Friday, February 15, 2008

Levi's® Vintage Clothing S/S08

This spring the guys and girls over at Levi's® have dug deep for the Vintage Clothing Collection! The best pants we have seen in a very long time.. Let's break it down for you chronologicaly:

LVC Knappave 1880's Rigid Waist Overall

This is a very early version of the Levi Strauss Denim Waist Overall, the term jeans came later on. Since there is no blueprints of Levi's oldes jeans, this one is constructed after a pair found in a silver mine near the town of Tonopah, Nevada. Features sewn on suspender buttons, no belt loops yet, cinch back and only one back pocket. However a small tool pocket on the ride side of the leg was standard at this time! Front pockets are made of denim aswell. The Arcuate is stitched with single needlde (the double needle first came in use 1947). Almost all seems are a bit irregular, to give it that sweet authentic look. All rivets are exposed and stamped to avoid scratching stuff. 10oz shrink-to-fit denim in plain white selvage. Back patch is centered under the cinch and in real leather, true 1880's!









LVC 1901 501XX Dry Goods

In 1901, one year before his death, Levi Strauss had developed his rugged overall trouser 501 furthermore. A second back pocket was added and the front pockets were made of heavy duty cotton. Features large back pockets, the style of the time, exposed back pockets rivets and crotch rivet. Cinch back and suspender buttons with logo. The back pockets have single needle Arcuate stichting which gives a nice irregular and uneven look, lack the diamond stitch shape that the twin needle makes. No red tab on these, since it was first introduced 1936. Back patch is original real leather, no fake stuff yet! 10oz shrink-to-fit denim and plain selvedge, the red line selvage came circa 1930 and was a way for the fabric supplier, Cone Mills, to easy identify the exclusive Levi's XX denim. This is an exact replica of a 1901 501, all the denim-making-technology known to man at the turn of the century, put in to a single pant!







LVC 1944 S501XX Blue By You

During WWII, due to government rationing of essential items such as thread, fabric and copper, Lev's simplified the features of the 501. The cinch back was removed, along with the watch pocket rivets and crotch rivets. More conspicuous is the Arcuate on these, not sewn on but instead painted on by hand! They are riveted in plain metal without the traditional stamp and fly buttons are clean aswell. Instead the top button has a symbol of peace in the form of a laurel leaf. Two horse leather patch and single-sided Big E red tab (it became double-siden in the '50s). Made of 10oz red selvage XX denim, but because of the rationing of dye the fabric used in 1944 had a softer shade of indigo. These are rinsed once to give you an even smoother feel and therefor they don't shrink as much as a raw denim pair. This is pure history, ladies and gentlemen.








LVC 1967 505-0217 Dry Goods

This is the 505, a slimmed down 501 in line with trends of the '60s. The standard jeans if you were a Ivy League student back in the days! Very popular on the east coast America and later on adapted buy the mods in England. Features a double-sided Big E red tab, the two horse leather-like patch that we still se today on modern 501s, belt loops only och copper zip fly. Made of raw 14.5 oz pre-shrunk red selvage Kaihara japanese denim! Real denim love.







Remember that Levi's XX denim is unwashed and due to the nature of the fabric, there is a high rate of shrinkage. If your waist is: 27" - 36" increase size by 2", 38" - 48" increase size by 3". If your inseam is: 27" - 34" increase size by 3", 36" -> by 4". Do not alter leg length until shrinkage is complete. They will shrink over at least the first 3 washes. If you buy true to your size we suggest you delay the washing for as long as possible, to minimize shrinkage and optimize your personal feel and form of your jeans. This is recommended.

You can get them online to!