Washing "unwashed LVC 501 Dry shrink-to-fit denim" questions

[Homesicker]

Finally I got a pair of unwashed 1947 501xx jean. We know it is shrink-to-fit denim. i bought it in 32 waist on purpose though i wear w29or30 normally.

so now it ain't suitable for me , for people go without saying just first soak it . then let it be shrunk.

but someone said never wash them at least within 6 months unless u wanna ruin them. they might meant prevent indigo fade out before u do nothing to them. but i feel not good when i wear bigger size jean especially for this standard straight fit cut. so i got confused .wondering how to do. wash first? or dont wash....

1: wash first, after first wash wear it in high frequency, and don't wash it again in long period.......

if i follow this way. i state IMO how to wash it and if u feel i¡¯m wrong then pls correct me:

Open the buttons make it inside out then put it into basin with warm water(40'c), soak it around at least 10min(written by booklet, i just dont know the time at all). then take it out(do i need to wring the water out by hands before dry it?) keep inside out and put it on the flat surface, let it dry naturally.( do i need wear it and sit or move around when it is still wet by way of make it shrink to my size and make maximum creases)

2: dont wash it until creases come out or the jean is very dirty and smelly.

in this way how to do it? is it the same with the way above? someone said use hot water(70'c maybe) let the more indigo out, which is on the crease. for making the stronger contrast to dark area. is this a feasible way? and how to clear away the smelly and dirty things?

pls give me ur suggestions. and so many questions, hope u won't feel bored. thanks in advance...

[ringring]

Both the ways you have written will work.

My suggestion would be a long cold water soak. ie. place them in a bath of cold water for 3 hours or more. Turn then inside out before soaking. Afterwards spin them in a machine to remove excess water (no heat). Then either wear them whilst they are damp until dry, or hang dry inside out.

Then wear them a lot. When you decide to wash them you could soak them in cold/tepid soapy water (simple vegetable soap, PH neutral, no enzymes, no phosphates) and rinse cold. Wash inside out, cold rinse and dry as above.

That's how I know many denimphiles wash their jeans. But there are no rules as such. Jeans are just workwear and if you want to just throw them in a machine, that's OK too.

Edited by ringring on Sep 1, 2005 at 03:50 AM

[Homesicker]

thanks ringring

u mentioned that spin them into washing machine to remove excess water.

is this way doable? i afraid it may be harmed a bit by this way. selvage or else.... did u try, i never try....

[ringring]

Sure it's doable. I've done it many, many times.

Just make sure they have been turned inside out beforehand, so there's no abrasion on the face of the denim from the machine's drum.

[Homesicker]

ok u meant wash first and wear, right?

thank ur suggestions.

u meant when i take them out from the washing machine after spin them. then wear it at once or put on the flat let it dry naturally. both ways are doable? pls forgive my poor english.

Edited by Homesicker on Sep 1, 2005 at 03:45 AM

[ringring]

ok u meant wash first and wear, right?

Yes. I meant to soak them in cold water before wearing them. That's how I would treat LVC 47s anyway (and how Levi's themselves would recommend - hence the term "shrink to fit" ) .

You could wear them whilst damp until they are dry or just hand them up to dry andf wear them afterwards. Both are OK. Although you'll get lots of creases on the whiskers and honeycombs immediately if you wear them whilst damp.

However I know some people never wash their denim - and get beautiful results, albeit with questionable hygiene. Your choice. Everything is doable really.

Edited by ringring on Sep 1, 2005 at 03:52 AM

[Homesicker]

yeah they do in that way..... shall i get beautiful result like they got if i soak them first?

ok quote some words from the LVC booklet with this jean:

the recommendation for shrink-to-fit jeans is that them 2-3 inches longer and 2 inches bigger around the waist......nonsense first

the first time you wash your jeans ,wash by hand in warm water without soap.soak the garment in the water for at least 10 min , moving it gently to prevent patching caused by any excess indigo dye. for subsequent washes , make sure you turn the garment inside out and handwash it separately(as the indigo colour is likely temperature of 40'c .avoid soap as this causes the indigo colour to pale. shrinkage will occur during the first 3 washes, continuing,if only slightly , until the 10th wash.

[Homesicker]

one more stupid question...... they would shrink while soaking or they shrink while drying or in both?

[ringring]

shall i get beautiful result like they got if i soak them first?

Yes.

By the way, I think the recommendation by Levi's is good. I prefer soaking them for much longer periods than 10 minutes because you'll get more shrinkage.

they would shrink while soaking or they shrink while drying or in both?

Probably a bit of both, but it's the soaking that causes most of the shrinkage. (basically, denim yarns are woven at high tension and the water removes the sizing and releases tension in the yarns which causes the yarn to return to it's pre-tension state - hence the shrinkage).

To illustrate the water effect, if you put them on whilst still damp, you'll see that the length and waist size will have shrunk and the leg seams will have twisted.

[Homesicker]

thank u very much, u helped a lot!

[Homesicker]

just saw someone said LVC STF would look like ass after wash . their words really shook me. share ur opinions, friendz

[Stewie]

thats codswallop, so don't worry

[horriblyjollyjinx]

Nah, regular 501 STF's look like ass after wash, not LVC's.

tally-hoo

[Homesicker]

Quote: Nah, regular 501 STF's look like ass after wash, not LVC's.

what did u mean? u meant not for big E?does the bad result just appear on the normal 501?

Edited by Homesicker on Sep 1, 2005 at 08:47 AM

[Geowu]

I think he means the cheap 501 look bad, and the expensive 501 (LVC particularly) look good.

[Homesicker]

i'm just rookie. i thought "LVC" is a levi's's abbreviation. what does "LVC" mean?

[eastcoastrider27]

Levi's Vintage Collection

NyM...

[Homesicker]

Quote: and the expensive 501 (LVC particularly) look good

ohhh thanks

well, i wanna strink it to my fit, so i decide to soak it before i wear

u meant it will still look good after soak

[ardeetee]

if you don't mind me asking, how much did you guys pickup your pair of 47 501xx for and where?

Edited by ardeetee on Sep 1, 2005 at 10:59 AM

[bufo]

homesicker, if you don't mind.. can you post some pics of you wearing the jeans after you shrink them? And can you let us know how much it shrank in the waist? thanks.

[Homesicker]

ok i will do it, clear everything and soak them later

[PLUSsung]

Hi Homesicker.

I was the one that posted the whole baggy ass thing on my 1944 501's. but I have worn them for about a week now post shrinkage and they fit fairly well... from what I understand the 1947's 501's are gonna have a tighter fit so they should look less baggy than these. i'm the same size as you i wear a 29/30 and the 1944's are a 32X34 pre-shrinkage so you can see they're really much smaller in the waist as well as length which now meausres 31" (i'm short... hence the cuff). I did it as ringring suggested by soaking it in a coldbath overnight (about 8 hours) then hung dry in the sun during the day.. and it came out quite nice. the ass was baggy for the first couple of days befcause of the stiffness of the fabric and the antifit but it died down pretty quick after some wear. hope the pics help.

[witts]

could have just brought them to fit and not washed... thats my plan for my LVC when i start wearing em.

[bufo]

oooo.. finally some pics! Thanks! So it shrunk about 2 inches in waist and 3 inches in length like everyone else said? And I didn't know it was nessecary to soak them for 8 hours. I thought a couple of hours would do. It looks real good though.. not as baggy as I thought it would be.

[PLUSsung]

Yeah bufo.. they are not as baggy or sag-ass as I first felt... but they are the loosest pair i have... i've got a pair of APC hipsters in size 27 that are fairly tight... my edwins are fairly tight... so compared to those preshrunk jeans these are definitely the loosest.. but they're also cut looser i think than the 47's... right? if ringring has time maybe he can impart some knowledge on the different cuts of the 501 jeans through the ages.... that man is so smart!

[Homesicker]

thank ur help ,PLUSsung.

yes 47's cutting more tight,because i tried it on w30 in the store ,and just felt good fit...

levi's mentioned on the booklet that shrinkage occur during first 3 washs,continuing if only slightly, until the 10th wash.....(i won't wash 10 times la ...hahaha)

but i think it means the shrinkage may not complete during the first wash. so i felt still baggy around ur buns after ist wash....

is 47's fabric same with ur 44's?

and how about the fading? did ur jeans lost some indigo during the 1st wash?especially for 8 hours soaking. i thought just need soak them within 1 hour only.

[Homesicker]

someone can share ur own experience

[woejozney]

my experience is that they doper without washing them and then doing the 6 months of wear. I like the look of the unwashed denim a lot. I have a pair of 47's at like 2 months.

Oh Gawd!

[Homesicker]

finally washed my jean. the result is ok . thanks ringring ,plus sung . u helped a lot

[ringring]

No problem.

PLUSsung - your 44s look great.