Levi's® Mens 501® Original Indigo Shrink-to-Fit Jeans

Buyer Beware; Levis has changed the cut once again! Now the 501 STF fits more like their Mid-50's anti-fit model, with a bit more room in the leg and seat. The denim is different, too; 12.5 oz vs. 13 oz. The color is better (truer indigo, but still probably chem dye to save cost) and crocks (looses dye) less easily. Tone on tone stitching on the outside leg seam gives a "selvedge appearance" at a distance. Less detail on the tag is traded for better back pocket shape (cut and trade mark arcuate) and thread color. I'm also 6', 195 lbs, and I exercise frequently, so I need the length and width. Buy true to waist/hips (measure yourself with a tape where you like your jeans to "ride"). Get 2 to 3 inches of extra length (err on the side of caution with MIM jeans). Levis guide is "generous"� and historical but size and materials have changed over time. If you do go with their prescribed standard, realize that your leans will be "loose"� fitting. Rinse them before you wear them to set the dye. I prefer salt. Some use vinegar. Some use both. (Chemistry suggests this is all phooey, BTW.) Levis recommends Dr. Bonner's Soap (smells great, but costs an arm and a leg). Soak them in the tub for 30 to 60 minutes in cold water (minimal shrink), warm water (moderate shrink) or hot as Heck water (maximum shrink). Don't worry about what's left in the tub, what's lost is lost and can never be blue again. NEVER PUT THEM IN THE DRYER! The high heat causes the collagen in the cotton fibers to contact rapidly, and it will make the yarn swell and burst--a very bad look indeed. Dry flat for best color retention. Hang dry is an option, but remember the dye will migrate (in the direction of gravity) and the denim will stretch at points of strain. But that's good when you get them on, because Boy-howdy is that denim stiff as a board. Break 'em in like a San Francisco prospector with some deep knee bends (only when fully dry or the knees will balloon out and stay that way). The waistband will have the most "give,"� but with time, body heat and brute force, the rest of the jean will conform to your shape over time. This denim is raw and alive. No factory faux-embellishments. Whiskering happens with time and love. Don't mess with the process. And if you're wanting for steppin' out jeans,� these aren't it, buddy. You're not going to wash them for what feels like forever. Which is fine, because when you're at the office they're going to be airing out on the peg in your room waiting for a motorcycle ride, barn chores or some other hard wearing weekend activity. Then after about 6 months to a year (which is probably pushing it), you'll give them a bath, and they'll look just like the ones James Dean, Steve McQueen and Paul Newman wore. Style is subjective. I like a little bit of a cuff. Not to show off an expensive selvedge line (the sartorial equivalent of buying a hundred dollar cheeseburger and forcing everyone around you to watch while you eat it), but because I'm tall, self-conscious of that fact and realize a little extra fabric and contrasts offsets that. If you're short, you can cuff, too just don't go crazy with it. Otherwise you'll look like you borrowed those jeans from your much taller and more stylish brother. To sum it all up: these are a great jean, but not for the faint of heart; you really get as much style out of them as you are willing to put in; they can be tough to size, and the idiosyncratic nature of Levis manufacturing and distribution decisions is debatable; they're better than before (but sadly, still not as good as they were); and they're an affordable option for those that balk at the idea of superexpensive pairs of urban cowboy, dandy chic, jeans; if they were MADE IN USA with USA COTTON DENIM, at the same or similar price point, they would be PERFECT; for now this is not only the best Levis 501 out there, it is the BEST JEAN FOR THE MONEY, north or south of the Mason-Dixon and east or west of the Mississippi. Don't buy the hype. Save your money. Buy the jeans, the original, the Levis 501 Shrink-to-Fit. P.S. Yes, you're not insane: they totally did make the buttonholes just a little too small this time. What were they thinking, right? At least they stitched all the way around. Just use your jackknife (which should honestly be free with purchase of four or more pair) to open 'em up a bit. Better? I thought so. I know, the jeans were totally worth it. But seriously what's up with the buttonholes?

I'd also recommend: Red Wing, Danner, Filson