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Levi's Vintage Clothing


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Just was admiring the leather patch on my 44s. Its the best patch out of all I have seen (1890,1933,1937,1944,1947)

so I was looking at the tag to see if it said “bovine leather” or anything about the patch. Then I noticed they were made in Japan also, like all the other new stuff I have got recently. I didn’t notice at the time, I just assumed they were Bulgarian. I did notice the number 01 stamped on the button, and thought that the Bulgarian factory had started stamping them (as my 76s are blank). 
 

now I realise the button says 3015, and it was just a bad stamping, you can just barely make out where the other 2 numbers should be.

as for the quality, they are just as good as my Cones, fading nicely, been washed 4 times, 170 days wear. First wash at 115 days. 

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Edited by andyrcii
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Went to the beach to do a sea wash on my 1890’s and 1944’s.  Wore them into the sea, covered them in sand, rubbed a little, and went back in to rinse them. Sat in the sun for a bit. The 44s buttons are really starting to rust.. nice patina forming.. maybe they were using cheap steel on the doughnut buttons? I was skeptical of the sea wash actually cleaning the jeans, but it does actually work.  

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Edited by andyrcii
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Nice little fades experiment with my 44s and 55s.

the 55s are on a more infrequent wash regimen, first wash at 210 wears, then another wash at 245. Currently at 272 wears.

the 44s are aiming for faster results or a more “vintage” fade. First wash at 115 days, then at 135, 145, 160, sea wash at 172 wears. Currently at 174. 
 

Pretty nice results with both regimens.  

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I have been loving these 3 pairs of 501XXc's since March 2021 bought new. The W31 and W33s have had multiple washes, the quite hairy W32s are unwashed.

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Edited by Dry
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Here’s what happened with the 1937s:

took forever to get the larger size because Yodel lost the returned parcel (HOW are they still in business?) 

the shrunken 34 waist looks quite like the unshrunk 32 waist, though I am keeping them up with a belt. I only bathtub soaked these, so room for more shrinkage, I just didn't want to lose much indigo. This fit definitely is going to work.

 

Unshrunk 32w:

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unshrunk 34w:

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shrunk 34w. 

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Edited by andyrcii
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@Paul TThose old Kurabo jackets, weren't they T-backs? Unlike all the later iterations?

Anyway, really dig the light blues of that denim... 9 or 10oz? Really love me some lightweight denim - there's a really supple feeling with that weight. 

Edited by Facini
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This 3-pleat is actually the Cone version. Should've said. It was quite a big deal as they did a 1880s denim for both the jacket and pants. Then these pants are the final Cone iteration of the early denim, in natural indigo.

BTW, I checked my old photos of the Kurabo 3-pleat and that had a single-piece back.

I have a pair of Kurabo 1890s, plus natural indigo 20s 201 and they're all very different. Kurabo way more green and crocks way less so you get area fading (over the pockets) but no whiskers. If I get a chance I'll pull them out and do a comparison, they've probably each had three summer between them. Yes, this light denim is lovely for the summer.

Edited by Paul T
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Does anyone know how the fit of the current LVC 1947 Made in Japan with Kaihara denim compares with that of about 10 years that was Made in the US with Cone denim?

I remember reading somewhere, that the thighs got a bit bigger, but that it otherwise stayed more or less the same.

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  • 3 weeks later...
4 hours ago, Maynard Friedman said:

I see the Aeroleather website has been updated and so have the prices of their remaining Cone LVC jeans - now yours for just £390!

Bound to creep up in price and 40 quid rise isn't too bad. Tbh price rise aside, l would easily go with the new japanese denim as opposed to Cone. Never saw the big deal with new Cone (the stuff specifically designed/manufactured for Lvc) as all the slubbiness and imperfections were sort of ironed out compared to the same fabric of yesteryear. I'm not knocking Cone here but with all the experience the Japanese mills have in recent years l would expect a similar if not superior denim is used and probably fades similarly too(?)

 

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The new LVC jeans and jackets seem to be made in Japan now so I’d expect them to be of decent construction. I’m sure this also gives them a greater appeal  than a made in Bulgaria tag to anyone genuinely interested in denim. Obviously some people still want to buy a piece of ‘true Americana’ so as the availability of the US-made Cone pairs diminishes, the price will continue to go up.

EDIT: I’m wearing my 55s from 2007 as I type this and I’m very happy with them. I’ll put some photos up when I put them away at the end of summer.

Edited by Maynard Friedman
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  • 2 weeks later...

So I picked these up from a vintage store here in Berlin and I was hoping some Valencia St. wizards could shed more light on them. They look to be pre-LVC 60s repros, but I wasn't aware that Levi's did 60s repros at the time... Have you guys seen pairs like this before? Also, any idea where the denim comes from? Any clues would be great. Thank you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Edited by Denimstoyevsky
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I think the Capital E model was a generic pair, perhaps based on a 60s model, first produced in ‘92, so probably Levi’s first attempt to cash in on the selvedge trend, evidenced by the popularity of vintage/second-hand pairs. The 37s (which had a different name - 201 I think) and 55s only came about with the advent of LVC later in the ‘90s and the demand for more authentic reproductions.

Edited by Maynard Friedman
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Spot on Martin. Yep you summed it up perfectly. There was also the fact that the generic 66 big E came in a 'presentation box'. Then in '96 the 3 models that were introduced as the Levis vintage clothing range, the 2 you mentioned and the '1963 551zxx' ,with a zip fly obviously .

The lvc stuff was a vast improvement on the 66.

 

Edited by Dr_Heech
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On 9/11/2022 at 12:19 PM, Maynard Friedman said:

I think the Capital E model was a generic pair, perhaps based on a 60s model, first produced in ‘92, so probably Levi’s first attempt to cash in on the selvedge trend, evidenced by the popularity of vintage/second-hand pairs. The 37s (which had a different name - 201 I think) and 55s only came about with the advent of LVC later in the ‘90s and the demand for more authentic reproductions.

That's exactly right. It was Cone denim.

I actually saw the Capital E being made when I visited Valencia st in 1992. I'm hugely annoyed with myself for not taking photos - and also for winding up the factory foreman by asking why this was a generic and not an accurate replica. And I was wearing the Lee Riders reissue. I could've found out useful stuff but didn't.

the earlier Levi's Japan reissues used Kaihara. I'm hugely annoyed with myself because I recently found the email from the Levi's Japan employee with the details and I didn't file it somewhere safe. Urgh.

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Just received my 501 1947 and my Type 2 jacket from LVC.

They are both made in Japan. 

Good news, as my 1954 from 2 years ago is made in Turkey. 

 

Edit : my type 2 shrank like a mo'f*cker. It fits so good now.

Edited by DavidThoreau
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