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Levi's Vintage Clothing


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5 hours ago, Dry said:

I really think that the Moderator should disallow posts like this and the others which are off topic and about people they don't know and have never met and not about denim and how it looks. It is fair enough to comment on whether you like or don't like a particular denim look but personal comments are hurtful and are unacceptable in my opinion. They would not be tolerated in school or  in the workplace where they would be called bullying. 

Or maybe if you are very sensitive about comments regarding the way you look in your super tight jeans, don't post pictures of yourself wearing your super tight jeans on a public forum, o.k. there Justin Trouser-snake.:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

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OK, this is one for the genuine Levi's 501 nerd, probably extreme nerds. Why did my eyes light up when I spotted, and then won, the Ebay auction for this particular pair of 501s???

Here are the pictures from the listing that piqued my interest and sent my denim senses all a flutter...

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The last picture should provide a clue.

 

Edited by 501XX4EVER
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Something to do with the '653' on the label, which I assume is the factory they were made in (I don't know which one) will also be stamped on the rear of the top button. Does '653' also denote a double-stitched back pocket rather than a single-stitched one? 

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On 10/31/2018 at 5:32 AM, Dry said:

I really think that the Moderator should disallow posts like this and the others which are off topic and about people they don't know and have never met and not about denim and how it looks. It is fair enough to comment on whether you like or don't like a particular denim look but personal comments are hurtful and are unacceptable in my opinion. They would not be tolerated in school or  in the workplace where they would be called bullying. 

This seems like a reasonable request and, yes, it does fit the definition of bullying.     

As a new member here but who is no stranger to forum psychology, I can say that the line of posts had the appearance of a forum “clique” and is not healthy for any forums in the long term.

Hopefully, it will be remembered that we are all members of a fraternity who share a common appreciation for beautiful denim material, design, construction & history.

At 60 years of age, I would rather focus on what brings people together.

-Pedro

 

Edited by Pedro
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On 10/28/2018 at 5:41 AM, 501XX4EVER said:

I agree with this, however, maybe he just wants to become known by his new name...

 

"The Secret Salami Smuggler"

Or, rather, "The Not-Secret-At-All Salami Smuggler."

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On 11/1/2018 at 12:07 PM, Sympathy-For-The-Denim said:

off setted leather like patch and belt loops that don´t hit the yoke stitching!? hm.....

Nope, also I have loads of 80's and early 90's 501s that have belt loops that don´t hit the yoke stitching.

On 11/1/2018 at 1:33 PM, Maynard Friedman said:

Something to do with the '653' on the label, which I assume is the factory they were made in (I don't know which one) will also be stamped on the rear of the top button. Does '653' also denote a double-stitched back pocket rather than a single-stitched one? 

The Fried-erino is close but no cigar.The '653' is significant but the '82' is why I think these are "special". I believe 1982 was roughly the year that Levis stopped making selvedge 501s as standard, although I'm sure a few of the factories still had surplus in stock and used it up until it was gone but in general, I think 1982 was the cut off point. I have seen the ones they made immediately after the '82 cut off referred to as the "transition" model jeans, in that they were the exact same cut and had most of the same details of the selvedge models, just no selvedge. This was before things got a lot more standard in terms of shape, fit and details in the mid to late 1980's, when the overall design became more uniform and consistent. I have bought and sold so many non-selvedge 1980's 501s over the last few years it has become a bit of an obsession, they are absolutely fantastic jeans and can have a fairly significant variation depending on the year and factory number. This is the first time I've got my hands on a "transition" pair. So for example, if you look closely at the pictures of the back pockets or the picture with the fly open, (you can expand the photo's to a super large size if you're on a computer), you can see that they still have the black thread "bar tacked" on the top of the pockets. Also, and not to put too fine a point on it, but the back pockets on these are fucking massive, they are nearly at 1960's 505 proportions. Lots of other things like single felled inseams, the nickel backing on the back of the rivets, even the belt loops kinda have the "raised" center that a lot of the Japanese retro brands recreate. The thing is, I believe the "transition" models were not made for very long, they got rid of the black thread for the bar tacking fairly quickly and they changed to the double felled inseam I guess around the mid 80's??? So weirdly enough, these might be one of the earliest of the non-selvedge jeans Levis made back then and as they were only made for a very short time, fairly "rare". I know not everyone would think they are "special" but, if I'm right about these, they definitely have some Mojo about them, after all, denim doesn't have to be selvedge to be unique.

Wherever the '653' factory was located and what patterns they were using I would love to know because they seemed to be a bit like Kurtz in "Apocalypse Now", out there running wild and doing their own thing. These are the third pair of '653' 501s I have owned, the other two are from '83 and are what I would call post-post transition, they still have a few of the details of the late 70's early 80's models, just not as much. But they all have some quirky details, mainly very weird coin pockets. I am lucky enough to have three pairs of selvedge 501's, one form 79, the other two from the 80's and they all have very nice, neat coin pockets. The '653' ones look more like something from the 40's and they have a single stitch rather than the chain stitch that all 501s had since the 60's. This is a picture of a coin pocket from a 40's pair on Juke_kakui's Instagram page and it's kinda what the '653' coin pockets look like.

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Any of the fans of Conners Sewing Factory would love the '653' 501s as they have wonky stitching and loose threads a go go, definitely a different attitude to quality control than the other factories at the time.

Bit of a long post but there you go, ever since the demise of Cone I've gotten a little bit more OCD on all things Levi's.

Edited by 501XX4EVER
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Just to beat the drum a bit more about how "out there" the '653' factory is, here is another picture from juke_kakui's instagram of some extremely rare half selvedge Levi's. Judging by the google translation, the '653' vibe has the renowned collector a bit freaked out.

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One red ear of one ear juke_kakui. I see it occasionally. The back of the button is 653. This "653". Somewhere weird, are not there? The silhouette is also a bit funny, you can also see a glimpse of your pocket and you are falling vertically, right? Also, although it is the age of red ears, it is mostly armpits to find. I think I will investigate it in more detail.
     #levis # 501xx # 501 # Red ears # jukebox
     app_hiro Even in the latter term of the armpit divide, 653 made "mystery kun" is not it.
     juke_kakui @ app_hiro That's right! This is worth investigating ^ _ ^

 

Here's some bonus footage of the (now) famed '653' factory...

 

 

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12 hours ago, 501XX4EVER said:

Any of the fans of Conners Sewing Factory would love the '653' 501s as they have wonky stitching and loose threads a go go, definitely a different attitude to quality control than the other factories at the time.

Bit of a long post but there you go, ever since the demise of Cone I've gotten a little bit more OCD on all things Levi's.

this is great stuff, thanks.

I interviewed the guy who helped oversee the patterns for the Scottish jeans from 1983. They were trying to put some sort of overall pattern on countless inconsistent details: for instance,  from the immediately previous jeans were all over the place, different shaped pockets in different sizes, or across different factories. He also tended to know which of the factories tended to use particular colour stitching, as that was all over the place too.

I love the thought of those different factories with their different aesthetic, especially now you've personalised it with the story of the rock'n'roll, out-there 653 mob.
 

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10 hours ago, Paul T said:

this is great stuff, thanks.

I interviewed the guy who helped oversee the patterns for the Scottish jeans from 1983. They were trying to put some sort of overall pattern on countless inconsistent details: for instance,  from the immediately previous jeans were all over the place, different shaped pockets in different sizes, or across different factories. He also tended to know which of the factories tended to use particular colour stitching, as that was all over the place too.

I love the thought of those different factories with their different aesthetic, especially now you've personalised it with the story of the rock'n'roll, out-there 653 mob.
 

I was hoping you would drop some knowledge on whether my 1982 theory is correct, IE did Cone stop making selvedge denim for Levi's then?, was that the time it changed to non-selvedge?, thus making all of that typing vaguely worthwhile???:D:D:D Also, confirming that these are in fact one of the earliest non-selvedge 501's.

The more I examine the back pockets on these, the more I'm starting to think that they may have just put back pockets that were meant for a size 40" or 42" waist on by accident/mistake/run out of the correct size ones, because I could fit a paperback copy of "Crime and Punishment" in these, they're massive.

While I'm at it, another detail I noticed on these jeans and forgot to mention, and anyone who has purchased a pair of "1944" inspired repos will sympathize with, check out how close the front belt loops are, as the '44' owners will know, it makes things slightly difficult belt-wise. Did these '653' guys work off 40's patterns for certain details? perhaps with the attitude of if it ain't broke don't fix it.

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I don't think I know now re years; I did have some documents with the specs that I perhaps didn't even copy. There was quite a lot of secrecy. It's very likely indeed there was a mix, and remember Cone had wide shuttle looms too which would have only produced 'half' the selvage edge. I wonder if some of those jeans are ring/ring as opposed to the ring/OE to which they moved in 83 (without really telling anyone).

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37 minutes ago, serotonin flood said:

These posts are amazing haha I love the Colonel Kurtz imagery.   May I ask what drew you to 80s 501s?

Lots of reasons really, nostalgia, the whole "shrink to fit thing" of the 501xx, if you size them correctly they're a great fit post shrink, they come in a size 35 waist, they're great value for money, many reasons really, but in general they're just great jeans. They used to be a bit easier to find on the ole ebay before the news of Cone's demise.

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On 11/2/2018 at 7:35 PM, erbs said:

Quick sizing question:

My true waist is 35" and I wear a size 36 in both the raw LVC '47 and '54, which fit great after a hot wash. I want to get a pair of '55s. Should I go with a size 34 or 36?

I would stick with the same size that works in the '47's and '54's.

My true waist is 36–37", and I wear both 34's and 36's in the 1955 cut. I wore the 34's dry for a long time before ever washing, and I always wash cold and wear wet till dry after a wash, for a snug, but not tight, fitted pair. I wash the 36's cold and air dry for the relaxed end of a regular fit. I wore them dry for a relaxed fit when I first got them.

Edited by 428CJ
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Who knows more about the early LVC issues from Japan? Picked up a pair for a good price off Buyee. The denim looks and feels like Cone, and the tag does say Made in USA.. but the details on the jeans seem more "accurate" than what LVC has been producing through the 00's. Notably the patch. This leather is gonna get all brown and cool looking. 

Are they cone? If not, where was this denim sourced from? 

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On 10/31/2018 at 11:23 AM, 501XX4EVER said:

Or maybe if you are very sensitive about comments regarding the way you look in your super tight jeans, don't post pictures of yourself wearing your super tight jeans on a public forum, o.k. there Justin Trouser-snake.:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

I bet no one dared say that to the Duke in 1939. He wears ‘em like Brooke Shields wore Calvin Kleins.  :rolleyes:

I read these were 1937 Levi brand but I can’t see an arcuate?

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Edited by Pedro
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I think you can see if it you look closely. The beginning of the arc starts about a third of the way up from the bottom corner of the pocket and runs parallel with the shadow from his thigh to his arse, before curving down and reaching its nadir just to the north-east of the light/white spot on the pocket. Remember, the arcs were still stitched freehand in those days so wouldn't have been regular, they would have had artistic licence for free expression!

Edited by Maynard Friedman
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17 hours ago, Pedro said:

I bet no one dared say that to the Duke in 1939. He wears ‘em like Brooke Shields wore Calvin Kleins.  :rolleyes:

I read these were 1937 Levi brand but I can’t see an arcuate?

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I can see exposed rivets on the back pocket which would only be 1937s if the denim covering them had worn away - The Rivet's Still There.

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On 11/6/2018 at 4:48 AM, fix_me said:

Who knows more about the early LVC issues from Japan? Picked up a pair for a good price off Buyee. The denim looks and feels like Cone, and the tag does say Made in USA.. but the details on the jeans seem more "accurate" than what LVC has been producing through the 00's. Notably the patch. This leather is gonna get all brown and cool looking. 

Are they cone? If not, where was this denim sourced from?

TBW6DLF.jpg

 

 

They look like a great find and purchase as they seem to be in really excellent/one wash condition. It's very hard to find jeans on Buyee that don't have inseams that have been altered to roughly somewhere in the 70-75cm range. I have a pair very similar to those 47's, except mine are made in Japan. They really do shrink though, mine went well below tag size. I agree with you on the details though, the patch on mine will definitely turn "Jerky" with time, it's already a bit crispy bacon on the edges, it looks to be made from a completely different type of leather than L.V.C. use. I also love the stitching on the top of the pocket where then orange thread goes around the the bartacking, as seen in the picture above, it's the kinda thing that Warehouse does, pointless but beautiful. I also have a pair of super rare 1971 model 501's that are made in Japan which are also amazing. Of course, all Levi's heads will know the significance of 1971 for the 501.:D:D:D

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