ManVsDenim.com - MattM 1st Update

Here is my first update on the Natural Selection 14oz Smith Straight K Raw Jeans jeans that I have been wearing in as part og the ManVsDenim.com contest. Well what can I say? The first month of wearing in denim is always the hardest I think. Cardboard like stiff legs that make it an effort to move, let alone walk. I've been treating it like a day job wearing them Monday to Friday and having the weekend off so my legs can breathe.

The first thing I did with the jeans was to take them to a tailor to get adjusted. I tend to opt for a slimmer straight leg or one with a slight taper so I requested them to be taken in 2"from the ankle up to the knee thus slimming the leg. If you check out the side on pictures you can see how much slimmer they really are, they now fit like a dream. I had to make sure the adjustment was taken from the inside seam as I wanted to keep the selvedge detailing on the outside seam. They tend to opt for the outside seams as it's easier to take in then remove and re-stitch the inside leg seam with a matching thread.

After a week or so they started to loosen up and I could actually attempt to run for the train I take each morning. I can't say that I'm surprised by anything the jeans have turned into yet, as the only fading seems to have occurred on the piped belt loops and the lowest point of the rise, obviously because of the friction of sitting and standing throughout the day. I'm surprised that there's not been much stretching around the waist as of yet. There's only been one pair of raw denim jeans I've owned that stayed true to the original waist measurement. I'm pleasantly surprised.

I've noticed that the whiskers along the thigh and behind the ankles have already formed as expected, however there's very little fading across them yet. I always turn up my jeans too and around the ankle is now nice and soft from slipping them on and off each day....I don't go as far as to sleep in them. It also means that less creases are created from the jeans gathering up on your footwear which I tend to like the look when the fades start to come in.

So unfortunately folks the first update isn't the most exciting. The jeans have been worn religiously, from art exhibitions to cow tipping, they've seen it all. Let's see what the months ahead will bring.