Post by Marc on Mar 22, 2015 17:41:28 GMT -6
So I mentioned previously I have two pair in my rotation currently. I reviewed my Momotaro 201's a couple of months ago. Thought I'd post some thoughts on my Dillon Montara. These came from the Dillon Montara's Kickstarter project.
I backed the jeans and the chore coat in Feb 2014. As with most KS campaigns, their timeline slipped. But I received the coat in August and the jeans in September. Started wearing them in January.
Denim: This is the same fabric that Gustin uses in its Okayama Standard with the white and orange ID. 14.75oz, apparently from Kuroki Mills. It has a stiff "core" with a very soft and smooth feel to it on the topside and underside. The weft shows through rather prominently leading to an overall "blotchy" effect - in a good way. It is a great example (and I'd recommend it) of sanforized, processed raw denim. But here's the thing, like most of you, my interests have moved on to the unsanforized and loomstate stuff... so in comparison this fabric just doesn't hold much interest for me at the moment.
Cut: This is what I like most about these jeans... they're a slim taper cut with a reasonably generous top block. They drop a full two inches (in circumference) from the knee to the hem. I've only seen photos of Railcar jeans, but they seem similar in appearance to the Railcar Spikes. The top block was a bit big when I got these so I did a very hot soak. Current measurements are:
Waist - 16.25
Rise - 10.25
Back Rise - 14.5
Thigh (crotch) - 11.75
Thigh (-2") - 11
Knee (-15") - 8
Hem - 7
Inseam - 35
Details: These have an interesting mix of details. Most notably the swooped cut of the back pockets (reminiscent of Stevenson Overall Co). Back and coin pocket are fully line. Buttons and rivets are unbranded. The yoke is chain stitched but most of the rest (including the hem) is lock stitch. Back pockets have bar tacks rather than rivets and the coin pocket has a rivet on the outer corner and bar tack on the inner. Pocket bags are canvas and in line with what Gustin is currently using. Interestingly, these have a zipper fly rather than button.
Construction: Construction on these is very solid. As mentioned, there is a lot more lock stitch on this pair compared to my Japanese pairs which have more chain stitching. But stitches are very even and straight. Nicer than my Gustin Zims which I compared them to. In short, very solid. One nitpick is that the stitching that frames the fly isn't completely vertical (it flairs out a bit) giving the fly the appearance of being a bit lopsided. Whether this was an intentional design element or not, I can't say. My only real complaint is that these were supposed to come with a 31 waist (tag size 30), but they came in at 32.5. I corresponded with the company and they replied that this a result of their sewing process and that once I soaked and line dried these the waist band would "snap" back to the given size. Extremely dubious, I did this and as I expected - nada.
Summary: These were $98, made in San Francisco, and in short I'm very happy with them. These are as slim as I'll ever go in a pair of jeans (I normally do Gustin straights) but the cut has grown on me and the solid fit makes them extremely comfortable for my build. Plus it's always fun to own something by a small brand.
Photos here: imgur.com/a/PXunj
I backed the jeans and the chore coat in Feb 2014. As with most KS campaigns, their timeline slipped. But I received the coat in August and the jeans in September. Started wearing them in January.
Denim: This is the same fabric that Gustin uses in its Okayama Standard with the white and orange ID. 14.75oz, apparently from Kuroki Mills. It has a stiff "core" with a very soft and smooth feel to it on the topside and underside. The weft shows through rather prominently leading to an overall "blotchy" effect - in a good way. It is a great example (and I'd recommend it) of sanforized, processed raw denim. But here's the thing, like most of you, my interests have moved on to the unsanforized and loomstate stuff... so in comparison this fabric just doesn't hold much interest for me at the moment.
Cut: This is what I like most about these jeans... they're a slim taper cut with a reasonably generous top block. They drop a full two inches (in circumference) from the knee to the hem. I've only seen photos of Railcar jeans, but they seem similar in appearance to the Railcar Spikes. The top block was a bit big when I got these so I did a very hot soak. Current measurements are:
Waist - 16.25
Rise - 10.25
Back Rise - 14.5
Thigh (crotch) - 11.75
Thigh (-2") - 11
Knee (-15") - 8
Hem - 7
Inseam - 35
Details: These have an interesting mix of details. Most notably the swooped cut of the back pockets (reminiscent of Stevenson Overall Co). Back and coin pocket are fully line. Buttons and rivets are unbranded. The yoke is chain stitched but most of the rest (including the hem) is lock stitch. Back pockets have bar tacks rather than rivets and the coin pocket has a rivet on the outer corner and bar tack on the inner. Pocket bags are canvas and in line with what Gustin is currently using. Interestingly, these have a zipper fly rather than button.
Construction: Construction on these is very solid. As mentioned, there is a lot more lock stitch on this pair compared to my Japanese pairs which have more chain stitching. But stitches are very even and straight. Nicer than my Gustin Zims which I compared them to. In short, very solid. One nitpick is that the stitching that frames the fly isn't completely vertical (it flairs out a bit) giving the fly the appearance of being a bit lopsided. Whether this was an intentional design element or not, I can't say. My only real complaint is that these were supposed to come with a 31 waist (tag size 30), but they came in at 32.5. I corresponded with the company and they replied that this a result of their sewing process and that once I soaked and line dried these the waist band would "snap" back to the given size. Extremely dubious, I did this and as I expected - nada.
Summary: These were $98, made in San Francisco, and in short I'm very happy with them. These are as slim as I'll ever go in a pair of jeans (I normally do Gustin straights) but the cut has grown on me and the solid fit makes them extremely comfortable for my build. Plus it's always fun to own something by a small brand.
Photos here: imgur.com/a/PXunj
