Levi's Vintage Clothing

[erk]

I'm gonna go ahead and be the first one to tell you thats a bad Idea.

if you never wash them they're going to never going to live up to their potential if they were washed.

they will become brittle and have lots of problems with crotch explosions especially with a jean as tight as the 1954 501z.

you will get blue everywhere. raw jeans even when soaked or washed once transfer indigo like crazy. its going to be even worse without a soak or wash.

just soak them. you wont lose hardly any indigo (mostly starch which you want to lose anyways) and the final product will last you longer and look better.

[telluride11]

skinheads rule

[Sympathy-For-The-Denim]

so I bought these great pair:

http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&item=280360505592

i wonder that these aren´t made at valencia, the button reads 822? but it´s the old stiff plastic label... the only mess is the buckle that doesnt work actually... any comments on these!?

[Busted Seam]

so I bought these great pair:

http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&item=280360505592

i wonder that these aren´t made at valencia, the button reads 822? but it´s the old stiff plastic label... the only mess is the buckle that doesnt work actually... any comments on these!?

These are made in a Levi's factory - there was a third one beyond valencia St and San Antonio TX, guess these would have been made around 2001.

They are great - there was a natural indigo version made, too.

Which part of the label is plastic? THe early Levi's label looks real white but is leather and become v brownish after the first wash

[ThomasK]

Newb question:

All those vintage jeans have this dark indigo as there was no bleeching or sth in the factory. My question : Until 1983 (last year the jeans were made from the vintage selvage with redline etc...?), was this dark indigo the only colorway that was available for the buyers ( would be logical). ?

[Busted Seam]

Early Levi's came in cotton duck. The denim version was far more popular.

some other jeans came in a silver/blue denim (spring bottom pants), other makers made early jeans in hickory stripe. Look thru the workwear thread and you'll find some examples.

[ThomasK]

But the -now- vintage 501s came in the dark indigo originally?

[Busted Seam]

The very first Levi's came in both cotton duck and indigo; they are not too sure because there LS7Co records were lost, they probably came before the 501.

The 501 only ever came in dark indigo.

[Sympathy-For-The-Denim]

because the guy told, that these cost 400 euros, i guess i´m the lucky guy to have bought em for 30euros... the fit really great not that loose like 33s or 201s... the leather patch came nearly white, ivory colored...

[Busted Seam]

Ha, first post. (spend the last couple of weeks on here reading through as much of the archive and the encyclopedia as possible)

I always thought they were the Calico mine one's but the paper tag reads "First Blue jean"

I guess that should be 1st 501 then?

Let's see if I manage to make an image appear?

I think yours are the same as Cotton'sm sympathy - in his very first post, before he was a famous model.

These are very similar to the 1890, which lots of people here like, the legs look slighty straighter to me.

Cotton, if you're around, how did these turn out?

THye were a standard LVC price, same as the 47, but you still made a great pickup. As you say the buckles on these are lousy & probabyly need replacing.

[Happy Hooligan]

Thought I'd post this... Goes with the Levi's...

Waiting for the fireworks to start... Levi 33's, Alden 405, Hat People Cap and a Buddy Lee T...

[airfrogusmc]

Just a quick question on wearing unsanforized jeans raw (ie without soaking them or washing them). Would wearing them raw cause them to stretch more in the waist?

I have ordered a pair of 1954 501zxx and I am thinking about wearing them raw without washing them - ever.

Hope someone can fill me in on this.

Has anybody found any good deals on LVC on this summer sale btw?

I find I get the best results on no soak for as long as I can stand it.

[airfrogusmc]

Never thought I'd be interested in buying a pair of pre stressed jeans, but them 333's are too cool - very antiquated look. I ran across those at cali while searching for '01's in my size. Btw, I've sent caliroots and oki-ni emails for special size requests a couple of days ago, but they have yet to respond. I giave up on them and sent Cultizm an email request today for '01. Does this Dejan dude have a separate email address that I should've used or will he get my note at the reg. email address posted at their site - I addressed my reguest to Dejan? Seems like actual measured w31 x L34 is impossible to find in any model.

The only way those puupies came was pre aged. The ones I have were the even more aged ones. Those were the only ones Dejan could get.

Heres his e-mail

[email protected]

[salaami]

if dude rocks them totally without water, he's not going to get the fullest potential out of his investment. they'll fall apart before their time. thats with ANY jean.

[erk]

if dude rocks them totally without water, he's not going to get the fullest potential out of his investment. they'll fall apart before their time. thats with ANY jean.

i mentioned that when he first posted that...and I'm glad you said it again.

[airfrogusmc]

i mentioned that when he first posted that...and I'm glad you said it again.

Explain that please? Thats just wrong info. 4-6 months without water isn't going to make them fall apart any faster than a soak and 4-6 months without water.

[jake431]

My understanding is the starch that unwashed jeans have - that starch that causes the good creases - can also cause the fabric to wear through more quickly because sharply creased fabric abrades more quickly at the fold. I think this applies to slimmer fits more than vintage fits, though that's just my opinion.

[salaami]

the bacteria-caused deterioration is also a big factor. please consider the amount of sweat and nut germs constantly living within the fibers of your jeans. its the next worse thing to wearing the same underwear everyday. in my humblest opinion, if you wear your jeans hard enough, you shouldn't have to care when to wash. most cats think they are hardcore denimheads, but all they do is TALK about jeans, instead of doing real activity in them. with all that said, gordon said that most 'vintage' style jeans will need 2-3 crotch repairs before its all over. do my FC look like they have been washed 23 times? not necessarily, cause i go HARD! if you are worried about water fucking up your fades, your dye job is garbage. any manufacturer that recommends you not wash for months on end knows you'll buy more jeans sooner cause they wont last as long. its called capitalism, noobs!

[Busted Seam]

It makes sense to soak - but why does everyone have to be so judgemental? TO each their own.

Few people soak Sanforized jeans. THey don't suddenly fall apart because of it. In fact my Sanforized jeans show fewer crotch blowouts than the jeans I soak. It could well be that sizing tends to make the htreads more brittle but it's only one of many factors.

Plenty of poeple within the industry keep washing to a minimum, partly as a reaction to that bland washed-out look that has been current for so long. Even Sammies, which have good indigo retention and crock more easily than many others, look crappy if you wash them a lot.

the fading WILL also be different if you don't soak. All the initial wear will look smoother, less salt and pepper, becuase the fibres haven't moved with soaking. It's a good idea to try whatever you want rather than just settling for what others tell you. In addition, the movement of whiskers etc - whihc is the main reason for soaking initially on non-Sanforized faric - is less of a problem than you might think.

[Leonard Leroy]

Even Sammies, which have good indigo retention and crock more easily than many others, look crappy if you wash them a lot.

Gordon of BiG's s5000vx and poly800rock's contest 0500xx's prove this statement false.

[airfrogusmc]

So you get no bacteria when you rinse them first? I have some of the first LVCs made that are well over 10 years old and have NEVER had an problems with them. I've done it both ways and the wait as long as you can method is WELL WORTH IT!!! Wait as long as you can between soaks even after the first. Only let soaks/washes become more frequent after the fades are fully set (usually a year or so). I have never had to do a crotch repair on any of my LVCs either done with a soak first or no soak for 4-6 months.

Oh also wanted to add I could care less what anyone else does all I can say is what I've done and I know what works best for me and I've seen a difference. Wheteher you believe that or not I could really care less and until you've done it both ways you'll really never know for sure, will you?

[Busted Seam]

Gordon of BiG's s5000vx and poly800rock's contest 0500xx's prove this statement false.

Actually, fair point, should;ve said can look crappy. I'm not pushing the 'never wash' line; I'm merely saying try for yourself and don't accept other people;s rules.

X-post from Sams thread:

*710's

*15mths

*Numerous washes (~9-10?)

*Weekend and evening wear only

[rnrswitch]

I gotta say I don't wash my jeans much, but I also work a desk job. It really depends on what you do in your jeans. When I worked construction, my SC 47s got a ton of washes, at least one a month if not one every two weeks. Now that I work a much more lax job I wash maybe once every three months and I have never had a crotch blowout and all of my jeans look great with this method. When they are dirty wash them. If this means every week or every 6 months, then so be it. Airfrog doesn't like to soak before wearing, big deal, he likes the look of raw denim. I like that look too, but I just can't go with the oversized fit of an unshrunken jean.

[Leonard Leroy]

Actually, fair point, should;ve said can look crappy. I'm not pushing the 'never wash' line; I'm merely saying try for yourself and don't accept other people;s rules.

I would attribute this more to him only wearing the jeans on weekends and evenings. There's still a lot of indigo there if you're looking for fades, still not helping your case here man.

[Happy Hooligan]

I don't get the whole "crotch blowout" thing...?

I've been wearing jeans since levi's was spelled with a Capital E and of all those jeans I've had throughout the years I've Never, Ever had my jeans crotch blow out?

Is this a new trend? Is it because kids wear their jeans so tight? Is it because they wear them so low? Do they ride bikes? Do they fart more than normal? If any thing blows out on my jeans, it's the knees...

[bunga]

well i think the trend for the past few years have been into the tight/slim look, heck some kids even buy ladies jeans to get that supertight look - even the Ramones would have cringed.

maybe biking, bmxing, skateboarding would induce more crotch blowouts but other than that....hmm...

[iamstarwars]

I don't get the whole "crotch blowout" thing...?

I've been wearing jeans since levi's was spelled with a Capital E and of all those jeans I've had throughout the years I've Never, Ever had my jeans crotch blow out?

Is this a new trend? Is it because kids wear their jeans so tight? Is it because they wear them so low? Do they ride bikes? Do they fart more than normal? If any thing blows out on my jeans, it's the knees...

We jeans wearers don't give the fart factor enough attention. Eat better, fart less (or less viciously) and your jeans will last longer!

[erk]

I'm gonna go ahead and be the first one to tell you thats a bad Idea.

if you never wash them they're going to never going to live up to their potential if they were washed.

they will become brittle and have lots of problems with crotch explosions especially with a jean as tight as the 1954 501z.

you will get blue everywhere. raw jeans even when soaked or washed once transfer indigo like crazy. its going to be even worse without a soak or wash.

just soak them. you wont lose hardly any indigo (mostly starch which you want to lose anyways) and the final product will last you longer and look better.

that was what i was referring to.

also, airfrog's 1917s are a little different then what was being addressed in my post. the 1917s are much wider legged than the 1954501z and I'm sure will be much less likely to have crotch rips and other problems.

i'm not trying to say that airfrog is wrong in what he is doing, cause he likes it that way, but I think that when people ask what they should do with their jeans, or says they're thinking about wearing raw and never washing (especially if it is a tight pair) the answer should be soak them first and they should understand the dangers of never washing.

besides all of that there is the aesthetic issue behind it. my brother tried wearing his first pair of STFs raw until the first was and low and behold he had knee fades 3 inches higher than they should have been. he didnt care, but I bet someone who is buying LVCs and posting on this forum is going to care.

[airfrogusmc]

Intersting because I've had 3 pairs of 1947s and one pair done the one soak method and the other two the no wash..

And if you soak once theor gonna shrink but remember it takes 4 maybe 5 wet to dry cycles to get most of the shirkage and 10 to bet it all so you're gonna get some drift no matter what. If you go say 5 months no water then soak then go anther 4 or 5 months yeah you might had a bit of a problem with the knee at first but after 5 months its all gonna blend together so if you do it right they going to look VERY AUTHENTIC and you will get combs and whiskers like you can get no other way. All I can say again is I've done it both ways on all kinds of LVCs....

[airfrogusmc]

My latest pair of 47s after about 10 months and two soaks. This was about a year ago and they look even better now.

Don't fear it theres nothing to be afraid of.