Japanese denim label Eternal celebrate their 15th birthday with a pair of jeans, which seems fair enough. 14.05 oz  raw Japanese selvedge denim created from 30 times dyed indigo warp yarns, so that blue is pretty much deep in there. Tapered leg, mid-rise fit, wabash lined pockets, leather patch – these come with a limited edition red bandana. Find them at Blue in Green.

Some nice images shot by Scott Toepfer to celebrate the collaboration between these solid names. The Selvedge Yard blog, PRPS and Triumph Motorcycles have created this limited edition Blackbird jean. 14oz Japanese denim, enamel coated rivets and grommets, buckle-back – dedicated to the 1953 Blackbird bike, a pair of jeans designed to be worn hard. TSY showcases some great images from Scott Toepfer, click on to see denim in action.

In our minds, denim is not a fabric, it is a second skin. It is also sort of the anti-skin, in a way. Real skin feels awful when it gets three-days dirty, and washing it clean is rejuvenating in an almost spiritual sense. Denim skin, on the other hand, looks and feels its best when it is on the verge of filthy. We often brag about how long a pair of jeans has gone without washing, and would happily extend the same attitude toward this shirt from Taylor Stitch.

Inspired by a rugged and sparsely populated stretch of the Northern California coastline called the Lost Coast, this shirt is a bit more like a jacket. Jacket denim skin, let us say. “The Lost Coast doesn’t have much, but what it does have is plentiful: great white sharks, dramatic views and moisture,” Taylor tells us, “the kind of moisture that mosses over hundred-year-old redwoods and leaves that penetrates your bones.” Made in California, this chain-stitched piece of skin looks like it could very well penetrate your bones as well—in the best possible way. Pick one up here.

More looks after the jump…

A quick recap from last night’s 3×1 Denim, Ben Watts skateboard launch event in SOHO. As mentioned last week, the boards are now on sale. What we missed to mention was that portions of the proceeds go to charity. Buy ‘em up.

Photography: Robert Wunsch/Selectism.com

More looks from the Ben Watts for 3×1 Denim model skateboard on the following page.

We take a full look at the New York’s Left Field denim collection for 2012. Five styles of denim jeans are offered from various mills including Cone Mills (U.S.A.) and Japanese mills including Nisshinbo Mills and Kaihara Mills. The selections are your to make. From the lookbook, these are more than built tough and ready to withstand all our riding and wearing habits.

More looks in our gallery…

GQ Eye points us at this splendid little video from the 3×1 denim line. “Dear Lily” is a short film directed by “woman-about-town.” Poppy de Villeneuve. Specially commissioned by Scott Morrison of 3×1 denim, set the star in the city in a solo view. We happen to love that bridge ride. Respect.

There is no need to shy away from slim fit or tapered cut denim if you choose them proper for your build, though the investment jeans may also hold many back from dipping their toes into this look. We tend to agree: when you drop big dosh on denim jeans, they better fit, but for those looking to try our a new cut, Cheap Monday may be one of the best balances of quality and price.

Cheap Monday Original Tight Jeans have been around for some time and are a good gateway into the more fitted world of slim denim. Cheap Monday adds 1% stretch material to their 99% cotton denim in order to alleviate the fit break-in on their denim. And do not worry about low rise with the Original Tight Jeans: these sit just above the waist line for a more traditional ride. The light wash on these Cheap Monday jeans also keeps things a bit softer.

You’ll be hard pressed to find a more forgiving slim fit pair of jeans at this price. Find them at sojeans.com

More looks in our gallery…

Self-edge took a trip to the legendary Cone Mills factory with Roy Slaper to watch over production of his heavy unsanforized denim, ready to be made into slim and straight leg jeans. This is the first time in over 30 years that Cone Mills have worked on an unsanforized denim for anyone, the resulting product includes a few new updated features on the previous models;

“Never content with just “doing another run”, Roy has improved and tweaked everything surrounding the production of these jeans. The stitching of the body is even finer and more accurate and we love the fully lined back pockets and coin pocket. The rear pocket hems now have a hand-done welt in them mimicking the vintage style belt-loops found on many of the best Japanese brands.” Find them at Self-Edge from Saturday.

Tenue de Nîmes give us a look at their collaboration with Kojima, Japan’s cult denim brand Momotaro. 12oz ’sulphar’ grey denim, they tell us “The slow weave is solid to the touch, but the fabric is surprisingly light weight. The yarn used for this particular denim is a so-called multi-count yarn, which has irregular thickness.” These will come with a sheepskin patch and their own branded tote.

Japan’s NEXUSVII get a bit dark and brooding for Spring/Summer. Nice to know the summer months aren’t all skipping through fields and drinking Orangina on the boardwalk. Some seriously dark denim at the centre of this collection, somehow making denim shorts seem acceptable. Little time for colour or bold print, while the collection generally leans towards casual, there’s a few smart pieces thrown in just in case you need to tidy up. Good stuff. (84/85)