Levi's 501 - a visual guide

[partytaco]

new purchase after looking for many years for a pair dark enough, that are not completely trashed and most importantly fit.

mid 50's 501xx

[wywh]

new purchase after looking for many years for a pair dark enough, that are not completely trashed and most importantly fit.

mid 50's 501xx

WOW....very nice! Congrats!

If you don't mind, how much you pay for this vintage?

Regards,

[partytaco]

good luck. any guesses on the final price??? at least the shipping is cheap.

http://cgi.ebay.com/LEVI-501-Vintage-WWII-Jeans-34-x-33-Actual-32-X-31_W0QQitemZ130198531667QQihZ003QQcategoryZ52386QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[partytaco]

good luck. any guesses on the final price??? at least the shipping is cheap.

http://cgi.ebay.com/LEVI-501-Vintage-WWII-Jeans-34-x-33-Actual-32-X-31_W0QQitemZ130198531667QQihZ003QQcategoryZ52386QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[hawkeye]

good luck. any guesses on the final price??? at least the shipping is cheap.

http://cgi.ebay.com/LEVI-501-Vintage-WWII-Jeans-34-x-33-Actual-32-X-31_W0QQitemZ130198531667QQihZ003QQcategoryZ52386QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

AMAZING! Cant wait to see how this one ends.

[Charlie Delta]

Will you look at the pocket fabric on those, just WOW!!!

[Paul T]

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...)

[horriblyjollyjinx]

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.

[horriblyjollyjinx]

And for those intrigued by the 1954 LVC.jp reissue that Paul mentioned, the Fob Factory F151 is a 1954 501 repro. How close to the original, there's no telling.

It's slimmer than the 55, leg width comparable to the 47, and lower rise than either. Possibly slightly tapered.

[n0torious]

Thanks for the denim timeline, made for a great read.

[alexmak]

those r 501xx with selvage thats it. the nowadays 501xx cut

i see do you know where can i find those?

[cash]

i see do you know where can i find those?

online, or mail order through one of the LeVIS stores. I'm really new, but shouldn't this be in "Small Questions"

[Treomen]

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?

[Paul T]

The Kurabo denim will shrink about as much as other 501s, say 1 1/2 in the waist, 2 inch in the leg. But they are most likely made slightly overside, see the opening pages of this thread for more info.

[hawkeye]

Eh? Half selvage 501s? Never seen these before:

http://cgi.ebay.com/VINTAGE-60-LEVIS-LEVI-BIG-E-501-SELVAGE-REDLINE-8-W31_W0QQitemZ110259000953QQihZ001QQcategoryZ11483QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[Charlie Delta]

^Wow, never seen or heard of anything like that.

Great size aswell, the arc look somewhat off.

Legit?

[Paul T]

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.

[aaronmetcalf]

40s or 50s redlines - 24" waist!

[hype_killz]

i really need someone to take pics of my 47s...

it will be 2 years on christmas of this year, last washed at 8 months,

they're fading like crazy!

holler at me if your in the bay

[wywh]

I believe this is very good example of 1940s 501xx with excellent condition and details, up to the usage of yellow and orange stitching through out. The leather patch looks great!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=120316143955

I wish I got money that much....

[selaviso]

I believe this is very good example of 1940s 501xx with excellent condition and details, up to the usage of yellow and orange stitching through out. The leather patch looks great!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=120316143955

I wish I got money that much....

i wouldnt mind one bit owning those haha.

[humanbeforeall]

so are the shrink-to-fit 501s that Levi's typically makes and sells in their retail stores the "raw" model or is that only the ones labelled XX???

What is the non-LVC "raw" denim 501?

[Guest scottie2]

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

[humanbeforeall]

but the normal shrink-to-fits that are NOT labelled XX are raw denim, as well?

[sayocean]

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

false. the XX on the leather-like patch doesn't indicate anything anymore unless its the LVC 501.

[rodeo bill]

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

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!

[Paul T]

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 ,

[rodeo bill]

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:)

[airfrogusmc]

1927 501s from early this year.

These fit very much like my 1933s. Very loose and the same weight denim (light). These were JUST rinsed for

the first time (wife threatened to wash them) and are several months old with CONSTANT wear.

[Paul T]

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.