Jeans

[deluxestyling]

Sorry the pictures aren't loading for everybody. They were a bit small anyhow, I've got to get the hang of stuff like that here...

 

[univibe88]

I just got my shrink to fit 501s in the mail. I need to wait for the wife to go out so I can soak in the tub with them. I don't feel like answering questions from her lol

 

[IndigoFanatic]

Hehe, it can be awkword to answer some of the questions (and you can get some funny looks). I definitely had a number of people staring at me when I was wearing jeans on the beach because I was going to wash them in the sea.

As for the pics, they may show up for most people, but I was on-line at work where almost no pics show up.

 

[Doug C]

univibe88 wrote:

I need to wait for the wife to go out so I can soak in the tub with them. I don't feel like answering questions from her

lol , man stop it... just explain to her that you're carrying on an age old tradition and that people have been soaking in the tub with their 501s since before time began, doesn't it recommend it on the tags somewhere - I can't remember.

Doug C

 

[John in Covina]

Does the indigo come off on your legs?[huh]

 

[IndigoFanatic]

I've never had it come off on me, though definitely on light colored shoes and laces.

 

[univibe88]

univibe88 wrote:

lol , man stop it... just explain to her that you're carrying on an age old tradition and that people have been soaking in the tub with their 501s since before time began, doesn't it recommend it on the tags somewhere - I can't remember.

Doug C

I'll just do it while wearing a fedora. She'll think it has something to do with the fedora and just shake her head and walk away.

 

[BellyTank]

I've had blue legs just from wearing LVC unwashed jeans dry.

B
T

 

[Duck]

There are also practical and asthetic purposes to the chainstitching. One of the advantages is supposed to be that if the threading breaks at any point, the other threads will hold it in place, preventing the hem from unraveling. Additionally, it increases the "roping" effect when the jeans fade, meaning that the faded lines in the hem of the jeans will be more pronounced (though, I suppose this doesn't really matter if you're buying a pair of pre-washed jeans).

It is actually the exact opposite. The chainstitch is more common because it is cheaper and faster to produce. It is also sewn inside out sometimes as a decorative stitch. The machines that sew these do not use bobbins, so you never have to stop and change bobbin thread. The stitch is made from a single thread. This is the stitch that if you cut a thread you can pull on it and unravel the entire hem. If you have ever pulled a thread on a button and the thread came out and the button fell off.......chainstitch.
The single line stitch is a lockstitch, made of two threads. Each stitch is locked, so the seam does not unravel.

 

[Lensmaster]

When I was a kid I always wore Sears Toughskins jeans. They had a reinforcing patch on the inside of the knees to hold up to rough kids. They came in colors and I remember having blue but also red and green. In the early 70's I did have one prized pair of "elephantbells", the most awesomely big bellbottoms you could find.
By the time I got to high school I was wearing only Levi 517's. I like the look of the boot cut and prefer zippers. I always get the raw indigo denim. Although I grew up with the rise of prewashed jeans, I like the dressy look of dark blue jeans. Oh, in college I did have one pair of Jordache designer jeans. This was after the fad was over and I found them on a clearance rack for almost nothing. They did fit real nice though.
When my Levi's got to be more than $30.00 a pair and I started having trouble just finding the raw, unwashed jeans I looked for an alternative. Now I buy Rustler bootcut, unwashed jeans at Kmart for $12.00. They're made of a heavyweight denim and last forever.

 

[IndigoFanatic]

I've been interested in trying out a pair of those as well. They feel like they'd be a bit rougher in texture than Levi's, and I like the heavier weight denims.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Anyone know a good source for a proper two prong buckle for the LVC 1933 501 model? This stupid ******* slider buckle is really geting on my nerves …

Most of the two prong buckles i see at antiques fairs are the type for waistcoats (Generally Solide galvanised steel-type), and i fear they may not be sturdy enough for the thick denim.

bk

 

[Burnsie]

Anyone know a good source for a proper two prong buckle for the LVC 1933 501 model? This stupid ******* slider buckle is really geting on my nerves …

I don't know about the current crop but the 33 LVC's I got 3 years ago had a buckle you could clip the center piece out of with wire snips, leaving two rather sharp and serviceable prongs that poked through the strap ala originals...

 

[H.Johnson]

Many early weskits have Solides are fine with XX denim. Find a mothed weskit and youre set. I've been doing it for years on jackets and waist overalls and they last OK. Some prewar denim had the same pattern. You know what site to check the dating on the buckles!

BTW, I have '33 501s and 201s and they have different buckles, one a slider, one a 2 prong. Don't ask me to remember which is which...

Don't pay more than 5GBP!

Anyone know a good source for a proper two prong buckle for the LVC 1933 501 model? This stupid ******* slider buckle is really geting on my nerves …

Most of the two prong buckles i see at antiques fairs are the type for waistcoats (Generally Solide galvanised steel-type), and i fear they may not be sturdy enough for the thick denim.

bk

 

[Baron Kurtz]

whoops, i made a booboo. Mine are the 201s.

bk

 

[H.Johnson]

My '33 201XX jeans have a super-strong double black buckle.

 

[Doug C]

Baron Kurts wrote:

whoops, i made a booboo. Mine are the 201s.

Wow, awesome to know that I'm not the only one! I've been saying from day one that the buckle on my 1920s 201 repros was completely useless!! Please someone, there has to be an option. I'd give anything for one like on the other LVC cinch backs I have. BTW, what's a "weskit" and about the website to check the date... please explain.

H.Johnson wrote:

My '33 201XX jeans have a super-strong double black buckle.

HJ, where'd you find a pair of those, I thought only '20s and '37 were copied for the 201xx, and neither have a black buckle. Got a picture you could post of that double buckle?


Doug C

 

[H.Johnson]

H.Johnson wrote:
HJ, where'd you find a pair of those, I thought only '20s and '37 were copied for the 201xx, and neither have a black buckle. Got a picture you could post of that double buckle?


Doug C

Sorry Doug, I hit the wrong key - it should have read '37. The '37 201XX definitely has a a dark metal (if not black) double buckle.

They are the 'first denim' 201XX with the leather label, rather than the 'second denim' 201 with the sailcloth label. They are repros. I bought them years ago and have never worn them.

A 'weskit' is a waistcoat and www.vintagemotorcyclejackets.com has a section on dating denim. Some people argue with its accuracy, but I don't know enough to take issue with it.

 

[Havana]

As a kid, I always wore Wranglers because they were tough and everyone knew them as the jeans of cowboys. As a teen and young adult, I wore 501’s because I was single and they fit me well. Now, I will no longer waste my money on 501’s. Whenever I purchase a pair of jeans, I write the date inside. I like to see how long they last. My last two pairs of 501’s didn’t make it two years. One developed a hole in the crotch and the button loops on the fly came apart on the other. I was disgusted. Now, I’ve gone back to Wrangler 13MWZ. The pattern of these pants is allegedly unchanged since 1947 when they were first introduced by the Blue Bell Co. These jeans were originally designed by Rodeo Ben Lichtenstein, John Wayne’s personal tailor, and went through 12 submissions before a committee of professional rodeo cowboys all agreed on the 13th version. These are the same jeans my father wore in the 1950’s and they fit like it – high waist and cuffs made for rolling. Today, you’ll have to go to a western or farm shop to find them but it’s worth it.

http://www.wranglerwestern.com/Catalog/men/jeans/cowboy cut/13MWZ

 

[Trotsky]

I picked up some dickies at Wal-Fart, $10. They have a higher waist for sure, and are a bit skinnier than my rotund frame likes, but they work well enough for $10 (and make me try a bit harder to get into shape!)

I have a pair of George dark indigo jeans that I picked up for $5 on clearance. I have yet to wear them, but they look real pretty.