Levi's Vintage Clothing

[Curious_George]

I just wanted to post an update on the 1947s I picked up from the sale on Levi's website. This might not be true for every pair they're selling at the moment but mine ended up being from the 2007 season with a production date of 09 2006 (as far as I could tell). I ordered 31 x 34 and they actually measure around 31.5 by 34.5. Maybe these are an exception to the norm but at least this pair is definitely not undersized. I'm pretty relieved as my waist is about a true 30.5. I was half expecting I might have to return the 31s when I ordered them.

[ChuckO]

The workwear worship is similar for me to the "Greatest generation" worship we had a few years back (Sorry to any non-US who don't know about the huge "Greatest generation" trend we had here). It get's a little unseemly for us modern day wimps to romanticize situations were people paid with their lives or large parts of their lives or lived with misery day after day by wearing clothes. I get it when something is good looking and functional but when it was something that worked in situations that no longer exist I'm off the script. That's imho anyway.

[Paul T]

I take your point. And my love of that jacket is primarily, as I said, for it as an object rather than clothing.

But compared to the endless, identikit Japanese jeans that resemble a skinnier 501, with a lower rise, and quicker-fade denim, I applaud the eccentricity and attention to detail of the Duck Diggers

[BAerts]

I just wanted to post an update on the 1947s I picked up from the sale on Levi's website. This might not be true for every pair they're selling at the moment but mine ended up being from the 2007 season with a production date of 09 2006 (as far as I could tell). I ordered 31 x 34 and they actually measure around 31.5 by 34.5. Maybe these are an exception to the norm but at least this pair is definitely not undersized. I'm pretty relieved as my waist is about a true 30.5. I was half expecting I might have to return the 31s when I ordered them.

Just received mine. 31/34 and they are also from Spring 07. The pair that I've been wearing are 32/34 from Fall 06. I figured that if the downsized ones didn't fit, I'd leave them raw with tags in my collection. Too good of a deal.

They are definitely very slim, and, obviously enough, I've never been an advocate of downsizing '47s. We all know how that usually turns out. But, for some reason, these are not unbearable. Although I'm pretty sure they undersized the '47s until 2008, these seem to fit almost like my 32s.

At any rate, they're a killer pair of jeans. I suggest them to anyone, especially for the price.

[ThomasK]

Does anyone have infos on sizing for the new '55 501? I thought, someone in this thread pointed out that they're 2 inches oversized (as in the last collection), except for one size, that was TTS.

thanks.

[Paul T]

Does anyone have infos on sizing for the new '55 501? I thought, someone in this thread pointed out that they're 2 inches oversized (as in the last collection), except for one size, that was TTS.

thanks.

That seems to be the consensus. But, as ever, email your seller to check.

[Rivet Head]

I just wanted to post an update on the 1947s I picked up from the sale on Levi's website. This might not be true for every pair they're selling at the moment but mine ended up being from the 2007 season with a production date of 09 2006 (as far as I could tell). I ordered 31 x 34 and they actually measure around 31.5 by 34.5. Maybe these are an exception to the norm but at least this pair is definitely not undersized. I'm pretty relieved as my waist is about a true 30.5. I was half expecting I might have to return the 31s when I ordered them.

I'll have to look at the tags in the ones I bought and figure out the date on them. They are marked a 40, measure 38 and I'm sure will shrink to a 36 when I get around to washing them. Maybe the did a re-label to avoid complaints?

[ChuckO]

I take your point. And my love of that jacket is primarily, as I said, for it as an object rather than clothing.

But compared to the endless, identikit Japanese jeans that resemble a skinnier 501, with a lower rise, and quicker-fade denim, I applaud the eccentricity and attention to detail of the Duck Diggers

I like that both options are out there unless they're keeping the option I prefer from happening which is someone make reasonably "authentic" jeans for a reasonable price that aren't a pain in the ass to get a hold of. LVC's as close as it gets right now.

The more positive side of the work wear trend is it shows there's a base of people who are fed up with the highly processed crap that's available.

[entertainment!]

Does anyone have infos on sizing for the new '55 501? I thought, someone in this thread pointed out that they're 2 inches oversized (as in the last collection), except for one size, that was TTS.

thanks.

I got measurements from Cultizm for some of their new stock of 1955s. The 32x36 measured 33 in the waist, the 33x36 measured 33.5 and the 34x36 measured 34. You'd better buy them somewhere that will give you measurements, I don't think one can make a generalization about the sizing.

[roy6]

The workwear worship is similar for me to the "Greatest generation" worship we had a few years back (Sorry to any non-US who don't know about the huge "Greatest generation" trend we had here). It get's a little unseemly for us modern day wimps to romanticize situations were people paid with their lives or large parts of their lives or lived with misery day after day by wearing clothes. I get it when something is good looking and functional but when it was something that worked in situations that no longer exist I'm off the script. That's imho anyway.

I certainly hear your point. I have some distressed stuff from LVC and generally enjoy it. But I appreciate the perversity of the whole situation- a company now based in the UK which reproduces American workwear, some distressed in a manner which suggests a lot of suffering on the part of the wearer of the original garment, and marketed to well-off westerners to wear around modern cities to mostly white collar jobs.

The absurdity of it is actually a kind of a part of the company's charm, to me.

[ChuckO]

It's like getting a woman to sleep with you. You just ask flat out and there's a good chance you'll get slapped. Lay a rap on her to make it about some romantic bullshit and you have a better chance.

$200 jeans!!!??? That's crazy but associate it with something romantic from the past and now that's different.

[Paul T]

It's like getting a woman to sleep with you. You just ask flat out and there's a good chance you'll get slapped. Lay a rap on her to make it about some romantic bullshit and you have a better chance.

$200 jeans!!!??? That's crazy but associate it with something romantic from the past and now that's different.

Beautifully put. Modern marketing in a nutshell.

[RRLselvageDenim]

If someone can drop $285.00 - $325.00 on a Samurai 5000vx/710 why complain about dropping $200 on say a LVC 47 or 55? - Personally although I have a significant collection of LVC's , in terms of price/quality ratio my Sammies, Sugarcane, Fullcount get the thumbs up. The only reason I'm still into LVC is because of the Levis History. But it seems the Japanese repros have out done Levis in terms of quality. My 2 cents.

[radical_radish]

I was under the impression that the LVC line was making next to no money for Levis. So it's either a case of mismanagement or paying the going rate for a niche product?

[Rivet Head]

OK Curious, here's what the 1947 tags read:

600 0307 813246

701S 475019124

I would guess this was March 2007? Remeasured both unwashed pairs (one marked 40 and one marked 34) and they are both 2" smaller.

[ChuckO]

If someone can drop $285.00 - $325.00 on a Samurai 5000vx/710 why complain about dropping $200 on say a LVC 47 or 55? - Personally although I have a significant collection of LVC's , in terms of price/quality ratio my Sammies, Sugarcane, Fullcount get the thumbs up. The only reason I'm still into LVC is because of the Levis History. But it seems the Japanese repros have out done Levis in terms of quality. My 2 cents.

I love my '47's and 55's and am about to buy some 66's. I'd rather pay less for them of course. I just have found the work wear "craze" an interesting thing especially since I come more from the "classic" pop culture side of denim freakdom. I love the whole rock and roll side of it from The Wild One to The Ramones. So I was trying to get a better sense of what people thought of the whole work wear thing.

[RRLselvageDenim]

Chuck O - the whole work wear craze scene as a fad IMO sucks I would hate to see it become mainstream like the whole ed hardy/true religion crap. The flip side to that is I see folks as well on SUFU who come off as walking billboards for Mister Freedom, Iron Heart, et al. Seems some folks have lost the notion of moderation. It's either one extreme or the other. Of all the folks I've seen who genuinely represent the classic spirit of how to wear workwear is Cheep and Bill. These guys have an understanding of how to present classic work wear without going overboard. What made Steve McQueen cool is his ability to sport classic work wear / denim effortlessly. I realize a lot of us here want to stay true to the spirit of classic Americana but it kinda turns my stomach when I see folks wear the denim, workshirt, boots, wallets, all brand new just to pose. I say wear the damn thing to death and don't worry about how to get the right fade, honeycombs blah blah. Folks who wore these items back in the day just wore the and they got the results because they just wore the for utility period.

[rufio]

I love my '47's and 55's and am about to buy some 66's. I'd rather pay less for them of course. I just have found the work wear "craze" an interesting thing especially since I come more from the "classic" pop culture side of denim freakdom. I love the whole rock and roll side of it from The Wild One to The Ramones. So I was trying to get a better sense of what people thought of the whole work wear thing.

I have to admit, after almost two years of lurking (before I registered) I still don't understand some of the more costumey aspects of the sufu mode workwear style. Not judging anyone, just professing my ignorance as to the motivations and appeal of it.

By the same token, I probably appear to the man on the street as though I'm affecting a costume when I go out in 875s, 47s, and a Pendleton shirt. It's all degree and perspective I guess.

EDIT: Completely agree with everything RRL posted while I was writing my post.

[Happy Hooligan]

we all wear costumes... from the business suit to work to the ball jersey to a game....

It's what you're comfortable wearing that matters.

If you worry about what people think, then don't wear it, you're not ready.

if you wear it cause you like it and don't give a damn what "other" people think, then you're ready.

if you wear it to get people to look at or notice you... then you are wearing a costume.

[Curious_George]

OK Curious, here's what the 1947 tags read:

600 0307 813246

701S 475019124

I would guess this was March 2007? Remeasured both unwashed pairs (one marked 40 and one marked 34) and they are both 2" smaller.

I believe March 07 is right. Mine read 643 0906 527786. Maybe it's the batch. I know the majority run undersized but this pair definitely wasn't. I posted my experience mostly so that if anyone was considering grabbing a pair from Levi's right now and were worried about them being undersized, as I was, they'd have some information.

[illumin8em]

.

.

Thank you for doing so, because i was curious about his very thing. I thought they were going to be oversized for some reason. I don't think i could get away with the shrinkage on a 34" inseam though so I will have to sit this deal out.

.

.

I believe March 07 is right. Mine read 643 0906 527786. Maybe it's the batch. I know the majority run undersized but this pair definitely wasn't. I posted my experience mostly so that if anyone was considering grabbing a pair from Levi's right now and were worried about them being undersized, as I was, they'd have some information.

[Shorty Long]

Mr. T...

I have seen this shirt in a few of the preview pictures for the s/s '10 collection

Do you know if it was actually produced for this season???

[RightHand]

I'm not Mr. T...but I can tell you that it has been produced. And I can't wait to get my hands on one, thing of beauty!

[BAerts]

I have to admit, after almost two years of lurking (before I registered) I still don't understand some of the more costumey aspects of the sufu mode workwear style. Not judging anyone, just professing my ignorance as to the motivations and appeal of it.

By the same token, I probably appear to the man on the street as though I'm affecting a costume when I go out in 875s, 47s, and a Pendleton shirt. It's all degree and perspective I guess.

EDIT: Completely agree with everything RRL posted while I was writing my post.

I read an editorial in GQ just recently, and one of the readers was expressing their annoyance at seeing men in Manhattan wearing Red Wings, Levis, and Pendleton shirts. I think the reply hit the nail on the head:

"...urban man's love of Timberland, Red Wing, Woolrich, LL Bean, Barbour, Carhartt, et al., stems from his unfortunate alienation from nature. If this is what it takes to remind him that he should be out there stalking elk with a bow instead of projecting losses for next quarter, I forgive him."

I love the heritage of jeans, period. Whether that heritage is workwear, rock and roll, or fashion, heritage is what we're all reaching for. And I think that the workwear craze is simply our way of coping, as men, with the fact that we love clothes, spend absurd amounts of money on clothes, and actually post comments on an online "shopping and style" forum about clothes. The blatant masculinity of workwear is our way of still feeling like men.

While alot of contributors to sufu do, in fact, work hard in their clothes, a healthy portion of us are urban or suburbanites. So I think we feel better about plaid shirts and Red Wings because we know that, in the event of apocalypse or hostile takeovers, we could retreat into the cold, and dark woods. :-)

[fardin]

i think the term workewear referring to the stuff we like here in this forum is actually a fad. i mean brogues have been workwear shoes once back in the days, so have turtelnecks ( once worn by seamen and other workers), there are many examples, as jeans and all the military clothing like the trench coat etc. its all casual clothing, and since the beginnig of the 20th century people have been adopting clothing from different living eras and wearing em out of their original conext ( like the barbour jackets once been made for fishermen, then adapted by the royal navy and endet up beeing motorycle clothes and even worn by the royals) wearing jeans does not mean we want to go back to the nature or be cowboys or miners or whatever, even if there is a subtext to it. so whats the big fuzz. one also does not have to be a european aristocrat anymore to wear a suit. or do i have to go to the gym everytime i wear sneakers? isnt that what culture is definig and redefining the context

[jstavrin]

I just think this shit is pretty timeless. I don't think that in 10 years I'm ever going to look back on a picture of myself wearing boots, jeans, and a Buzz Rickson chambray and think "Man, what the fuck was I thinking?" It's unobtrusive and simple. I dig it.

[fardin]

thats true. when i look at pics 20 years ago i was dressed the same anyway, just didnt have lvc back then.

[Rivet Head]

Let me see....boots, jeans, flannel shirt, work clothes...been wearing them since high school.

[iamstarwars]

I just think this shit is pretty timeless. I don't think that in 10 years I'm ever going to look back on a picture of myself wearing boots, jeans, and a Buzz Rickson chambray and think "Man, what the fuck was I thinking?" It's unobtrusive and simple. I dig it.

Just you wait. Timelessness is a myth.

[Rivet Head]

Still waiting for those paper disposable jumpsuits to replace all clothing....