Originally Posted by
jeepster 
holy @%@$ this thread has gone to sooooo many noobs. no offense guys, but honestly, you've all asked the same questions over and over and over again. and yes, i was once like you, but i decided to just GET THEM, instead of repeating myself over and over again.
OK, here goes:
-APC New Standard: Normally, people like to size down between 1-3 on these. They are a straighter legged cut, wider leg openings, and a very standard profile. While they can be worn baggy or tight, that is to the wearer's discretion. New Standards are selvage denim, and if you refer to any picture of them, they will tell you so. NS now come in indigo and black raw denim, so you can go either way. The sizing on the black is a tad bit different due to the denim by affected by a different dye, but it should not affect the overall sizing. YES, these jeans do stretch, that is why you size down considerably from what your real waist is. Knee bulge will happen if you get them sized down considerably, but will not ruin your jeans. If you soak them, they will shrink some and assume a form closer to their original shape.
-APC New Cure: New Cures are very similar to NS, save for the fact that they are not selvage and have a tapered leg opening. The silhouette is much slimmer and generally tighter. Most people size down only 1-2 (I sized down 2) on these. But, like other APC jeans, they stretch considerably after a couple weeks of wear. APC NC's have been made in indigo and a prewashed grey denim, and there has been no indication that they will be doing black, as of yet. The different between New Cures and Cures is just that, one is a more recent version of the other. The Cure, generally, has been the women's version of the NC, but APC seems to make jeans on a unisex level, so they can go either way.
DO NOT WORRY IF THEY ARE RIDICULOUSLY STIFF WHEN YOU GET THEM, THAT IS THE NATURE OF QUALITY RAW/DRY DENIM. THEY WILL SOFTEN UP IN ~30 WEARS (2 WEEKS IF YOU WEAR THEM EVERY DAY). THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT THEY WILL BE FLIMSY, IT MEANS THEY WILL ADHERE TO YOUR BODY AND BECOME MORE AND MORE COMFORTABLE. APC DENIM IS TOUGH AS NAILS AND THE ONLY REAL WAY TO RIP THEM IS TO DO SPLITS OR SOMETHING ALONG THOSE LINES, IF YOU'RE NOT CAREFUL THAT IS.
SO, what have we learned children:
-NS: size down between 1-3, if you're unsure, go 2 or 1. These are straight leg, and have a wider leg opening than NC's -
selvage
-NC: size down between 1-2, if unsure, just 1. These are a tapered straight leg, and have a slimmer opening below the knee than NS's -
non-selvage
-
APC inseams are usually as such
: waist 25-30: 32-34" inseam/
waist 31-36: 34-36" inseam
-Many are confused why you size down from the tagged size with APC's - this is known as
vanity sizing. This entails that the jeans are cut usually a size or two bigger than what they are tagged as, and because APC denim is normally raw, that they will stretch considerably from the tagged size. DO not fear sizing down, it is your friend!
-When soaking your APC's, it is generally best to do a 2 hour soak in hot water. I am prone to add ~2 small gobs of
Woolite Dark, and when they are finished, rap them in a towel, pat till excess water is out, hang to dry, wear if you want them to stretch a bit.
-When washing your APC's, just wash them as you would any regular pair of jeans, but DO NOT put them in the dryer if you are afraid they might shrink too much. Cotton will always shrink when exposed to heat for extended periods of time.
-If you jeans do shrink a bit, do not fear, you can always just stretch them by hand. One handy method is when they are out of the dryer, get a clamp hanger, bring them somewhere where you have enough space to hold them out horizontally, make sure the clamps on the hanger are tight, and pull. This will stretch it a bit, but the most effective way to get your denim to stretch back out is to wear them dry. This may take a couple of hours, so consider washing your jeans on a weekend when you have nothing to do.
-
Smell Tips: As we all know, raw denim requires us not to wash our jeans for 6 months. Well, some of us sweat more than others (I know I do), so our jeans sometimes become a little riper than we want them too - never fear! Here are a few helpful tips to hold of the stench for a bit.
- Soak your jeans: Don't be afraid to give your jeans a nice soak, just follow the instructions I outlined before and they should be fine. If anything, they fade faster after a nice good soaking, and they smell less. They'll be a bit less starchy a stiff, but thats always a plus.
- Fabric Deodorants: Febreeze, bar soap, etc. Don't worry, their not harmful to your jeans. Febreeze is pretty self explanitory. For a quick fix, grab a bar of soap, some paper towel and do as follows. Rub the soap on the paper towel until theres visibly some soap on the towel. Add a bit of water if you want to make it less cake-y. Apply to smelly areas. Let hang for 10-15 minutes while they air out, and you're good to go. If you have other not-harmful-to-fabric deodorants, I'm sure you can utilize them they way you want.
- Don't be afraid to steam your jeans: Get a clamp hanger, run a hot shower, and bring your jeans in with you. Obviously, try not the get them wet, but sometimes its hard not too, don't worry, it can't hurt. Let the shower steam up, open up the buttons and let the steam get into the jeans as much as possible. This, usually requires a longer shower, so do it on an off day. Let them hang in the shower for a bit after you're done so they can get any exess steam.
- Hang them outside: Grab a clamp hanger, and hang them overnight outside. Pretty simple.
- Freezer Method: Fold up the jeans, put a little baking power on smelly areas, and let them sit overnight or for several hours. Should help to remove smell. Can't say if it will save your freezer from the smell though.
- Just wash the damn things if they smell that bad. It's not the end of the world.
- If you get bugs, then thats kinda gross. You should wash them.
Both the NS's and NC's are around $140 at most retailers that stock them. If you are unhappy with them once you receive them, do not worry, you can always resell them. There are plenty of people who would take a brand new pair of APC's w/ tags off your hands for close if not the same price as you paid. Also, do yourself a favor and try and go to a store to try them on, its the only real way to be sure of your purchase.
Enjoy your A.P.C's!
hope that helped everyone. My facts might be a little off, but generally, that is what I've learned from this entire thread.
