What jeans are you wearing today ?

[codex]

A question re maintanance to the knowledgeable swarm:

I have bought a Levi´s Vintage Clothing "Big E" 501. I am very happy, also with the fit, but the jeans came with a note stating that the denim was "shrink to fit" (I take this to mean not sanforized) and that if I bought it to fit I may never wash the jeans.

I don´t want to return, but I am a "washer", so I am looking for advice how much maintanance I can put into the denims without risk of shrinkage (Machine wash cold, handwashing only etc.).

Thanks TFL!

Cold washing at 20°C causes very minor shrinkage. It's negligible unless the jeans are already tight when you get them. Hang to dry.

 

[Biff42]

A question re maintanance to the knowledgeable swarm:

I have bought a Levi´s Vintage Clothing "Big E" 501. I am very happy, also with the fit, but the jeans came with a note stating that the denim was "shrink to fit" (I take this to mean not sanforized) and that if I bought it to fit I may never wash the jeans.

I don´t want to return, but I am a "washer", so I am looking for advice how much maintanance I can put into the denims without risk of shrinkage (Machine wash cold, handwashing only etc.).

Thanks TFL!

Can you simply have them dry-cleaned?

 

[l0fielectronic]

Yes, cold washing is normally fine.

I haven't bought any LVC for a few years but used to be a lot of the 'shrink to fit' models had no real shrinkage, then there were a couple of lines which really did... quite a lot. It was unpredictable.

 

[Tom71]

Thanks for the replies. I will give it a shot with a cold machine wash.

This model was not listed as “shrink to fit” on the webpage, but it did come with the instruction sheet. There’s a certain chance that this is just by accident, but I really want to be on the side of caution.

It‘s a bit overpriced for the denim in question (IH territory in terms of pricing but not in terms of fabric), but it strikes me as a very good solution if you seek the appeal of a 501 but cannot live with the abysmal quality of today’s offerings.

 

[Tom71]

Can you simply have them dry-cleaned?

Yes, and I definitely would as a last resort.

A huge part of the appeal of raw denim for me is the slow evolution of the fabric through gentle washing every once in a while. I am absolutely not one for “sick fades” on unwashed jean, but rather for achieving a well-worn and lived-in patina by wearing well and living in.

Not sure how this would go with dry cleaning, but I guess it won’t break in the fabric as any form of washing would.

 

[Biff42]

Yes, and I definitely would as a last resort.

A huge part of the appeal of raw denim for me is the slow evolution of the fabric through gentle washing every once in a while. I am absolutely not one for “sick fades” on unwashed jean, but rather for achieving a well-worn and lived-in patina by wearing well and living in.

Not sure how this would go with dry cleaning, but I guess it won’t break in the fabric as any form of washing would.

Great point. The washing does help create the fades with proper wear.