I Am Bismark

so, i bought some new jeans over the weekend. some back story: earlier this year i bought two pairs of seven jeans. to put it simply, they were expensive (i will leave it as an exercise for the reader to google them and guess how much i paid). this was during the heady days of my first 4 digit paychecks from intel. it still seemed like an eternity before i would return to my life of poverty, so these purchases seemed like great ideas at the time. the jeans were trendy and fit me quite well at the time of purchase.

well, it seems that these pairs of sevens were just terribly made. the first pair quickly developed a nice rip at the knee, which i got repaired for the tune of $50 (that should give you a hint as to how much i originally paid). as of friday evening, both one pair had a small hole in the knee and another right above the right back pocket. the seat of both of the pairs is so worn that when i hold them up to a light they are almost translucent. i am almost scared to wear them out in public for fear of developing a rather embarrassing rip.

so, after kicking myself for paying so much for these poor excuses of jeans, i decided it was time for a newer, better pair. i really think having comfortable well fitting pants is essential. not only does it make you look good, it makes you feel good. who wants their pants falling down or pinching them or getting caught under their shoes and tearing? comfortable jeans are essential for feeling comfortable. i wanted some perfect jeans.

i decided on a pair of levi’s 501s. the classics. the original pair of jeans designed almost 150 years ago. i grabbed a pair of 32x34s at macy’s (on sale for about 1/5 of the price of the sevens) on saturday afternoon, and thus my quest began. right now, the jeans fit pretty well. not great, but pretty well. they are still a bit tight in a few places, and they need to be hemmed up about half an inch. but thats fine. i’ve learned that the perfect pair of jeans can not be bought off of the shelf. they have to be formed by being worn.

so, to get things start, i washed my jeans earlier today with hot water and a hot dry. i wanted to shrink them as much as they were going to shrink. this is the last time they will ever enter into a washing machine and dryer. in 3-4 months (assuming nothing catastrophic occurs ), i will “wash” the jeans as described here. until then, i plan on this pair of jeans becoming my every day jeans. yes, everyday. quality clothes rarely need to be “washed”. when was they last time you “washed” one of your wool or cashmere sweaters? i trust that these 501s will be of the same quality.

my hope is that within half a year or so, these jeans will become “perfect”. they will fit and feel wonderful. the dirt that will build up over months of no washing should actually give them a very unique feel and look. i am excited to form my new pair of favorite jeans.

i will post monthly pictures and updates to let everyone know how it works.