Just won a pair of LVC 501's on ebay

[Guest]

They are brand new with the tags still on them. The description says LEVI PREMIUM 501 36X34 big E ERA LVC REDLINE SELVAGE from the 1950-60 style. I'm sort of confussed at to which model and year these came out....this is my first pair of LVC jeans. They come prewashed from Levi's but are still new with the tags.

What do I need to do in terms of making these jeans look good? I have read through several threads and get the basic idea of not washing but those threads tend to deal with raw denim and not prewashed. I would think you would basically do the same as with raw denim? Also, I have seen starch mentioned several times and still not sure what you are doing with the starch? Could someone explain the whole starch thing to me?

Basically....if you got a new pair of prewashed LVC 501's....what would you do with them?

Thanks!

[blackgrass]

I'm not sure why that message didn't appear but here it goes again.

I just won a pair of LVC 501's with the description of LEVI PREMIUM 501 36X34 big E ERA LVC REDLINE SELVAGE from the 1950-1960 style. I'm not to sure what year these were made or what repro year they are supposed to be. They are the prewashed denim with the new tags still in place.

I have read through several of the threads about raw denim and have a couple of questions. Would you basically treat these just like you would a raw pair and do a cold water soak and then just wear the hell out of them?

I have also read about applying starch but not sure about how much or where and what does it do exactly?

This is my first pair of LVC jeans and not wanting to make any mistakes.

So basically if you got in a new pair of prewashed LVC 501's what would you do?

Thanks.....

[rnrswitch]

You should give a link to the jeans, so we can see just what they are.

[blackgrass]

Here is the item number: 7744446046

I really hope these aren't fake but his feedback is pretty good and it has all the tags in place from what I can tell.

Thanks for the help!

[snugglepony]

hi blackgrass -

they aren't fakes, but they also aren't "LVC." LVC stands for Levi's Vintage Clothing and is a different line than "Levi's Premium," which is what you bought. the seller says LVC, but he also notes that they are Premium, which is confusing... he also says "big E era" and "1950-1960 style," but not that they are, in fact, big E jeans, or a reproduction of a particular year.

that said, they are made of selvage denim and the pre-distressing looks pretty minor. i'd wear them like you'd wear a pair of dry jeans. you won't get as much color contrast because they're pre-washed, but they also won't shrink too much on you when you do wash them...

hope that helps!

Edited by snugglepony on Feb 27, 2006 at 02:03 PM

[blackgrass]

So....Did I get ripped off by paying $60 for these? What is the difference between the Premium and the LVC line? I'm wondering if I should just send them back and pick up a pair of LVC jeans or just give these a try. Very misleading since he calls them LVC jeans! Opinions?

[et negative five]

a nice pair of selvege levis are worth 60 bux in my book. enjoy them and try not to think to much about it.

[snugglepony]

no, you didn't get ripped off. the levis premium line is very nice, and like i said, these jeans are made of redline selvage denim... as the auction page says, they do retail for about $158.

[blackgrass]

Thanks guys....

So when I get these in I plan on soaking them in cold water for a few hours....Spinning them a couple of times in the spin cycle of the washing machine....lay them flat to dry and then just wear the heck out of them. Anything else? What about the starch?

Thanks!!!!

[Handlethevibe]

They're prewashed. You don't need to soak them, they're not dry, they won't get nice wear marks either. And I doubt he'll let you return them on account of the fact that you don't know how to read. I'm not trying to be an ass or anything, but if he wrote bmw in the title, would you have thought you were bidding on a car?

Edited by Handlethevibe on Feb 27, 2006 at 02:29 PM

[blackgrass]

Quote:

They're prewashed. You don't need to soak them, they're not dry, they won't get nice wear marks either. And I doubt he'll let you return them on account of the fact that you don't know how to read. I'm not trying to be an ass or anything, but if he wrote bmw in the title, would you have thought you were bidding on a car?

Edited by Handlethevibe on Feb 27, 2006 at 02:29 PM

--- Original message by Handlethevibe on Feb 27, 2006 02:27 PM

Nah....you don't sound like an ass or anything!

[Paul T]

" I'm not trying to be an ass or anything."

Well, the guy said LVC in the title, no? It was a misleading auction that specifically used terms that aren't correct. Glad to see you're keeping the nice helpful atmosphere.

Sorry I sold you some jeans cheap...

Oh, and blackgrass, those jeans are great value for money. Starch them if you must, most important thing is to keep washing to a minimum, that way youll get good high-contrast fading. Try and wear them solidly for three months or more if you can before washing (spot-wash any minor marks with hand-wash soap).

Edited by Paul T on Feb 27, 2006 at 02:55 PM

[snugglepony]

eh, i'd say that was kind of assy. but that's just me.

the item description was pretty confusing, and if you're not familiar with the differences between the two ranges, i can see how you'd be confused, blackgrass.

also, you can still fight your way to some good wear marks -- there's a lot of indigo left in those jeans to wear off.

use the search button to find a lot of info on starching, but briefly: go buy a can of niagra heavy spray starch, hang your jeans up in the bathroom and spray the lap, the back of the knees, and cuffs (if they're too long for you and you want them to bunch up) until they're saturated, then go sit down until they're mostly dry.

after that, go take a walk, sleep in them, skate in them, whatever, but just wear the hell out of em.

[sybaritical]

Quote: I'm not trying to be an ass or anything

Lol. Handle, you've never had to try and be an ass.

Blackgrass : Ignore him. Those Levi's should be fiiiine. You don't need to soak them though, and it'll be harder work than if they where raw if you want high contrasts and all the cool marks. IMO Wear them as hard as you can for between six and nine months, then get them dry cleaned. That takes the dirt out of them without losing any of the indigo. After that, wear them for another few months and then wash them - with mild vegetable detergent rather than bio powder. thath should do it.

There's plenty of threads about starching if you want to search for them, but really all you have to do is spray or paint the starch directly onto the denim behind the knees, between the thighs and around the crotch of the jeans and then wear them til they're dried.

Edited by sybaritical on Feb 27, 2006 at 05:03 PM

[obsessis]

Quote:

They're prewashed. You don't need to soak them, they're not dry, they won't get nice wear marks either. And I doubt he'll let you return them on account of the fact that you don't know how to read. I'm not trying to be an ass or anything, but if he wrote bmw in the title, would you have thought you were bidding on a car?

Edited by Handlethevibe on Feb 27, 2006 at 02:29 PM

--- Original message by Handlethevibe on Feb 27, 2006 02:27 PM

You sure act like a know-it-all prick for being only fifteen, not to be an ass or anything.

[WhoGotMeIntoThis]

Quote:

Quote:

They're prewashed. You don't need to soak them, they're not dry, they won't get nice wear marks either. And I doubt he'll let you return them on account of the fact that you don't know how to read. I'm not trying to be an ass or anything, but if he wrote bmw in the title, would you have thought you were bidding on a car?

Edited by Handlethevibe on Feb 27, 2006 at 02:29 PM

--- Original message by Handlethevibe on Feb 27, 2006 02:27 PM

You sure act like a know-it-all prick for being only fifteen, not to be an ass or anything.

--- Original message by obsessis on Feb 27, 2006 07:31 PM

Cosign?