Crackerhead

PaulT,

Yes, it's the oilcloth tag. The weight is listed on the center banner below, 'Every Garment Guaranteed,' says, 'Exclusive xx Special 10 Ounce Cotton Denim.' I got those from the Levi's store in NY. The hangtag listed them as 2007 LVC. Now whether they were spring or fall, I do not know. The defective 12.5oz. pair that I bought from Levi's online were marked 2006. There is a big difference in quality between the two with the 2007 version being a perfect jean with plush denim. Yeah, you're right, the fk'd up sizing issue along with the irregularities is very irritating. Hell, I've spent nearly $100 on shipping costs returning jeans that shoud've been problem free.

Yeah, I'm looking at one right now, too, and it definitely doesn't say that anywhere on this oilcloth tag. This is a Fall 2007 model (which got a real oilcloth tag finally, and not just a reproduction made of thick card stock, though I've got one of those from my first pair, and it also says nothing about the denim weight.) So it was likely a typo that may have been quickly corrected, and not manufacturing discrepancy, since all the STF '47 501's are made from the same Cone Mills denim.

LVC products do not live up to the marketing hype. The Rigid 1873 501 I purchased were not exact museum quality reproductions as far as quality and craftsmanship. They had numerous manufacturing defects, did not fit and were not rigid. The over all appearance looked contrived. Then I purchased two pair of the Rigid 1947 501's. The first pair was 12.5 oz. denim, had numerous defects and were about 2 sizes smaller than tag size. The second pair were 10 oz. denim, had a better quality patch and had no defects. These too were about two sizes smaller than tag size. Neither pair were truly rigid.

Being an educated buyer, I believe that Levi's does not seem to live up to their claim that LVC are "exact reproductions of the original." If that is true, then why are they selling the same style jean in (as many as) 3 different weight denims, different style leather patches along with irregular sizes and defects? I've found that certain Levi non-LVC import jeans purchased for $30 are better quality than any of the LVC I've seen. Perhaps Levi's should stick with what they're good at and famous for -- selling high quality jeans at affordable prices to the masses.

It would be great if Levi Strauss offered 'low end' imported non-self-edge versions of their vintage styles at affordable prices. Less overhead and higher profit margins for a fascinating historic style offered to a wider market would improve their sales significantly.

I'm curious to know how you were able to tell the exact weight of the denim on your two 1947 501's. They don't come with any special tags stating the weight. Or is there another way of telling?

Also, rigid simply means unwashed denim, be it sanforized (pre-shrunk), or shrink-to-fit, so there's no way they could've been anything other than rigid, unless you bought the jeans in a finish other than the deadstock finish. I know LVC made a "rinsed" finish of the 501 one or two seasons ago. Maybe those were the ones you bought?

And if you measure the waistband of the 1947 501's with a tape measurer, you will notice that they measure EXACTLY what the leather patch states, just as they did in the 1940's. (Thought that was common knowledge among the LVC crowd.) Most of today's jeans measure quite a bit bigger (2-3 inches) than the tagged size states. This explains why the '47 501's seem to fit slimmer than normal jeans.

Lastly, you've got to take into consideration that Levi's were hand-assembled in 1873, as well as 1947, as are the vintage-clothing reproductions of today. Therefore, every pair will be unique, have its flaws and idiosyncrasies. That's the beauty in handcrafted denim. And who's to tell if today's reproductions don't live up to the originals, when the originals, in some cases (such as the 1873 Vault Piece) don't even exist? How many original deadstock 1947 501's have you been able to compare against the reproductions?

that is a pretty awesome jacket. price price?

$19 on eBay. Original retail? Somewhere around $450.

I just purchased this, and am waiting for its arrival.

Just talked to Doshaburi in Barcelona, and they said they are expecting the new S/S 2008 collection some time in November.

any pics of the butcher jeans????

Uhh, yeah. Go back a page.

So I've got a photo now of a pair of pants I own from the latest collection, based on the theme "The Coach Rider, The Boat Rider, and The Rail Rider" - an homage to Levi Strauss' sales force who fanned out through the west via these modes of transport, stocking mercantiles and distributing goods to the pioneers of the west. I picked these up at the Flagship Levi's store this summer. The original retail was $420. They had some other nice pieces. The Rail Rider pants, for example, were a beautiful duck cloth pant with a strange one-shoulder suspender strap. And the denim pieces were made out of a plain-white selvage denim.

The Boat Rider

I think these were made in Europe too, and whereas the Euro-501s (made in Scotland) looked horrible, the orange tab jeans normally looked great. I've alwasy liked the bar-tacks throughout look, whcih fo course they did to save money...

They shouldn't have been made in Europe. The tag says Made in USA, and there's an "R" pressed into the back of the button.

I got some close-up pictures of the jeans, too. You can actually see a fade spot already coming through where the coin pocket is, where I had my chap-stick resting. I've only worn them twice. I have a feeling they're going to look beautiful very soon.

Okay, I got some pictures yesterday of the Deadstock 1967 606's on me. They look stupid with the shoes - Those Minnie Mouse shoes are what I wear in the house. They look killer with my chucks, though. I'll get some more detailed pictures later.

As far as the fit, it's really square and slim. Pockets sit super high front and back. The yoke is almost nonexistent. They also sit quite low - perhaps lower than the original? In the lookbook, they were labeled as "customized deadstock." What the hell does that mean? There was no labeling to indicate it on the jeans when I got them. The denim is stiff as all hell and feels reallly heavy as well.

Crackerhead, do you mean the long brown stick-on tag?

For certain I would check with your dealer; the catalogeu normally states the denim source, and if it's Kaihara, it will be sanforized.

I don't know of one orange-tab repro that's not preshrunk, and it would count to me as a major fuckup if the new ones aren't. Although most of the previous reissues have been washed, they have still been specified as Sanforized/preshrunk (you'd have problems with the zipper if not).

Yeah, the zipper fuckup with shrink-to-fit is a good point. No, they did not come with the brown warning tag. It's just that the hang tag states they will shrink 10% when washed, which is the shrink-to-fit rate. So it was probably just a misprint.

The new ones are Sanforized, just like their predecessors, and just about all LVC zipper jeans.

Huh. I guess that's good to know, then. Maybe the 10% shrinkage warning on the tag was a misprint. I was also mislead, because last season's 606's in the "Jasper Dark" finish were described by Levi's on their website as having "subtle shrink-to-fit cracks. So I assumed they were STF. Any info on this, Paul?

I just got my 1967 606's from the latest collection TODAY. I am in love with them already. Flat felled seams inside and out. The bright topstitching runs down the entire length of the outside of the leg. I didn't know these were a shrink-to-fit denim, though, and bought them very fitted. Guess I'm dry cleaning! Pics and more feedback to come.

^no offense or anything but i dont think you pulled them off like ddml did with his. maybe its the jacket and shoes? i can picture cotton and bill looking good in these though.

Oh sweet! You guys know each other?

And even cheaper now.

$9.90 starting bid.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160167907506

These jeans are cut slim and square, much like the vintage 606's from the 1960's. They include leather leg protectors, which would have once been used to protect a candlestick maker's legs from the heat of the fire he would work over. Wicks dangle from the back pocket, waistband, and knees. The finish is complete with wax drippings.

I included that last photo to show how they look when I'm wearing them. That photo is of my friend and I last night before we left for an event.

Those jeans are crazy. Are they modeled after a pair of jeans that a butcher wore?

Is that part of your collection or do you actually wear them?

Yeah, I wear all the jeans that I collect, which is mostly Levi's RED, LVC and other limited production Levi's stuff.

And these jeans are simply a modern reinterpretation of the uniforms of tradesmen and professionals from years past. An homage to the vintage artisan that romances workwear from days of yore.

Those jeans are weird, would love to see pics of them worn though.

And thanks for posting them up.

I'll try to eventually get some photos of these pants with me wearing them. They look a lot better on, as they're quite sculptural pieces.

Pat The Baker - Oven Ready Finish:

These jeans are pretty wild. Cut with extra long and loose legs, the shape is reminiscent of billowing dough. They come coated in what looks and feels like flour and dough. The legs have adjustable and removable canvas leg protectors. The cinch runs from the sides of the waist all the way across the back. Other details include suspender buttons on the waist band, and a snap on one of the belt loops. The denim has a super soft hand. These are by far the most comfortable (and likely most outrageous) jeans I've ever worn.

Alright, as promised, I took some pics today of my collection. I don't have time right now to post all of them, but there's more to come.

Harry The Butcher - Got Guts Finish:

This one's from the A/W 2007 collection. Constructed from a last remaining bolt of antique selvage denim found stocked away. The fit of these jeans is patterned after a combination of vintage 501 blocks. The legs are constructed from many panels of denim and mimic muscle sinews. The finish is completed with blood spots, stepped-out hem, repaired cleaver hacks, and meat shrink-wrap behind the knees. There is a second hidden coin pocket inside the left front pocket, and an eyelet on the rear pocket to hang your cleaver from.

And here's the shirt I own, which also came in blue.

I picked them up at a sample sale on a trip to San Francisco.

As requested per some users, here are photos of the waist on me when worn

I usually wear 28-29 in Levi's jeans, and 31 in LVC jeans. As you can see, I've got plenty of room in these for shrinking.

I just ordered a pair of the Deadstock 606's from this season. Feedback and pictures to come upon arrival!

I got my '47's over the weekend. A great pair of jeans except I got stuck w'another pair of rejects. They do not fit -- very tight in the thighs and snug in the waist. Coin pocket off center with unstitched reinforcement thread hanging loose above right rivet. The left leg outer seam off center by about 3 inches. Also, the pair I received are Fall 2006 lvc! BTW, what does the "R" on the back of front center button mean, reject? The 1873's I got had "R" stamped on button and they were POS too.

Yeah, the coin pocket does appear to be a quarter of a centimeter off. Otherwise, those don't look like defects to me. That extra thread clearly isn't a functional flaw. And the seam skew really isn't a big deal since they're going to twist that way anyway after washing and shrinking. My deadstock '47 501's have a bit of that skew to them, too.

Oh, and about the R stamp, I think that identifies the current factory those come out of. Any extra knowledge on that anyone?

Alright, y'all. $50 shipped (within the US!)

Bumpdizzle......

Here's a rare find. These seem to be a sample 1947 501 from Levi's, made from Cone Mills selvage denim. The tag has the name "L. Arnold", and "47501- Cone XX33" written on it.

The denim feels weighty and tight and has a slightly hairy look to it, although these appear to be unwashed. The red selvage line juts up against the indigo part of the selvage like in prewashed finishes the LVC 501s come in. The detailing is that of a prototype jean. Single stitched rear pockets, lower-case e on red tab, varying waist buttons, selvage coin pocket, no hidden rivets, and no leather patch.

I measured the size at 30x32.5. I assume these are a shrink-to-fit fabric (seeing it's a prototype of a 1947 501 from raw cone denim,) which means they would shrink 1" in the waist, and 3" in the length after washing, unless dry-cleaned.

They seem to be almost spot-on to my production 1947 501's (which are raw unwashed), except the rise on these seems just slightly higher.

Here are some measurements:

Waist: 30

Length: 32.5

Rise: 12

Thigh flat: 11.5

Leg opening: 17

Moved to eBay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&Item=160167907506&Category=11483&_trksid=p3907.m29