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Levis 501 shrink-to-fit available in selvedge again - Page 3

post #31 of 34
post #32 of 34
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cool The Kid View Post
$178 for those?????


for real?
post #33 of 34
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cool The Kid View Post
Not to continue the thread jack but $178 seems perfectly reasonable for jeans that are made in the US with White Oak.
post #34 of 34

I posted this a bit earlier in the "jeans for beginners" thread, but haven't had any bites on that one yet.  Since my questions pertain largely to the Made in the U.S.A. 501 STF in raw selvedge, I figured maybe this thread was the most relevant existing one...then again, it may not be, seeing as how no one has posted in it in almost a year.  Regardless, I'm going to give it a try.  The following is mostly copied and pasted from my earlier post in the aforementioned "beginners" thread:

 

I apologize in advance for the length of this post, and the probably ignorant questions contained therein.  I've (obviously) only recently started researching and trying out raw denim, and I'm starting exclusively with Levi's. I'm doing that for a variety of reasons, mostly related to my personal history of great experiences with the brand.

But I need some guidance, preferably from someone who really knows (1) the brand and (2) the raw denim experience. I've quickly learned that calling Levi's consumer relations hotline or the Levi's online store customer service number is unreliable at best; different people at both numbers have provided conflicting answers to some of the same questions. Same goes for employees at the nearest Levi's brick-and-mortar stores -- for example, the first one I talked to during a recent visit just stared blankly at me when I asked if her store had any "raw denim -- you know, unwashed? Dry?"

With that in mind, I'm going to post some questions here and hope somebody out there can at least point me in the right direction. I'd like to avoid asking these questions over at superfuture or in the wrong thread here, lest I be electronically scorned and ridiculed by people who would prefer not to trouble themselves with intro-level questions like mine. At any rate, here are my questions:

(1) Are the 501 Shrink-To-Fits the ONLY unsanforized jeans that the regular Levi's brand (not LVC or Made and Crafted) currently produces?  Part of the reason I ask this is the one-sentence response I recently received to a customer service e-mail, which implied that the entire Made in the U.S.A. line is unsanforized. That doesn't seem possible, especially since most of the styles in that line have zippers and are pre-distressed...but if they DO make an unsanforized 511 or 514, I'll buy it immediately.

(2) Is the entire Made in the U.S.A. line sold only through Levi.com?

(3) When Levi's calls a product "raw selvedge," does that have a consistent, reliable meaning? I'm fairly certain that it doesn't usually mean "unsanforized" for Levi's, but beyond that, I can only guess that they're referring to unwashed denim. Right?

(4) More specifically, I'd like to hear back from anyone out there who has experience with Levi's Made in the U.S.A. 501 in raw selvedge:

http://us.levi.com/product/index.jsp?productId=10948887&&cp=3146842.4305630.11326985

 

I'm thinking about buying a pair and starting to break them in in the next month or so, but I'm hesitant to do so given their relatively high price (by Levi's non-LVC/non-Made and Crafted standards) and my lack of reliable information about them. I know that those jeans are tagged as "Shrink-to-Fit" (i.e., unsanforized), but I've gotten conflicting answers to other questions about them.

For example, can anyone tell me for certain if that particular style is ONLY made in a 34-inch inseam? Also, do they reliably shrink and stretch to the same degree as "regular" indigo 501 STFs? If they do, I should order them with nothing bigger than a 32-inch waist; if they shrink MORE than standard 501 STFs, maybe I should go up an inch; if they shrink less than standard 501 STFs before stretching back out, perhaps a 31 would be the right choice.

If you have that particular style -- or the Made in the U.S.A. 511 or 514, for that matter -- I would love to hear about your experiences with it. I'm especially interested in hearing how well they break in compared to other Levi's products (especially the standard indigo 501 STFs) as well as other brands of raw denim.

Beyond that, my most specific question of all is this:

(5) If price were no object, what style(s) within the Levi's family (including LVC and Made and Crafted) would be most likely to provide me with a truly "custom" fit -- on the slim-to-skinny side -- after being thoroughly broken-in?

Truth be told, my standard 501 STFs (which I now have in two different colors) only fit okay after careful shrinkage and break-in. I'm 5'9", with disproportionately (i.e. freakishly, unattractively) skinny calves/ankles, rather slim thighs, and a 32.5-inch waist in most slim-fit pants. This means that most non-slim/non-skinny straight-leg jeans are going to be somewhat baggy on me, no matter what I do to them (short of having them professionally tapered after breaking them in -- something I wouldn't trust my usual tailor to do properly). If there's a particular Levi's/LVC/Made and Crafted style (ideally in truly raw/unsanforized denim) that might fit the bill for me, I would love to know about it.

If you've read this whole post in all its lengthy glory, I truly appreciate it. Thanks in advance to anyone who might be able to answer even some of my questions.


Edited by Bulldoggery - 5/11/12 at 10:27pm
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