Official info on US LVC Fall '06...

[Shorty Long]

Well, here's the answer to my question...from Levi: I'm interested in a number of items...the two shirts, the 646s and the 19thc jacket (depending on how much they 'destroy' the garments and depending on if they actually make these items available)

Below are the products that we are currently manufacturing for our

Levis® Vintage Collection of fall 2006.

1947 501® Jean

Model Information

Slim leg with twisted side seam Big "E" Red Tab and concealed rivets on back pockets Button fly with Osco zinc buttons When World War II was over it was time to bring the 501® jean into the modern era. It features the double-needle Arcuate stitching design and, of course, the Capital "E" Red Tab, but the cinch, suspender buttons and crotch rivet went away. Shorn of excess, it now reflects a more modern sensibility.

Fabric Information100% Cotton

Denim Deadstock will shrink approx 2" in the waist and 2" in length if home laundered.

1955 501® Jean

Model Information

The 1955 501® jean belongs to the era of the rebel, the motorcycle rider, the bad boy of the blackboard jungle. It has the leather patch, double-sided Capital E Red Tab and subtle styling for the slimmer, rugged guy of the 50's, with the perfect hole at the knee and aggressive whiskering on the upper thigh. This is our "Faithful" finish, in remembrance of America's cultural rebels. Instead of being folded, the cuffs have been carefully rolled up to hit at just the right spot on the boots.

32" inseam, when cuffed = 30"34" inseam, when cuffed = 32"

Fabric Information 100% Cotton Denim

1966 646 Jean

Model Information

The year was 1966 and the bellbottom had gradually narrowed to a barely there flare, captured in the popular 646 fit.

Fabric Information100% Cotton Denim

Deadstock will shrink approx 2" in the waist and 2" in length if home laundered.

Bunkhouse Shirt Circa 1911

Model Information

Levi's Vintage Clothing recreates the work wear found in a bunkhouse left behind in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, circa 1911. The grey chambray work shirt slides over the head. The original owner replaced a few of the fasteners, and so did we - the buttons are made from mother of pearl, river shell and wood.

Fabric Information100% Cotton Denim

Authentic Denim Western Shirt

Model Information

From the Levi's® Authentic Denim Western Wear line of the 1950s, this faded denim work shirt encapsulates the motor love of an era. This classic shirt features two chest pockets with silver snaps, a Western style back yoke and a replicated period label with short-horn logo imagery.

Fabric Information100% Cotton Denim

1967 Type 3 Jacket

Model Information

The Type 3 or Trucker Style jacket made its debut in 1962 and by 1967 it was the ultimate of all denim jackets on the market. Perfectly recreated here in rigid, dark Dead Stock denim that's ready to get worn in, the jacket features front V-seams that echo its characteristics pointed pocket flaps.

Fabric Information100% Cotton Denim

If home laundered, jacket will shrink in the chest about 1 1/2", front length about 1/2" and the sleeves about 3/4".

1897 Blanket Lined Pleated Blouse

Model Information

This blanket lined 19th century jacket, or blouse as it was called then, was the forerunner of the iconic Levi's® denim jackets. It has sewn down front pleats, two large riveted chest pockets with silver buttons, silver buttons down the placket, and copper rivets at the cuff vents for added strength. A cinch at the back allows for an adjustable fit. The blanket lining adds warmth and softness and a dash of true old west flavor.

Fabric Information100% Cotton Denim

[jake431]

The 1897 Blanket Lined Pleated Blouse sounds great to me. I want. I wonder how many hundreds of dollars it will cost?

-Jake

[Petekilla]

I just want to know where the hell to find them, I am guessing most will not be found on their site or the levis store.

[Shorty Long]

well, i wouldn't look for them until mid-august or so...the levi stores in SF and NYC usually have the full collection when available

[tangerine]

I saw some of the items at the SF store today. The resident expert told me that the (distressed) '47 is being made with Cone Mills denim this year, instead of the Japanese denim they had been using.

The blanket-lined jacket was kind of cool but I didn't like the pleats. The blanket is nice and the vintage tag inside is pretty cool looking.

They also have a 1906 waist overall that to me was the pick of the litter. Amazing detailing. This is a replica of the "bunkhouse" jeans found with the shirt Shorty described above. The bunkhouse shirt is really nice, too, but I balked at the $250 price tag.

They didn't have the 646s yet, I still want to see those.

This shit ain't cheap.

[Shorty Long]

yeah...i talked with the guy at the sf store today on the phone...i'm interested in seeing this collection...the prices do seem steep, but if they're quality, i might shell out for a couple pieces...the denim shirt and the 1897 blouse...

did you notice what, if any, of the items are made in the USA?

[tangerine]

^ sorry, I didn't check that. I should probably step up my investigator game.

The denim shirt looked pretty good, though the expert dude pointed out that it is not selvedge.

I will try to stop in again tomorrow and take a closer look; get your specific info requests in now!

[Shorty Long]

to tell you the truth, I don't think the original denim shirts had a selvedge...i could be wrong, but from the ones i've seen...

in addition to the 'made in' info, I'm just interested in finding out how "finished" the 1897 jacket and denim shirt are...also if there is any difference in this season's dry 1947s and last seasons...i know you had mentioned the distressed ones were different

i'm heading to the levi store in tyson's corner today, but i called ahead and told me they don't have the new collection in yet...

thanks for the info!!!

[tangerine]

^ Shorty, glad to give some info back, you've always been the first to give a heads-up on new LVC info.

Not sure what you mean, though, by "how 'finished' the 1897 jacket and denim shirt are". ?

[mizanation]

would love to see the '67 type 3 jacket....

[Paul T]

Aaaarrrrggghhhh! For once the US has items not available in the UK. We just have the 1933 Towrope jeans this fall - no pre-1933 models, apart from the 1900 workpants, which are nice, but are duck, not denim.

Try and post photos if you can! I'm owed some Levi's for work I did from them, and i'm now majorly depressed, it's the early 1900s distressed models I tend to like. UI've seen the original bunkhouse jeans & they're beautiful.

Anyway, given that for the last couple of seasons US buyers got a raw deal, good for you. Boo hoo...

[Shorty Long]

^ Shorty, glad to give some info back, you've always been the first to give a heads-up on new LVC info.

Not sure what you mean, though, by "how 'finished' the 1897 jacket and denim shirt are". ?

Well, I guess I should have said how "distressed" or how "worn in"...i prefer "rigid" or "deadstock" denim pieces, but if they're not too artificially messed with i might pick them up

[tangerine]

I went back and tried to get some more answers. The "expert dude" was not there today but I was able to find out the following:

All the pieces I have seen are labeled made in USA. That includes the blouse, the denim shirt, the bunkhouse shirt, the distressed '47 Cone Mills jeans, the '06 bunkhouse jeans and the '55 rolled jeans. The guy that was there was "pretty sure" that all the Fall '06 US LVC stuff is made in the USA. The type 3 jacket and 646 rigid still haven't come in. There is also another early model cinchback with single needle arcuate stitching that I couldn't identify; the cardboard tag that goes over the waistband says 602000... not sure how many zeros. This would be the cardboard tag that on the 47s says 47501... this pair was very washed out and featured some rust on the hardware and a lot of "repair" stitching. I liked them except for the very light blue color.

The blouse is $350. The denim shirt is $215.

Paul T, I am excited that we got some good stuff. I am not sure if they will let me take pics of it but I will ask.

Shorty, the blouse does not look too artificially distressed, but it is washed to a medium to light color. I want to say that the shirt is washed almost to a chambray color, but maybe it's not quite as light as that. It's pretty nice looking regardless.

I was not able to find out if the rigid 47 501s are also Cone Mills denim or not. I am going back tomorrow to talk to the expert dude again, so keep posting questions.

[YoungPunch]

Tangerine,

Whats the sizing like on the 1897 blanket lined blouse/ jacket?

Are they sized by chest measurements (36,38,40....etc) or S,M,L,XL??

If I wear a size 36 or 38 jacket size, what size might I want to get in the blouse??

Thanks for any help on this.

[Watchout Lester]

do they have the cords? i saw them on the UK site. just wanted to know how slim they actually are, say compared to the 47 501 or 66 501?

and anyone have a price?

is it not even worth it, are the 30$ 80's vintage white tab cords that all nyc thrift stores have just as good (i.e. are there any real distinctions between the 60's cords and later "vintage"

thanks for any info

[tangerine]

Today's update: all the current US LVC denim is Cone Mills, including the rigid '47 501.

The other cinchback pair I saw is from last year, it is a 1915 201.

YoungPunch, I don't know but I can find out, unless they 86 me for going in every day, asking questions and not buying anything.

WLester, I haven't seen or heard about any cords in this collection. UK LVC is a different collection than US. Paul T might know, though.

[YoungPunch]

Thanks tangerine, if you can go back to the store and find out that sizing info, It would be a great help. I am pretty much decided I will buy the jacket, but I would like to be sure I know the right size to get before I phone order from the S.F. store.

Yeah, this is by far the best lvc season for the U.S. market in a while!

Maybe levi's has been reading superdenim and listening to our complaints, hehe.

[Dick Danger]

Today's update: all the current US LVC denim is Cone Mills, including the rigid '47 501.

YoungPunch, I don't know but I can find out, unless they 86 me for going in every day, asking questions and not buying anything.

So where are you? I need a pair of rigid 47s, and I have some time to take a trip.

[tangerine]

San Francisco, baby!

[Shorty Long]

hmmm...I thought LVC had continued to use Cone Mills denim on the 1947 despite using Japanese denim for some of their other pieces...do they have the deadstock 47s for the fall in the store? are you able to tell a difference between the new batch and ones from the past season?

Today's update: all the current US LVC denim is Cone Mills, including the rigid '47 501.

The other cinchback pair I saw is from last year, it is a 1915 201.

YoungPunch, I don't know but I can find out, unless they 86 me for going in every day, asking questions and not buying anything.

WLester, I haven't seen or heard about any cords in this collection. UK LVC is a different collection than US. Paul T might know, though.

[tangerine]

hmmm...I thought LVC had continued to use Cone Mills denim on the 1947 despite using Japanese denim for some of their other pieces...do they have the deadstock 47s for the fall in the store? are you able to tell a difference between the new batch and ones from the past season?

They do have the fall 06 deadstock/rigid 47s in the store. I am not been able to personally compare them to last year's, but the expert dude said that last year they used Japanese denim (not sure which mill, I had never heard of it, it wasn't Kurabo) and that the Cone denim is thicker and dyed deeper.

Question for you (or Paul T), Levi's seems to use the words deadstock and rigid interchangeably. I always thought deadstock meant the piece was actually old stock, ie the 47 deadstock would have been manufactured between 47 and 54. But they seem to just mean that it's dry denim. Are there multiple definitions for deadstock?

[Shorty Long]

well...i think 'deadstock' is the name given to that particular finish, which would more correctly be called 'rigid'...it seems that they always try to give a clever name to their pieces...i guess since they're trying to recreate the past with their items, calling it deadstock would give the impression that these jeans have been lying around since the 40s

[Shorty Long]

PS-thanks for all of the info!!!!

[Paul T]

"The expert dude said that last year they used Japanese denim (not sure which mill, I had never heard of it, it wasn't Kurabo) and that the Cone denim is thicker and dyed deeper."

It is possible there was a short-term change in spring of 2006, though it's the first I've heard... there seemed no one home at LVC so there could have been some short-term changes. I would be surprised, but you never know. Fall 2005 was definitely credtied to Cone, and the nominal weight of the spring 2006 was the same... I have both jeans and can't see any visible differences. Sadly, both the experts at Cinch in London, who I'd trust to know the truth, have left. Levi's use quite a few Kaihara fabrics, too. Mempo and Nisshinbo are two other popular mills.

Re deadstock, everyone's right in that Deadstock does refer to jeans that have been lying around in a cupboard for years. what LVC mean is that these are replicas of deadstock examples, hence the effort to replicate all the tags etc, and so as has been pointed out it's interchangeable with the term rigid.

BTW, for anyone's reference, the Bunkhouse is on the LVC US site, which implies it should be widely-available. They're also implying the Capital E denim comes from Cone (North Carolina).

http://www.us.levi.com/lsco/levi/prod/l_prod.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374305322541&bmUID=1155063087528

I was chatting to an ex big cheese at Levi's who is now a consultant & he was modestly optimistic re LVC, so maybe this season's improvement will be carried on. Fingers crossed.

He also pointed out a technical error in the last edition of the book Denim From Cowboys TO Catlwalks LOL! It's being corrected in time for an upcoming Japanese edition...

[Shorty Long]

is the SF store carrying this t-shirt????

http://www.us.levi.com/lsco/levi/prod/l_prod.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374305322539&bmUID=1155063507076

[tangerine]

Thanks Paul and Shorty for the updated links and additional info. They must have just updated the site because those weren't up a few days ago.

Shorty, I don't think the t-shirt is there (yet), I am going back in a little while and I will ask. I know they are still waiting to get the Type 3 jacket and the rigid 646s so maybe they will get it then.

YoungPunch, according to the Levis site the jacket comes in S, M, L and XL and the S is 37.75" chest. I will try one on in the store if I can; I am about the same size.

[YoungPunch]

Thanks for all the help tangerine, I see the size descriptions for the jacket on the website. I think I will definately go for the size small, so that all of the distressed honey combs and fading will look right on me! I wish this jacket came in a dry version, but I'll just get a raw type II jacket to break in on my own sometime in the future.

[jet190rs]

So does Deadstock also mean its unwashed selvage?

[Shorty Long]

when talking about lvc, yes

[tnf1029]

I returned 646 because on the tag it shows that shrinkage is approximately 3% which is far less than 2inches in waist and 3 inches they show on the website.

The fabrics is great!!! If you want to get one get the actual size.