LVC 501s

[Cobblers161]

Sweet Jesus 2 soaks and no wash in a year! I take it they're not daily wearers then?

I just did some hard labour, demolishing and rebuilding the kitchen, in my 44's and they look about right. From a hygene point of view they had to be washed and the hard work did them good, some creases/whiskering showing and wallet pocket fading looks good. Once I've landscaped the garden they should be about right.

I can't help but feel there's a touch of ocd to this fading business though. The reason vintage denim looks so good is because they were most likely worn to work in. I have a pair of Samurais that from new I stripped and rebuilt an old Vespa in, they look very sweet albeit with a few oil stains but the fading is irregular were they were scuffed etc. and I like that. It seems to me that there are some extraordinary lengths that people go to get acceptable fading, if I took 6 months to break in a pair in, well it would do me in.

Just a quick question for you gents, is it only 55's and 37's that come in 38" leg length? And is there anywhere else that does them apart from Cultizm?

 

[Happy Hooligan]

Sweet Jesus 2 soaks and no wash in a year! I take it they're not daily wearers then?

I just did some hard labour, demolishing and rebuilding the kitchen, in my 44's and they look about right. From a hygene point of view they had to be washed and the hard work did them good, some creases/whiskering showing and wallet pocket fading looks good. Once I've landscaped the garden they should be about right.

I can't help but feel there's a touch of ocd to this fading business though. The reason vintage denim looks so good is because they were most likely worn to work in. I have a pair of Samurais that from new I stripped and rebuilt an old Vespa in, they look very sweet albeit with a few oil stains but the fading is irregular were they were scuffed etc. and I like that. It seems to me that there are some extraordinary lengths that people go to get acceptable fading, if I took 6 months to break in a pair in, well it would do me in.

Just a quick question for you gents, is it only 55's and 37's that come in 38" leg length? And is there anywhere else that does them apart from Cultizm?

I don't sweat to the oldies in them but I do wear them. Mostly the 55's about 4 times a week or so.

I have 2 pair of 55's one in 38x40 and the other in 38x38 but it's the mistake ones that are actually about 38x42.

The 37's are 38x38 but huge in the waist
My 2 47's are 38x38

Aero sells them too

 

[Cobblers161]

Thanks, though it was the 36" waist with the 38" leg I was after and these seem much harder to come by than the 38x38. My legs are too long for a 36" leg with a cuff.

In the late 1990's I could pick up 555 LVC's in mistake lengths in Camden for £60 a pair, I was in heaven. Especially when I got hold of 3 pairs of '37 201's. Sweet days!

 

[Willy McCoy]

Just picked up a pair of Lee 1936 cowboy jeans. Among the best reproduction jeans I've ever had. The selvage is great, weight of denim is very good, back pockets are half lined and an AFL union tag is sewn in. The back buckle is an interesting contraption that really works! Best of all is the hair on hide patch. Picked up this pair raw for $130 + shipping.

 

[ace1967]

I found this over here in Holland as an solution for not washing my 1955 Levi's.

 

[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.

 

[Cobblers161]

No initial soak at all then?

I have to say they look ******* good.

What is the difference then, larger pockets? Is the selvedge any different?

 

[airfrogusmc]

The denim is darker in color from my 555 1933s. Same weight. NO I usually just wear and soak when they get to nasty to wear anymore or the wife threatens to wash. Shes made good on that threat in the past. :lol: :lol: I've found they wear much better without a soak in the beginning. They stay stiffer and get more pronounced combs and whiskers sooner. The pockets are more rectangular than the 33s and they have white thread throughout and have finer stitching more like the 1886s and 1901s.

These do rock and are from earlier this year made in USA.

 

[Cobblers161]

They sound nice. Been looking at another pair of 33's so may well bypass and go for those instead.

I hear what your saying about wearing raw, but they're incredibly big without the shrink, I've just tried on some 55's tagged and raw, they are huge! The turn ups alone are 4"!!!

I'll give it a go with the next pair. I can see already this is a path down which I will never return.

 

[airfrogusmc]

They sound nice. Been looking at another pair of 33's so may well bypass and go for those instead.

I hear what your saying about wearing raw, but they're incredibly big without the shrink, I've just tried on some 55's tagged and raw, they are huge! The turn ups alone are 4"!!!

I'll give it a go with the next pair. I can see already this is a path down which I will never return.

These 27 501s are pretty sweet.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi re the LVC on ebay the US seller ez-24-7 is actually Cultizm Germany and if you buy off the ebay site you get free shipping ,all his jeans are buy it now fixed price same price as the store lee levi lvc etc .I emailed the guy and he told me his store is in Germany and is called Cultizm ,thought I would let you guys know so it would save you a few bucks,every little helps .Rgds Jeff

 

[airfrogusmc]

Jeff,

Dejan (the owner of Cultzism) is a great guy. The last 5 or 6 pairs of LVCs I've gotten from him. He can get or sometimes has rare LVCs so if theres anything you see that you want but isn't on his site e-mail him and he might be able to get it. Thats how I got the 1911 333s.

 

[Doug C]

cobblers wrote:

It seems to me that there are some extraordinary lengths that people go to get acceptable fading,

yep, I agree and I've practiced this myself - though I don't think I will do so to the same extent on future purchases myself. After a year-an-a-half of wear on a few pairs, I've come to the conclusion that there is a certain point where prolonging the washes any further don't really add that much to the effect, atleast without being able to wear them to a job where they're constantly exposed to the elements. I plan to get '55s,'27s,'44s next (in that order) and I will be giving a second wash to my '201s,'33s,'37s at the first of the year in a few days, I actually HOPE those lose quite a bit of color before I start on the new ones - It gets old to me wearing nothing but dark denim for a year an a half (JMHO). Which leads me to a point about the awesome fades that we imagine (and occasionally see) with really old denim - could it be that the reason for that is partly to do with the fact that harsh detergents were used? I mean wouldn't the common household (whatever that means) have used something like "Borax soap powders" or something like that? Seems to me that powders have improved as well as washing methods (can you say wash/scrub board?) since those early days and I'm just not sure that the advice I often read about using the gentlest detergent available is correct for creating a nice denim fade. I could be wrong, I'm just thinking out loud BUT as I said I will be washing 3 pairs in a few days and won't be using the woolite. I do plan to hand wash probably with warm to hot water and air dry them though. Thoughts?

Airfrog wrote:

He can get or sometimes has rare LVCs so if theres anything you see that you want but isn't on his site e-mail him

That's awesome because I've been trying to track down the chambray shirts that were in the line up last year (season?). I tried one on at the Levis store at the galleria in dallas last year or earlier this year, thinking I'll go back and pick one up later - went a couple of months ago and the whole darn store is gone :evil: They were very cool shirts, had blue ones and grey ones BTW... maybe Dejan can locate them. If anyone knows where else to track them down let me know.

Doug C

 

[airfrogusmc]

I've found that what happens the first few months is what sets the fading and wear. After that first soak 4-6 months the wear patterns are usually set (usaully constant wear for me). So if you don't wear them allot it could take longer.

 

[Doug C]

Hey guys any help on this would be appreciated.... I'm trying to deduct as much info from this lable as possible. It's from a red line selvaged pair of 501s. I know the number 524 is the location they were produced at (it's on the back of the top button too) but where is/was that exactly? Also, I'm confused about the date... would it be Aug.'98 (0898) or Jan.'02 (0102) ? Can anything else be deducted from this lable? :




here's a selvage picture from the same jeans:




PS - an interesting note about this particular pair of jeans, there is a cleaning instruction lable inside them that is actually comical to read, it says "You'd be a an IDIOT to use chlorine bleach" :lol: and "tumble dry hot because if you tumble dry cold you'll be waiting for months" , I couldn't believe my eyes when I read that and I have a pic if anyone cares to see it.

Doug C

 

[Anonymous]

which of the lvc jeans has the highest rise .Thanks Jeff

 

[Anonymous]

My 1877s are pretty high. You'll need braces / suspenders though as there aren't belt loops.

Dave :geek:

 

[airfrogusmc]

All the earlier LVCs are fairly high. My 1886s, 1911 333s, the 1901s are as well as these 1927s.

 

[airfrogusmc]

Hey guys any help on this would be appreciated.... I'm trying to deduct as much info from this lable as possible. It's from a red line selvaged pair of 501s. I know the number 524 is the location they were produced at (it's on the back of the top button too) but where is/was that exactly? Also, I'm confused about the date... would it be Aug.'98 (0898) or Jan.'02 (0102) ? Can anything else be deducted from this lable? :




here's a selvage picture from the same jeans:




PS - an interesting note about this particular pair of jeans, there is a cleaning instruction lable inside them that is actually comical to read, it says "You'd be a an IDIOT to use chlorine bleach" :lol: and "tumble dry hot because if you tumble dry cold you'll be waiting for months" , I couldn't believe my eyes when I read that and I have a pic if anyone cares to see it.

Doug C

Doug I'm not sure what these are. :?

If I'm reading the tag right were made 8/98 and could be a pair of the kind of genaric 501s they made early on. Usually the model and the year beng reproduced is on the label.

 

[Anonymous]

Anyone know if there's a website that helps you i/d Levis ?

I mean, how many years are there for original and repro' Levis ?? :?

Dave :ugeek: