard Street last summer.

After a 9-year hiatus, I’ve decided to grow my hair out once again. It’s weird to have to pay for haircuts after buzzing your head at home every two weeks, but I am thankfully in the good graces of Sev at Dickson Hairshop so I’ve been well taken care of.

The hair has gone through a few months of awkward poofiness, but is finally at a length where I can begin to slick it back. I haven’t had to buy any hair paraphernalia for a long time now, so it was fun trying to figure out what to try. The Rebel Rouser has plenty of helpful pomade reviews, and after flipping through a few I decided to give the Dax Wave & Groom a go. So far, so good. I’m going to give Layrite a try next, as it’s water based and should wash out easier than this stuff.