The Unbranded Brand

"The Unbranded Brand is jeans with no name, no branding, no washes, no ads, no gimmicks. Just great denim at a great price! Wow, what a concept, only paying for the product itself... crazy, isn’t it?" That is written on the tag and on the website.  Basically, they are no nonsense jeans made out of rope dyed Japanese Selvedge Denim.

These are raw selvedge denim jeans, which means that they will stretch and become larger when you wear them over time.  They will also distress and mold to your body and how you move.  The longer you wear them without washing them, the more distressed they will become.  Washing them is like locking in the look.  

They come in three styles: skinny, tapered & slim straight.  At Modern Dignified we feel the best option is the slim straight, modern without looking like you borrowed your girlfriend's jeans.  

Typically raw selvedge denim jeans are anywhere from $120 to $250, but these are reasonably priced at only $78 a pair.  Currently, they are being sold at Urban Outfitters, but they will probably expand out with time.  They are a refreshing pair of jeans, just plain raw denim. 

Shopping with Megan Fox

This weekend I wandered over to American Rag.  A vintage store in Los Angeles, on La Brea just south of Beverly.  The store is a big vintage store, with a nice variety of styles and pieces.  As well as a furniture store, a cafe and a denim bar.  American Rag also had a section of over-priced clothes sold at luxury retail prices.  This combination of offerings along with the friendly staff and good music make it quite popular, for good reason.

The store had some fantastic finds, especially in the denim bar and vintage shop.  The denim bar had a wide variety of jeans, but my favorites were the raw denim.  They carried at least 7 different brands of raw denim jeans including, APC, RRL, Nudie, Stronghold and others.  Each company making the denim in their own weight and cut, my favorite after trying them on were Naked & Famous.  Well cut jeans, pure raw Japanese Selvedge Denim and no embroidering or stitching or washes or gimmicks to take away from the jeans.  These jeans are just that, jeans.

I also enjoyed the collection of clothing at the vintage shop.  A nice selection of jackets, suits, oxford shirts and flannels.  The variety and size of the hat collection was stunning and belts were very cool, all naturally distressed.  Some of the shoes, especially the boots were quite memorable.  The jackets were the items that stole the show.  They had a great collection of velvet jackets and tuxedo jackets.  They also had some beautiful peacoats and overcoats.

My favorite was a wool peacoat in a black and white herringbone, just my size for $300.  It was magnificent and a show stopper for sure.  It was lined with dark fur had leather covered buttons and fit like a tailored coat.  Quite a special piece and something that would be worn maybe twice a year, if your lucky, living in LA.  But for traveling, the coat would be immensely useful.

As for the title of this blog, I saw said Megan Fox while I was shopping their.  She seemed hurried and frustrated, but conspicuously alone.  I am sure she was with someone, but when I saw her headed to the changing rooms, she did not seem to be with anyone.  I gave her an unrequited smile and hello and left it at that.  I think my ego is better off for it.

Always List - Jeans

Jeans - It is certainly not revolutionary that a man should have jeans. But specifically, a man should have various types of jeans.

The Destroyed Pair - This is for the jeans that have the torn up knees, the thrashed cuff, the stains on the legs, the worn out back pocket. One of two ways to get this pair of jeans: buy it or earn it. If you are going to earn it, go the A.P.C. way. If you are going to buy it, think about the Abercrombie & Fitch. Their Remsen slim straight destroyed jeans have a great fit and nice level of destruction. (Typically I hate A&F, but I do have to say they have great jeans).

These jeans are best worn with a button down shirt or nice polo shirt. Capitalize on the sartorial contradiction of wearing worn out jeans with a nice clean shirt and shoes. These also work great with a blazer and converse. Utilize the jeans to add extra casualness to the outfit. Save the tshirt and jeans look for your other jeans.

The Favorite Pair - Do I really have to explain what makes a pair of jeans your favorite? This pair is not as torn up as the one above. It looks worn in, but is not destroyed, hopefully only has one or two small holes.
Wear this pair of jeans to the bar, to the ballgame, for kicking it with the girl. This pair of jeans are perfect for your favorite t-shirt. You could sleep in these jeans and probably have. Just make sure they are vintage slim fit.

The Nice Pair - Lastly, every guy needs a pair of crisp clean jeans that are for casual Friday at work, the important date, the dinner date or for meeting her parents. These are the jeans that you wear when slacks are too dressy, but you still have to look good. These jeans go better with a suit than a shirt, but hell they are jeans, they can be worn with anything. The Nice Pair of jeans are dark wash, non-faded, no distressing, no whiskering, no holes. We at DF recommend Selvage denim (also called selvedge denim) as it has cleaner lines. J Crew and the Gap have nice selvage denim jeans.
Remember, to dress the jeans up properly. Wear them with nice shoes and a well tailored jacket. Respect this pair of jeans as they are to be worn when you need to look nice. These are the jeans that work with any jacket and tie combination you own. Wear them only with dress shoes or casual shoes with good lines, like converse (save the skate shoes for the 90s flashbacks).

Raw Denim - A.P.C. Jeans

A.P.C. is a french company that actually sells something worth talking about, raw denim jeans. Raw denim jeans are completely unwashed and untreated denim. The denim is like a blank canvas awaiting your masterpiece of style. The more you wear the jeans the more they get broken in, distressed, faded and become a secondary skin. A.P.C. by all regards make the best raw denim around. You can certainly find other companies, like Nudie & G-Star, that make good raw denim jeans, but judging by the pictures above I will stick with A.P.C.

Even though you aren't supposed to wash A.P.C. Jeans for a year (minimum of 6 months). During that time you are supposed to just wear them. Letting the denim breathe, distress and mold to your body. Raw Denim jeans are supposed to be bought a size too small and then as you wear them they will gain an inch in the waist. At first they are very stiff and uncomfortable, but over time they will break-in and easier to wear. Eventually they will be the softest, most comfortable pair of jeans, but you have to have patience to get there and ignore the fact that they need to be washed. I only wish that I had found these jeans in college, then I would have had an excuse not to wash them and a pair of jeans that were so uniquely broken in. I also want to hire someone with exact body type to break them in for me (but I guess that would take away part of the fun).

In the picture above you can see the brand new pair of A.P.C. jeans next to a pair that has been broken in for a year. I think the look is very cool and natural looking, unlike so many pair of "distressed" or "destroyed" jeans that are sold today.