Levi's Made & Crafted Thread

[NAMOR]

Been a fan of this brand way before I discovered RRL, LVC, APC denim, etc. Altough some of their items are meh, the denim fits great and when on sale is a great bang for your buck. A few days ago I was at a Barney's factory store and picked up a pair of chinos and buckle back jeans for $189 total. ******* love how the tapered cuts fit. Slim throughout the leg, thigh has room to breath, and the leg is tapered for a nice cuff around the ankle.

 

[MIKE_JE]



Been a fan of this brand way before I discovered RRL, LVC, APC denim, etc. Altough some of their items are meh, the denim fits great and when on sale is a great bang for your buck. A few days ago I was at a Barney's factory store and picked up a pair of chinos and buckle back jeans for $189 total. ******* love how the tapered cuts fit. Slim throughout the leg, thigh has room to breath, and the leg is tapered for a nice cuff around the ankle.

This brand used to be called Capital E, and the matchstick fit was my go-to before I discovered Styleforum. I think they make decent stuff for Levi's. It fits somewhere in between regulars Levi's and LVC. I wouldn't buy any of their denim, I've definitely moved on from it to brands sold at SE, etc. They seem to have some nice chinos and the fit still looks good. probably great pick ups on sale.

Where is it made? China? Mexico? Somewhere in Europe?

 

[tsekh]

No, Levis Made and Crafted is not the Capital E line rebranded. It was a new and spearate operation created when Levi's opened a new division called Levi's XX, after they moved the LVC division to Amsterdam.

A nice interview and description can be found here
http://www.thereferencecouncil.com/2010/04/levis-made-crafted/

The idea behind M&C is to imagine what Levi's would be like if it had no legacy, if it was a new fashion company that has Levi's DNA in it. It doesn't emphasize on exact vintage details and materials. But it emphasizes on many details that, when you look hard, can associate with Levi's.

I bought a pair of "Tack Slim" rigid selvedge from Barneys when it was on sale last year, and I absolutely love it. I also have two pairs of Levi's Matchstick. While on the first try you may think that they are of the same fit, they are not. The Tack Slim is slimmer in thigh and waist. But the fit is just one parameter in the equation. This pair of Tack Slim that I have is extremely well made, and have many interesting details. It is a pair of jean, but the construction feels like a pair of chino? A denim chino one may call. The Levi's arcuate stitching is inside the back pockets rather than outside. So you won't see them initially, but as the jeans wear, they would start to appear. (I see that they abandon this conept in their newer jeans and have the arcuate stitching on the outside.) This pair that I have is made in Turkey, like many of the pre-washed LVC. And there is a leather jacket on eBay right now that is made in Italy. I think they are made in Europe in general.

I like the Made & Crafted designs overall. Very modern and clean, and yet they have a vintage and Levi's feel to them. I don't really like their pre-washed jeans though. Their washes don't look as nice as LVC's IMO. And they have the problem of being event harder to find than LVC. There are various online stores that carry it, but I can't find them anywhere in person other than Barney's. Nordstrom and Saks carry them in their online store, but I couldn't find them in their physical stores.

 

[NAMOR]

My two pairs are made in Turkey. I think all the denim I have seen is made in Turkey.

the chinos:





buckleback jeans:





not a fan of the front pockets but i love the back pockets

 

[Pablo-T]

Those are the chinos, a lovely item.

There's the story of many of the key pieces from that range Here

 

[Pablo-T]

MOre chino pics:

THirdly, the chinos.

Chinos have always been a vital part of youth culture - while Neal Cassady wore Levi's, Jack Kerouac was always seen in chinos - but it's rare to see a new take on them. These for me are maybe a highlight of the collection: every facet - the overall shape, the detailing and the fabrics - is so elegantly thought out. They also recall Levi's heritage in khakis, which they've been making for over 100 years.

I didn't perfectly capture the cut, but look at the side pocket shape; recently on SuFu we've had lots of photos of early Elfelt, Boss of the Road, and again the Spring Bottoms, many of which have those subtly curved front pockets, and I can see echoes of that here

Those curved back pockets, with the distinctive stitching around them, are again much more complicated to stitch than straight ones, but they look more refined - and again, evoke Levi's Spring Bottoms.

Check out the texture of the denim - note how different it looks compared to, say, the close-up of the hems



They're just as refined on the inside too - even the chambray is some of the nicest I've seen recently, used here for pockets, lining and as a bias binding. That middle V section, an open centre back seam is similar to that on the Spring Bottoms and other turn-of-the-century tailoring - as on tailored trousers it allows the waist size to be adjusted. Made and Crafted use various denims, from Cone, Kaihara, Kurabo, Candiani, this one is fa 12oz Sanforized from Nishinbo. Sewing is done in Turkey. This is a very subtle denim - it looks quite conventional close up, but from a couple of feet away, as you can maybe see in the rear photo, the twill's far less pronounced, and instead you see more of a subtle cross-hatch pattern. These pants are dry, but have a very soft hand feel.

The hems, like everything else, are single-stitched - this gives them both the feel of tailored trousers, and of early Levi's. This is a conventional right hand twill - but has a soft hand feel and a unique look, which demonstrates how you can't just class denim as left hand vs right hand, there are so many more variables. I would love to see how these wear in.

As you can gather, I liked these a lot. We see so many interpretations of the 5-pocket jean, it's great to see something with a similar pedigree reworked.

* * *

 

[tsekh]

It also has a highly uninformative website here:

http://www.levismadeandcrafted.com

 

[clemente21]



My two pairs are made in Turkey. I think all the denim I have seen is made in Turkey.
the chinos:


buckleback jeans:


not a fan of the front pockets but i love the back pockets

I'be been looking for a pair of those Sander's chinos forever. Park & Bond have a pair in olive, but I can't find the navy or the denim anywhere. Nice pickup!

 

[LA Guy]

I just picked up the Biker jacket from the MrPorter.com sale. We'll see how it fits/feels: http://www.mrporter.com/product/167775

Apparently, it's full grain, and according to cultizm sheep/lamb skin, so we'll see how it feels.

 

[srgprod]



I just picked up the Biker jacket from the MrPorter.com sale. We'll see how it fits/feels: http://www.mrporter.com/product/167775
Apparently, it's full grain, and according to cultizm sheep/lamb skin, so we'll see how it feels.

Nice pick up. If it fits right, you'll get a ton of wear out of this. They have this at the Malibu store along w/ most of the line. Also, the Levis store at Fred Segal Santa Monica...

 

[NAMOR]

good looking jacket. im diggin the single chest pocket

 

[LA Guy]



Nice pick up. If it fits right, you'll get a ton of wear out of this. They have this at the Malibu store along w/ most of the line. Also, the Levis store at Fred Segal Santa Monica...

My question is, how thick is the leather? I really dislike super thin leather. It can be soft, it can be supple, but I want it to have a big of heft and durability.

 

[NormanF]

My question is, how thick is the leather? I really dislike super thin leather. It can be soft, it can be supple, but I want it to have a big of heft and durability.

Stay away from lambskin. You want goatskin/steerhide. Thick, tough leather that always looks good. A lambskin jacket shreds, unless you like paying for the "shredded" look.

 

[LA Guy]



Stay away from lambskin. You want goatskin/steerhide. Thick, tough leather that always looks good. A lambskin jacket shreds, unless you like paying for the "shredded" look.

I have leather jackets of horsehide, lambskin, and steerhide. Typically, I like horse and cowhide, but lambskin isn't always fragile, though ime, it's not meant for super heavy use. We'll see, I think that it's silly to categorically dismiss one type of leather.

 

[NormanF]

I have leather jackets of horsehide, lambskin, and steerhide. Typically, I like horse and cowhide, but lambskin isn't always fragile, though ime, it's not meant for super heavy use. We'll see, I think that it's silly to categorically dismiss one type of leather.

A $200 Dockers New Zealand lambskin jacket I bought got shredded. I think its fine for evening wear but not for day to day use. I have cowhide and sheepskin jackets. They have held up well and still look like new.