Jeans vs. Denim

First, just a quick logistical mention: As things have been uber-busy, we're temporarily going back to two posts a week, rather than three. However, we do have a ton of good stuff in the pipeline that has to get fit into the schedule, so this change may be short-lived (or flexible, at the very least)! Anyway, just wanted to keep y'all abreast of the goings-on round here. On to the article:

I'm admittedly a sucker for terminology, and as much as I love learning the definitions and origins of menswear nomenclature, it bugs the hell out of me when people (especially professionals) get it mixed up! Sure, in the big scope of things, it's not the end of the world, but as a personal pet peeve, I'll keep trying to shed light on the correct classifications as much as possible.

With that in mind, today I want to take a look at a common misnomer, and the distinction between 'denim' fabric and 'jeans' trousers.

Pretty regularly, the two terms are kind of jumbled together, when there is actually a pretty significant difference between the two - and it's not even that the terms aren't interchangeable. In fact, they refer to two completely different categories.

As I alluded to above, 'denim' refers to a fabric, while 'jeans' refers to a cut of pants.

Denim is merely a sturdy cotton twill fabric woven with (traditionally) indigo warp threads, and undyed, white weft threads that provide the signature color and fading of denim fabric. Beyond that, the fabric (and terminology) is not limited to pants at all, but can be applied to literally anything, from shirts to jackets to ties to even shoes, and even inside the 'pants' category, it can be used to make traditional 'jeans' or more formally cut trousers, or even the dreaded 'jorts'.

Denim, not jeans. Notice the fabric - and the fact that they aren't pants.

So what are 'jeans' then? Jeans are a very specific cut of pants, inherently casual, and yes, most commonly made out of denim. Originally, the term was used for work pants that were introduced by Levi Strauss in the 1800's. These pants were reinforced at 'stress points' with copper rivets, and were at first made with just three pockets. Over time, the design developed and two more pockets were added, for a total of five (two in the back, two at the hips, and coin pocket), thus the now-interchangeable term 'five-pocket pants (or jeans).' Like I said, these days jeans are most often made out of a denim fabric, but they were actually first made out of canvas, and today can be found in corduroy as well as other fabrics, usually more hefty and sturdy than more formal trouser materials.

Jeans, not denim. Notice the five-pocket styling and riveted seams, but canvas fabric.

So there you have it - not a life-changing distinction, but it never hurts to get it right!

Socks - How To Choose 'Em

I recently professed my love of socks, one of the things that I have a zillion of and can't stop buying. Eventually, you get to a point where you have some in every color and pattern, and it can seem a little daunting to pick out a pair that doesn't clash. Sure, they might be covered by your pants most of the day, but those times that they do flash, you want the proper effect.

And that's really what it comes down to. What's the effect that you want? You really have two choices. The first is definitely the most basic. You just want to match. You don't want to stand out, you have no urges to inject your look with a pop of color, you want to be stylish but unobtrusive. If this is your motivator, simply pick socks to match your pants. A lot of people waiver between matching their pants or matching their shoes, and let's end that hesitation here and now - always match your pants, never your shoes. By matching your pants, you make your legs look longer, which is a good thing for 90% of guys out there (that's an exact statistic, by the way). Comparatively, if you match your shoes, your legs can look cut off at the ankle. Also, if you're wearing some snazzy kicks, the lack of contrast between your footwear will make them far less likely to shine. 

Thompson Chino Suit Pant in Navy paired with Basic Crew Socks in Navy | J.Crew Factory

The second effect is to show a little pizazz around the ankle...whether it be that pop of color, a flashy pattern, or even some subtle texture. I'm sure there are tons of methods to doing this, but my personal method is to pick a part of your upper outfit (above the waist), and try to play off that piece. This may be your shirt, your tie, even something as small as a pocket square. This is a great way to really make your outfit a whole, with correlation between the top and bottom halves. There's not necessarily anything wrong with it, but it's very easy to have one outfit from the waist down, and another, not necessarily clashing, but unrelated outfit from the waist up. 

However, you do NOT want to match exactly - a faux pas almost as bad as wearing a matching tie and pocket square. Instead, compliment. An easy way to do this is to match solid with patterned, and vice versa. If you have a patterned tie (or pocket square, or shirt, or whatever you are trying to match), pick one color from that pattern, and match it with a solid sock. If you have a solid tie, go ahead and rock a patterned sock that shares one color with the tie. Once you are confident in your pattern matching, go ahead and mix things up, but be careful not to get too out of hand and risk looking clownish. This is your clothing, not a costume. 

Summer Plaid Tie (patterned) paired with Basic Crew Socks in Navy (solid) | J.Crew Factory

OR

Red Chambray Tie (solid) paired with Triple Stripe Socks (patterned) | J.Crew Factory

Bonus Tip: The scale of the pattern tends to be directly proportional to the casualness. Pin dot socks, or fine stripes, perfectly OK for business attire. Large polka dots, rugby stripes? Probably best kept to more casual occasions.

OK, after giving all that advice, I just gotta say, socks are a great place to stretch your sartorial wings, largely because they are so low-risk. They do stay hidden most of the day, so if you experiment a bit and it doesn't work out, you're not going to be running around looking like a fool all day. So have some fun! Try something new!

Frank and Oak Reviewed

Before I Begin: 

If this post inspires anyone to give Frank and Oak a try, feel free to use my referral link: http://vnlink.co/S5B7dYb (you’ll get $25 credit for signing up, can’t complain about that).

EDIT: We recently provided an update to this review, 'Frank and Oak - Reviewed and Revisited,' which can be found here. Enjoy!

As promised, here is Wide Eyes, Tight Wallet’s first full-length brand review. More to come in the future!

Brand Background:

Frank and Oak is an online-only men’s clothing start-up service based out of Montreal, Canada. Their goal has been to offer stylish, modern, quality clothing at an affordable price by effectively cutting out the middle man. Instead of having a designer sell clothing designs to manufacturer, who then sells to a retailer (at a profit), who then sells to the consumer (at a bigger profit, those bastards), Frank and Oak does the whole process in house. The result (originally) was that nothing they sold cost over $50. More and more they have been surpassing that price point, but with the goal of offering some higher end clothing (their United Tailor collection is pretty damn sharp), and a wider range of articles (i.e. blazers, jackets, etc.). However, thus far their pricing has remained very manageable on all fronts. Frank and Oak are proud to make every effort toward sustainability, including using recycled goods for packaging and keeping a small selection to avoid overstock and wasted materials. They are also proud of their diverse backgrounds, stating on their website “We are you. We are designers, web geeks, architects and artists with a simple goal: to create high quality clothing and accessories and share them at a remarkable price.” Frank and Oak actually just celebrated their one-year anniversary this past month, so they are still just a bunch of young pups and I’m sure will continue to develop as time goes on.

In addition to standard online shopping, Frank and Oak offers a monthly trunk or ‘crate’ service called ‘The Hunt Club,’ of which I am a proud member. Honestly, this service is great. They do a much better job of explaining it on their ‘How It Works’ section, but here’s the gist: Every month you get to pick out three items, which they ship to you free of charge. You get to try on the clothes, decide what you want to keep, and send the rest back, at which point they charge you for the selections you’ve made. Not only does this give you a great, commitment-free way to try new clothes, they throw free shipping on all orders (crate and otherwise), which makes the whole thing worth it regardless of the crate in my book. I love free shipping. Some people worry with these kinds of services that you will be duped into buying things without realizing it, but Frank and Oak is great at keeping you on top of selection and return deadlines through great e-mail contact, and in the few cases where I’ve had issues with timing they’ve been more than forgiving. Final kicker? Hunt Club members receive 8% of every order back in store credit.

What I’ve Bought:

• Light Blue Oxford-Cloth-Button-Down (OCBD)


• Red Chambray Dress Shirt


• Charcoal Chambray Button-Down


• Charcoal Taylor Trousers


• Brown Wool Blazer


• Cotton Tie

Quality:

I have to preface this section by admitting that I am no master clothier. I don’t know the difference between types of stitches, and I couldn’t pick out a fused collar at a glance, but I do think I recognize a quality garment. In my honest opinion, Frank and Oak really delivers when it comes to quality for the price you are paying. Everything I’ve bought just feels sturdy. Well-made. Like it won’t fall apart after a few washes, or split at the seams in the middle of my workday (I’ve had this happen with a pair of H&M pants and will never go back there again). The OCBD seems especially rugged, and is the one garment I’ve bought that seems borderline coarse (personally, I’m not complaining, I love the shirt, but if you want something lightweight, look elsewhere. Then again, if you want something lightweight, and OCBD probably isn’t your best bet to begin with). While this isn’t bespoke, hand sewn, custom-cut clothing, it beats the hell out of anything your going to get for the same price at a mass-produced joint like Express. I’d put fabric quality on-par with what I’ve purchased from J. Crew, but the prices are much more reasonable (and I’m so much more of a fan of Frank and Oak’s fit).

Customer Service:

As of yet, I haven’t had any big issues to test out Frank and Oak’s customer service, but what interactions I have had have yielded no complaints on my end. The only mistake they made was they (once) sent me the wrong shirt as part of a Hunt Club crate selection. They offered to extend my selection deadline and send the correct shirt, but it was honestly something I was just trying on for fun, wasn’t going to buy, and liked the shirt they sent me instead anyway. I’ve contacted them a few times with minor questions about sizing and they have always been quick and friendly with their responses.

Also (and I’m not sure if this belongs in the ‘Customer Service’ section of the review), but they do go beyond just selling clothing, which is fun. Their main page every month includes a section called ‘The Edit’ which is along the lines of a monthly blog and includes interviews with a variety of people (from other players in the menswear world to musicians), lookbooks for some of that month’s selection, videos, and more. They also host a weekly #NecktieFriday competition on Twitter and Instagram that I have a blast participating in every week (in fact, I love it so much I already wrote about it)!

These guys are so great, in honor of their anniversary they made every competitor from that week a winner (which is how I scored that great cotton tie seen above).

What’s To Love:

The first thing to love about Frank and Oak is their price/quality ratio. By cutting out the middleman and encompassing the design, manufacture, and distribution of their products, they are able to offer high quality clothing at incredible prices. Blazers are the only thing that will cost you more than $50, and even those top out at little over $100. Even better, price aside I would still take one of their $45 shirts over a $75 shirt from J. Crew. As this blog focuses a lot on how to improve your wardrobe without breaking the bank (hence the Tight Wallets moniker), this is a huge plus in my book.

The biggest reason I personally love Frank and Oak is that everything fits me. Perfectly. I have never had this happen at any clothing company, and in fact I usually struggle to find brands where anything fits me great right off the rack. The dress shirts especially fit like a glove. I’m a pretty skinny guy and often suffer from shirts ballooning at the waist and through the arms (even from mid-high range brands like J. Crew and Ben Sherman), but I have none of those problems here. Everything seems very true-to-size and is cut with a modern, slim fit that is hard to find from any similar-priced store.

Additionally, the Hunt Club service is a huge benefit for a guy like me. I love shopping online (almost obsessively), but have a hard time committing to buying anything due to my afore-mentioned issues with fit from most brands. Being able to try things on risk-free gives me so much more confidence when making purchases and makes my shopping experience so much more stress-free.

Lastly, some might complain about the limited selection, but I think it’s another great part of what sets Frank and Oak aside. Sometimes, I find shopping from stores like J. Crew or other big-name brands to be overwhelming. With pages and pages of options in every category, it can be a chore to browse through a selection of pants just to decide there isn’t anything that happens to catch your eye. With the smaller, rotating selection that Frank and Oak offers, it is so much easier to take in the entire selection and make a quick decision about whether or not I want to make any purchases. Nine times out of ten there are still plenty of things I want, and that one time that there isn’t, I know it’s a mere 30 days until I have a whole new pool of items to pick from.

What’s Not To Love:

I personally have very few complaints when it comes to Frank and Oak. I have read that some customers have been displeased with variations in fit between similar garments. I will say that I have noticed this, but only very slightly. For example, my small OCBD fits a little bit looser than either of my small chambray shirts. However, the difference is small enough that I’ve still been very happy with the fit on all three shirts. I will be keeping an eye out for this issue as I continue to order, and if my opinion here changes I’ll be sure to mention it.

Another issue mentioned by other customers and noticed by myself is processing time. This seems (to me) to especially be an issue at the beginning of each month as Hunt Club orders are processed. Sometimes it has taken up to a week between submitting my selection and getting a shipment notice. However, I am very forgiving in this area. I think the benefits of the Hunt Club service more than make up for any wait time issues, plus I am inclined to be pretty forgiving as I keep in mind that this is a small startup with quickly growing clientele, and that’s half of what I love about them.

A final aspect that I have seen other customers take issue with is the fact that you have to sign up in order to browse the selection. If you ask me, this is a really silly gripe. There is no obligation in signing up, they don’t spam your e-mail address, and you can cancel at any point. So really, all you have to complain about is that hard, hard work you are going to put in typing your e-mail address and contact information. I know this can be exhausting, but I promise, it will be worth it.

Beyond that, I’ve noticed a few loose stitches here and there, but always in hard to see places and never to an extent that I feel significantly affects the integrity of any given item.

Luck Day! Bonus Section:

Conveniently, today Frank and Oak released their March selection, so I’ll let you all know what I’m ordering in my crate (whenever it comes I’ll give an update on how everything turns out):

Definitely getting the Newport Chinos in Olive. I checked with their customer service, and this is indeed more of a khaki color than olive (my new Olive Chukkas are more of a dark green). They did say it is a darker khaki, so hopefully it will be what I’m looking for. I’ve been needing a pair of khakis for way too long and have been waiting every month for Frank and Oak to offer their Chinos in the color I want.

I’m also going to get the Valmont Shirt in Pearl. This is another one I’ve trying to find for a while - a nice, great-fitting white shirt. It’s one of the most versatile items a guy can own, but while I do have a white shirt, I’m not a fan of the fabric or the way it fits, so I never wear it.

Lastly I want to try the Crosstown Bomber in Khaki. Honestly, I probably won’t keep this one. It’s a little out of my price range and not exactly what I’m looking for, but I’ve started keeping an eye out for a lighter spring jacket that I can wear with my office clothing, so I figured I’d at least give this a try.

Honestly, my selection is a little boring this month. I usually take advantage of the Hunt Club to try on things I wouldn’t normally wear. However, there are just those standards that I’ve been hunting for that have finally popped up, so I can’t resist and will have a lot more flexibility in my choices next month. I will say I was very tempted by the color selection for the Taylor trousers. I love my pair in charcoal and would have really liked some more colors, but the Chinos came in top priority. I also wish there had been a blazer that caught my eye, but not this month! Hopefully they have some nice lightweight ones coming up soon for the summer. They also (as always) have a great selection of ties and pocket squares, but I already have a go-to source for those that is a tad easier on the wallet (I’ll fill you in later).

Let me know what you think of my choices! I’m not ordering until tonight (gotta let the the girlfriend peruse the selection first), so you might be able to convince me to get something else (if you really care about what I’m wearing that much, sheesh. Just kidding, I love suggestions).

Anyway, sign up here (http://vnlink.co/SK2IDBd) and shop away! I really don’t think you’ll be disappointed. Has anyone else tried Frank and Oak? What did you think?