The Official RRL Thread

[Michigan Planner]

I sure do. I've got them going back over 20 years. I thought I'd share a few notable ones. The first two are from those vintage Red Wing Pecos boots I showed on here a few days ago (page 3099). As I mentioned earlier, I bought them in 2003 at the Mulberry Street RRL store, and I see they were only $225 back then! Imagine what they'd sell for now! The third one is from a pair of chinos from 2004. I'm amused by "HARD PRESS WITH STARCH WITH A CENTER CREASE"! View attachment 2296881 View attachment 2296883 View attachment 2296885

“Hard press with starch with a center crease” is exactly what I used to tell my cleaners to do to my uniforms when I was in the Marines back in the ‘90s!

 

[Simonbarsinister]

“Hard press with starch with a center crease” is exactly what I used to tell my cleaners to do to my uniforms when I was in the Marines back in the ‘90s!

Very cool! I imagine that still is, and always will be, the military standard.

 

[Michigan Planner]

Very cool! I imagine that still is, and always will be, the military standard.

The camouflage uniforms the Marines use these days have a permanent crease in them and the fabric they use now doesn’t hold starch very well at all so, sadly, that’s not a thing anymore for the day-to-day utility uniforms (and the other branches never really starched their daily uniforms like the Corps). You’d definitely still press a crease into the dress and service trousers though we’d usually skip the starch on those since it could create a sheen on the fabric if you heat the press too hot.

When I first enlisted, the Marines were still using 100% cotton ripstop for the woodland camouflage utilities. Shortly after that they introduced a cotton/poly blend that wasn’t terrible but I don’t think it was as breathable. Around 2002 or ‘03 they switched over to the “digicam” camouflage uniforms that the Marines and Army still use. They are nice that they have the permanent crease set into them and were a lot easier to take care of, but I did sort of miss how much better the old woodlands looked and how you could get such sharp creases put into them. We used to like to literally put so much starch into them and press them so hard that they looked to be just a few mm thick when hung up in the wall lockers! 😂

FWIW, I think they “Hard press with starch and a center crease” on the tags is supposed to harken back to the Vietnam-era and earlier when most officers in garrison would be wearing the cotton chinos that a lot of the military-inspired trousers RRL sells are modeled after. I don’t think any of the branches have trousers like that anymore, especially for daily wear. The trousers you usually see on service members now in their service and dress uniforms are gabardine wool.

 

[zippyh]

If some of you think saving tags is a little quirky, the following might just qualify me for being slightly insane. Whenever one of my RRL garments reaches the end of its useful life, I remove the buttons or snaps and save them for possible future use. When I get a new shirt and I think it would look better with a different set of buttons or snaps, I'll swap them out. Sometimes, as a shirt ages, I'll change buttons a couple different times throughout its life. Of course, I keep them hidden in case the authorities ever show up at my home to do a wellness check! View attachment 2296897 View attachment 2296899

How do you reuse snaps?

 

[Simonbarsinister]

The camouflage uniforms the Marines use these days have a permanent crease in them and the fabric they use now doesn’t hold starch very well at all so, sadly, that’s not a thing anymore for the day-to-day utility uniforms (and the other branches never really starched their daily uniforms like the Corps). You’d definitely still press a crease into the dress and service trousers though we’d usually skip the starch on those since it could create a sheen on the fabric if you heat the press too hot.

When I first enlisted, the Marines were still using 100% cotton ripstop for the woodland camouflage utilities. Shortly after that they introduced a cotton/poly blend that wasn’t terrible but I don’t think it was as breathable. Around 2002 or ‘03 they switched over to the “digicam” camouflage uniforms that the Marines and Army still use. They are nice that they have the permanent crease set into them and were a lot easier to take care of, but I did sort of miss how much better the old woodlands looked and how you could get such sharp creases put into them. We used to like to literally put so much starch into them and press them so hard that they looked to be just a few mm thick when hung up in the wall lockers! 😂

FWIW, I think they “Hard press with starch and a center crease” on the tags is supposed to harken back to the Vietnam-era and earlier when most officers in garrison would be wearing the cotton chinos that a lot of the military-inspired trousers RRL sells are modeled after. I don’t think any of the branches have trousers like that anymore, especially for daily wear. The trousers you usually see on service members now in their service and dress uniforms are gabardine wool.

That's very interesting. I enjoyed learning that bit of history. Thanks for sharing it. (Funny about pressing them so hard they became very thin!)

 

[allthingspolo]

Someone remarked earlier in this thread how much this ranch coat reminded them of a RRL piece. Had a chance to see one up close a few days ago and it's pretty amazing. They styled it with a pair of distressed denim overalls, tweed sport coat, tattersall shirt, and a vintage plaid Polo Sportsman themed tie - and it looked AMAZING! It would pair effortlessly with a variety of RRL clothing. It looks a lot like the old vintage ranch coat that Kurt Russell has been rockin since 1989, which still looks great on him. Classic!

 

[Michigan Planner]

How do you reuse snaps?

I’ve reused snaps before. Each side of the snap is two pieces that are pressed into each other through the fabric. One side has a series of little tabs or pins in it that hold onto the other half of the snap. If the snap falls apart because it just wasn’t set fully, it can usually be reused. If it falls apart because one of the little tabs are broken then you generally cannot reuse it since will probably not hold together again.

 

[zippyh]

I’ve reused snaps before. Each side of the snap is two pieces that are pressed into each other through the fabric. One side has a series of little tabs or pins in it that hold onto the other half of the snap. If the snap falls apart because it just wasn’t set fully, it can usually be reused. If it falls apart because one of the little tabs are broken then you generally cannot reuse it since will probably not hold together again.

I’ve only ever had to deal with snaps that came off because the pin/tab broke. I didn’t know they could non-destructively be removed.

 

[Simonbarsinister]

How do you reuse snaps?

Like Michigan Planner said, as long as none of the prongs has snapped off, they can be re-bent and reinstalled. Maybe my very amateur photos will help:

First, gently pry the pieces apart. I use a sharpened screwdriver and work my way all the way around:

What you're left with are two pieces for the decorative/female side, and two pieces for the stud/male side. (The prongs will be a little bent so straighten them out with needle-nosed pliers)

Then, fit the pieces back together like this (but onto a garment obviously):

Once positioned onto the garment, set them with this special tool (which I got from a tailoring supplier):

 

[Simonbarsinister]

Someone remarked earlier in this thread how much this ranch coat reminded them of a RRL piece. Had a chance to see one up close a few days ago and it's pretty amazing. They styled it with a pair of distressed denim overalls, tweed sport coat, tattersall shirt, and a vintage plaid Polo Sportsman themed tie - and it looked AMAZING! It would pair effortlessly with a variety of RRL clothing. It looks a lot like the old vintage ranch coat that Kurt Russell has been rockin since 1989, which still looks great on him. Classic!

View attachment 2296931
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Those are outstanding! I like the RL one better than KR's.

 

[ppk]

@clee1982

Ralph Lauren RRL Brown Roughout Suede Shearling Collar Western Jacket New $3900 | eBay

Contrast-colour Western-style yokes. Body is lined with plaid cotton twill. Shearling point collar. Snapped placket. Western-style front and back yokes. Shell: leather. Collar: lamb shearling. Body lining: cotton.

www.ebay.com

 

[Simonbarsinister]

How do you reuse snaps?

Another fair question some of you may have is "Why do you reuse snaps?" I've actually had very few occasions, since snaps are all virtually the same color and style. But some years ago, I bought a couple of the chambray westerns that had very heavy distressing and fading, but the snaps were all shiny and brand new and it didn't look right. So, I popped them off, dipped them in antiquing solution, and put them back on, and the shirts looked much better. That's been about it for snaps. I mess around a lot more with buttons because there are so many different colors, styles, and finishes of them.

 

[Simonbarsinister]

That's actually pretty cool.

Thank you. My wife does not think so!

 

[kurdo]

Thank you. My wife does not think so!

Show her my comment and all the likes your post got , that might change her mind !

 

[clee1982]

If some of you think saving tags is a little quirky, the following might just qualify me for being slightly insane. Whenever one of my RRL garments reaches the end of its useful life, I remove the buttons or snaps and save them for possible future use. When I get a new shirt and I think it would look better with a different set of buttons or snaps, I'll swap them out. Sometimes, as a shirt ages, I'll change buttons a couple different times throughout its life. Of course, I keep them hidden in case the authorities ever show up at my home to do a wellness check! View attachment 2296897 View attachment 2296899

now I know where to source button if I don't have one, you're the gift keep giving!