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Levi's Vintage Clothing


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Lol, have probably spent half that on Lvc already, trying to get the right size/fit !

I feel your wallet pain Dr.! LOL

for that reason I've gone for a 505 this time as I'm missing some dark denim in my life, what are peoples thoughts on cuffing them? They are about an inch/inch half too long but wont shrink (I hope if all I've read is true), I'm thinking I'll get them shortened as I'm not sure this works with this cut of jeans.

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http://www.marvins-jp.com/

I wonder if the marvin's dude was at inspiration.

Edited by rnrswitch
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Does anyone know where I can find these in the US? They are the suspenders I've been dying for. The brown ones with tan leather aren't really my bag, but the natural with brown are perfect to me. I love the design.

http://denimprojects.blogspot.com/2011/01/lvc-suspenders.html

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I've been invited to a LVC project/competition and I have been assigned to the 501 1966 (although I secretly want to try out the 1978 again..). But I quite like the '66, so it's absolutely no problem.

I have a pair of '66 stashed away in the closet, and I just bought them TTS, which worked some years ago.

I'm just wondering, if the size/fit has been changed this season/last season?

Thanks for your input.

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"For spring/summer, the brand has re-issued the style in a distinctive bleached finish. They feature Levi’s famous red-selvedge, copper rivets and double needle arcurate, as well as, the iconic red-tab on the rear pocket. An authentic style, these jeans will age handsomely with the wearer, to ensure years of happy wear"

http://www.oki-ni.com/mens-legwear/levis-vintage-clothing-mens-1967-505-bleached-white-jean/invt/lev1218wht

for some reason I want these, no idea why.

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simple explanation for that, they're channeling the mid sixties. they're ok but i wish instead of this they would do a credible repro of the white levis line (which came in many colors besides white)

agreed. I'd be much more interested in one of them wheat colored jeans or jackets they used to make.

Edited by erk
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know what you mean Erk, i've been trying for some time to run down some Lee Westerners and White Levis in my size at a reasonable price with no luck at all. Lee japan has reissued the Westerner line but little of it has made it's way to the U.S. plus i wasn't too impressed with what i saw. looks like a modern interpretation and not historically accurate.

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quick question to the levi's expert round here.

ok, there is the 501 on which they put on a zipper in the '50s and called it 501 zxx which they then renamed 502 later, right?

but basically the cut of the 502 was close/same to the 501?

and there is there is the 505, also with a zipper but slimmer than the 501, correct?

my main interest is about the 502 here.

Edited by beautiful_FrEaK
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quick question to the levi's expert round here.

ok, there is the 501 on which they put on a zipper in the '50s and called it 501 zxx which they then renamed 502 later, right?

but basically the cut of the 502 was close/same to the 501?

and there is there is the 505, also with a zipper but slimmer than the 501, correct?

my main interest is about the 502 here.

the 501z/502 is [supposedly] a 1954 model, it's probably the slimmest 501 from LVC, actually i think they did right in changing the model name to 502 because the cut although carrot shape is significantly different than any 50's 501s..

the 505 is as it names implies not a 501 model either, the cut isn't as slim although if you undersize it may very well be. the LVC repro is from 1967, so its more along the lines of the 1966 501, yet different.. i've really come to love this model more and more, notably for the fact that since sanforized i can wear mine raw which is a rare pleasure in lvc world ;)

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Check out the Doc's post, and the one after, for info about the original 501Z and 502.

http://supertalk.superfuture.com/index.php?/topic/131739-levis-vintage-clothing/page__view__findpost__p__2688795

The 505 is slimmer than the 501, if we're talking about original models. For the current repros, the 505 is slightly modernized, lower waist and slimmer fit I belive, than the original, while the 1054 501Z is a completely modernized cut, much slimmer than the originals. AFAIK there was no difference in cut between the 501 and the 501Z/502.. I did own a 502 at one point, the originals are lovely jeans.

bum.jpg

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Er, he didn't say that did he, now you are all getting me really confused.

It's the 551Z that is Sanforized, that was the difference from the 501Z and 502 IIRC. I have a printout somewhere with this info, if I'm wrong I'll collect it.

Just to repeat what was on the previous page, the 501Z was the zipper version of the 501 - the 501Z model name was later changed to 502. The lot number 502 had been used years before for the small sized, youths' version of the 501. Finally they produced the 551ZXX, a zipper jean with Sanforized fabric. THis was finally dropped in the late 60s for the 505, which had a slimmer cut and was of course also Sanforized or, in Levi's terminology, "pre shrunk".

Edit: ALl that said, I\ve not really looked into the history of the zipper jeans, and it occurs to me that there were overlaps - for instance it's possible the 551 kept being produced alongside the 502, which possibly kept being produced alongside the 505, given the existence for instance of late 60s 502.

Levi's were pretty late in coming to the party for Sanforized denim - apart from the Lady Levi's which were Sanforized from the start. I suspect they didn't like using the Sanforized term because by then it was synonymous with Wrangler and, especially, Lee.

Edited by Paul T
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As there had been so much talk of the 54 zxx lately and because I don't have a zippered model of any jean, I thought I'd try on a pair this past weekend. well, you're not kidding when you say 'modernized' cut. I would have had to size up two full sizes at least to get them on. I can normally wear anywhere from a 32 to a 34 in different cuts/makers but a 36 zxx was too small and there was no 38 at hand. They were even smaller all over than the infamous undersized 47's. I guess they won't be going in the collection anytime soon.

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^ yea like i said the lvc 501z are really slim, more so my 505's that i find are even roomier than my 66's (then again i did oversize the 505s) ... now speaking of slim i tried on the new 605 orange tabs the other day, skin tight especially on the leg opening... that being said there was something strangely appealing to them, especially the super flecky denim...

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thanks a lot paul! my interest was in the originals and not the lvs repro ones. thanks! so according to dr_heech's post, one can assume if the label says 502, the denim is sanforized?
Er, he didn't say that did he, now you are all getting me really confused.

Right .

Ok, this is what I can tell you about the originals. I have taken some photos (apologies re:quality, as they were taken with a point and shoot in me kitchen) to help explain, but please dont necessarily go by the dates in the (Japanese) text as these are not always 'bang on'.

The 501zxx - This model is the zip fly version of the 501xx and was the same cut. It was shrink-to-fit. It came out in 1954 and ran until 1966 (between 1965-66 it was gradually renamed the 502) -

sufu1003.jpg

Patch on a transitional pair ('65/66) -

sufu1010.jpgsufu1011.jpg

Between 1965/66- 71 it was known as the 502 (I'm not sure if this model was made after this date) -

sufu1004.jpg

I found this chart (vaguely) documenting the different models, it includes a mention of the 'earlier' 502xx youth's model that paul t mentioned, along with the slightly longer running 503xx and 504xx (also youth's models). I know that earlier youth's 502xx model existed, as I was lucky enough to see a pair (with label) and they were buckle-backs, so 1930's.

sufu1009.jpg

Now the 505 model. This started life as the 551zxx. It was different in cut, slightly more carrot-shaped than the 501xx/501zxx and more importantly it was sanforized. It came out in 1955 and ran until 1965/66, when it was gradually renamed the 505. sufu1001.jpg

Here is a pic of the patch on a transitional pair (the one on the right) - sufu1006.jpg

Another patch on a transitonal model -

sufu1008.jpg

The 505 ran from 1966 until the 80's/90's?? Although after 1971 I have no info on it - sufu1002.jpg

And finally, according to my source, the 'earlier' youth's version of the 502xx changed into the 302, which as we all know are the same model paul t's nipper has a pair of - this change probably came about when they changed the 501zxx into the 502 zip fly (mid-sixties).

So, are we all clear now? (phew!)

Edited by Dr_Heech
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Thanks Dr, that's great.

I have a guide somewhere of the sizes the original 502 came in, from Levi's own documentation. The model numbers might have changed, but they were doing kids and youths stuff from the 1880s.

Sadly they didn't send enough children down mines so that Mike Harris could collect their castoffs.

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thanks paul.

Yeah they have some youth's 203's from 1880 on the marvin's site. Talking of which, did you check out the lee 101lj pics i put up on the denim jackets thread?

http://supertalk.superfuture.com/index.php?/topic/15038-what-about-jeans-jackets/page__view__findpost__p__2690324

Anyway, going back to the 502, just found this which throws a spanner into the works.

It's a pair of 502zxx in a massive 44" waist (so not youth's) from around 1955-64 -

sufu1005.jpg

It's got me (?)

Edited by Dr_Heech
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I remember having a pair of 550zxx sometime in the early nineties. Picked them up from uncle sam's in brighton.

They were a pair of zip-fly shorts made by levi's as shorts (not cut-off). They had hidden rivets and an off-set belt loop.

It would be good to track down all the numbers and dates but I need to go to bed now.........

Edited by Dr_Heech
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Thanks Dr, that's great.

I have a guide somewhere of the sizes the original 502 came in, from Levi's own documentation. The model numbers might have changed, but they were doing kids and youths stuff from the 1880s.

Sadly they didn't send enough children down mines so that Mike Harris could collect their castoffs.

They did. They were the miners' minors!

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