One Drop
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Since there doesn't seem to be anything resembling a general thread on Lee denim and workwear clothing, I thought i'd start one, the brand being a fairly important part of the history of workwear, and denim jeans and outerwear. I also think they made some of the best looking examples of jeans and jackets from the last century. There does seem to be a resurgence intheir popularity right now as a fashion item, and some increased interest among the heritage and denim crowd.
Please be aware I'm no expert or collector, just a fan and long time wearer of the brand, so please excuse any errors and omissions you might find here!
Unfortunately there are are currently few vintage models still being made with the original designs and quality of materials, except for the European Lee 101 designs, and there were various Japanese licensed runs like the Lee Archives models of the 1990s, Edwin models, Real McCoy licensed copies. Luckily though, the brand is far less popular as of yet than Levi's, so there's a lot of opportunity to find nice vintage examples at far less the cost.
Here is a link to the best available resource about the history and various vintage models of Lee clothing :
https://www.heddels.com/tag/lee-2/
This is a link to a video and channel that has a lot of datring and other info on vintage Lee clothing :
Here's a link to a good source for various Lee vintage labels:
https://vintageclothingguides.com/tags-labels/how-to-tell-if-lee-is-vintage/
Lee Denim:
Lee was one of the big three US denim makers, famous through most of their history for the supple left-hand twill, and was usually made in slightly lighter weights.
Jackets :
The iconic 101J denim 'Cowboy' jacket is my favourite Trucker or Cowboy style jacket, stylish, ***y, a bit rakish, unabashedly Western in design, and beautifully cut and one that wears beautifully and gracefully.
The blanket lined 101 LJ Storm Rider is the other best known of the jackets they made,, though a few other designs have worn the Storm Rider moniker, including Sherpa lined ones and ones made from other material than denim. It is nearly identical to the 101J save the blanket lining and brown corduroy collar.
The Westerner is another gorgeous design that is sadly rarely available these days , it's similar to the 101J but was usually made in a cream Sateen version, the other main difference being the side pockets. There were matching pants in identical colours and materials to the jackets, they were slim fitting, mid rise, slightly Western styled casual oants that looked fabulous paired with any the highly cropped Lee Jackets.
Their original Cowboy jacket that preceded the 101J was also very cool, I know ver little about it and would love to hear more from others that have more experience with them.
Denim Jeans :
The Lee Rider is the most well known and longest made of the Lee jeans, like Levis' the cut changed through the years to reflect changing fashions, but seemingly less often that Levi's did. My favourite cuts are the 1950s models, with wide straight legs and a high rise top box, if you were slim as most were in the era, the fit around the waist was fairly form fitting, though not as fitted as the Wrangler, and less 'anti-fit' than the Levi's from the same time.
For overall fit and flexibility in terms of wearability with other styles of clothing, , I do prefer the slightly lower rise and slimmer leg of the 60s and 70s Lee Rider jeans, and the Boot Cut version that was popular in the '70s. I just bought a vintage pair from the '70s and it0s just a fantastic overall cut, with a leg that drapes beautifully, especially when worn in the traditional length of breaking slightly at the shoe pr boot, tucking in a bit at the knee, fitting the seat well, and giving a lot of freedom of movement.
I welcome your additions to this thread, I left out so much about the earlier models of jeans and jackets and their repros, their dungarees and overalls, and their outerwear.
Please be aware I'm no expert or collector, just a fan and long time wearer of the brand, so please excuse any errors and omissions you might find here!
Unfortunately there are are currently few vintage models still being made with the original designs and quality of materials, except for the European Lee 101 designs, and there were various Japanese licensed runs like the Lee Archives models of the 1990s, Edwin models, Real McCoy licensed copies. Luckily though, the brand is far less popular as of yet than Levi's, so there's a lot of opportunity to find nice vintage examples at far less the cost.
Here is a link to the best available resource about the history and various vintage models of Lee clothing :
https://www.heddels.com/tag/lee-2/
This is a link to a video and channel that has a lot of datring and other info on vintage Lee clothing :
Here's a link to a good source for various Lee vintage labels:
https://vintageclothingguides.com/tags-labels/how-to-tell-if-lee-is-vintage/
Lee Denim:
Lee was one of the big three US denim makers, famous through most of their history for the supple left-hand twill, and was usually made in slightly lighter weights.
Jackets :
The iconic 101J denim 'Cowboy' jacket is my favourite Trucker or Cowboy style jacket, stylish, ***y, a bit rakish, unabashedly Western in design, and beautifully cut and one that wears beautifully and gracefully.
The blanket lined 101 LJ Storm Rider is the other best known of the jackets they made,, though a few other designs have worn the Storm Rider moniker, including Sherpa lined ones and ones made from other material than denim. It is nearly identical to the 101J save the blanket lining and brown corduroy collar.
The Westerner is another gorgeous design that is sadly rarely available these days , it's similar to the 101J but was usually made in a cream Sateen version, the other main difference being the side pockets. There were matching pants in identical colours and materials to the jackets, they were slim fitting, mid rise, slightly Western styled casual oants that looked fabulous paired with any the highly cropped Lee Jackets.
Their original Cowboy jacket that preceded the 101J was also very cool, I know ver little about it and would love to hear more from others that have more experience with them.
Denim Jeans :
The Lee Rider is the most well known and longest made of the Lee jeans, like Levis' the cut changed through the years to reflect changing fashions, but seemingly less often that Levi's did. My favourite cuts are the 1950s models, with wide straight legs and a high rise top box, if you were slim as most were in the era, the fit around the waist was fairly form fitting, though not as fitted as the Wrangler, and less 'anti-fit' than the Levi's from the same time.
For overall fit and flexibility in terms of wearability with other styles of clothing, , I do prefer the slightly lower rise and slimmer leg of the 60s and 70s Lee Rider jeans, and the Boot Cut version that was popular in the '70s. I just bought a vintage pair from the '70s and it0s just a fantastic overall cut, with a leg that drapes beautifully, especially when worn in the traditional length of breaking slightly at the shoe pr boot, tucking in a bit at the knee, fitting the seat well, and giving a lot of freedom of movement.
I welcome your additions to this thread, I left out so much about the earlier models of jeans and jackets and their repros, their dungarees and overalls, and their outerwear.
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