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

These can be the best jeans you ever owned if you are willing to do a little work. I took a hot shower with these on then wore them until they are dry. They fit okay before, but now they fit perfectly and are super comfortable despite how stiff and rigid they are to the touch. I haven't washed them yet, but I plan to wear them as long as possible between hand washing for maximum comfort and so they naturally distress with a good amount of contrast.

I wore this pants when I was younger and as I got older, I wasn't able to find my size, so I tried other brands, but none were as comfortable. Now that I found that Casual Male XL has my size, I won't wear any other jean!

I have always enjoyed the feel and fit of Levi's 501 Shrink-to-Fit. Zappos had the best price around, and I decided to try them. Zappos provided a competent and enjoyable shopping experience, even sending follow-up emails to let me know my order had been shipped and when to expect it. I'll definitely shop Zappos again!

I got these jeans as a gift. Here in Zappos they have the best deal, fast and free shipping and a lot of sizes and colors.

There are a couple different ways you can approach making these jeans your own. If you want to keep the dark color and customize the fading, then buy 1 size larger in the waist and 2 to 3 in the length; soak in hot water and hang to dry a couple times to shrink; wear as long as possible without washing, then soak and hang dry. It will take some time to soften. If you want wash and wear: for a close fit buy 1 up in waist and 2 to 3 in length; for a slightly relaxed fit go up 2 in the waist. They'll still conform to you, but may take a bit longer. I live in Alaska and hang drying takes forever in the winter. I keep a couple going in each fit. I wash everything in cold and dry on medium (perm press) at the warmest. I've been wearing Levi's 501 for more than 35 years and am hooked on the buttom fly. Started buying the prewashed, but Levi's changed the fit a few years ago and the STF seem better. I'm female and these fit better and last longer than women's jeans. I HATE stretch denim.

These jeans were for my husband and they are fantastic. You can no longer find this size. I love Zappos. The jeans came the next day, perfectly packaged. What great customer service.

Thank you Zappos! You are my son's best friend! I bought these for my 15 year old 6'5.5" foot son. He found the site and begged me to buy them. I love your policy and the quick delivery method. I'll be back...because shopping at department stores for someone his size is really a headache. You have made my life easier! "I'll be back!"

I've been wearing Levis 501 jeans since 1985 and have always wore the same size both waist and length. I ordered my usual 32X32 and they were extremely high watered in length. I sent back with the free shipping and got 32X33. When I received them they were too short also. Sent back one more time and got 32X34 which fit as as my old 32X32 in length but one pair was about an inch wrong (small) in waist size even though it showed 32 waist. I kept anyway. Not sure whether it is Levis who is inconsistent now days or whether it was Zappos batches of Levis.

These are the ones that you shrink in hot water to get to your size. You end up with a solid pair of classic Levis' jeans that are hard-wearing. No zipper. They come with a button-fly. Too-bad you can't get them in the 505 style like this too (i.e. shrink-to-fit.) Quality is generally good. Seems like quality is dependent in which country they're made in.

Great service and communications. Free overnight shipping is the best! I find my sizes on the website that I have trouble finding in the stores!

I love Levi jeans, always comfortable and great quality. They also make the odd sizes for tall guys like myself, it is very hard to find good jeans for myself. They were a little slimmer around the legs than I thought they would be, but still a great pair of jeans to my collection.

I purchased these jeans for my 17 year old son for work. They are so stiff, not a soft type of jean. I had to return these.

Finally found a place to buy levis that fit. No more too long or too short because a retailer does not wish to stock odd number lengths.

I've been wearing Levi's jeans for most of my adult life. Up until a couple of years ago, I wore 505's with a zipper fly. Then Levi's changed the 505 "original fit" to "straight fit". I am very slim with almost no visible hips and found the straight fit jeans wouldn't stay up. So I tried 501's. I found the 501's fit much better, and I got used to the button fly. So then I tried 501 shrink to fit. The STF's are wonderful! The waist is a bit higher than non-STF and you can control the shrinkage to get a perfect fit. I buy the STF's in my true waist size, and 1 inch longer inseam. I wear as long as possible before washing, then hand wash with Dr. Bronner's soap and vinegar. The "rigid" color looks much lighter than in the picture, but darkens to classic Indigo color after the first wash. Zappos has great selection of sizes, much better than other retailers.

They're Levi's original 501s. Of course they're great. The one thing that would make them better is if they were still made in the USA. Zappos price and delivery also can't be beat, and they stock hard to find sizes. I recomend both the Levi's and Zappos.

This is an item I've been buying all my life, but it's the first time I bought over the web. Everything went very well. The price, the quality, the service were all top notch. Thanks, Zappos.

I had been buying designer jeans for a long time. I still love them for sure. But there's something really cool about designing your own jeans. And you really can do that with with Levis' 501 STF. I've bought three pairs at different sizes and have had success with all of them. One is shrunk to be baggy (for skateboarding), the other loose but fitted for everyday wear, and the last pair is slim fitted for snazzing it up a bit. Great jeans and a fun experiment at a low cost!

The usual great 501s, but this black is more like faded black. It's not the deep full black of other Levis.

Order your natural waist size, and about 4 inches longer in the inseam. Cuff those legs. Wear 'em dry. And when you just can't stand it any longer, give 'em a lukewarm soak in Woolite Dark for 20 minutes. Don't wash them too often after that. You want those paint and grease stains to get set, and for those really high contrast fades to come into their own. All good things with time.

Love Levi jeans. I bought these to fit and just dry clean them. My other pair I usually get +2 sizes in waist and length and wash in cold water to keep the neat Levi color.

Love these jeans. They fit great even after washing. Be sure to follow the wash instructions and buy a size bigger than you are.

Great pair of jeans. Look and feel like the $200 jeans in stores. Hopefully they'll stand the test of time.

Zappos was great! My order was at my door the next day. I purchased 501's and had to send a pair back. The sent me a replacement pair (again the next day) and requested the pair be sent back at no cost to me. The transaction was easy and swift. Zappos is my place for Levi's orders from now on. Thank you for great service and satisfaction.

I bought four pairs (I lost some weight and my old jeans would not stay up!), all shrink to fit, sand, grey, black and original blue. Other than the fact that our washer uses almost no water and spins them dry, so after a stint in the dryer they came out wrinkled. But a couple more washes and they were just like the jeans I remember from college! The fit is great and my wife likes the way they hug my back side.

Got here fast, looks nothing like the picture, it's ten times better! Great product, will buy more pairs from here.