Levi's 501 Shrink to Fit (STF)

[HGS]

They're dried. Measurements presoak were 28x34, post 4 hour soak they are 27.5x31.25 Was hoping for a lot more shrinking in the length, 31.25 is a bit too long (30 is cuffable for me, so this is too much) and in general. Width of the leg opening is maybe half an inch less tops, so shrinkage in general was minimal. As for color, the yare actually darker post soak than they were pre-soak, i'll upload pics eventually.

Basically they are too loose for me to wear despite sizing down 1. For reference, i wear nudies slim jims 30 waist and they fit me quite tight at first until they streteched out, so i think the fit on Levi's is very strange. My nudies fit pretty much perfectly in cut so i dunno whats up with the levis STF being so baggy when i sized down. Sadface :/ Maybe i'll get them hemmed but even then the seat is super loose even though i have relatively large hips for 29 waist (36.5in hips)

Same boat I'm in, as I outlined in my post above. I did the same soaking technique as you, too -- regularly adding boiling water to keep it hot. Your inseam shrank more than mine seemed to though.

[Planetarium]

I can attest to a recent pair of the BBQ jeans hardly shrinking at all compared to my old greencasts in the same size. The silhouette is still wearable, but it's definitely a different fit than I was going for. The seat and waist are a bit uncomfortable with this much motion so I may try running them through the dryer.

At first I thought this lack of shrinkage was due to the different dying process, but it appears that Levi's has changed the denim, fit, or both.

[HGS]

At first I thought this lack of shrinkage was due to the different dying process, but it appears that Levi's has changed the denim, fit, or both.

Lately Levi's is printing all these posters + cards with instructions recommending you buy your true size... It makes me wonder if these current STF are being produced with that in mind and are therefore shrinking barely at all. If that's the case...why are they still also recommending sizing up to compensate for shrinkage?? A little consistency would be nice.

[Planetarium]

Agreed. Buying my true size would have been perfect, but after Cyber Monday I cannot locate my size on any site.

[sAfuRos]

I'd honestly size down one. I did and its still pretty baggy, although tight in the waist.

[movingslow]

My Levi's 501STF after almost a year.

these are seriously fucking perfect

[sAfuRos]

Here are the pics i said i'd put up. It's pretty much as described, ~.5in shrink in the waist and just under 3 inches in the inseam

http://i.imgur.com/KyD8D.jpg

color comparison

http://i.imgur.com/dJSF3.jpg

[bass311]

At first I thought this lack of shrinkage was due to the different dying process, but it appears that Levi's has changed the denim, fit, or both.

Same - Mine are huge with very little shrinkage. Not impressed.......

[thebrik]

wore these for about 8 months solid

one soak, one sea wash, one hurricane soak (tied them to a pole during hurricane sandy) and one machine wash

lighting kinda sucks, but color is fairly accurate

Pre final wash

for some reason two circles formed over my right knee

Post final wash

reason for retirement

[jichan]

was at the army surplus store yesterday and found a pair of deadstock 517 stf made in USA (c. 1980s) in my size. for those of you looking for a slimmer fit stf these will do as long as you dont mind a bootcut or are willing to have them chopped up to a straight leg.

they also had a pair of odd stf levis orange tab with no back patch, bar tacked [no rivets] and it was only a 4 pocket jean. they fit but the cuff was even more blowed out than the 517s. like almost bell bottom-y or like navy bell bottoms. they had a much better blue dye, kind of a greenish haze. didnt pick them up, kind of regretting it as it wouldve only been another $10. can anyone id them by this description? also, there was no tags inside or out so i had to just try them on, id put them at about a 34x34.

[Dom]

was at the army surplus store yesterday and found a pair of deadstock 517 stf made in USA (c. 1980s) in my size. for those of you looking for a slimmer fit stf these will do as long as you dont mind a bootcut or are willing to have them chopped up to a straight leg.

they also had a pair of odd stf levis orange tab with no back patch, bar tacked [no rivets] and it was only a 4 pocket jean. they fit but the cuff was even more blowed out than the 517s. like almost bell bottom-y or like navy bell bottoms. they had a much better blue dye, kind of a greenish haze. didnt pick them up, kind of regretting it as it wouldve only been another $10. can anyone id them by this description? also, there was no tags inside or out so i had to just try them on, id put them at about a 34x34.

Something like these:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/100457770/1970s-levis-717-saddleman-boot-jeans

I have a pair of Saddleman Boot Jeans-Dura Plus #916 that I bought off eBay for around this price:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-LEVIS-916-boot-Jeans-ORANGE-TAB-32-28-NWT-/320680469714 [No pictures anymore]

You might be able to resell them for more. I probably would've bought them myself especially if they fit.

Nevermind... 4 pockets you say.

[jichan]

found them in another thread. pretty much the exact same thing, minus the tags

Alright, so I went shopping for suits the other day in my hometown & went to this small men's store that apparently used to sell Levis. Walking back to the fitting room I noticed a couple pair of what appeared to be deadstock Orange Tab Levis. Sure enough they were, and after talking to the owner he let me buy them. I'm trying to find more info on them, like an Antiques Roadshow thing, but not really for money because I don't think they'd be worth that much.

But they are never-worn, never-sold either Blue Bells or Traditional Flairs. They have the small "e" on the tab, but appear to be older, maybe 70's or possibly early 80's. I took some pics and was hoping someone would be able to shed some more light on these. They are pretty ugly, but I'm keeping them.

Is it possible to send this last picture to the Levis Archive people or Lynn Downey and see if they could identify them based on the coding on the back?

Also, he had a crazy pair of deadstock 501xx that he wasn't willing to part with. He said a few years ago he was offere like, $600-$800 dollars for them & he turned them down. The reason they were so special is because they were a promotional pair that Levis had sent out and they had a tagged waist size of W-75 L-46. They were crazy huge! I need to go back and get a picture of those.

They are 684-0217 bell bottoms

[aho]

So, who's gonna be the first to try to break in a pair of WasteLess? I believe they should be hitting the shelves pretty soon if not already? You have to admire Levi's (and Cone) trying to break ground in new/innovative ways and help influence the industry...We tend to forget even things like denim and jeans have a carbon footprint...

[#GRAY]

[Blacktocomm]

Here are my 2 pair of STF's

No idea of washes or time on these. They have been beat up and beat down and now I only pull them out for special occasions.

Fit pic after Red Bull Rampage and a weekend of dust and biking.

 

 

This is my newest pair of STF's and I like these, I sized down one from my prior STFs and really like the fit, they are more slim fit.

Fit pic shooting on Valentines day this year.

 

[beeetus]

Hello fellow Redditor.

[501XX4EVER]

If anybody has a tiny waist and fairly deep pockets, there is an amazing pair of vintage 501 Shrink to Fit on ebay at the moment. I wish I could find things like that in my Dads closet!

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/300929644408?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

[aaronmetcalf]

levis brown shrink to fit after the first cleaning wash.  haven't seen any other of these faded yet.

[Goominim]

Do they still have the inside-waistband 501 labels on the newer STF jeans?

Edited September 2, 2013 by Goominim

[LordonRaw]

This information is available on the Levi's website

[HGS]

After following Levi's sizing advice on the website like a dummy last fall, I was disappointed with the result.  +2" in waist +4" in length remained huge even after throwing in the dryer.  

 

Recently I copped a pair in my true waist size (34) and just went for 36" in the length.  Gave them a hot soak, hung dry, and they have become the best fitting jeans I've owned, better with each wear.  The length is long enough to leave them uncuffed without much stacking and the waist is perfect.  

Edited September 18, 2013 by HGS

[altoclefchris]

found them in another thread. pretty much the exact same thing, minus the tags

 

I recently found a pair of orange tabs that are similar to those, but the tab has a big e. Denim looks similar to the ones pictured above. Patch says 517, can anyone offer any more information? I can post pictures later if it helps.

[rockon99]

After following Levi's sizing advice on the website like a dummy last fall, I was disappointed with the result.  +2" in waist +4" in length remained huge even after throwing in the dryer.  

 

Recently I copped a pair in my true waist size (34) and just went for 36" in the length.  Gave them a hot soak, hung dry, and they have become the best fitting jeans I've owned, better with each wear.

If i remember correctly, your waist sz should be what it says on the tag and not what they measure pre wash. And pre-wash, they will be around 2 inches bigger in the waist.. if i'm wrong lemme know, i've not worn 501s in a while.

Edited September 18, 2013 by rockon99

[jichan]

I recently found a pair of orange tabs that are similar to those, but the tab has a big e. Denim looks similar to the ones pictured above. Patch says 517, can anyone offer any more information? I can post pictures later if it helps.

 

those are probably 70s 517s or maybe the lvc repros? in any case, theres nothing like finding deadstock levis out in the wild (meaning not ebay/vintage reseller). nice find. 

 

the ones in the pictures arent 517s though.

 

'hawkeye', on 30 Dec 2007 - 10:40 AM, said:

They are 684-0217 bell bottoms

 

[altoclefchris]

 

I just took another look at my 517s, and some of the details seem off. Here's some pictures of the patch, tab, rivets, and both sides of the button.  I think that they may be reproductions, because the interior tag lists the Levi's website. At this point I'd just like to know more about what I have here.

[jichan]

im sure you can figure it out.

 

whats weird, though, is the patch is red. every pair of orange tabs ive had are black. of course ive only shelled out for the early 80s joints. maybe in the 70s they were red or something, im sure someone knows the deal.

[altoclefchris]

 

I think I got it, I googled the extended model number and found that they're LVC, or fake thai lvc. 

 

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.526883294039644.1073741854.499635966764377&type=3

[RockyTop]

After following Levi's sizing advice on the website like a dummy last fall, I was disappointed with the result.  +2" in waist +4" in length remained huge even after throwing in the dryer.  

 

Recently I copped a pair in my true waist size (34) and just went for 36" in the length.  Gave them a hot soak, hung dry, and they have become the best fitting jeans I've owned, better with each wear.  The length is long enough to leave them uncuffed without much stacking and the waist is perfect.  

 

I just bought a pair and luckily I read some on here and ended up buying true waist and just 2" longer in length.  After initial soak the waist fits fine, but could even be a tad tighter. The length shrank about 1.5".  Right now I can go with a single cuff but may shrink a little more later.  

 

Don't know what Levi's official site is thinking. I wear 36 waist. They say size up 1, but since they don't make a 37 they suggest I go to 38".  Even 1 size up would be too big, up 2 sizes I would've been swimming in them. The  only way that could even work is to machine wash and dry them, maybe.

 

On another note, mine also came with just the registered symbol on the red tag and no "Levis". 

[RockyTop]

I find it interesting orange tag Levi's are becoming popular.  Growing up in the 80's they were just the run of the mill Levi jeans and usually what I wore. The red tags were where it was at but normally more expensive.

[altoclefchris]

I find it interesting orange tag Levi's are becoming popular.  Growing up in the 80's they were just the run of the mill Levi jeans and usually what I wore. The red tags were where it was at but normally more expensive.

 

While I certainly wasn't around to experience it, I think orange tab represents an era just as much as big e red tab.