Levis
Vintage, Red, Mainline -- we're here to talk 501s and everything related to em
25 Replies
Someone else posted some Levis red and it got me going down the old rabbit hole. What a fantastic conceptual line. Beautiful wide but relatively normal jeans on this pair, but look at the bar tacks . Nothing but joy in this sub line's design
always fun patches on the red line. Also not coveted like LVC or actual vintage, so if you can find it it's relatively affordable
These are so sick
I’m a huge fan of 90s/00s silver tabs too.
more nutso details from Red: the cross beltloops with on the back yoke and pocket embroidery, chainstitching on the 5th pocket, the "melted, broken machine/sloppy" stitching as a reoccurring motif
What was the deal with silver tabs? I always remember growing up with them being The Thing but was too broke as a kid to even think of looking at them
The side seams on those bad boys are perf
Silver tabs were the wider fitting stuff, more fashion oriented, v popular in the skate scene.
oh hell yeah, that's right. explains why i remember seeing them at the local skatepark/headshop
Right now the cuts are pretty much what’s trending width-wise, and they’re not popular with the collectors so they can be had cheap
When was the redline stuff? This is the first time I’ve seen it.
Red had three periods that I can remember -- 2000-2006ish? and a lot of it was this weird melty stuff but also true-religion adjacent stuff in terms of pockets, loud stitching, etc. 2012-2014 they had two or three "reboot" collections that were all just the weird silhouettes and pushed hard at basically just LN-CC before they were sold. Recently was one, but only interpretting that when i get results from the actual levis store for levi's red. Probably missing a ton, certainly no historian and disconnected from a lot of it in 2015 or so
I also remember the 2000s era stuff was famous for really pushing the wash techniques past "stick it in a machine with some rocks for a period of time". Lots of 3d washes, I think they were very early in the laser washes
this is from memory though, so [citation needed] on all of it
I just realized that Levi’s only offers four fits with 100% cotton. The 501, 505, 517, and 550. I get that people want the slim/skinny fits with stretch but I would have thought that there would be some 513/514 options in 100% cotton. And the 559 and 569 probably don’t need stretch. I would like to see more brands offer pants without elastane but it helps them to have clothes wear out faster
@Andrew whatcha looking for in terms of a fit? Levi's will have a mountain of things that are 100% cotton, all will depend on where you buy em.
I’m not looking for anything specific since I have enough jeans right now but I do like to browse. Are you saying that if you go to Macy’s or other different stores there will be 100% cotton jeans that don’t exist on the Levi’s website?
very much yes. That's not even touching on the sub lines, the 'premium' line that's tagged under mainline, etc. Even when you look on the site, the different washes will frequently have different material compositions
and i'm keen to help ya look in the future if you've got something specific you're looking for. All that said, I'd focus more on the particular style of jean you're looking for rather than looking explicitly at Levi's. Levi's makes good jeans, but looking for "100% Cotton Levi's" is not helpful vs looking for "100% cotton (or natty fibers), straight leg, light wash jeans with no whiskers like a 501 silhouette (as an example) for under $80" gives a target to aim for
Do non stretch 514s exist anywhere? One example of one I’ve never seen
rocky.admin
Rocky Mountain Connection · Clothing · Gear
Levi's® 514® Men's Slim fit Straight leg Jean
Levi's 514 Men's Straight fit Straight leg Jeans, The Right Amount Of Stretch For All-Day Comfort, cotton with variants, Zipper fly. levis 514
Thanks. Are these deadstock? They don’t have my size but it’s interesting that they’re out there
I ordered a 569 that's 100% cotton new from their site haha (it's going back tho as I copped a vintage silvertab I like more)
Levi's models are quite unnecessarily confusing
I see that 569 now. How’s the fit?
Loose-straight if that makes sense
Not tapered. If you get one that fits you, it'll hold up on the waist unlike some skater baggy jeans which are worn low rise
The vintage 90s silvertabs I copped (paid $34 pre ship) are a similar fit and the particular model I got is labeled "loose + straight". There's less vanity sizing with vintage btw
levi sale on atm?
Is there a tangible difference between Mid Knight and Cleaner dark wash colors?
Unless the former is Premium and the latter isn't
Beware: if you look further down this page it points out that 100% cotton is one of several builds offered and it doesn’t look like they actually specify which is what. I know to be skeptical about this because Urban Outfitters carries a ton of Levi’s and I believe all of the elastane containing models are listed as 100% cotton.
Got Levi’s STFs on sale just to try them out and compare with my wranglers. Not awful but I feel like Levi’s denim feels almost waxy?
this can and should be reported to the federal trade commission
the whole “100% cotton isn’t just cotton but also elastane” thing