ID my Levi's

[whodini]

(Copy up on SuFu, too)

I recently purchased some "raw" Levi's off ebay. They looked different, the seller said they had some stretch in them (something I've been looking for in a replacement pair for traveling since that thread way back when regarding stretch jeans), and they were only about $20.

The seller has close to 200 positive feedbacks and he's not selling 400 pairs of Levi's from Thailand so I'm going to assume the following story he told me is true:

"as for the history of the jeans, well, here goes:

my favorite pair of jeans from when i was a teen were an amazing pair of levis. after moving to new york, i became friends with a guy who worked at levis san francisco. i told him about these jeans i loved and how weird they were and the identifying information about them. he spent a few weeks working with the archivist from levis, and this jean was the closest jean they could find in the archives. and, he shipped them to me. so, they're direct from the levi's archive."

Things I found interesting:
-No rivets
-Leather patch
-Light brown Levi's tag (small "e")
-Leg creases front and back
-65/35 Cotton-Poly blend

I guess I'm just posting this to see if anyone's seen anything like these or know more about them. Enjoy.

Pics:

 

[airfrogusmc]

Fakes!!

 

[whodini]

Damn...they certainly are interesting...

 

[broady]

Originally Posted by whodini

-No rivets
-65/35 Cotton-Poly blend

Ouch

 

[nastyandy]

I'm sorry bro but that story sounds like horseshit.

Levis did have a cotton/poly blend in the 70s, in the orange tab which could possibly result in a 'brown' looking tab over time, but I cannot recall offhand the cotton/poly ratio and the leather patch on the back looks fake to me as well. I even have a pair of vintage 517s with a cotton/poly blend, and the tag on the back on mine is the cardboard stock type and even specifies above trhe size that there is polyester in the material.

I don't know about the Levis "archivist", but the historian for Levis is Lynn Downey, and you can email her at [email protected]. I bought a pair of Thaivis on ebay sa few months ago, and I emailed her about them. She took about a week to get back to me but confirmed that they were indeed fake.

$20 is not major damage, but you may still want to have Ms. Downey confirm the unauthenticity and then file a claim with paypal and neg. the seller.

 

[whodini]

Appreciate the email, nastyandy. I went ahead and wrote Lynn while including some pics.

The $20 isn't much of a concern as is just what exactly happened. Perhaps the seller is duping people, but considering a majority of the stuff he's been selling are old jackets and shirts I never thought he'd be making **** up.

Meh...I actually like how they fit through the legs although the waist is a bit bigger, kind of like the fit I originally had with my RRL slimcut.

I emailed the seller, who talked to me several times after bidding, and we'll see where it goes from there.

Again, thanks for the help.

 

[cheapmutha]

i have seen these in thrift stores before. i wouldnt say fake... maybe a sub line of levis... probably comparable to the ones sold in walmart now.

levis has had many styles and lines besides the orange, red, and silver tabs. ive seen leather tabs, red tab with gold "levis", no tab with cloth patch, levis western wear, and more.

id say, if they fit you well and you like them, then you got a deal.

 

[whodini]

Originally Posted by cheapmutha

i have seen these in thrift stores before. i wouldnt say fake... maybe a sub line of levis... probably comparable to the ones sold in walmart now. levis has had many styles and lines besides the orange, red, and silver tabs. ive seen leather tabs, red tab with gold "levis", no tab with cloth patch, levis western wear, and more. id say, if they fit you well and you like them, then you got a deal.
The seller emailed me back saying that he's interested, too, in what the historian has to say as he's sticking to his story. I'm inclined to believe him as I said before because of previous feedback and the other items up for sale. Not knowing Levi's I, too, wondered if they were some kind of sub line. The stretch in them, not to mention the creases, remind me of the Wrangler line meant for western wear. It all seems like too much detail for the average fake.

 

[nastyandy]

Well, anything's possible, but aside from the strange leather patch, all Levi's buttonholes are outlined in black thread, AFAIK, and it appears to be a gold thread in these pics. For reference, here is the back patch from my poly/cotton orange tab 517s (and the ratio is 64 cotton/36 poly):

It is possible that the leather patch is an aftermarket addition, although unlikely. Nevertheless, I agree that if you like the jeans, real or not, for $20 you got a deal.

 

[whodini]

I'm bridging the love gap between the SF's on this one, but check this out, Andy: http://supertalk.superfuture.com/sho...57&postcount=3

 

[dkzzzz]

Consider them a bespoke Levi's.

Anyone here has Made to Measure Levi's jeans that they were making in a 90s
I got 4 pares. Now that's what I call: "Jeans that fit proper".

 

[airfrogusmc]

I just read that. Looks like I was wrong. For $20 you can't go wrong either way though.

 

[nastyandy]

Originally Posted by dkzzzz

Consider them a bespoke Levi's.

Anyone here has Made to Measure Levi's jeans that they were making in a 90s
I got 4 pares. Now that's what I call: "Jeans that fit proper".

Wow, that's the first pair of these that I have ever seen if that's what they are. Here is an article about them from 1996, and if they are in fact this particular jean, I guess the 'customizable' feature would explain the strange details:

Levi sets trend with its made-to-measure jeans
newmedia newmedia, Computing 01 Oct 1996

Levi Strauss, maker of the world's most famous jeans, has brought its customised made-to-measure jeans technology to Europe in a pilot that will enable customers to order the perfectly fitting pair of jeans, time after time.

The company uses computers in its retail stores to record and maintain an accurate database of customers' jean measurements. Whenever a customer wishes to buy a pair of jeans, the store assistant simply opens the customer's personal file and sends the details to an automated jean-making facility in Brussels.

Information is held on a Lotus Notes database, which can be amended at any time, said a spokesman for the company. Distribution of the data is carried out by a virtual manufacturing system which also stores and retrieves the finished jeans using barcode technology.

Levi's chose its London flagship store and Sheffield store for the European launch of the service, called 'Personal Pair'. Last week, shoppers gave their vital statistics, including inside leg measurements, name and address to the Levi computer.

The system also contains details of more than 300 Levi jean prototypes which the customer can view on-screen.

The scheme has been running successfully in the US and Canada for the past 18 months.

Initially, the service will only be available to women, who, said Levi's, are the most difficult to fit. Customised jeans will cost #65.

www.computeractive.co.uk/2060009

 

[whodini]

UPDATE:

From the Levi historian herself:

You have a pair of "Action" jeans in stretch denim from 1999. So they
are definitely Levi's jeans from the U.S.

Ladies & Gents, mystery solved. Thanks for playing.

 

[tundrafour]

Any pictures of them on?