Sympathy-For-The-Denim

Thanks for sharing, it's the first time I have seen such a pair at all apart from Paul T's book and the Bronson pair I recently acquired. Did Lee use the arcs parallel to their own back pocket design?

@Dr_Heech The funny thing about those Lee's is that they predate the "Diamont Stitching" of the arcs to Levi's up to 5 years, if I'm correct here.

@reallypeacedoff thank you! I guess they are just not really part of the repro denim family...

Got these wide straight Oni's 200ZR back in 2023, made from 21oz secret denim with that special green cast. they already were soft from the start and became softer even more after one or two washes. I wore em through winter almost everyday until now and love the fact that they still evolve beautiful honeycombs though being already washed and super comfy.

@Dr_Heech I would have thought the photos show the originals, but maybe its a sample garment from the LVCs LVC archive the pair in the link feature flattened an slightly oxidized rivets, they appear to be washed once, the cloth patch show subtle fading, while the jackets button show some wear and some brownish tint next to the button, which could be just dirt or rust from the metal parts. the yoke panels aren't meeting perfectly well, a detail that sugar cane reproduced just recently I guess... and since these are early 1920s repros, when belt loops first appeared with in the Levi's range, it's not unlikely that there had very early versions been made with such details, maybe the pair is a original sample from the era and thus never seen before... anyways I am not an LVC influencer 😀

this Japanese webpage features photos of an archive specimen, featuring those strange belt loops... https://www.wwdjapan.com/articles/2077358

with a retail $495 they don't resemble the original idea of the No. 2 pieces... they feature a somewhat strange belt loop position, at least for 501 predecessors https://hypebeast.com/2025/3/levis-vintage-lot-release-info

So after more than 15 years of what I recall it's second run in LVC history, Levi's eventually drops the 1920s No. 2 Denim waist overalls and jackets within the next days. I had sold the second iteration years back and were lucky to get my hands on a pair of the Valencia versions recently... anyone knows if they use cotton threads nowadays?

I would have expected a crazy leg twist with those long inseams, assuming they had been fully shrunken

to me these look similar to my pair 1880 pair which had been dropped 2016ish, it was made from the very last Natural Indigo Denim recreated by Cone Mills right before they shut there factory down for good... we would need to have more pics of the the inside labels though to verify.

@willi I'm a little confused regarding those late 40s. Did TCB just update their WW2s or is their a new model in the line. Just asking for I couldn't find another pair online other than their ww2... On your photos it seams they don't feature a red tab, which was one thing I like TCB for. Could you confirm?

@indigoeagle thanks al lot for the insight! funnily its easier getting my hands on a pair of at last&co repros than on a real Lee archive pair in Europe... 20 years ago you could find the hair on hide pairs every now and than.

Bronson Mfg 1936 I am curios if they use cotton thread, otherwise a decent pair and who can resist these arcuates... they come in right hand rather than left hand denim. Can anyone tell, if Lee used left hand denim exclusively ?

@HGS some decent train tracks!

I'm aiming for a late 30s pair to be released by Denime/Warehouse. 😔

they have a fairly high rise which I was aiming for. If I had known how much the denim stretches I would have sized down one size for the have quite a "hip flare" due to ratio of waist and seat and my lack of buttocks... I got a pair of ww2 too that funnily stretches hardly at all

got these oiled suede Alden for Ed Meier boots at a third of the original retail, the most beautiful boots I own now they come up with true balance last but feature real leather soles instead the indy cork rubber soles

the banner denim is definitely lighter than the tcb denim some photos for comparison

@the 1890s: how do all of you guys manage to not scratch your precious mid century furniture with those bare rivets!?

great to see another pair popping up! the denim twist of mine causes the back center seam on the top block being off set - yours too?

you are very welcome and many thanks! when you click on the pictures, they become much sharper. i don't know why, but the embedded ones are quite blurred. felt the same way too btw., since late 30s don't seem very popular and hard to find even more so worn in pairs...

thanks @rbeck! from 4 washes I only washed em once inside out. I think they of washing them the oldschool way not only causes marbling but also wears out the higher parts of an slubbier denim.

evo update on the 1937ish: 5 month of almost everyday wear, 4 washes, no further significant shrinking... they come with red tab btw but its quite short, therefore almost invisible at least in the photos overall I am quite happy with em an consider buying another pair

I know, this is not about politics, but congrats to the British fellows! May Labour make you buy more Denim and get your asses back into the EU...

...the same thing happened to my banner denim warehouses, the "inverted" creases (washed right side out) stood darker than the rest of the denim and are in the center of each leg and quite even, almost appearing pressed.