LEVI's 1947 501xx Questions/Comments/Concerns

[Watchout Lester]

What's up everyone. I've been lurking for a while, finally figured it was time to post, today incidentally I also finally plunked down the 175$ for the Spring 06 (i assume, from the Levi's Store) LVC 1947's. Did a test pair with the reg. stf's and wasn't too thrilled with the result. I don't care too much about the specifics of the whiskers/honeycombs, going more for fit and shade/coloring. Been wearing plain old 501's sz 30*30 for a few years, always though never quite the right fit at the waist, always sags too much. so i bought the stf's 31*32, followed instructions, still were too big. got angry and just threw them in the machine (which by the way, the'yve now been machine washed and dryed 3 times and the whiskers/honeycombs are still there, but the coloring sucks, and the fit is still lousy)

so on to my point, sorry for rambling. I basically just said fuck it, just wanted to get THE pair of jeans, and not have to worry about anything else, so THE pair of jeans, I think everyone can agree is the 47' 501, correct? I don't care much for all the ripoffs, I want the real/authentic. So I bought the 32*32, and I have to admit, I'm pretty nervous now with my investment. The fit is pretty tight on the waist, almost good right now, but 34 was way too big. Not going to be happy if it shrinks too much, yet through my experience with the stf's I went with the better fit raw. also, what is the BEST method now, at this point with the raw jeans. I've seen a bunch of different ways, i'm kind of stuck on the Cold soak vs. warm soak, or should i just follow lev's directions (i.e. sit in a tub of warm water for 15 minutes and then wear the things till they dry) or do the soak overnight? What have people's experience been with the spring LVC's? What's the best way to go, I just spent 175$ I don't want to fuck em up. Any advice gladly welcomed, sorry to be so longwinded. Thanks

[ringring]

I'm not sure about the shrinkage of the latest LVC's but in my past experience, they shrink a lot (around 8-10%). As they are neat at the waist already, your best bet is to wear them in a bath of tepid water for as long as you can stand it. (more than 15 mins). Change the water too a couple of times, so that you lose the sizing.

Then wear till dry. That way, they won't shrink to a size that is smaller than your waist.

[Watchout Lester]

hey thanks ring ring. I appreciate the reply, also appreciate yr knowledge from the other posts, which is where I got all my initial info, very informative and helpful.

so you mean i should forget about 8hr soak in cold water then? ideally i would like to get most of the shrinkage out first, while retaining the good color, because i dont want to put 6 months into thesse, and then wash them and have them be too small!?

let me say that they're not tight at the waist or anything, just dont seem to be 2 full sizes too big, but then again, when you wear the denim it stretches out to fit, even the reg. 501's do that.

ahhh, why did i get myself into this..

[ringring]

Normally I'd just say go for the cold soak, as it's just so easy to do, and the least intrusive wash possible.

In your case, I'd be concerned about the waist shrinking too much, hence wearing them in the bath. The tepid water recommendation was only to make it more comfortable for you.

[Watchout Lester]

wont that affect the process, the temp. of the water, i don't mind sitting in cold water one time, if it means a lifelong of a really great pr of jeans. also how long would you say i should i soak for?

and then after soak, wear till dry, then wear for atleast 6 mos?

it that the answer i'm looking for?

[ringring]

Sit as long as you can, definitely more than 15 mins. Water temperature does effect the colour of indigo, but unless you're being particularly dweeby, then tepid is OK. They'll be drying on your body anyway, so the water will heat up from contact with your skin.

Wear and wash them as you like. Infrequently washing is probably the answer you're looking for, but I wouldn't worry too much about it.

[ringring]

" I don't care much for all the ripoffs, I want the real/authentic. "

Don't think of them as ripoffs, more as reproductions done for the love of iconic Americana. Many of the Levi's repro brands put a lot of love and attention into their products and probably care about preserving and reproducing historical American products more than Levi's themselves.

After your LVC, you'll probably try a repro brand

[Watchout Lester]

no, i'm not knocking what they do, i agree it's pretty impressive, and i really like the whole americana aspect (obviously), but my perspective on most things is go with the tried and true original, it just doesn't make sense to me otherwise. for example, their are tons of great skate shoes out there, but if i'm gonna spend my hard earned money I'm going to go with Vans every time (even though they wear out much faster than dc's or emerica's or whatever, you can't fuck with the waffle grip, it started it all, same holds true with levi's and jeans. it just seems silly for me to walk around with some other logo on the back, it's just doesn't sit right with me. that's not to disrespect what others do, i'm just saying

and thanks for the advice, i feel a bit silly even asking those questions, because i'm damned sure that the ranch hands and coal miners didnt go to those lengths to try and get their pants right. interesting fact though, my dad told me that when he was growing up (50's, 60's) all the kids in town whenever they got new jeans would beat them to shit in the dirt with a shovel, then wash them 25 times or more, and then beat them more with the shovel

[HEWSINATOR]

I think what is trying to be said is that it sounds like you are interested in quality...and that you may find that the quality is even better in the repros, and the repros are even more accurate less the trademarked stuff. Hell, you can even get a red tab on most.

[horriblyjollyjinx]

do a warm soak for maybe 3-5 hours. if you dont use warm water then they wont shrink the full amount, and when you wash them the next time they'll shrink again and your wear marks will move a little.

they will stretch.

våran panel tycker att man ska koka pastan i två år

[ringring]

"no, i'm not knocking what they do, i agree it's pretty impressive, and i really like the whole americana aspect (obviously), but my perspective on most things is go with the tried and true origin"

Sure, I understand that and sympathise. Bear in mind that short of buying an actual vintage pair of Levi's 47s, even the LVCs are repros. They maybe the same shape as the originals, but different in almost every other aspect. (country of origin for sewing, different denim, different dyestuffs etc).

Anyway, LVC 47s are great. You picked a good pair. Enjoy.

[Paul T]

Further to what Rinring says, you will get some more shrinking after that first cold soak - from my experience, leg shrinkage was 50% of what happened after a machine wash. But waist shrinkage was minimal, almost zero for a cold soak, and less than an inch after a 40 degree machine wash.

Across my last 8 or so pair of LVC, I would describe waist shrinkage as closer to 1 inch than 2. If you're worried, simply cold wash in future.

[jubei]

hey watchout lester-

I was wondering if you could post pics your 47s. You sound like you're coming from the same angle I am with all of 501 47 business. How do you like the fit in the seat? do you find it too big?

And btw, I'm planning on picking up a pair of sugarcane 47's when I get the money together

[Shorty Long]

with regards to waist shrinkage...like paul mentioned, i doubt you'll get a full 2" shrinkage with a tepid to cold soak/wash. i'm a 30/30 (32/32 tagged), and all the 47's i've ever owned were actually about 31" in the raw state. they'll shink down a bit, but then will stretch back out with wear...

enjoy the LVCs...wear the hell out of them and be patient, you won't be disappointed. i'll post pictures of my collection when/if i ever get a digital camera

[Watchout Lester]

hey thanks for all the info everyone. i think i'm gonna go with the warmish soak for 3 or 4 hrs, then just wear the shit out of them. i'll post pictures when they look good.

and ps, i'll go on record now and say that I will never buy fake levi's, no matter what quality is like

[airfrogusmc]

WO Lester I would recommend weaing them for as long as you can wothout a rise and then COLD only and so it as little as possible. The 47 though not my favorite of the LVC line are great. They are VERY TRIM... If you have the body type to support they can look great. Unfortunately I like a looser fit 1901s or 20s 201s. I also have found the early 1937 201s run small in the waist compared to other LVCs.

I to prefer LVCs over other denim. I also have heard some really nice things about the 1937 Lee 101s. I have a pair coming.

[crownzip]

Has anyone else noticed how much thinner the denim is on the new LVC '47 repros compared to '47 repros from three or four years ago? Not sure if this has anything to do with the fact they no longer use Cone Mills denim or not. Also, does anyone know where the LVC stuff is sewn these days?

[lilbucu]

yeah, i want to know if there are any differences in the 47 repos between the years. mine are from 2003. just want to know as much as i can about them cause i love em so much.

[walletboy]

Are the 47 repros similar to the pre-2000 regukar STF 501 ie, trimmer in seat and thigh?

[airfrogusmc]

Hey Grant Jake tried on those 47s of mine from a few years ago and the pair of 38 38 fit him pretty good. Allot different than he thought they would and that Star was a great fit....

[Watchout Lester]

UPDATE

so I washed the jeans today. used a combo of yr guys info, and i think it turned out OK. did a warm soak in the tub, inside out, for 4 hours. then drained the water, put the jeans on and got into a new tub of hot water, as per levi's (and ringrings) instructions. sat in the jeans in the water for 30 min. Then i just went out and walked around in them, did usual errands and such (got some strange looks form people on the street seeing sopping wet jeans, though they just looked like black jeans after about 3 city blocks walking), until the things dried, which actually only took a couple of hours. They were tight as hell at first, but essentially, since i got into them, they "shrank to fit" around my waist, and they're perfect there, only thing is, they didn't shrink up as much as i thought in length, which i found a little odd. i know i cann always just roll the cuffs up and show off my red selvedge, but i kind of am opposed to that whole look.

so now i guess my concern is how much they'll shrink up next wash, but i guess i have 6 months to worry about that.

definitely a new appreciation for the old term, "blue balls"

[Watchout Lester]

by the way paul T, you machine wash yours after 6 mos? is that the protocol? also whats the title of yr book? thanks again for info

[obsessis]

just keep wearing them for as long as you can before washing. do not set your calendar to 6 months and then wash. i would not wash them for as long as you can go without it.

[Watchout Lester]

no, i just mean 6 mos as the general term, it's not like i'm marking off days. also i wear pants in pretty quick with skating in them. but i was asking about the method of the next wash. i was surprised that paul T machine washed. i thought that was against "the rules" or something. i don't know, that's why i'm here, to get info and feedback on all this

[airfrogusmc]

Lester,

When you wash the agitation will bring the overall dark color down to lighter blue much faster than easy hand agitation in a cold rinse in a tub or sink. That way the dark stays real dark but the areas that have had wear will get light so theres more contrast between light and dark. Air dry also keeps the denim much stiffer than a dryer.

Heres Pauls book

From Cowboys to Catwalks

They have copies in stock at Amazon

Allen

[Paul T]

I machine washed cos they needed a proper clean, I had a feel there was a good deal of shrinking to be done, and I had no hand wash soap. I defintely concur with the minimum washing route, and handwashing makes a lot of sense, but tend to start washing most of my jeans by machine after 6 months and they look ok (there's a thread here of my Lee Euro repros that I've only ever machinewashed). They're only jeans after all...

Good luck w the Levi's and respect for walking around with them wet! Mine were cuffed for the first 6 months too, maybe next ppair I will try a hot soak.

re Cone. The 1947s still use Cone denim of the exact weight and, as far as I can tell, the same quality. There have been horrible errors in the production of some recent LVC (the sewing, not the fabric), but the 1947s in particular still look good to me.

[jake431]

So I should expect about 2 inches of shrinkage in the legs, correct? The stf sticker on them is alarming, but I've never heard of anyone lose a full three inches in inseam length on these bad boys.

-Jake

[Watchout Lester]

One week in, QUESTION--

ok, so you see how i went about with my lvc,'s. been wearing them for a week now, and they fit great, color is very dark almost black, my question now is about indigo stains? they stained all over th eplace at first, now they're dry of course, but when i skate or even the other day in the rain, i had some staining. is there a way to prevent this short of throoughly washing/drying the jeans. levi's instructions say for a first wash to soak for 15 min in warm water and hang dry? would that ruin anything at this point.

i don't so much like the ultra dark color, i kind of can't wait for them to fade and get broken in, what do i do?

[airfrogusmc]

Yeah thats the problem. My wife wont even let me get close to the couch with a pair of raw LVCs on. I have a pair of 37 201s dated 97 and have only been rinsed twice and they're still bleeding. The thing about not washing is the dark stays much darker the less you rinse them. So there is more contrast as the wear areas wear if you rinse them sparingly. Its worth it in my opinion.

[obsessis]

there isn't anything you can do about the bleeding, unfortunately. you just have to deal with it. after you've worn the jeans for awhile it won't happen as much. i would just keep wearing them and not wash them until the new year at least. if you don't wear them constantly wait longer.