Posts made by Cold Summer

I washed mine on cold in a top-loading machine with a regular cycle, and didn't notice any shrinkage.

Usually after I wash my shirts, I pull the hem and sleeves while it's still damp to get a little extra length, so that might help as well.

Finally snapped a picture of the new shirt yesterday 

Still love the fit on this shirt. Everything seems to fit just right. Hopefully it won't shrink when I cold wash.

I got the red flannel from last fall's 3Sixteen collection and it feels comparable in weight, maybe a little lighter. Hard to say because it has a very uneven texture.

Flat Head has done some flannels that weigh about the same as this UHF, and I'm pretty sure the super heavy houndstooth is even thicker, but I haven't bought a new FH shirt in years and I'm not sure exactly what their fabrics are like these days.

My preference is for medium-weight flannel, but I like these super heavy shirts too 

I got my shirt yesterday and I love it. I thought maybe it was going to be a little bit/loose on me, but the fit is dead on. Hopefully it's not going to shrink because this is as close to a perfect-fitting flannel as I've ever worn. I always cold wash my shirts and pull out the sleeves and length while the shirt is damp/before air drying, so I'm guessing shrinkage won't be an issue.

Anyway, this shirt is awesome. Really nice fabric. I've had Flat Head and 3Sixteen shirts that are about this same weight (I think my all-time heaviest shirt was a Flat Head houndstooth flannel from 2013, that thing was beastly) but this definitely has a different vibe to it. The Aspero cotton feels extremely nice and lives up to the hype. I do wish that this was a selvedge fabric like Flat Head uses. In practice I haven't really noticed a difference in feel and aging between my FH shirts (selvedge) and 3Sixteen (non-selvedge), but I like the little details like selvedge inside the placket and at the side gussets.

I'm used to these shirts being sewn with chainstitch construction, so the lock stitching is definitely different (though I'm guessing perhaps more durable, though I've had little issue with shirt chainstitching coming undone.) The thread appears to be polyester since it lacks the slightly puffy look and feel of cotton thread - I'm a huge advocate of cotton thread and prefer it whenever possible, but it's way less noticeable on shirts than jeans or jackets that use large, heavy gauge threads.

Also, I was surprised by the buttons - big, jacket-like snaps rather than the Universal YKK snaps I'm used to on my Flat Head shirts. I've never owned a western shirt with this type of button, which gives the flannel somewhat more of an overshirt vibe, but they seem extremely solid, so I like that. I prefer the traditional YKK style of snap for its aesthetics and feel (plus, they don't rattle.) On the other hand, with these buttons I don't have to worry about stray beard hairs snagging painfully on the top snap, which happens all the time with my Flat Head westerns.

Overall, I would say the construction and hardware gives this shirt a more utilitarian/industrial feel compared to my other flannels that have a more vintage vibe, but I like how it's a little different flavor compared to my other shirts - variety is good. I still consider Flat Head western shirts the golden standard, but given how their current shirts simply don't fit me, these are a great alternative.

Great thing about working in a cold office is that I can start wearing this shirt now! Will try to get some photos later 

[Edit] One more observation! I love the pocket placement. On many shirts, I feel the pockets are placed too high. The center of the pocket is roughly at nipple-height, which in my opinion is the perfect positioning 

Shirt looks great on you Max!

My feelings on flannel shirts have moved towards erring on the side of "slightly too big." IMO, a flannel shirt isn't supposed to be something that's super trim-fitting, and when I see people on Instagram etc. wearing really trim flannels it looks a bit weird to me now.

I'm tall and skinny and when I look back on pictures of myself wearing a Flat Head shirt in size 40 it just really accents how relatively unusual my proportions are… but wearing a 3Sixteen flannel in L (roughly corresponds to this shirt's sizing) makes me look more proportional overall.

My size sold out in less than half an hour, yikes! Glad I had already kinda decided to buy this ahead of time.

Will post some fit pictures and impressions when it gets here in a few days. I expect I'll love it and wear a ton 

After nearly ten years as a raw denim nerd/hobbyist, I've finally bought my first Iron Heart item. 

Love the design of this shirt and it's quite unlike any of my other flannels from Flat Head, 3Sixteen, RRL, etc. I purchased a size L, it will probably be a bit roomy in the chest but all the other measurements look just right and similar to my two best-fitting 3Sixteen shirts.

This is the most I've ever paid for a flannel shirt, but since pickings are pretty slim for high-quality, Japanese-made shirts that will actually fit me, I don't mind splurging every once in a while.

This fabric looks exactly like one Flat Head used on a 2013SS shirt, I used to have the Green version of that shirt.

It's a beautiful fabric/shirt! But I'm really surprised to see any FH fabric on another brand's shirt. 

Ahh yeah, I remember that tee - I did the wording for that one.

The GYW vs. Stitchdown debate is a bunch of pretentious cork-sniffing. I love my GYW Vibergs and actually like how the welt contrasts against the Color 8 CXL. If I bought another pair I'd probably go stitchdown though for variety's sake.

I feel like I've read that GYW has better longevity because stitchdown construction can lead to tearing in the resoling process, but I can't remember for sure.

I love the Dainite soles on my Vibergs - they can be a little slippery on wet, slick surfaces, but grip really nice to everything else, and feel good, too. Probably most of all, though, I just really like the look of them.

I play! Here's my Gretsch Anniversary Limited with nitrocellulose finish and TV Jones Classic pickups.

After playing with my boots a bit more, I think I have the right size after all - I was worried because of how much room I have in the toe, but the boots don't slide around on my foot, the heel fits right, and the widest part of my foot pretty much lines up with the widest part of the shoe.

It's weird to think that I've been into denim and stuff, and have owned a few pairs of boots over the years, but never really knew how to look for whether or not my boots fit well. Oh well, everything's a learning experience - and I'm glad I don't have to sell these (beautiful) boots.

Those look awesome Bluegrass! I'd be really tempted to get my service boots in Brown or Natural Chromexcel. I know a lot of people dislike Chromexcel, but I think it suits this style of boot perfectly and I'm very happy with how mine looks. I've noticed that older, stitchdown versions of the CXL #8 boots have a much brighter, reddish hue, but I prefer the purplish brown of the leather used on my boots.

Thanks guys!

However, after wearing these for three days, I realized that they're a half size too big… so I'm getting the exact same boots in a size 10 instead.

Obviously I need to sell these ones now, so please contact me if you're interested in an almost-new pair in 10.5!

They're 3Sixteen ST-120x with 5+ months of wear and one wash! Great jeans.

Got my boots today! Went with a 10.5, these are a great fit - about the same size as my Flat Head and Lofgren boots.

Really blown away by these boots - the quality is incredibly, no flaws in sight. I love the color (#8 Chromexcel), the Dainite sole, the waxed black laces - these are such a nice balance between classy and badass. And, although this seems to be an unpopular opinion, I love the Goodyear welt construction and the natural welt's contrast with the upper. Gives them a bit of a classier look compared to the workboot aesthetic of stitchdown - just what I was going for. It'll probably be a while before I buy more boots, but these probably won't be my last pair of Vibergs!

The Color 8 Chromexcel service boots look really sweet - anyone got pictures of how these change over time? Really interested in the evo of this leather.

Hey guys, I'm interested in some Viberg service boots in the 2030 last, I've got a few questions:

• I wear 11.5 in shoes like Vans, Converse, and PF Flyers. Am I correct that I'd want a 10.5 in these?
• I've read some stuff (I think on StyleForum) saying that the Service Boot looks weird in sizes larger than 9.5 or so, and I've seen a few examples that look "off". Does anyone here have a pair of 2030 Service Boots somewhere around 10.5, that could give me a good idea how they look?
• What are alternatives I should consider? I want a slim profile boot with a cap toe and Dainite sole, somewhere between a more rugged style and a dressier style, which will look good with slim fitting jeans. I LOVE the look of the RRL Livingston boot, which nails what I'm looking for, but at $990, they're way overpriced. I'd be open to something like the Red Wing Beckman, but I don't mind paying right around the Viberg price range.

Thanks for the pics zatenm! Very helpful, and the jacket looks awesome.