Tricky shrinkage question for 1947 501xx levis.

[forge01]

Hello supertalk. I've been a lurker for a few years now but i've never felt a need to post till now.

First of all, I'd like to thank many of you guys( ringring, whiskey, sprawl, geowu, serge, etc..) for all the info and lively discussion on all things denim. I've certainly benefitted from the increased knowledge and I've read pretty much all the posts regarding denim, however I could not find an answer to my question in back posts so I'm asking for your advice here:

Recently I picked up a pair of 1947 501 LVC raw selvedge jeans size 34 x 32. Here's my dilemma: My waist size is normally a 32 but I've put on a few pounds, which I'll be shedding during the summer. I want to shrink the length while keeping the waist size the same until my first washing in 6 months or so. Do you think I could put the jeans on, get in a bath tub of warm water without immersing the waist part to get shrinkage in the inseam but not on the waist? And would that in any way adversely affect the weave/yarns? I'd probably soak for about 10 minutes, dry them while wearing them to give them shape, and them wear them hard until the first wash.

Hope my question makes sense. All replies welcome. Peace...

[ringring]

Wearing in the bath sounds like a good idea. You'll need more than 10 mins to shrink the legs up though. At least 20 mins in a warm bath.

You'll loose some indigo and some stiffness (as the starch/sizing washes out). But nothing to be worried about. Plus side is they will be more comfortable, fit right and you'll get that nice twisting on the chain stitched hems.

I say go for it.

[ringring]

PS, I reckon even if you got the waistband wet you'd still be OK for size, as they will only 'shrink-to-fit' to your waist size.

Welcome to Supertalk BTW.

[wild_whiskey]

Just to add, I would say that if you should them dry on you, its perfectly okay to let the waistband get wet. It will not shrink past your waist size .. I think cotton shrinking is a bit weaker than your hip bones.

[forge01]

Sounds good guys, thanks for the replies. Looks like I'll be taking a warm bath after work today.

BTW, for any L.A. heads, the Levis store in Santa Monica is finally starting to get more of the LVC collection for their shop and the worker I talked to told me the new Premium line is looking better than past efforts and even mixing in some Levis Red styles under the premium banner. New shipment coming in next week. And Hollywood Trading Co in Fred Segal Santa Monica is stocking A.P.C now. Picked up a pair of Anglaise last month based on the favorable reviews here. Good denim for sure.

Just a heads up guys.

[urban sprawl]

posted: Jun 6, 2005 02:29 PM msg. 18 of 23

my tip:

- let hot water in your tub. about 37.4 celsius

- wear your denim and keep your underwear on

- turn on the steve miller band cassette tape

- put some seasalt in the water

- step in

- get soaked your whole pair

- stay in there for 12 min. the longer the tighter the fit

- step out

- take picture of the blue water

- take off slowly

- dont wrench

- hang dry outside in the sun

hope it works!;p

ps: i'll be in la soon. where is the store in santa monica?

[forge01]

Haha...Very precise tips Mr. Sprawl; I should just turn this post into a before and after w/ pics to illustrate the process. Hadn't thought about the underwear either...I guess if I went in commando style we'd have an alternate, literal meaning of the term "blue balls"!

Nah, I'll be lounging with a couple of green bottles and some downtempo/acid jazz compilations.

The Levis store in Santa Monica is in the Third Street Promenade next to the new Kid Robot store near the corner of 3rd St and Santa Monica Blvd.

Hollywood Trading Co. is inside Fred Segal Santa Monica on 500 Broadway Ave. If you haven't been there before they arguably have one of the best denim ranges in L.A. imho. Knowledgable staff and they do free alterations done by a good tailor. Hope this helps.

[woejozney]

Are you supposed to do this when you get them, or after the 6 months of hard wear? Can i shrink my "baggy ass" 501XX's so that they fit, wear that for a long time, and then wash that?

[urban sprawl]

forge: thx for the info. since the levis store is on 3rd st promenade, i assume it hasnt got interesting stuff?

and dont get too wasted and forget that the longer you're in - the bluer your balls (and smaller)!;p

woejozney: anytime unless you have already "washed" them. btw, they're raw right?

[Serge d Nimes]

If they are RAW (unshrunk,) it is a good idea to shrink them before wearing them for the obvious reasons.

Carpe Denim!

[woejozney]

So if shrinking them is not going to ruin the whole "wear for 6 months and get a badass wash in the end" effect? And how is it worth it getting them to dry on me? Or should I just hang them outside?

[forge01]

Took a bath last night in the 47's and hang dryed them overnight. This morning I checked on them and the legs were still round and super stiff. They were way stiffer than in it's original state. They actually stood up by themselves like the lower half of a mannequin. Haven't tried them on yet as I was late for a company meeting but will try them on after work. I'm guessing they will soften up a bit with wear...also there was very minimal color loss as to be almost unnoticeable.

Woejozney: As ringring stated in earlier posts you can still get great wear and hige effects on shrink to fits after shrinking them, plus, if you wore them hard for 6 months and then did the first wash, the great contrast and wear effects would actually have moved up as they have shrunk a few inches.

Urban: Yeah, I never liked the Levis store but I would still walk in as they sometimes get the odd shipment of LVC clothes. When I went in last time the worker I got to know well told me about the increased orders for LVC and Premium line. He even showed me this book with all their orders coming in and the dates of arrival. Even offered me his employee discount on future purchases. How's that for customer service. Anyway worth checking out.

[wild_whiskey]

Forge01, it will take about a day of wear for them to soften up, but when you first put them on they will be so uncomfortable, it will be almost unwearable.

[STOLEN FROM POLAND]

I've done two washes in the bath tub with these exact jeans and they've definitely shrunk a lot. I like my 501's kinda tight. If you're gonna lose some weight I'd hold of on it because of the fit of a 501. Anything with a higher rise in the front can cut you if they are too tight because of the construction of the pant...

Just some knowledge from a former big man of the jean world and I mean weight kids!

[whatdunksshouldiwear]

usually it will shink a inch or 2 if your in the pool a while.

[ki11yourself]

i was attacked by sharks when i took the suggestion of wearing into the ocean

[woejozney]

The black water was pretty cool, until it leaked into my kitchen, and I had to go put a cup on the floor to catch my water in. They didn't shrink as much as I would have hoped, but I like them better now.