Put This On

Junk Culture “West Coast” as featured in Put This On, Episode 1

Just a simple note of gratitude for friend of the show Deepak Mantena and his solo venture Junk Culture, whose title track “West Coast” we made liberal use of in our Q & Answer segment.

The record just came out on Illegal Art, available here for pay-as-you-wish. It’s a great great track from an extremely great record. Read a great review and take a great listen here on allmusic.

My mother spent several years as a textile conservator.  It was her job to clean and preserve fabrics of all kinds without damaging them for San Francisco’s The Mexican Museum.

When she saw our segment on denim care, she just about exploded out of her seat to send me an email demanding that we use Orvus Paste Shampoo rather than Woolite Dark, which is what we recommended.  And moms are always right.

Let’s start with this admission: Orvus Paste Shampoo is for horses.  And dogs.  On the plus side, though, it’s apparently “great on manure stains.”

Orvus is used by conservators because it’s completely Ph-neutral and exceedingly gentle, even more so than Woolite or Dr. Bronners or any other product on the market.  It’s also used by quilters to care for delicate quilts - if you’re buying the small jar, you’ll find it at a quilting store, rather than the feed stores where you’ll find the larger jars.

Now, all of this is getting a bit precious, I know.  I’ve used regular laundry detergent to wash my jeans, and it was just fine.  But there’s no doubt that the process is part of the fun of raw denim, and I’m not going to keep you from buying some Orvus, in case of manure stains.

Plus, I’ve got a dog who needs a shampoo from time to time… and a quilt Nee-Naw made that could use a wash.  That’s it, it’s settled.  Orvus Paste Shampoo it is.

Tips and Tricks

If you’re looking for an inexpensive alternative to high-end slim jeans, the Levis 514 is a great option, and they’re only $30 or so.  The cut is flattering and contemporary, and while they’re not available raw, the “tumbled rigid” finish is an acceptable substitute.  The rise is low - that’s the distance between the crotch and waistband - so they’re not the best for tucking a shirt into or hiding a little gut, but they look great with a t-shirt.  And of course, if you happen to have beautiful luxury sneakers like the ones pictured above, all the better…

Q and Answer

Ben S. writes:

In Episode 1, Denim, you said that one should only wear one piece of denim. If one cannot wear a denim jacket with jeans, what *should* a denim jacket be worn with?

First of all, we want to be clear about one thing: there are some people who look good in a denim jacket and jeans.  These people work harder than you in their jobs and less hard than you on their outfits.  They have very shapely rear ends which are highlighted by a snuff-can fade on their back pockets.  They are badass.  The Marlboro man is a good example.  Hats off to these guys.  More power to ‘em.

There are also “denim heads,” who build their lives around denim.  Mike Hodis, the subject of Episode 1, is a good example.  Usually they are wearing pieces that were originally the same color, but have gained patina over time.  These guys are so committed to their favorite fabric that they can often pull it off.  Even they, though, sometimes look like yutzes.

Our advice is for the other 97% of the population.

Denim jackets are tough to wear, frankly.  That’s why we said that the one piece of denim in your outfit should probably be jeans.  They are entirely possible to wear, though.

Kanye West looks great pairing his denim jacket with chinos, and that’s probably your best bet.  The trick is that they have to be tough guy chinos, not IT-guy chinos.  Khaki pants were developed for the military, not for guys in Dockers commercials, and the closer you get to that practical aesthetic, the better you’ll look with a denim jacket on.  The pants have to be denim alternatives, not dress-pant alternatives.