Epaulet Hoyt: Delivered

Well, they've arrived. If you missed it, I profiled them last week to whet your appetite and now I have the goods to evaluate. My initial impressions are very good. I've only worn them for a few hours total around the house to break them in and these jeans fit me wonderfully.

First wear, as compared to my A.P.C. Rescues, the Hoyts fit way less like jeggings and more like actually-fitting jeans. They were a bit tight at first but they've since relaxed a bit, as expected with any denim.

The difference in the weight of the fabric is quite noticeable (12.25oz. vs. 14oz. for the Rescues). They are lighter but don't give me the feeling that they're going to fall apart. Construction seems well executed and it really shows in the details: There are gunmetal rivets and donut buttons (four total buttons if you're wondering), a solid diagonal bar tack on each corners of the back pockets, and a handsome embossed leather patch above the rear right pocket (all pictured below).

I am quite satisfied with the fit and quality of this denim. Epaulet gets the TBTYH stamp of approval. And also, considering that they are made in the US with materials of US origin, $145 is a pretty good value.

I apologize for the quality of the fit photo. There really isn't much light in my kitchen at 8:00pm.

Epaulet Hoyt: Here Comes A New Challenger!

I've talked about my challenges fitting into denim before. But that long wait has Epaulet has completed their new cut of jean, the Hoyt.  They've updated their beautiful Smith model to include more room in the seat and thighs (exactly what I need), expressly designed for men who are "into things like cycling, rowing, crossfit, etc." I'm going to do a paper comparison to the only other pair of selvage denim I own, A.P.C. Rescues (that is until my Hoyts are delivered).

Pictured on the left (A.P.C. Rescues on the right), the Hoyt is cut from a 12.25oz. natural line selvage from the Cone Mills White Oak plant in North Carolina. By comparison, the A.P.C.s feature 14oz. red line selvage denim from (I don't actually know). Both have contrast stitching, five pockets, and rivets in all the usual places. I think the kicker is that the Epaulet jeans are manufactured in the United States, whereas the A.P.C.s are manufactured in Macau, a territory of China. While this shouldn't really say much in terms of comparative quality (a debate for another time), as an American, I feel great supporting workers here in the US, both in the textile plant the denim was produced and also in the shop the full product was constructed in.

But enough of the details, what of the fit? Certainly the most important part of the modern jean should not be neglected.  Well, I can speak to the fit of the A.P.C.s, which are 'vanity sized'. This is the annoying part of buying A.P.C. denim. Maybe it has to do with the fact that they are generally unisex jeans but the general rule is to size down two to three from your normal size. For me this meant a size 30 in A.P.C. Any larger and I run the risk of the waistband stretching to an abnormal proportions. Denim is generally known to stretch out or relax after wear but it seems A.P.C. is especially known for this.  Seriously, when I first tried my Rescues on, I could not physically button the top two buttons. Now, one year later, the waistband is about one inch too big (while the thighs remain pretty tight). This is my dilemma. On paper, let's compare the A.P.C. Rescue's sizing to the Epaulet Hoyt's (which Epaulet recommends you buy true-to-size, in my case a 33):

*Total rise on the Hoyts were calculated from an average of the front and rear rise, which was specified on the product page.

As you can see, the Hoyts have a bit more room in the upper legs than the Rescues.  I am quite interested in the full extra inch in the thigh and the higher rise. We'll see how it works out when I get my hands on the EPs. Expect a full write-up with fit pics and comparison to the A.P.C.s. I know from experience that men with larger legs have very limited options when it comes to quality denim and I am happy to share my experience for the betterment of my large-thighed brethren.