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Levi's Vintage Clothing


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On 11/8/2018 at 4:02 PM, 501XX4EVER said:

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

Yeah, these came in what looked to be almost unworn condition. Definitely washed at a point. I'm kinda scared what will happen when it comes time for me to wash them though. They're tagged 34x36.. They fit closer 32x30. They're definitely shorter than the auction stated (77cm VS 79.5cm). The hem looks original- or it was at least matched very well if they were shortened. I definitely would have preferred the extra 2.5cm of length. I don't mind my jeans fitting a bit short, but I normally throw my jeans in the dryer, and I don't wanna end up with a 28" inseam afterwards. Ah well, overall I'm pretty happy with them. A good pair of US made 47's is becoming harder to track down at a reasonable price- especially since Cone announced the shut down.

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1 hour ago, fix_me said:

Yeah, these came in what looked to be almost unworn condition. Definitely washed at a point. I'm kinda scared what will happen when it comes time for me to wash them though. They're tagged 34x36.. They fit closer 32x30. They're definitely shorter than the auction stated (77cm VS 79.5cm). The hem looks original- or it was at least matched very well if they were shortened. I definitely would have preferred the extra 2.5cm of length. I don't mind my jeans fitting a bit short, but I normally throw my jeans in the dryer, and I don't wanna end up with a 28" inseam afterwards. Ah well, overall I'm pretty happy with them. A good pair of US made 47's is becoming harder to track down at a reasonable price- especially since Cone announced the shut down.

No way a factory 36" hem shortened to 30". Wouldn't happen even in boiling water followed by a super hot machine dry.

If they have already been washed, I wouldn't worry too much about future shrinkage. Just wash cold and air dry.

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Sometimes the inseam measures shorter than the tag length in the raw state, I’m pretty sure I’ve seen a pair come up at least  1” less than stated. That wouldn’t explain the full 6” differential with shrinkage but I suppose it’s possible they could be more undersized in the inseam than the usual tolerance.

Edited by Maynard Friedman
Inseam NOT hem
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On 11/9/2018 at 1:20 AM, kicks79 said:

@501XX4EVER If you have any pics of the 1971 501? would love to see them.

Unfortunately I don't and judging how crap the photos I take for my ebay listings turn out, I don't think I would do them justice. The denim is actually quite light so I only really wear them in the hot weather so they're not really in the rotation at the moment and I am currently enjoying the living daylights out of wearing my latest acquisition as mentioned on the previous page.

There seems to have been two "instances" or runs of Japanese "LVC-esque" Levi's and the 1971 model would appear to be from the earlier run. I say this as the care labels of my 1947 and 1971 models are completely different, the '47 has one similar to @fix_me's pair except mine don't say "Made In USA", the '71 care tag is in the same place but a lot bigger and kinda gets in the way a bit.

Edited by 501XX4EVER
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Hello,

I found a few pairs of LVC I cached some years back.

One discovery is this Japanese pair and I was surprised to see its not LVC. Truth be told, I was often fooled in my early ebay purchases about promises of authenticity.

Can anyone confirm these are genuine and would they be Cone Mills? The Wash Tag is maybe 1”x1”.

-thanks

 

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2177AE79-5E5D-4852-A3DD-C3F7E3B470EE.jpeg

6AE57A8C-0627-45D2-8875-B46BE74384E3.jpeg

Edited by Pedro
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@Pedro I'm pretty sure they are genuine. If you look up 37501-0117 then you will see a bunch of links to Japanese sites. In fact, Pants Shop Avenue, which is a reputable store amongst this area, has the same pair for sale. I don't know between what years Japan made Levi's 501 reproductions and whether it was actually called LVC, but your pair might be from 2006. I'm basing the year on your fourth image where it says 0406. You will find that other pairs that show to care tags look pretty much identical such as here where it's 0306 (2006 like yours) and here where it's 0601 (for the year 2001). However, the care tag might have changed in different years because this pair here has a different format and says 0908 (presumably from 2008).

As for the denim itself, not 100% sure whether MiJ reproductions were made from Cone denim or Kaihara. Maybe @Paul T or someone more knowledgeable might be able to chime in.

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@propellerbeanie,

Thanks very much. I wasn’t saving ebay invoices back then but I think 2006-2007 sounds right.

One thing that raised my suspicion is the same color thread was used everywhere...but I see from your helpful links that was standard.

I wanted to save these until I had experimented with different soaks, washes, detergents and starching practices, as well as drying techniques. 

I am glad I did because some of my starch attempts back then were too heavy and resulted in the cotton fibers breaking rather than remaining pliable. 

I will be introducing these into my rotation soon. We are getting snow now and tobogganing is a great method to play with the fades. 

Thank you for your research.

-pedro

 

Edited by Pedro
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On 11/9/2018 at 8:12 PM, fix_me said:

I don't mind my jeans fitting a bit short, but I normally throw my jeans in the dryer, and I don't wanna end up with a 28" inseam afterwards. Ah well, overall I'm pretty happy with them. 

@Fix_me,

Your post really caught my eye because you use a clothes dryer (and you brazenly admit it...kudos). I thought drying in a machine was a taboo?

May I ask you and the community their personal observations with drying the denim in a dryer?

When I was a kid, we used to get our STF 501XX at the Army/Navy surplus in Chicago (this was late 50’s thru 70’ish when surplus was abundant). They were marked irregulars and were cheap. We always used to wash & dry them in a machine but I am a wimp with these pricey LVC and don’t risk it for fear of shrinking and losing too much dye.

Your experience would be greatly appreciated.

Edited by Pedro
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@Pedro I would try to stay away from using starch because it has negative effects on the strength of cotton fibres. Considering the fading progression of those who don't dabble with starch, I would consider it rather unnecessary to use. You can get great results from just wearing them and washing/drying when needed!

I use a dryer when I wash my jeans. To shrink them initially, it's usually a hot machine wash and straight into the tumble dryer. I remember the first time I stopped merely hot soaking my jeans in the tub, and seeing the blue water entering the sink from my washing machine did make me worried; I thought my jeans were going to be very light in colour. They were, of course, lighter than before they went it, but it began to bother me less and less. Anyone looking at them would still have considered them to be "dark denim". I like how the denim develops a bit more character using this process, especially how a washer/dryer combo can help the promotion seam puckering, roping, and leg twist. Something to watch out for is the fold lines that can develop, but making sure the washer is not behaving like a tornado will help. Checking on your jeans in the dryer and repositioning them can help too. Also, there's the comfort in knowing that each subsequent wash won't result in a pair of jeans that's too small.

In saying that, if you're not ready to experiment with a beloved pair, just hot soaking them and air drying is probably the way to go. There is ample shrinkage data out there regarding the jeans I wear, so I can confidently determine my size these days. I'm not too sure what you'll be able to find about your MiJ 501s though, so it'll be a little more difficult to gauge.

In terms of using dryers, I think larger, well-known companies these days tell you to stay away from dryers in fear that any plastics used in their denim will eventually lose their integrity when exposed to high heat. It could also be an environmental thing. I haven't had any issues with mine!

So yeah, if you're worried, I suggest using a tub of water to soak and just air dry. It will be much easier to manage the amount of shrinkage.

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@Pedro (at the risk of you telling me I’m being unhelpful, again), if you have a browse through the TCB 20s contest thread, you’ll see there are plenty of contestants who use a tumble dryer, eg aho, nycsurfer. I never use one (40C and slow spin followed by hang dry for me) as I don’t like the accelerated fading it seems to bring on, although some like the roping, etc it helps develop.

Regarding your Levi’s Japan, I have some natural indigo 501s from 1991 and I’m not sure LVC is mentioned anywhere on the labels either. I think it may have been known as Levi’s Japan rather than LVC Japan although a someone more expert than I would need to confirm that.

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aside from personal, aesthetic preference (keeping things purist or raw, indigo loss, cease lines, etc.), I would think that one's washing and drying regimen will largely depend on jeans sizing.
unless you only buy pre-washed jeans, never make sizing errors and/or never get close to outgrow a pair, you might find yourself in the situation where you need to maximize or minimize shrinkage from the start.

I started off going raw, but ran into problems with mid-to-heavier weight denims and their respective shrinkage - I have long given up worrying about cease lines and indigo loss. most of these things will happen eventually, not matter how long you intend to delay them.
some of the best fades actually come from pairs with extensive and rigorous washing regimes...

Edited by Foxy2
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those Japanese 1937 are almost certainly Cone if it's 2006. I have a Japanese catalogue from 2001 or so that I've posted on here before. I can't remember if they badged all their 'own' production as LVC, I thought they did but if so I'm wrong. When I can face trawling thru all my old photobucket pages I'll try and look it out.

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Some good points Foxy. One of the key reasons I don’t use a tumble dryer is that I rarely use one anyway. We just spin and air dry everything - on the line in the garden in summer and inside on a clothes horse in the colder months. Ours is a combined washer-dryer and the dryer component only sees active service for towels (softens them) and when something damp is needed urgently - usually an item of school uniform for the kids.

Consequently I haven’t tumble-dried jeans since my student days of sitting in a laundrette (no, not in my underpants á la Nick Kamen, but usually in the last things left clean - tracksuit bottoms and old t-shirt relegated to laundrette duty only!).

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Damn, even a 517, :ohmy:, lovely stuff that makes me a bit sad that they used to get everything so right and now they can't seem to get anything right.

Just a bit of random sizing info. on my Japanese Levi's, they are both tagged 36x36 and post many washes and only air drying them, they are now both roughly 34x32, not exactly but pretty much. If you decided to start using your pairs @pedro, I would advise holding off on the dryer until at least the third wash, these babies shrink.

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On 11/9/2018 at 9:40 PM, 428CJ said:

No way a factory 36" hem shortened to 30". Wouldn't happen even in boiling water followed by a super hot machine dry.

Possibly of some interest but there is an ebay seller in SF who sells mislabeled LVC such as tagged 36” inseam that are 32” unwashed. The tags are still attached. He messaged me that he buys direct from Levi. 

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All this japan levis talk got me thinking, where do I get a japanes 502 repro? 
Maybe yahoo-auctions, rakuten or grailed? Been looking on ebay already the whole morning, but didn't find anything...
Basically the LVC 501Zs I got are a little to tapered for everyday-wear for me, something along the lines of a 60s cut with a zipper is basically what I imagined.
Thanks guys

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thanks for the kind words. I can't find the actual catalogue... which means I can't check if they use the LVC branding in Japan. Anyways, here are some of the others.

SOrry, the software has scramled the order but these are the early ones. Note the '702'... I can't remember the actual story but I think this is a mythical 30s pair,
Cover.jpg

p66.jpg

p67.jpg

p68.jpg

 

p69.jpg

p70.jpg

 

 

 

 

p71.jpg

Edited by Paul T
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4 hours ago, Thanks_M8 said:

All this japan levis talk got me thinking, where do I get a japanes 502 repro? 
Maybe yahoo-auctions, rakuten or grailed? Been looking on ebay already the whole morning, but didn't find anything...
Basically the LVC 501Zs I got are a little to tapered for everyday-wear for me, something along the lines of a 60s cut with a zipper is basically what I imagined.
Thanks guys

On Yahoo Auction you get quite a lot of results if you look for Levi's 502. But not all results are really a 502 and I don't know how many are repro pairs.
Happy hunting!

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