IH-888-XHS - 25oz Selvedge Denim Medium/High Rise Tapered Cut Jeans - Indigo
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I hot soaked my XHSib 777 before I wore them the first time (tried them on, new they would stretch to be comfortable, straight into a tub of the hottest water my sad apartment can muster). The first day was uncomfortable, but I'd say end of day one I wasn't noticing it as much. I'm a designer in a woodshop and find myself up and down at my desk and the stairs to the shop alot during the day, moving around for sure helped
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Uncomfortable is better at first than my fades shifted later on down the line.
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@Filthy:
Uncomfortable is better at first than my fades shifted later on down the line.
This is what I was afraid of, that and I wanted to know right off the bat how my jeans would feel at their most shrunk
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Is all that really necessary with this denim? I've never tried to get all the potential shrinkage out up front. Just a reasonably warm soak and then wash at moderate temperatures. It's not like it's hard to avoid getting garments saturated in scalding water…
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I wouldn’t say it is necessary. I’ve done both and the pir I didn’t soak are my oldest existing pair of IH and one of my favourites.
However on balance, I find it a good idea. The best reason to soak for me is my body shape. All cuts with the exception of the 634 are going to snug on me somewhere and the waist/thigh ratio is a constant problem, so knowing what I’m dealing with from the start is a good thing. If you’re a fade purist the risk of comb shift is real so that is a potentially a reason too. Finally, I think that getting all the discomfort out of the way off the bat is preferable rather than spreading it over two rounds.
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Man, such heavy denim too tight sounds miserable. I wonder how long it would take for that waist to stretch back out. Maybe I should go on a diet to prepare
Such heavy denim is going to be uncomfortable ar first anyway, at least compared to your 21oz OD. It will stretch with wear so you’re looking at a few days of discomfort only. Worth it for what is probably some of the best denim I’ve ever come across.
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I wasn’t questioning soaking, which I understand is a best practice to embed the constructional stitching and often good for fit. I do it with all my jeans. I was questioning whether eking out ever millimeter of potential shrinkage at extreme temperatures is necessary or even advisable. To each his own, was just curious if I’ve been doing it wrong.
Either way, watch out you don’t burn yourself on a molten rivet, team!
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Ok I’m the same way. Thanks @neph93 I didn’t know whether the guidance had changed. And maybe it’s the cuts and fabrics I’ve chosen but I’ve never had a pair of jeans injure or inflict pain on me (and probably lack the commitment to tolerate such; I prefer for the abuse to flow in the opposite direction), so Imma stay the course on cuts and soaks
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That's what I do, but I believe agitation has a role to play in shrinkage as well, so perhaps some folks will "stir" the jeans to get a little extra shrinkage out. Since that occurs in the washing machine as well, this makes sense to me.
Basically, I personally don't try to exceed the conditions that the jeans are going to encounter naturally over their life. I use water that is hotter than any cycle I will run, though not astronomically so, so I have not had to stir. It seems that going to extremes could impact the fit and the construction in ways that might be unpredictable or unappealing. But this is speculative, YMMV, to each their own, etc.
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My initial soak has almost always been a trip through the washing machine. I just make sure the jeans are inside-out and soaked fully through before letting the cycle start. I usually go ahead and run em through the dryer, too. Since that’s the treatment they’ll be getting later, I figure it’s best to get any change in fit out of the way.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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@cwcaswell I've been soaking my jeans like this for a while now and I try and get as much shrink out of the inseam as I possibly can. I do this because it's fun, and on the 888 cut the legs are pretty roomy. So I can get away with it. Basically along the lines of what McClain so eloquently stated above, all the uncomfortable parts you can shrink as much or as little as you want and the rest, you can shirink as much as possible.
I have had so many different pairs of XHS and I used to do no soaks or water, or just gentle soaking, and now I get the inseam as hot as I can- so try and get as close to an inch of vertical shrink in the inseam as I possibly can.
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Same ethos as @sabergirl … When I wash, I do a gentle, spinless cycle and hang dry (all inside-out), so those details differ, but the idea of putting them through something like what's to come is what we have in common. I would love to do exactly what she does, but I have had bad luck with marbling, creasing, and drying machine stains when I have spun and tumbled raws in the past. Usually an overnight hang dry gets them at least close to wearable (though I would expect that to extend on the 25oz).
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@Filthy:
@cwcaswell I've been soaking my jeans like this for a while now and I try and get as much shrink out of the inseam as I possibly can. I do this because it's fun, and on the 888 cut the legs are pretty roomy. So I can get away with it. Basically along the lines of what McClain so eloquently stated above, all the uncomfortable parts you can shrink as much or as little as you want and the rest, you can shirink as much as possible.
I have had so many different pairs of XHS and I used to do no soaks or water, or just gentle soaking, and now I get the inseam as hot as I can- so try and get as close to an inch of vertical shrink in the inseam as I possibly can.
That's something you won't see Martha Stewart doing anytime soon.
Do you keep the water to make a reduction?! Just kidding of course. I've hot soaked but never boiled jeans. Don't they boil wool?
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I should clarify that I boil the water first, turn off the flame, and then let it soak until cool. I like to tease Brock about drinking the water. But I use the water to water the plants. The water was so black from that pair, I just dumped it in the grass outside.
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Same ethos as @sabergirl … When I wash, I do a gentle, spinless cycle and hang dry (all inside-out), so those details differ, but the idea of putting them through something like what's to come is what we have in common. I would love to do exactly what she does, but I have had bad luck with marbling, creasing, and drying machine stains when I have spun and tumbled raws in the past. Usually an overnight hang dry gets them at least close to wearable (though I would expect that to extend on the 25oz).
Yeah I don’t know if I’m ready to do the dryer. I’m already in the rhythm with cold/lukewarm washing & hang drying most of my clothes (with the exception of socks, underwear and under shirts) so these will get the same treatment. Maybe I should wash these warmer though because I could imagine 25oz denim absorbing a lot of dirt & sweat… but yeah, definitely not ready to throw in the dryer
