34x34 Soak Day

This morning post-England v. Germany, I decided to do my warm soak of the newest 34x34 STF's in my jean arsenal. A few interesting details: I noticed that the faux-leather (aka paper) patch on the jeans listed them as a 501XX fit - which was interesting because every STF under $50 that I've seen has just read 501. I also noted that the jeans were of the "Made in Mexico" variety which, from a bit of online research and lurking at various message boards, apparently have very accurate shrinking and fit properties.

I sat in a warm bath with them on for about 20 minutes, and then got out to let them finish narrowing down. The fit was wearable even without soaking - the waist was decent, a tad long, and they felt rather fitted even before being exposed to water. I considered taking the "wear-the-crap-out-of-them-first" approach as proposed by many denim aficionados, particularly on styleforum.net, but decided against it given that doing so would cause any and all fades and wear to effectively shrink with the pants the first time they were laundered. A quick soak (less than an hour in warm water) I figured would take care of any shrinkage, while still preserving the majority of the indigo. This is one thing I noticed after hot-soaking the old 36/36's 3 times in less than 24 hours, and can be seen by the photos - they lightened up considerably even with just those few exposures to water. For maximum contrast in fades, I highly suggests keeping them away from water as much as possible for as long as possible. Here are fit pics pre-soak:

Again, I could immediately feel them tighten up when I sat in the water, and I tried to pay particular attention to the legs, as I felt the leg openings come up from being trapped under my heels to coming just above the sole of my foot while I was in the water. Impressive shrinkage in such a short amount of time. The waist I also felt go down maybe an inch or so - I'm not as concerned about shrinkage in the waist as of right now given that I'm reading a lot about how the waist will tend to stretch back out to around pre-soak measurements with simple wear.

Well, for now it's time to grab the jeans out of the bath (I took them off in there in order to get this post up) and jaunter on down to a friend's house for the Argentina v. Mexico game this afternoon. AGUANTE LOS GAUCHOS!!! VIVAN LOS ALBICELESTES!!!

A Slight Hiccup in the Process

The soaks didn't pan out as planned for my 36/36 STFs. After soaking them and letting them dry on me, I still considered them far too baggy to be in good taste; the waist had shrunk a decent amount, perhaps the indicated two inches, but the legs remained almost as loose as they had been pre-soak. So, I hot-soaked the jeans twice more (once in the washing machine on a hot, gentle cycle and once more in the bathtub with the tap as hot as it could get) hoping to get them a bit smaller.

Sadly, my efforts were in vain as can be seen from the photos following. The jeans were still far too relaxed in their final shrink, and so I dug out my Dillard's receipt and gathered all of the merchandising from the pair of jeans and made a trek out to the mall. Upon trying to exchange them for another smaller pair, the attendee kind of gave me a funny look as I described why I was returning them. I guess he hadn't been briefed on the products he was selling... sheesh... mindless retail people :)

I had enjoyed how the denim stiffened up to an extreme degree while they dried. The fabric didn't quite reach the "sandpaper" level as claimed by other blogs and denim aficionados that I have read, but the denim was definately hard enough and condusive to creases and creating those stress lines that eventually will fade.

In the end, I was able to exchange them for a 34/34 of the same cut and color. I had liked the way the 36 length worked out, but considering these specific pairs aren't selvedge denim there's not really a need to cuff the jeans to show it off. So, the current 34 length should work out fine.

An interesting side note that I discovered upon returning home with the smaller pair: I laid them out to see how measurements compared between the LVC 501xx's and this new "cheap" pair I had obtained. The waists of both now lined up exactly and the cut through the butt and upper thighs were extremely simliar. It appears that size correlation between the LVC 501's and the commonplace STF's are two inches. Example:

LVC 1947 501xx - 36/36

is most similar in size to a

501 STF - 34/36

in general.

So, in the case of purchase, I would suggest based on what I have personally witnessed that those interested in purchasing decent-fitting 501 STF (a post-shrink straight to slim fit) to purchase the raw denim at your normal waist size with an extra 2 inches in the length. The STFs appear to be sized slightly larger initially than the tag says (whether or not this is to help account for shrinkage remains to be seen).

This would correlate in '47 LVC sizing (each LVC cut is different and I throw this in to be specific) to purchasing 2 inches greater than your normal waist size and either 2 or 4 inches greater in length, depending if you wanted to cuff the selvedge denim.

See? This experiment is paying off already.

Well, I plan tomorrow to conduct a hot soak in the bathtub of these new 34/34's to see how they behave, and if necessary I will ammend my comments above.

- Joseph

501 STF - Soak Day

Today I was able to find a moment to sit down and get to work on my denim project. I took my run-of-the-mill 501 STF's and sat down in a hot bath with them on in order to shrink them up. Pictures are here too.I noticed immediately that the jeans were extremely roomy and very long in comparison to how I normally wear them. This is, of course, pre-wash. The size 36/36 initially isn't so condusive to my 34/32 body. Upon sitting in the tub of hot water, I could immediately feel the denim begin to shrink up. Within 5 minutes, the thighs weren't nearly so loose, and I could feel the length coming up to touch the bottom of my feet. After 20 minutes in a rather warm tub of water, I detected that the initial shrink was done and more wouldn't happen until they began to dry. So, I carefully climbed out of the jeans and left them submerged, adding a bit more water. They've since been sitting in the tub and I'm about to go grab them out.
The game is afoot, friends.

Un Regalo Desde Alemania

So on Monday the day finally came, albeit with a slight mishap from FedEx. I received my '47 501's from cultizm.com in Germany, and MAN am I excited. First off, I want to post a picture describing a bit more of the "wear properties" that I described in my last post. I was desperately searching for a picture I remembered from somewhere online but I didn't find it until today. So, note that the two jeans as they appear here are the exact same item. Well - they're the same jean, one just has nine months of wear and washing on it. THIS is what I think is so amazing and I can't wait to see how my pair comes out.

I'm going to be posting comparison shots tonight of the two pairs of 501's that I now have - a 1947xx as well as a run of the mill one from now to try to demonstrate the differences in cut, fabric, etc. Both of the pairs are listed as a size 36/36.

Hopefully then you can recognize the differences. In the 1st photo it is easily noted how much more shaped the 1947 is than the current one. Especially in the upper thigh you can see how much more sharply it cuts in from the top of the inseam. This characteristic of newer cuts of the 501 is referred to as "anti-fit" as in "not fitting." Whoever came up with that term deserves an award...

The second photo displays the promotions of the two pairs and you can begin to see the differences in the quality of the denim and a slight difference in the indigo as well. The cheap 501 seems to be a bit more grey while the '47xx has a really deep indigo color. Maybe "greyer" isn't the right word, but the '47 definately seems more saturated.

The third picture tries to display that a bit more clearly. The cheap 501 is place on top of the '47xx. Here you can also note the difference in texture.

The last photo shows the difference in the waist size even before washing. The '47 is noticeably smaller in the waist by an inch and a half or more. Easily explains why the '47 cut is considered so thin in comparison to modern day versions.

This is the patch of the 1947xx (as can be noted by the LOT label). Obviously the patch on these ones is not paper, which has been the case over the last 30 years or so.

Perhaps I'll try to get some pics up of the selvage 514's that I'm wearing right now to see how they're doing after about two months of wear.

This is an example of one of the selvage (or selvedge) seams on the inside of the pant. It's made with 12.5oz Red Cone Denim straight out of North Carolina.

This was the letter enclosed and included in with the jeans explaining a bit about the making of them. It's a cool vintage sort of touch, and I think shows a great appreciation for the product. It's the kind of thing that BR might take note of and incorporate in future marketing... I've pictured it here, but just in case it doesn't read through, here's a transcript:

"To the Owner of this 501 Jean,

1947: 501 Jean

The 1947 501 jean is a kind of hybrid, harboring attributes from the 1930's and World War II, combined with an eye to the coming Baby Boom years. That is, it was a jean that was embodied both a storied past and a bright future.

When World War II ended and raw materials were available again, Levi Strauss & Co. leaped back into heavy production ot meet the growing post-war 501: slimmer fitting, with no extra details like the cinch or suspender buttons, this was a jean that was ready to rock and roll. The watch pocket rivets came back after their wartime hiatus. And the Arcuate was stitched on the back pockets again, after being applied with paint during the war's duration. But it came back in a different form: thanks to new, double needle technology, the famed double arching stich was now uniform in size and design, no longer subject to the skill of the individual sewing machine operator and her single neele machine.

The red Tab with it's capital "E" had never gone away, thanks to its status as a trademark. And the red selvage, 12oz. Cone Mills denim was still the bedrock of the jean, as it had been for nearly two decades.

By the end of the 1940s Levi's jeans were being sold across the U.S., aimed at the new, emerging middle class. The 1947 501 was the jean of a new generation.

DESIGN DETAILS:

Cone Mills 12oz Red Selvage Denim (14oz after wash) - 2 back pockets with covered rivets - "E" red Tab - Two Horse leather patch - Double neelde stitched Arcuate - Watch pocket rivets returned after the war ***** - No crotch rivet

Enjoy!

Yours Truely,

Levi Strauss and Co."

Not to bad a thing. No point but really cool in a geeky kind of way.

This is the sort of stuff that makes fashion, though - the cool little stories behind why things are made the way they are.

Well, hope you enjoy embarking on this journey with me.

Levi's 501xx 1947 -

I sit here today feeling quite fulfilled. I'm tuned into ESPN3.com having just viewed the opening match of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, starring hosts South Africa versus Mexico, and currently have the Uruguay vs. France game playing in the background. It's finally here. After four years of waiting, the greatest sporting event on the planet has returned, and the next month is going to be crammed with 64 games to watch.

As if the World Cup wasn't enough, last night I placed my order to pick up a pair of Levi's denim, coming from Germany. On a recent trip to Vegas, I picked up an amazing pair of denim in the Levi's store there, more or less on a whim. I'd been recently getting into the brand, especially for the sense of history it conveys and the quality that I'd subconsciously noted over the course of my days - Bro. Bonn and his classic pairs of jeans (almost undoubtedly broken in since the 1970's) with the red tab on the back pocket and the strange sizing (he's positively not a 34 waist...). The fit of the 514 Slim Straight had been enchanting me, and I found my favorite pair of denim yet on sale for 60 bucks. As seen here -

The jeans offer the slim stying that's really on trend right now, while not being overly "skinny" to put it frankly. The denim is a great dark indigo color, and what's more it's selvedge denim.

As per research that I've been doing as of late, "selvedge" refers to the way the denim fabric is constructed into the finished product. Quoting from the all-knowing source, Wikipedia,

"is a type of denim which forms a clean natural edge that does not unravel. It is commonly presented in the unwashed or raw state. Typically, the selvage edges will be located along the out-seam of the pants, making it visible when cuffs are worn.
The word "selvage" comes from the phrase "self-edge", the natural edge of a roll of fabric. As applied to denim, it means that which is made on old-style shuttle looms. These looms weave fabric with one continuous cross thread (the weft) that is passed back and forth all the way down the length of the bolt. As the weft loops back into the edge of the denim it creates this “self-edge” or selvage. Selvage is desirable because the edge cannot fray like lower grade denims that have separate wefts which leave an open edge that must be stitched.
Shuttle looms weave a narrower piece of fabric, and thus a longer piece of fabric is required to make a pair of jeans (approximately 3 yards). To maximize yield, traditional jean makers use the fabric all the way to the selvage edge. When the cuff is turned up the two selvage edges, where the denim is sewn together, can be seen. The selvage edge is usually stitched with colored thread: green, white, brown, yellow, and red (red is the most common). Fabric mills used these colors to differentiate between fabrics.
Most selvage jeans today are dyed with synthetic indigo, but natural indigo dye is available in some denim labels. Though they are supposed to have the same chemical makeup, there are more impurities in the natural indigo dye. Loop dying machines feed a rope of cotton yarn through vats of indigo dye and then back out. The dye is allowed to oxidize before the next dip. Multiple dips create a deep dark indigo blue.
In response to increased demand for jeans in the 1950s, American denim manufacturers replaced the old shuttle style looms with modern projectile looms. The new looms produced fabric faster and wider (60-inches or wider). Synthetic dyeing techniques along with post-dye treatments were introduced to control shrink and twist."

So, essentially it's something overly fashion-geek-ish, but fun to know that certain character goes into some garments and not others.

Continuing with the story, I've been wearing these jeans almost everyday for 2-3 months now, and have continued to learn more and more about classic Levi's construction and history. A good friend of mine, we'll call him Andrew, turned me on more and more to the classic of the classics - the 501 jean. The claim to fame of the 501 is the fact that it's the jean of jeans. Classic straight cut, button fly, etc. All jeans stem from the fact that the 501 was so successful with the likes of Marlon Brando and such in the post WWII years, and from there cuts of denim have gone thinner or looser depending on the decade and styling.

Long story short, Levi's has been producing vintage reproductions of their most famous cuts of denim, including the 1947 501xx. It's essentially the gold-standard of jeans, fresh out of the war-era, cut slim and straight, and the perfect garment for a generation to cling to. As read above, all the denim from the era was of this "selvedge" quality, but another intriguing fact was that all jeans were "shrink-to-fit." They weren't purchased pre-washed, with all the fades and distressing so popular among today's pop culture, and having not previously touched water would shrink down an amazing amount when washed for the first time. Hence, one had to buy a significant size above where your normal measurements were. This is why skinny Bro. Bonn's jeans were always 34/34's and whatnot (he's not tall enough for that either - and this is the explanation).

Anyways, these reproductions have gained HUGE following throughout the world over the last 10+ years especially for their wear-properties (ala - how they develop as worn). The grade of denim and indigo used are especially condusive to creating "custom fades" to the wearer's body. When bought, they're a solid-indigo, but as worn, the creases one makes while living in them begin to fade appropriately to the stress on them (faster than non-stressed areas) and that fading that's so popular amongst jean fanatics becomes a part of the wearer - not artificially created in a factory.

Features of the 501xx 1947 include 12.5oz Cone Mills red selvage denim some of the cream of denim production. It's the narrowest-cut of the years of 501 production, leading to that classic fitted look while setting itself apart from the "overly skinny" trend.

Well, the point of all this is that last night I ordered myself a pair, and look forward immensely to breaking them in and creating a custom pair of jeans. I'm working on my 514's now, and will have this on my plate for the rest of the year. I'll be posting pictures as these two pairs of jeans progress and become expressive statements of who I am. It may sound corny, but I think it's freaking amazing that a garment can tell a story about who wears it.