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Jeans

Salv

One Too Many
Messages
1,247
Location
Just outside London
Jovan said:
As far as I know, 501s were worn by him in Rebel Without a Cause, and shrink to fits have been around a long time.
No, Dean wore Lee in Rebel Without A Cause as well - here's a screen shot, and you can see the Lee Lazy S pocket stitching and the small black Lee label at the top left hand corner of the rear right pocket.
Dean.png

Jovan said:
But if you can direct me to any well made jeans in a similar pattern that don't cost a fortune, please do.
Seriously, look out for the Levi 505's in a dry, shrink-to-fit finish, then wear them in yourself. $30-ish. If you don't like the stiffness of raw denim turn them inside out and wash them on a short cold wash to soften them up and shrink them, but don't buy a ready washed pair, they'll never look as good.
 

BellyTank

I'll Lock Up
Jovan said:
Okay but... can you find me a good deal on similar jeans? I don't really have much a choice beyond "2007 Mall 501s" and paying upwards of $100 for selvedge denim. (Which I think is ridiculous.)

LVC and Lee Vintage will probably cost you closer to $200 actually.

If you can find "Edwin" jeans in the "right" denim and cut, they are a lot cheaper than the Lees but also high quality denim.
The "right" Edwins are made from the same denim, by the same people who make the repro vintage Lees. Excellent and good value.

You may think it's ridiculous but they are a high quality item in a small market. The denim they use is made on ancient looms and is probably less than half the width of Mall denim, so there is also a much lower garment/cloth yield.

Hennes & Mauritz (H&M) often do runs of wide leg, selvedge jeans, some high-waisted, some not. They ARE cheap- my last pair were around $35.

Salv's advice is good advice.

The Wrangler Cowboy re-issue (not a true vintage re-issue) are high waisted and roomy.
I have the jeans and jacket from around 8 years ago- I'd thought they'd stopped making them. Anyway, the jacket is very cool.
Wrangler didn't use selvedge denim- I think. Wrangler usually have the "broken twill", a bit of a Wrangler trademark but the older ones used a regular denim.

If you can understand that LEE/LVC/Wrangler are faithfully replicating denim jeans from 1900-1960, in small quantities, with denim woven on the original looms, for an enthusiast, collector, Japanese driven market, then maybe you can see that it's not a ridiculous price for "just jeans" because they truly are not "just jeans". Modern 501s are "just jeans", just.
Only just.

B
T
 
As 'e says ^^ the LVC are not just jeans. They really are a cut above.

I have a jacket they put out about 7 or 8 years ago (Model 1 repro?? sorry i have no idea of levis terminology) which is the absolute coolest denim jacket i've ever seen. Buckle back with triple pleated front . . . mmmm, that's a fine jacket.

bk
 

jgilbert

One of the Regulars
Messages
234
Location
Louisville, KY
I wear jeans in the winter when washing the car or yard work.
So it is whatever is on sale and fits at Wal Mart. My last pair of Wranglers lasted 6 yrs.
 

resortes805

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,019
Location
SoCal
Jovan said:
BellyTank: I am a student and CANNOT pay that much for jeans. It's simply not economically feasible. That's why $35 sounds a lot better than $100-200.

Honestly, I felt the same way for a long. Eventually I took the plunge and dropped $100 on some buckle back 501's. I really liked the darker shade of the unwashed denims and the extra rivets. I haven't looked back since.
 

BellyTank

I'll Lock Up
Jovan said:
BellyTank: I am a student and CANNOT pay that much for jeans. It's simply not economically feasible. That's why $35 sounds a lot better than $100-200.

So you should know that big ideas and a small pocket-book are mutually exclusive. CHEAP is what you get for cheap.

I think we've all given you a few alternatives in different economies.

B
T
 

herringbonekid

I'll Lock Up
Messages
6,016
Location
East Sussex, England
does anyone have any photos they'd like to share of guys wearing jeans with braces (suspenders) ? i'd like to see some examples of how it looked in real life but can't find any. i'm thinking depression-era American workers, NOT UK skinheads.
 

Fletch

I'll Lock Up
Messages
8,865
Location
Iowa - The Land That Stuff Forgot
Salv said:
A good bargain pair of high-rise, straight leg jeans are the current Levi's 505.
Levis-505-openx300.gif


I bought a pair in New York recently at Dave's New York - formerly Dave's Army & Navy - in dry/rigid denim for just $28.00. They are very good quality denim, stiff and dark with that great unwashed denim sheen, just like the LVC jeans. Buy them long and roll them up, never wash them, and they'll look just like a pair of 40s Levi's.
Never wash them?
Funny, Salv, when I met you in NY you didn't look at all like a dirtbag. :)
Does one dry clean them? Sponge wash? Scrape them with a putty knife?

I myself have a couple pair of Carhartts. However, I'm told they just look gangsta, not vintage. What am I missing?
 

Fatdutchman

Practically Family
Messages
559
Location
Kentucky
Go to www.disfarmer.com and you will see plenty of photographs of everyday folks. I don't know if you'll see any suspenders with jeans or not though... Most of these folks look like the older people (and some of us younger ones!) around here still.
 

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