Levi's Unveils the World's Oldest Pair of Jeans at Fall 2011 Fashion Preview

[The Wiser Hatter]

Levi's-unveils-the-world oldest pair of jeans at fall 2011 fashion preview

 

[LoveMyHats2]

Levi's-unveils-the-world oldest pair of jeans at fall 2011 fashion preview

Nice find of this information. I wonder why who ever had these jeans never washed the crud off of them years ago?

 

[Viper Man]

It's pretty sad what's become of this company. I tried to buy a few pairs of Levi's jeans recently and was absolutely disgusted by the inconsistent sizing and complete lack of material. They were the most ill fitting jeans I've ever had the discomfort of trying on and I have handkercheifs that are thicker. Sorry, Levi's. I have been a loyal customer for over 25 years but I won't be buying another pair of your crappy jeans.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

I wonder why who ever had these jeans never washed the crud off of them years ago?

Some of these jeans are recent finds that have been recovered from abandoned mines and mineshafts. Miners would sometimes leave their castoffs behind in some dark corner somewhere, and the hot, dry atmosphere would preserve the denim. Vintage denim hunters also search through old barns and sheds, looking for wall cracks that have been stuffed and "sealed" with castoff jeans.

 

[DoubleXX]

Nice find of this information. I wonder why who ever had these jeans never washed the crud off of them years ago?

A lot of these mega-old Levis were actually dug out of the ground in old mining camps. I guess they were kept they way they were found as washing/cleaning would probably further damage the fabric.

 

[LoveMyHats2]

I can understand that now. I also do agree that many of the pants being sold per "levis" are not what they used to be, I have had more than one pair of new ones that had defects in them such as one pant leg not being sewn up right all the way from the bottom cuff up and all twisted out of shape, looked bad and not wearable to me.

 

[bl@ster]

It's pretty sad what's become of this company. I tried to buy a few pairs of Levi's jeans recently and was absolutely disgusted by the inconsistent sizing and complete lack of material. They were the most ill fitting jeans I've ever had the discomfort of trying on and I have handkercheifs that are thicker. Sorry, Levi's. I have been a loyal customer for over 25 years but I won't be buying another pair of your crappy jeans.

And were you trying on 40 dollar Levi's? If you want the good stuff of yore, you'll need to look @ LVC. And you'll need to break the bank...

 

[repeatclicks]

It's pretty sad what's become of this company. I tried to buy a few pairs of Levi's jeans recently and was absolutely disgusted by the inconsistent sizing and complete lack of material. They were the most ill fitting jeans I've ever had the discomfort of trying on and I have handkercheifs that are thicker. Sorry, Levi's. I have been a loyal customer for over 25 years but I won't be buying another pair of your crappy jeans.

Nothing has happened to this company that hasn't happened to others. It's called inflation and supply and demand, and of course, outsourcing. You get what you pay for. If you want a solid pair of Levis, you'll have to fork out over $200 for the American Made LVC range. I've got the 1955 model myself and let me tell you, they fit like a glove once shrunk.

If you wanted a solid pair of work boots that will last you years, you would by a pair of Red Wings or Wescos, you wouldn't go to WalMart now would ya?

 

[Viper Man]

No. I do see your point (and own a pair of Red Wing Gentleman Travelers ) but I had purchased a few pairs of Levi's 569's 6-8 months ago and they were still decent quality jeans for $40. Now there is a night and day difference.

Oh, and I do apologize for being off topic.

 

[1961MJS]

O.K. I'm 50 and all, so I'm an old coot, BUT I have a lot of trouble paying $100 for blue jeans. They're just blue jeans for GAWD's sake. $100 wool flannel o.k., $60 for a dress shirt or even more, but it's like the $90 t-shirt I saw on Rodeo drive, it can't possibly be worth it.

Crawling back in my old guy cave...

 

[Viper Man]

Well, I guess I must be old, too (I'm 38). At the very least, I'm cheap!

Seriously though, I think you should get what you pay for and most clothing is outrageously marked up to begin with. The bottom line is that an iconic brand like Levis should be able to make $40-$50 denim jeans of acceptable quality.

Rant over.

 

[Gene]

The bottom line is that an iconic brand like Levis should be able to make $40-$50 denim jeans of acceptable quality./QUOTE]

Here, here.

 

[Rathdown]

As I shooter and hunter I don't buy any Levi Strauss company products as a matter of principle; were they to abandon their corporate anti-gun stance I still wouldn't buy their products because they are grossly over over priced.

 

[Gene]

As the owner/wearer of 501's I must say they are the only brand of jeans I will buy. The 501 line is still fine with me for the price and I won't wear anything else.

 

[YETI]

O.K. I'm 50 and all, so I'm an old coot, BUT I have a lot of trouble paying $100 for blue jeans. They're just blue jeans for GAWD's sake. $100 wool flannel o.k., $60 for a dress shirt or even more, but it's like the $90 t-shirt I saw on Rodeo drive, it can't possibly be worth it.

Crawling back in my old guy cave...

I'm not as old as you but pretty darn close. Actually $100 for a quality pair of selvedge denim aint too shabby. You gotta understand that during the good ole days technology was expensive and labor cheap. Today it's reverse. These denim specialists(Japanese mostly) bought all the old mills for peanuts. But it's the labor they put in replicating jeans(from the very last stitch, drop of indigo dye, selvedge, to hidden rivet) that you're paying big bucks. I remember in the 80s going to the Gap to buy Levi's STF 501s for $20 and noticed a special pair they were selling for $45. I thought who'd pay that ridiculous price for a pair of jeans? Not until I started collecting vintage clothing did I realize those $45 Levi's were redlines. 1986 was the last year of production for that style I believe.

 

[PoohBang]

I thought it was 1982-83 as the last redline...

You get what you pay for. Just don't buy a lot of them. Three pairs of good quality Levi's should last you 5-10 years without any trouble.

 

[Lily Powers]

As the owner/wearer of 501's I must say they are the only brand of jeans I will buy. The 501 line is still fine with me for the price and I won't wear anything else.

It's difficult for me to find denim pants that don't have 3 numbers after the "$," and are free of spandex or lycra or some other stretchy component, so my beloved jeans are also 501's. They have held up well over the years, but now they are made in Sri Lanka, Mexico or Honduras and I can try on three pairs, all labeled the same size, and they all fit completely differently. So I baby the pairs I have in an effort to make them last.

Love the picture of the "oldest pair" of Levis - interesting "v" seam on the tummy area.

 

[bl@ster]

Another reason the price is so high for good stuff like selvedge: small batch sizes. The demand for it is fairly small and niche, so smaller lots equal higher prices. Back in the day, the high quality level was the only game in town.

 

[PoohBang]

what's with the fake selvedge on that one pair in the photo section...

 

[svennex]

They have held up well over the years, but now they are made in Sri Lanka, Mexico or Honduras.

Or Lesotho in the case of the 550s i recently got.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesotho