Levi's Vintage Clothing

[lance]

^ nice work!

Edited February 13, 2015 by lance

[Maynard Friedman]

The lack of activity in this thread makes me a bit sad but hopefully I'll wear my 1915s again this summer and start on my 1937s too do might be able to update it. I just had a look at my (still raw) 1955s and I think that once they've been washed, the measurements will be very close to my Ande Whall Buffalos, which are currently my favourite cut. Quite exciting... (for me, anyway!).

[Broark]

I kind of lack interest in LVC due to the quality to price ratio, I just don't see the point in paying SRP when it all goes on sale eventually.

I get the historical accuracy aspect, which I like and respect. But outside of that it all seems so boring.

When I can buy from a Japanese brand for less and end up with a (what I think is, at least) better, more interesting quality product.

And the whole lawsuit snafu still irks me.

That being said I did pick up a boarder tee for next to nothing last week, should be here soon.

Never would've paid full price for it though. 

[jgpp63]

The lack of activity in this thread makes me a bit sad but hopefully I'll wear my 1915s again this summer and start on my 1937s too do might be able to update it. I just had a look at my (still raw) 1955s and I think that once they've been washed, the measurements will be very close to my Ande Whall Buffalos, which are currently my favourite cut. Quite exciting... (for me, anyway!).

 

I'm wearing LVC today and have done so on and off since the late 90's but the love has gone, there is some really shoddy stuff knocking about and the part of the story that made me want it all them years back has been removed , now LVC is made all over the pWorld and the rrp of raw '47's in the UK is a piss take at £215 approx, plenty of other options .

[setterman]

I kind of lack interest in LVC due to the quality to price ratio, I just don't see the point in paying SRP when it all goes on sale eventually.

I get the historical accuracy aspect, which I like and respect. But outside of that it all seems so boring.

 

 

You nailed it, price and the line is boring.  There's enough variation in vintage jeans that you can take some of these historical details, and move them in and out of the line up from season to season.  Instead, you get a product that, other than the gradual decrease in quality, and increase in price, is the same from year to year.

 

When we approached LVC with what eventually became the 551ZXX giveaway at DB, our original idea was for LVC to take the '55 501XX pattern and denim, the patch and zip off the '54 501ZXX, use lemon yellow stitching throughout, and off set the back belt loop, to make a proper '54 501ZXX.  That obviously didn't fly.  Things like that though are what will keep LVC interesting to denimheads, not the same eight to ten models, done the same way year after year.    

[Broark]

Things like that though are what will keep LVC interesting to denimheads, not the same eight to ten models, done the same way year after year.    

That's exactly what I'm thinking, for the last few years I always see what each new season has and it's always ends up being the same.

Then they'll come up with some interesting theme and execute it poorly in regards to construction and quality.

Imagine what prices would be like if they were actually made well consistently. Makes my head spin just thinking about it.

[Shorty Long]

i've said it before, and i'll say it again...the magic of LVC for me died when Levi's closed and sold the Valencia St. factory

 

any interest i've maintained has slowly decreased over the years...primarily due to lack of quality and attention to detail

[waxedandriveted]

theres some truth to that, their tees and obviously orange tab is purely meant to move units and help the brand grow. when they have a strong line of classics and offer jackets and shirts in their raw states like they did this season (FW13), i still see the old LVC somewhere in there. lets hope there are some appealing and non-gimmicky wearable repros down the line that show that they do care about the niche/enthusiast customer that the brand was at least somewhat tasked with appeasing. 

[aho]

^Even mainline Levi's is having an identity crisis...What with all the management changes, firings, and third party consultants calling the shots, it's surprising LVC and Made and Crafted made it this far! Somewhat off topic, but bigger picture, it really isn't a surprise that LVC is what it is today when they're not even sure what to do with mass market products...

 

That said, of course I'm cheering for them and can only hope they take our internet gripes in consideration of where the brand should grow. Until then, sale LVC it is...

Edited February 25, 2015 by aho

[setterman]

That said, of course I'm cheering for them and can only hope they take our internet gripes in consideration of where the brand should grow. Until then, sale LVC it is...

 

I wonder how long stores will put up with having to clear LVC out at the end of the season?  Unionmade still had a lot of stuff they couldn't move in their recent sale, even with things marked down 60 to 70%.  

 

And I wonder how long some of those raw 501s sit on the shelf before selling?  Not being able to put them on sale would piss me off if I was a store owner.  Figure their wholesale cost is between $70 to $100, so they make $190 to $160 when the finally sell a pair at full price.  How long can a pair sit on a shelf before you don't make any money off of it?  Rent, electricity, heat, taxes, payroll, they're all going to add up fast in a big city (you need thousands of dollars in sales every day).  I would think after a pair of jeans have sat on the shelf for more than two or three months, you're not making any money on them when they finally sell.       

[Broark]

That would really annoy me if I were a buyer or small business owner.

Not moving product leads to lack of interest from your customer (coming back to the same thing over and over again, seen it first hand).

But a shop like Unionmade carries so many brands that they're able to keep that from being very obvious.

They have to keep those raw 501's for quite some time, which has to be aggravating when you can't do anything with them (they take up tons of space, no room to discount to actually get them out the door, etc.) so like you said they're just burning possible revenue.

All that being said I'm sure there are quite a few LVC fans who will come in and clear up a bit of your stock rather quickly, but at the end of the day you're likely going to just be showroom-ing LVC for Levis until they decide to put whatever items on sale.

[Maynard Friedman]

Or you just keep them in your stockroom/warehouse for online shoppers only and dedicate the valuable in-store shelf space to brands/items people actually want to buy.

[Broark]

Well obviously, but the one time I went to Unionmade they had an entire wall dedicated to LVC jeans which would lead me to believe they sell well if they're dedicating that much space to them.

Just as someone who's into denim I don't really get LVC as a viable option with so many other options.

But it seems like the problems really stem from main brand Levis and their internal issues.

[setterman]

It's still tied up capital and expense Maynard.  

 

As an online consumer, we have no idea how many pairs get sold world wide.  For every denimhead that balks at the asking price, there might be a dozen people that walk in the store and plunk down $260.

 

It is telling though that what was once one of the most active threads here has fallen to the second page pretty regularly over the past year.  When it does have activity, talk of price dominates the conversation.  And the people most knowledgeable about the product won't touch it unless it's marked down 50%.  When you're counting on customers that don't know the product and it's competition (or don't care) for continued sales, that doesn't sound like a strong business model.  But, with minimal effort and zero advertising, raw LVC probably still outsells all the other US premium denim brands combined, and that's probably all that matters.    

[waxedandriveted]

lvc jeans can sit longer than their tees and other seasonal stuff (pertaining to their "concept" of the season). just look at how unionmade still has certain obscure LVC jeans released multiple seasons ago (if not years). i doubt unionmade or other shops worry too much about discounting a 501 they probably would just reorder for the following season. that doesn't mean it doesn't cost them money to have sitting inventory. 

 

another thing, i just got a valencia street made duck jacket and compared it to the duck blouse released a few seasons ago, the valencia st. fabric is so much more interesting it's not even funny. you can't sell fabric like that to the average so called premium denim buyer (because "defects")

 

the easy thing to bash is Orange Tab, which many purists believe is a hateful thing that belongs in mainline levis.

 

niche brands always have so much more cache and respect when they stay small and elusive, for many reasons. when LVC was nowhere and it was an event to find it I was more willing to drop. same with RRL which used to not be available online. Now, which really takes some desirability away, is that LVC is available for purchase on the mainline website. a couple years ago there wasn't even a true website dedicated to the brand.

 

but, If a niche brand could gain a bigger distribution network and maintain quality control and maintain their identity I honestly think we all could live with that. 

Edited February 25, 2015 by waxedandriveted

[Shorty Long]

here's the heart of LVC's problem (at least in my opinion);

 

to the average (non-denimhead) consumer willing to spend a bit more on jeans, paying $250+ for a pair of levi's is crazy when you can get a pair for the same price (or perhaps cheaper) from a more "trendy" brand

 

to the denimhead, paying $250 for a pair of levi's that aren't technically even manufactured by levi and have many shortcomings in both historical accuracy and, most importantly, quality is crazy when there are better options out there in the market

 

the same goes for their other products as well...why would i pay $90 for a US-made LVC t-shirt with a crappy side seam and flimsy fabric when I can pick up a 2-pack of velvasheen t's for $70? 

[MDSsmith]

http://four-pins.com/style/levis-vintage-clothing-spring-summer-2015/

[setterman]

I will say this about LVC, I do think they inspire/drive some of the Japanese brands.  They did the 518 White Levis a couple seasons ago, which fell flat IMO because of the $200 asking price (I picked up a pair for $99, they're worth 2/3 that).  But, since then brands like Warehouse (and Archives) and Fullcount are offering white, slimmer fitting jeans.  There seems to be zero interest in that style at sufu, but I love my 518s for summer wear, and would grab a pair of white Warehouse 800 if they weren't so expensive ($180 is a bit much for pants that will get limited wear).  

[Kushy]

A little off topic- Does anyone have the LVC 1950s Hoodie?  If so, can you share details and opinions?  Is it ring spun? How's the quality of the garmet? 

 

Many thanks for any information!

[Shorty Long]

By the way, I'm selling a pair of rigid, NWT 1922 501s; size 32; price $160

Here

http://www.denimbro.com/price-dropshortys-yard-salerigid-lvc-1922-501s_topic1380.html

Edited March 4, 2015 by Shorty Long

[helanga]

Need some advise...I intend to hook LVC 1937 and my waist size are 31. Should I get up one size or just hook 31??

Edited March 8, 2015 by helanga

[Maynard Friedman]

50% off 1890s, 1920s 201s and 1978s at Volls:

http://volls.de/index.php?lang=ENG&list=LEVIS_VINTAGE

EDIT: 60s 551z and 67s added to the sale.

Edited March 24, 2015 by Maynard Friedman

[Kushy]

So I ended up buying the hoodie.  The quality is very high and this is a very thick and heavy hoodie.  Very warm.  Highly recommended. 

The fit is vintage and boxy but I am liking that.  Looks great with some jeans and chucks. 

Edited March 20, 2015 by Kushy

[Max Power]

Just got a  - hopefully - deadstock 70s vintage Type III. Not sure what I can expect from it, but it was pretty cheap.

[Max Power]

So here it is - it really fits like I expected it from a vintage jacket - wide arms, short and boxy body, wide collar. All in all not my cp of tea. I'll try it with a layered hoodie underneath and will probably just keep it for the collection. But now I really want a Type III that fits.

[Flash]

It not a bad fit mate

Looks like you could size down .... but it could end up a little short

Edited March 25, 2015 by Flash

[Max Power]

Yeah, it's already on the short end.The full arms are what bug me most.

[garden gnomes in space]

jesus Max, your liquor shelf is almost as impressive as your denim collection

[beautiful_FrEaK]

yep, it's too wide IMO. Especially for a type3

[Sugar Mountain]

Length-wise, I think that the jacket is good so if I were you I'd shoot for one in the same length but with a slightly trimmer body and slimmed down arms. 

 

That whisky collection though!