Mod to Suedehead

[DonkeyJacket1]

https://imgur.com/a/G85HwvA


Oh, please! Zips are **** and only getting shittier the way companies are cost-cutting.

Depends entirely on the quality of the zip.

 

[johnnyskin]

Cheers for the great info on 70s-80s Levi's in the UK everyone. Just to clarify:

@johnnyskin, were the Levi's STF with zip you remember wearing in the late 70s orange tab or red tab?

Does anyone from the UK remember any button-fly Levi's before the 80s?

They were definitely STF, red selvedge, with a red tag and numbered 502. I'm not sure if they were made in the U.S. or the U.K. I've read on some sites that they were based on the fit of the U.S. made 501Z from 1954(?). However, my recollection is that the fit of the 502, particularly in the thigh and leg was tighter than the 501Z. As others here have said, I don't remember seeing any new unshrunk STF 501's being offered on the High Street here till the time of the Nick Kamen "laundrette" campaign video in the mid 80's. I suspect that's when they were launched in the U.K. supported by that video. Till then, new button fly jeans were just about unknown here, although, like I said, used 501's could be had from market stalls

 

[andyf]

In general I find button flies to be more reliable. But to be honest, I'm not too bothered either way. Just trying to establish some rough Levi's UK timeline, which we seem to know fairly little about... the young mods' forgotten story.

To return to the 70s, I read that early revivalists like @TomMc666 raided shops for deadstock Ben Shermans and Sta Prest from the original era. Did they also make a point of tracking down red tab Levi's from the 60s? Or was it just that you couldn't get any new red tab Levi's in 1977?

When 2 Tone and the mod revival exploded a couple of years later, what Levi's did those kids usually wear - new orange tab like @covskin's or 'vintage' red tab?

As I said I really couldn’t find red tab anywhere in the early 80s. So I ended wearing orange tab. At that time.
I have a pair of 501 red tabs now with button fly. Don’t mind buttons. Zips are slighter better IMO.

 

[covskin]

I heard of red tag but saw them on jackets only. The only time I remember seeing red tag on jeans was in the Last Resort, and they had been sliced off for some reason.

 

[Bela Kun]

I heard of red tag but saw them on jackets only. The only time I remember seeing red tag on jeans was in the Last Resort, and they had been sliced off for some reason.

Probably factory seconds. Same as what they're selling on ebay today...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Levis-Vi...665192?hash=item2f19b39fe8:g:6PQAAOSwCGVX78pk

 

[covskin]

Probably factory seconds. Same as what they're selling on ebay today...

It speaks of grey market sourcing maybe. Levis were suing people up into the 90s for selling grey market Levis until Tesco gave them a bloody nose.

Still ongoing apparently

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-130886/Tesco-loses-jeans-court-battle.html

 

[Clouseau]

@johnnyskin what about the Levi's 1966 551 ZXX (pre-shrunk and zip fly), according to an ex-poster - and a denimhead the best 'skinhead era jeans' ?

On the boot subject i remember the one that had the Dr Martens tag. I dont know who made them. A lot of different makes did the uppers in the time.
Regarding your 10 holes without heel tag they scream Hawkins to me, even if they are best known for their plain welt, some rare models had White stitching.
Replying from my phone as i am not in town. Will try to find pictures next week.

 

[johnnyskin]

Probably factory seconds. Same as what they're selling on ebay today...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Levis-Vi...665192?hash=item2f19b39fe8:g:6PQAAOSwCGVX78pk

I've got a pair of LVC '78 501's. The ones offered for auction on the above Ebay link have a different back pocket shape from mine, so I suspect the Ebay ones are fakes rather than factory seconds. Levi's are very conscious about maintaining a high quality in their products and are always careful/hesitant about offering seconds for sale. Usually, if you do see them, the label on the waistband is stamped "irregular" or "seconds" in black ink as well as having the red tab removed.

The 78 version is currently discontinued, but like the other year versions, they retail from genuine authorized outlets at around £180 so the very low starting price on these suggests they are not genuine and likely to be copies manufactured in some sweat-shop in either the Far East or the Indian sub-Continent.

 

[andyf]

I heard of red tag but saw them on jackets only. The only time I remember seeing red tag on jeans was in the Last Resort, and they had been sliced off for some reason.

The last resort. Never actually got in. Went down on a Saturday!
Match day so not open that day.
“Patronise the shop that patronises you”.

 

[johnnyskin]

@johnnyskin what about the Levi's 1966 551 ZXX (pre-shrunk and zip fly), according to an ex-poster - and a denimhead the best 'skinhead era jeans' ?

On the boot subject i remember the one that had the Dr Martens tag. I dont know who made them. A lot of different makes did the uppers in the time.
Regarding your 10 holes without heel tag they scream Hawkins to me, even if they are best known for their plain welt, some rare models had White stitching.
Replying from my phone as i am not in town. Will try to find pictures next week.

Thanks for the reply on both subjects.

Re the comment on the '66 551Z Levi's - I think these actually date from '62 rather than 66. Any 66 Levi's I've seen have all been button fly rather than having a zip, but as I said, I don't remember any of these or any other button fly jeans by Levi's being available to buy in the U.K., certainly not in London during the late 60's.

The original skinhead era in the U.K. started around late '67 early '68 and lasted till roughly '71 or 72. As I've already said, during that time the only Levi's I remember for sale here, were all rigid shrink to fit denim, with a zip fly and labelled 502. Those are the ones we all wore - all kids and not just skins. Levi's did do a pre-shrunk version, but they had a different number - I never had a pair so I'm not sure what it was - possibly 517, but they may have been 505's. Whatever they were, they didn't really catch on with teenagers, and I can't see why Levi's would also offer a similar zip-fly model at the same time to compete with the popular 502, when they could have made the 501 available, as there were no other button fly jeans available at that time.

Re the Dr. Martens without the heel tag - you could be right, they might be made by Hawkins, but there's absolutely no mention anywhere of that name on the boot, either inside or out. The sole is pretty worn, but has the square Dr. Marten stamp with "Air Cushion Sole" and "Oil, Fat, Acid, Petrol, Alkali Resistant" just to the right still clearly visible on the sole. I bought them in London in late '69 from Holt's in Camden, a few months after the other pair with the normal yellow stitching and, as they were from the same shop, I'm sure if the box had been different I would have noticed that. But of course it's all a long time ago now, so who knows, but bearing in mind I already owned a pair of DM's, I'm fairly sure I would have at least questioned the different name on the box from the shopkeeper before I bought them!

 

[Clouseau]

It would be interesting to have a look at those DMs, furthermore if you have them since 1969. Maybe you could post a picture ?
Regarding the 551, LVC does a '62 edition now but did a '66 édition a few years ago. Like with the 501 the 551 have been made in different years.

 

[DonkeyJacket1]

The last resort. Never actually got in. Went down on a Saturday!
Match day so not open that day.
“Patronise the shop that patronises you”.

Wasn't that the shop with the ****** donkey jacket length crombies and dodgy owner?.

From what ive read you probably didn't miss much.

 

[benj84]

I've got a pair of LVC '78 501's. The ones offered for auction on the above Ebay link have a different back pocket shape from mine, so I suspect the Ebay ones are fakes rather than factory seconds. Levi's are very conscious about maintaining a high quality in their products and are always careful/hesitant about offering seconds for sale. Usually, if you do see them, the label on the waistband is stamped "irregular" or "seconds" in black ink as well as having the red tab removed.

The 78 version is currently discontinued, but like the other year versions, they retail from genuine authorized outlets at around £180 so the very low starting price on these suggests they are not genuine and likely to be copies manufactured in some sweat-shop in either the Far East or the Indian sub-Continent.

the above auctions are 66s though not 78s, they are legit seconds. A mate got a pair of 67 505s and compared them to mine, they were exactly same except a tiny 1cm pull on leg. I wish I'd have seen them before paying 145 for mine

 

[DonkeyJacket1]

Always gotta have the branding intact on my jeans, never looks right without it imo.

 

[benj84]

Always gotta have the branding intact on my jeans, never looks right without it imo.

85 quid difference for red tab, he sewed one on