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Levi's 501 - a visual guide


Paul T

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  • 2 weeks later...

THose are drop-dead beautiful, the best jeans I've seen on eBay in a long time. yeah, the pocket linings, and the leather waist-tag are great. They're also better than any of the wartime Levi's they had in the archive a couple of years ago - wouldn't surprise me if Lynn Downey bids on them (unless of course it's the archive who are selling them, given the location...)

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  • 1 month later...

Just wanted to say that I have the 1999 555 201s and I don't find them to be any better than the ones from this fall.

Denim is almost exactly the same in color and texture and on both reissues it is singed and lack the vintage feel of Warehouses etc.

The '99s are actually worse then the 07s in one aspect, the backpockets are stitched on with a thread that is so orange that I think of Nudie whenever I see these jeans.

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  • 5 weeks later...

I am a new guy to LVC. Can I ask if Kurabo LVC 1873 would shrink after wash or is it sanforized? How much extent would it shrink usually, if any?

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  • 3 months later...

I've just updated the 501 info. New sections include the 'Oldest Oldest' or XX jean, plus the 1927, new photos of the 55 with a comparison to the 47, and more information on the 78 model, which has now been reissued.

let me know if it's useful, or if it's simply confusing.

AS you'll see, the early history is complicated, especially as LVC have reissues of the 'Oldest Oldest', the 'NEvada' and the 1873 First Blue Jean. I think I've disentangled it for the first time, with the help of Lynn Downey - but as you'll see, while there are some beautiful early LVC models, there are also some irritating errors.

I haven't included much information on the cheaper model lines, like the 200 and 300, even though these are some of the most interesting jeans (and best reissues), partly because I'm coming up against word and photo limits. WHen I get time, I'll try and incorporate some info on these on my own site.

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Notice the painted arcuates, which are still visible on fre$co's rather lovely pair.

527532882_6e2803a698.jpg

sorry to resurrect an old thread, but it's such a good one I hope no one'll mind:)

I knew about the WWII printed arcuates (supposedly due to rationing), but a friend of mine told me yesterday that he'd heard of some WWII levi's having a single stitched arcuate (1 line of stitching not 2) for the same reason. Anyone know anything about this? He may be thinking of the old single-stitched arcuates (2 lines each sewn separately), but he says he's definitely heard of one with just one visible stitch line...

any info much appreciated!

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the ones that have XX are raw denim made of synthedic dye ( it is really bad) and it is $40

Just about ALL modern jeans are made of synthetic dye, and have been sincethe 1920s.

Check out the original thread; XX was used on many models of 501;, disappearing round 1967. When it reappeared in the 80s, it as used to denote the shrink to fit, as opposed to preshrunk, version.

.. a friend of mine told me yesterday that he'd heard of some WWII levi's having a single stitched arcuate (1 line of stitching not 2) for the same reason. Anyone know anything about this? ..!

I think he's mistaken. Levi's would know of this variant, if it existed, but there's nothing like this in their records. There may be something similar, with a one-line arcuate, in their more recent models though ,

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I think he's mistaken. Levi's would know of this variant, if it existed, but there's nothing like this in their records. There may be something similar, with a one-line arcuate, in their more recent models though ,

good stuff Paul- and I agree, I've never seen it before, and I've had a bit of search around to check as well. Nice to have it confirmed by an expert though- thanks:)

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  • 4 months later...

Many thanks to THe Clerk, who loaned me his 1933 jeans, so I could replace the previous low-rez photos.

The guide has now been updated with actual size measurements for the 2009 production, courtesy of Cinch. However, I'm running up against the SuFu word and picture limit, so look for further updates on my 501FAQ in my sig.

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