The American Staple – Made To Measure Denim
The American man is defined by the frontier. The West. A capability, a calmness, and an unwavering commitment to action in face of injustice. As such, the American wardrobe is one of rugged utilitarianism, capable of being dressed up with ease, but at its core, built around a sense of adventure and functionality. No fabric captures this essence more than denim, cut into jeans, shirts, and jacketing, the fabric is an unrivaled cornerstone of America's style legacy.
Too often, like so much in the world today, the beauty and durability of denim is being betrayed by poor manufacturing methods, cheap polyester blends, and poor fitments.
It's our privilege as an American clothier to provide you with the opportunity to cast aside the yoke of poor quality denim to replace it instead with brilliant, made to measure pieces you will wear daily.
Denim Fabrics Available at Shepherd's
At the time of writing, Shepherd's is delighted to offer six primary washes of denim from Italy, spanning from a light wash to a dark rinse and jet black. The offerings are as follows:
We boast over 10,000 fabrics in house available for ordering, with roughly 100-200 of those being denims. If one of the washes we've hand-selected here doesn't quite meet your vision for the completed garment, be sure to schedule an appointment and come in to pour over all available options with one of our master fitters.
Denim Jeans
Tom Selleck is a testament to looking cool no matter the heat, rocking his light wash denim in Hawaii while filming MAGNUM P.I. In the show he would of course wear countless Aloha shirts, primarily by Paradise Found, but would often wear field shirts, denim shirts, or even Mandarin collar linen pieces, all tucked into his trusted light or medium wash denim, emphasizing the utility and versatility of America's favorite trouser.
There's little we can say about jeans that hasn't been said already. As we ourselves have already established here a few times, denim is a cornerstone for the American man, and no piece is further entrenched in his wardrobe than the mighty jean. Be it a classic, Tom Selleck style light wash, or a dark rinse pair worn with a sports jacket, denim jeans are classics.
And, with the general style of jeans being so ubiquitous, the opportunities for modification in wash and the little details provide you with unlimited opportunities to make your own "main character" mainstay pieces.
We of course offer our jeans with a classic button fly, which paired with a more traditional higher rise is a timeless and more structured look - especially when paired with something like a harrington jacket, which from its origins has a more cropped, and currently in style, effect. A higher waisted jean compliments the look nicely, and is far more flattering when worn. Men, by God's design, don't really have hips to hold up their pants as the fairer sex does. This leads to lower waisted jeans being heavily belted down, leaving all but the trimmest among us to have a rather unflattering shelf of a belly nesting on top of the belt buckle. Taking denim up to the natural waist, with the additional structure of a button fly, creates a complimentary silhouette and a bulwark against the reason so many men today choose to not tuck their shirts. While you certainly don't have to always have your shirttails tucked, or a t-shirt a la James Dean for that matter, having the option exist, and having jeans that look excellent on the body, is a huge improvement over the department store, half plastic, ultra-stretch options that exist in the zeitgeist today. It's time to be a rebel with a cause, and wear well-built, gorgeous jeans that are cut well in the leg, not so tight that one can make out exactly what car you drive from the logo imprint jutting through your pocket, and not so billowy that the mid 1990's are calling - a straight, timeless, lightly tapered cut - made for you - and meant to be used. Our jeans can be cut perfectly to length, or left longer if you'd like to cuff them, a look that's popular especially with dark rinse jeans to create contrast at the cuff. It's time to own jeans you're willing to wear washing the car or with a jacket out to dinner with your loved ones - jeans that make you feel as rugged as Robert Redford and as excellent as Harrison Ford walking down the street.
A simple look that elevates the humble polo and jeans into something far more. Paired with a navy sport jacket and a western leather belt, the look is refined yet rugged, and incredibly easy to use as a leap-off point for your next outing with friends, a date, etc. We recommend pairing your jeans and jacket with our new made to order, German-made knit polos, with a retro buttonless johnny collar, adding additional texture and depth to the look, and a nice, breathable base layer in the spring or summer heat.
Denim Shirting
A denim shirt is a fantastic way to add a more casual tone to tailoring.
They are worn well with a sports jacket in an earth tone like brown or green - or in a contrasting darker navy - be it with jeans or chinos on the trousers. The texture and worn in feel of a good denim shirt adds a nice touch of personality to an outfit, particularly if you're the sort of man who doesn't necessarily love dressing up. Oftentimes we find a good denim shirt - perhaps western stylized or with utility pockets, is the perfect way to eliminate the "poindexter" or high school homecoming effect some men feel when donning a casual sports jacket with chinos. That, paired with good fabrics and flattering tailoring, can remarkably modify an outfit from something that feels forced into something that's natural. Denim is a cornerstone of the American wardrobe.
For more casual days, consider a denim shirt layered with a henley or white tee, particularly in the cooler months, allowing the denim to act as an overshirt and outerlayer - this protects your denim shirting from unnecessary washing while also adding additional depth and dimension to the look. Worn tucked and with a good pair of heavy weight, higher rise chinos, and unbuttoned for the top third (or more), a very American, elevated but relaxed look can be achieved. Don't hesitate to throw a darker brown hacking jacket on top either, or perhaps a wool safari or utility piece. Denim, while gorgeous on its own, is an excellent piece for layering because of its widely accepted neutrality as a fabric - any color or combination can usually be paired with a pair of blue jeans, and a shirt is no different.
A good denim shirt is a chameleon in the wardrobe. A cornerstone that can be dressed in a dozen fashions and manners. What's more, it's a fabric that only improves with wear and age, becoming distressed, perhaps lightly ripped and repaired on the elbow or cuff, and fading in to compliment your lifestyle. Denim is a fabric that can tell a story with one look.
Robert Redford's iconic film THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR, is a testament to the versatility of denim in the wardrobe. Without getting too deep into the particulars, the film follows Redford, a CIA analyst, who is on the run after his entire office is killed unexpectedly. With no one to trust and nowhere to go, what's on his body becomes the wardrobe for the duration of the film. The beginning of the film dresses him as such - jeans, a western chambray denim shirt layered with a navy blue sweater and tie, and completed with a uniquely patterned black and gray herringbone tweed jacket. As the film progresses, layers are shed or replaced, at one point he gets down to just the jeans, denim shirt, and a recovered surplus peacoat. While the film is a fantastic, cat and mouse style spy thriller, it's also one of the most iconic displays of capsule wardrobing and men's style captured on camera. For those interested in how to wear denim, it's certainly one worth watching.
HOW TO CARE FOR DENIM JEANS AND SHIRTS
All denim stocked at Shepherd's is pre-washed, meaning the likelihood of wash-bleed onto other garments is minimal. That said, we recommend washing denim together, and by itself when possible to mitigate the risk.
On separate loads, be sure to also keep white denim and black denim apart unless you're very fond of gray jeans you didn't mean to buy.
Denim isn't meant to be washed heavily or often. Raw denim fans will often go six months or even a year without doing anything but spot treating and cleaning the most stubborn of stains. Especially with darker wash denim, not washing the garments will allow the fabrics natural folds and creases that are created with wearing - creating unique to you fades and character. Provided the fabric passes a "sniff test" there's typically no real reason to wash the garment. When you do need to wash, it's best - for jeans - to do so inside out to protect the belt loops etc from snagging or artificial fade or drag lines caused by the wash cycle. Be sure to also wash denim in cold water to prevent any shrink. Pure cotton fabrics will dramatically tighten up and shrink in hot water. The same goes for drying. If possible, air drying your denim is the best route, or if necessary, tumble dry low.
PARTING THOUGHTS
Denim is a staple in any wardrobe. It's capable of being the most robustly versatile piece for a man, and the American man's traditional aesthetic of rugged elegance is defined by the beautiful utility of denim, be it shirting, jacketing, or jeans. With that in mind, having pieces this iconic cut and built for you, and you alone, ensures the best look with the most Americana of wardrobing pieces. And, after 250 years of American Liberty, what's better than that?
