Levi's Vintage Clothing

[airfrogusmc]

My 47s which are several years old have shrunk a couple inches in length since my wife washed them(ouch) in hot a year or so ago. So they will continue to shrink and thats not just me Levis also says this. But I have found I get much better fades with just wearing them but then again I'm not a slave to fashion. I usually have a pair of old chucks a flight jacket some kind of simple t or sweatshirt and a pair of LVCs. For the past few months its mostly been the 1915s. Certainly you can do what you want but if you ask me my advice I will say wear'm raw as long as you can and for the first year keep them outta water as much as possible and you will be rewarded. I only mentioned mines because I rarely see jeans with those kind fades. I think Pauls 47s that he posted a while back were just killer but I think he did soak on those. I just have found that raw has worked better for me so thats what i will always recommend.

[jake431]

When I wash my jeans the first time, I throw them in the dryer on hot, to dry them. Sacrilege! I know. But they don't shrink on me after that.

[dralfonzo]

Can't actually think of any reason not to do that, I hot soaked my warehouse 700 recently and let them hang dry but they are still pretty big, a hot dryer cycle seems like a good way to ge a little more shrinkage without loosing any indigo? Or would it not shrink them unless they were already wet? Am I being a complete retard here?

[Charlie Delta]

The way I understand it is that the fabric has to be wet in order for shrinkage to occur, as the dryer heats up the water in the fabric and thus shrinking it...

I did notice that one one of the items that I did throw in the dryer is after a year of use considerably lighter overall than another item made out of the same denim. It's still nice and contrasty it's just that the denim is a lot brighter blue through out the whole piece...

Not LVC but I'd say that this goes for all denim...

[setterman]

That is true and that is one of the reasons I always say that you should always at least soak them. Not only will the combs move but you will spend your 1st months looking like a dufus with huge pants. One hot soak won't make any difference. Also levis does not suggest you go without soaking. They suggest you soak and then wear without washing for the first few months.

Airfrog is hell bent on his method and you can try it if you want but I cannot suggest you do.

Don't forget leg twist too, another reason to soak or wash your jeans right from the get go. If I wore my jeans raw for six months, then washed them, the wear I'd created on my left leg and knee is going to be in a different spot from where it's going to form post leg twist.

Key to good fades? Committing to all day, daily wear. You do that, most everything else will take care of itself.

[Guest Selvage Seb.]

hey seb do you know more about the dockers K1 limited edition? are those pants accurate?

Sorry for being lazy and messing this up

Link added for the pant I meant regarding to the spring bottom pants from a few weeks ago on the bay

No pictures made yet but this is a good link;

http://volls.de/index.php?cat=DOCKERS〈=ENG&product=DO-HO994104

[Shorty Long]

Anyone have a US stocklist for the upcoming LVC Spring/Summer collection? The only store I knew of that was going to carry the line is closing up next month (Farinelli's).

[airfrogusmc]

Don't forget leg twist too, another reason to soak or wash your jeans right from the get go. If I wore my jeans raw for six months, then washed them, the wear I'd created on my left leg and knee is going to be in a different spot from where it's going to form post leg twist.

Key to good fades? Committing to all day, daily wear. You do that, most everything else will take care of itself.

I can tell you from experience and I've done it all different kinds of ways over the years and just wearing works best. Once you hit the dryer almost all the stiffness (the stuff that really set the fades) come out. If you want great whiskers and combs just wear'm. And have you notices al the inigo in the water on the first soak.? thats the base that helps create the contrast and they can only be raw once. Why don't you try it on a pair and then tell me? Wait at least 4 or 5 months before the first soak. You will be sold.

[airfrogusmc]

Anyone have a US stocklist for the upcoming LVC Spring/Summer collection? The only store I knew of that was going to carry the line is closing up next month (Farinelli's).

Order from Cultizm.

[Shorty Long]

I have many times in the past, but I prefer to actually see things in person before I purchase (if given the chance).

[jake431]

I can tell you from experience and I've done it all different kinds of ways over the years and just wearing works best. Once you hit the dryer almost all the stiffness (the stuff that really set the fades) come out. If you want great whiskers and combs just wear'm. And have you notices al the inigo in the water on the first soak.? thats the base that helps create the contrast and they can only be raw once. Why don't you try it on a pair and then tell me? Wait at least 4 or 5 months before the first soak. You will be sold.

I think it really depends on what you are looking for. For me, I am more interested in wearing quality denim I like the fit of. Baggy, un-shrunken jeans are not my cup of tea. I've found that jeans I wear consistently get better fades, so if washing/drying and shrinking them is what gets me to wear them more often, that's what I'm going to do, and it's what I'd recommend anyone more interested in fit than fade do too.

Obviously, if someone is looking for old-school (like REAL old school, turn of the century, depression era etc) fit and fades, then no doubt your method makes the most sense.

My objection to this debate is there doesn't seem to be any room to have a different opinion based on differing wants out of your jeans. I don't think your way is the best way for everyone. It's not an all or nothing thing here.

[Happy Hooligan]

what we need is someone to get a brand new raw pair... wash and dry one leg and leave the other unwashed and raw... then wear them solid for a year and give it a wash and see what happens..

[erk]

Obviously, if someone is looking for old-school (like REAL old school, turn of the century, depression era etc) fit and fades, then no doubt your method makes the most sense.

.

I dont get it. where is the proof that people from 1870-1930-something didn't soak their jeans?

Levi's have always come with instructions to wash/soak before wearing due to their 'shrink to fit' status. why is it assumed that men would ignore this very simple task of shrinking their jeans first? cause they were rugged miners?

when I soak my jeans even in hot water the indigo loss is very minimal, sometimes the water doesn't even turn blue. they shrink up to almost the full amount and any other shrinkage is so minimal it wont have any effect on the placement of your fades.

if you are concerned with your garment not being stiff enough to retain whiskers and 'honeycombs' then you can add laundry starch to your soak for those lighter weight LVCs.

and besides that I've always found my jeans to be waaaaaaay stiffer after the first soak. after all they only stand up by themselves after their first bath.

being an active person and wearing your jeans with commitment is what gets you a contrasty fade.

and setterman, you are absolutely right about the leg twist. if you like to cuff your jeans you will have a hard time getting the cuff to be right after the leg has spun around.

also, I haven't heard people don't suggest doing this with any other jeans...why LVC? I've found them to be just about as color fast as samurai(although they dont crock as fast) or sugarcane.

[airfrogusmc]

I think it really depends on what you are looking for. For me, I am more interested in wearing quality denim I like the fit of. Baggy, un-shrunken jeans are not my cup of tea. I've found that jeans I wear consistently get better fades, so if washing/drying and shrinking them is what gets me to wear them more often, that's what I'm going to do, and it's what I'd recommend anyone more interested in fit than fade do too.

Obviously, if someone is looking for old-school (like REAL old school, turn of the century, depression era etc) fit and fades, then no doubt your method makes the most sense.

My objection to this debate is there doesn't seem to be any room to have a different opinion based on differing wants out of your jeans. I don't think your way is the best way for everyone. It's not an all or nothing thing here.

And Jake I never said it was. I think I said in several early posts Paul has gotten great fades from one soak. If you're happy thats cool. I'm just saying what I have found to work the best for me for getting killer fades.

How about a great fitting pair with great combs and whiskers? You just have to suffer for a few months and the pay off in my opinion is well worth it.

[jake431]

I dont get it. where is the proof that people from 1870-1930-something didn't soak their jeans?

Levi's have always come with instructions to wash/soak before wearing due to their 'shrink to fit' status. why is it assumed that men would ignore this very simple task of shrinking their jeans first? cause they were rugged miners?

I don't know if there's any proof. I was merely speaking to Airfrogs point about what he thinks Miners et al did. I will say that based on how unwashed and worn jeans look, he may have a point, although it's hardly incontrovertible evidence.

[airfrogusmc]

I dont get it. where is the proof that people from 1870-1930-something didn't soak their jeans?

Levi's have always come with instructions to wash/soak before wearing due to their 'shrink to fit' status. why is it assumed that men would ignore this very simple task of shrinking their jeans first? cause they were rugged miners?

when I soak my jeans even in hot water the indigo loss is very minimal, sometimes the water doesn't even turn blue. they shrink up to almost the full amount and any other shrinkage is so minimal it wont have any effect on the placement of your fades.

if you are concerned with your garment not being stiff enough to retain whiskers and 'honeycombs' then you can add laundry starch to your soak for those lighter weight LVCs.

and besides that I've always found my jeans to be waaaaaaay stiffer after the first soak. after all they only stand up by themselves after their first bath.

being an active person and wearing your jeans with commitment is what gets you a contrasty fade.

and setterman, you are absolutely right about the leg twist. if you like to cuff your jeans you will have a hard time getting the cuff to be right after the leg has spun around.

also, I haven't heard people don't suggest doing this with any other jeans...why LVC? I've found them to be just about as color fast as samurai(although they dont crock as fast) or sugarcane.

They very well could have soaked their jeans Erk. But one thing for sure there wasn't much water or really much reason to because they usually wore them over something else overalls/coveralls. No reason to presoak they were work cloths.

Try it before you knock it. I was skeptical to 'till a member from another forum and a member here put me on to it. I was a convert after my first pair.

[erk]

Try it before you knock it. I was skeptical to 'till a member from another forum and a member here put me on to it. I was a convert after my first pair.

I've never found it necessary cause I've always had good results from starting with a soak or wash. I lead a fairly active lifestyle and really don't want to wear a pair of pants that don't fit me.

these have been posted before but these were worn by me for around 1.5 years affective wear. 1947 501

edit: these were hot soaked at the beginning of their life, and cold washed 3 months later and have had many other washes, I can't remember.

[cheapmuthafukr]

those look great

[pomata]

it's a beauty, erk

[airfrogusmc]

I agree they look great.

[Doug C]

I have to say I'm pretty scepticle about it taking 10 wet to dry cycles down the road on a pair of raw jeans, to get to full shrinkage. I mean at the rate of 1 wash every few months (a plan I do subscribe to), it could take 2.5-3 years before you're to full shrinkage. By 3 years I expect to know a pair of jeans pretty well, especially after investing so much time in them. My guess would be closer to 3 maybe 4 wet to dry cycles at most. I base this opinion on a couple pairs of STF 501s I got back in the mid '90s that have to have, well, way more than 10 cycles on them and are basically the same size (generally speaking) as LVCs I have of the same label size, with a few washes on them. Admittedly I could be wrong, LVC does use different denim I know, I just doubt it takes that long personally.

[Doug C]

If I could just add something to the issue of Airfrog's washing technique... I think he's just the main guy that's come forward and stood (and stands) behind the wear raw idea for a long time before the first soak. I'd guess that most of us admire this dedication and that many of us have therefore attempted this too, maybe because of him (my hand is raised) but found it wasn't for us. I think Airfrog may build the best fades in the end but I also think the results are somewhat nominal. Like I said I did this on my first pair ('33s) due to his sweet looking LVC (posted at another forum). I think it's the way to go if you have the patients for it... not a trait I have in spades. The real reason (besides the enormous deminsions) I practice an initial soak is because if you entend to "collect" LVC then you will find yourself in nothing but dark raw huge denim for what feels like eternity. Because once you get to the end of that 6 months there's inevitably another pair to do the same with. Just MHO.

[setterman]

I can tell you from experience and I've done it all different kinds of ways over the years and just wearing works best. Once you hit the dryer almost all the stiffness (the stuff that really set the fades) come out. If you want great whiskers and combs just wear'm. And have you notices al the inigo in the water on the first soak.? thats the base that helps create the contrast and they can only be raw once. Why don't you try it on a pair and then tell me? Wait at least 4 or 5 months before the first soak. You will be sold.

I've worn LVC for a couple months before washing. All it did was create wear where it wasn't going to form post wash.

I'm not debating that wearing jeans raw is going to create very contrasty fades and very sharp combs and whiskers. Of course it is. Is it absolutely necessary for good fades? I don't think so, because looking around at superfuture, I'm seeing a lot of good looking jeans, and I'd assume 99% of them were soaked or washed before they were worn. Like I said earlier, I think committment to wearing the jeans (something that is easier to do if they fit properly) is going to be the biggest factor in creating the fades people are after.

And as Jake mentioned, it all depends on what you're after as to how you treat your jeans. Me? I want a 40's/50's fit and look. Fades are secondary, but I know they will come with use and that they'll look fine when they get there.

[jake431]

The real reason (besides the enormous deminsions) I practice an initial soak is because if you entend to "collect" LVC then you will find yourself in nothing but dark raw huge denim for what feels like eternity. Because once you get to the end of that 6 months there's inevitably another pair to do the same with. Just MHO.

Totally agree. If you collect any shrink to fit denim, or alternate pairs, the amount of time it takes to get 6 months of wear on a single pair of jeans could be years.

[runormal]

Unrelated to current posts, but check out these ORIGINAL 1937-1941 Levis 201's. Dont know how to link, but ebay seller's name is 'ardlywhite'. They are in great condition!...

Could you copy and paste the url... searched and didn't see them...

Slightly off the topic of the LVC soaked vs unsoaked, but I noticed that on cultizm the 1933 501s are listed as saying: Not available in shops anymore / for collectors. Does this mean that LVC won't be making the 1933 anymore or that the 2009 1933 501 model is going to be replaced with a 2010 version, or any other information?

I think watching Public Enemies got me in the mood to order them....

erk those look amazing!!!

[Dr_Heech]

Check out these ORIGINAL 1937-41 Levis 201 -

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110472782756&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

Awesome !

.

[runormal]

Check out these ORIGINAL 1937-41 Levis 201 -

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110472782756&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

Awesome !

.

Awesome is right!

I wonder how much those will end up selling for....

[Dr_Heech]

Original 1947-53's here -

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280441338310&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

.

[Doug C]

I noticed that on cultizm the 1933 501s are listed as saying: Not available in shops anymore / for collectors. Does this mean that LVC won't be making the 1933 anymore or that the 2009 1933 501 model is going to be replaced with a 2010 version, or any other information?

I think the meaning of that, in this instance is that they are not planned for reappearance in the 2010 collection. I'll have to check the blogs though to verify that. Either way I don't think LVC releases much info beyond the next immediate season.

[airfrogusmc]

I have to say I'm pretty scepticle about it taking 10 wet to dry cycles down the road on a pair of raw jeans, to get to full shrinkage. I mean at the rate of 1 wash every few months (a plan I do subscribe to), it could take 2.5-3 years before you're to full shrinkage. By 3 years I expect to know a pair of jeans pretty well, especially after investing so much time in them. My guess would be closer to 3 maybe 4 wet to dry cycles at most. I base this opinion on a couple pairs of STF 501s I got back in the mid '90s that have to have, well, way more than 10 cycles on them and are basically the same size (generally speaking) as LVCs I have of the same label size, with a few washes on them. Admittedly I could be wrong, LVC does use different denim I know, I just doubt it takes that long personally.

I found this to be about right and its also what Levis says. I think Levis probably knows its own product, or no.