We like wandering through Bay Area thrift and antique shops and finding a fabric we weren't looking for. A print, a color combination, a little scene that makes you stop for a moment. When we designed our jeans, the pockets felt like a good place for those finds to go.
That's the idea behind the Vintage Fabric Pocket Play Jean: a new pair of cotton-denim pants, with older fabric at the pockets. The jeans themselves aren't secondhand. It's the found fabric that brings another bit of history into them.
A small piece can change a whole pair
A pocket doesn't take up very much of a garment, but you see it right away. A large flower cut into that space can feel quite different from the same print spread across a whole shirt. A small repeating pattern gives another effect. There's room to enjoy those differences without changing the shape of the jeans each time.
We make the denim garment in San Francisco from 100% U.S.-grown cotton denim, with a 13.75-ounce fabric weight. The leg is relaxed and slightly cropped, and the waist is elastic. Those are the steady parts of the design while the pockets bring in their own character.
The denim's composition tells you about the denim. It doesn't give us the original maker or a complete fiber history for every piece of vintage pocket fabric. If a particular material detail matters to your choice, ask us about the fabric you're considering.
Spend a little time with the print
Look at the available fabric choices and the photographs attached to them. Think about which part you enjoy: the overall colors, the small repeat, a particular flower or character. That can help you decide what you want to know before ordering.
Patterned yardage doesn't repeat every image in exactly the same place once it's cut into pockets. If one little scene is essential to the pair you have in mind, ask about the finished piece rather than assuming its placement will be identical to a reference photograph.
The Lemon Patch Pocket Play Jean is another direction for those pockets. We like it for a different reason: the recognizable lemon print against the denim. You can choose the detail you want while still giving the fit and measurements their own attention.
Making time, and looking after the finished pair
The vintage-pocket jeans are made to order. If you're choosing a gift or planning around a particular date, look at the production information and allow for delivery separately. The time spent making the pair and the time it spends getting to you are two parts of the plan.
Keep the care information supplied with the jeans, including anything specific to the contrasting fabric. The pocket is part of the garment going into the wash, so a general rule about cotton denim won't necessarily cover every detail.
There are a few ways older clothes and fabrics find a place at Colorful Bunch. Our upcycling story looks at that more broadly, from an existing garment we change to a new piece made with a found fabric. We like being clear about what you're choosing, and then leaving room for the enjoyable part: finding the print that makes this pair feel like the one you want.
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