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Last season's 1947 501s at six months


Paul T

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A few people have asked about the fall 06 1947 Levi's.

I thought these were pretty good jeans. My 1933 501s did fade too fast for me, but I did wash these more than any jeans I've had before. The 1901 repros, which have quite a dark finish, with Japanese fabric, fade beautifully and keep their indigo. WIth the 47s, I gave them a quick rinse - which got rid of some of the shrinkage - and machine-washed them around six months in. I don't think they've lost much indigo compared with, for example, my Euro Lees which have an authentic vintage-style fade.

1947front.jpg

1947back.jpg

HEre they are next to new 1947s, I think from this season.

1947newold.jpg

And here, for comparison's sake, is a pair of original 40s 501s whihc went for a good price on eBay recently. These 30s and 40s jeans have a very black look to them... I think the reissues are pretty close.

7685986_o.jpg

I think if i'd washed the 47s more they would have been fine. I personally like the dark look so was in no hurry for them to fade. Next time around I would soak them overnight; because there was still a fair amount of starch and sizing present, the denim was brittle, so there are breaks in the cotton partiuclarly around the honeycombs.

Edited by Paul T on May 9, 2006 at 03:14 AM

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Paul T

they look very pretty

Quote: there was still a fair amount of starch and sizing present, the denim was brittle, so there are breaks in the cotton partiuclarly around the honeycombs.

are you saying that the denim is brittle because of the sizing?

i thought that wear holes appeared because of the sharpness of the creases, and when you wash the starch out the creases soften and the stress become less localised.

teisco.gif

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Haptronic, I think you're right, it is essentially the starch that makes them brittle, not the sizing.

Cheers airfrog, I've just sold a bunch of Levi's, now I'm down to a pair of Indigo Immortals, some raw 1901s that have had a couple of washes - I'll start wearing them when the sun comes out - those 1920s 201s that I've kept under my bed for the last couple of years, and a pair of 1947s that I will start wearing in once these get too faded. I could go on but I don't want to overstate my nerd credentials...

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Paul my wife grabed my 47s and thru them in the wash maybe a year or so ago along wit ha couple other pairs of vintage I was trying to keep unwashed. The point being I'll post some photos later of mine and those not washing doubters can see how much better your look next to mine.

Edited by airfrogusmc on May 9, 2006 at 07:47 AM

Edited by airfrogusmc on May 9, 2006 at 08:06 AM

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Thanks, guys. I guess they're only average wear. They're not particularly tight either. I don't own a bike but I spent a lot of time sitting on planes, and a LOT of time tramping the streets and wearing out shoe leather - I'm writing a book that has taken me to Detroit, New York, LA and Berlin, I washed them when I got back home, so these are kind of a diary of my travels...

Thinking about it, I haven't had jeans that wore as nicely as these for five years. Reason: my son is five now, so there's no baby drool, vomit or food splatters that means you have to wash your jeans every week...

I HOPE I get royalties on stolen books, but you know the capitalist system, those who produce the wealth don't get to share it. but I do get my share of free jeans so no complaints.

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Paul look how much nicer your look than mine do. I wore them a bit before the forst wash but the wife grabbed'm and thru'm in with several other LVCs I had....Man I was not happy. Anyway heres mine. These give visual proof that regular washing early on is not as cool as wearing the crap out of them then maybe a cold rinse and more wear.

011947s.jpg

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Quote:

Thanks, guys. I guess they're only average wear. They're not particularly tight either. I don't own a bike but I spent a lot of time sitting on planes, and a LOT of time tramping the streets and wearing out shoe leather - I'm writing a book that has taken me to Detroit, New York, LA and Berlin, I washed them when I got back home, so these are kind of a diary of my travels...

Thinking about it, I haven't had jeans that wore as nicely as these for five years. Reason: my son is five now, so there's no baby drool, vomit or food splatters that means you have to wash your jeans every week...

I HOPE I get royalties on stolen books, but you know the capitalist system, those who produce the wealth don't get to share it. but I do get my share of free jeans so no complaints.

--- Original message by Paul T on May 9, 2006 08:45 AM

that's a lot of good wear for sitting and walking. i think my cane 47s have some hope yet.

aah, the perks of being a denim author!

btw, i think i am going to buy your book online. i just prefer instant gratification.

interested in your next book, what's the subject this time? can we get a hint?

http://mizanation.blogspot.com

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It's a guy who was maybe the first person to wear ripped jeans on stage. He was born in Michigan, got cut with broken glass in New York, went crazy in LA, lived on red wine, sausages and cocaine in Berlin, and now is chilled out in Miami.

But I'm a naughty boy and should be wrting about his life now, this damn site is gonna make me miss my deadline... and it won't be out in time for his birthday, next April...

Edited by Paul T on May 9, 2006 at 10:04 AM

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so whens the iggy pop book supposed to come out?

If you've lost your faith in superfuture, Oh the end won't be long

Because if it's gone for you then I too may lose it, And that would be wrong

I've tried so hard to keep myself from falling

Back into my bad old ways

And it chars my heart to always hear you calling

Calling for the good old days

Because there were no good old days

These are the good old days

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Paul, those are looking awesome. Maybe you could start a book on Johnny Thunders (my hero).

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Quote:

When he says it's cuz of the 'sizing' he is referring to the starch.

--- Original message by scoon0224 on May 9, 2006 09:57 AM

yeah sorry my original question was unclear, i use the terms [sizing/starch] interchangably.

i meant that i thought it was the friction created by hard creasing that caused holes rather than the any chemical reaction the the sizing/starch had on the cotton.

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e295/greenwichpaul/7685986_o.jpg

the hole below the crotch on this pair is the perfect example, while still dry [and loaded with sizing/starch] the crease would be very sharp and cause high stress at the crotch, once they have been soaked the crease will soften and move, and therefore slow down the development of the hole.

of course the contrast won't be as clearly defined [because of the moved creases],

i would sacrifice some definition of the contrast to slow down wear in the crotch.

teisco.gif

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Quote:

It's a guy who was maybe the first person to wear ripped jeans on stage. He was born in Michigan, got cut with broken glass in New York, went crazy in LA, lived on red wine, sausages and cocaine in Berlin, and now is chilled out in Miami.

But I'm a naughty boy and should be wrting about his life now, this damn site is gonna make me miss my deadline... and it won't be out in time for his birthday, next April...

Edited by Paul T on May 9, 2006 at 10:04 AM

--- Original message by Paul T on May 9, 2006 09:42 AM

don't forget the heroin icon_smile_wink.gif *EDIT-- oops, i guess that was pre-berlin*. i will be anxiously waiting for the book to come out.

http://mizanation.blogspot.com

Edited by mizanation on May 9, 2006 at 01:00 PM

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Re starching, yes, less contrast for longer-lasting jeans is a fair trade-off. Next time I might try soaking overnight. But I like the crisp look of new denim; I've had more broken cotton on these jeans than on previous ones, as my other Levi's are lighter weight, and Lee jeans are left hand twill and are maybe less susceptible. That's the cool thing about jeans, though, the variations are endless.

No, I won't forget the heroin. I've just done two chapters' worth of it...

EDIT: incidentally, that last shot is of an old pair. I guess my model for wear tends to be the older jeans, which look the way they do because they've been washed less - and never in a machine.

Edited by Paul T on May 9, 2006 at 01:25 PM

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i have similar holes on the backs of the knees of my sorahikos which i don't starch and were obviously not raw because they don't sell them unwashed. from what i can figure those holes come from crossing and uncrossing your legs while sitting and the holes near the hem come from rubbing up against your shoes at the laces and the heel the two points where the most friction occurs. btw for those that have 45rpm jeans they will repair all holes for free at either store. one more reason why i will stick with this brand over any other.

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Quote:
Quote:

When he says it's cuz of the 'sizing' he is referring to the starch.

--- Original message by scoon0224 on May 9, 2006 09:57 AM

yeah sorry my original question was unclear, i use the terms [sizing/starch] interchangably.

i meant that i thought it was the friction created by hard creasing that caused holes rather than the any chemical reaction the the sizing/starch had on the cotton.

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e295/greenwichpaul/7685986_o.jpg

the hole below the crotch on this pair is the perfect example, while still dry [and loaded with sizing/starch] the crease would be very sharp and cause high stress at the crotch, once they have been soaked the crease will soften and move, and therefore slow down the development of the hole.

of course the contrast won't be as clearly defined [because of the moved creases],

i would sacrifice some definition of the contrast to slow down wear in the crotch.

--- Original message by haptronic on May 9, 2006 12:51 PM

Yes, and no.

You're right that it's the hard creasing that causes the holes (essentially faster wear).

However, the starch is what causes the creases to be harder; there's no chemical reaction here, aside from the cotton stiffening up from the starch. So, soaking the jeans removes the starch, and thus softening up the creases, causing them to wear slower.

Understand now?

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All levis' unsanforized jeans have seams that "twist" once they are washed.

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Also, Paul. What frequency did you wear these jeans?

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Wildwhiskey, I think he was saying exactly the same as you, namely that there's no chemical reaction, just that the starch makes the creases sharper - and also the denim more brittle, as someone said earlier, like toast compared to bread.

05/06 LVC like these mostly have no letter on the fly button; they're made in the US. I wore them most days, and would hand wash odd bits when they got dirty. They were still fragrant, honest. By the time it came to wash them there was very obvious wear.

And yes, there's marked leg twist on these. I remember when I first started buying vintage it irritated me, I thought they were factory seconds or something, now I like it because it denotes a vintage jean; it's more pronounced on these than any of my other Levi's. Sugarcanes twist nicely the same way. I have a friend going to Japan soon, so it might be interesting to wear them to the same degree and see how they compare.

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Twisting could be caused by the unusual pattern block (front and back) of selvaged jeans. Since the grainline on the pattern of selvage jeans must remain parallel to the outseam from waist to hem, when shrinkage occurs, natural pulling is askewd (up mainly along the warp).

Twisting will occur on any pants (khakis or jeans) that do not follow the correct grainline.

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