Levi Jeans

[IanHenry]

Hi,

I know this is non Guitar, or even music related, but next week I'm visiting the U.S, and I was thinking that whilst I'm there I could stock up on my favourite jeans, Levi's. Can any of the U.S members tell me what the quality of the current Levi's is like and what average price I should be looking to pay?

 

Here in the U.K the quality of Levi's is no way near as good as it was 10+ years ago, the material is really thin compared with how it used to be and this U.S brand are actually made in Poland!

 

Also the price here is pretty high, approximately £100 from Levi's own stores, which is roughly $170.

 

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

Regards,

Ian

[Versatile]

Hope you get your Levi's sorted...

 

Meanwhile there are great jeans to be had, UK made from

 

Peter Christian and Brook Taverner

 

V

 

[IanHenry]

Hope you get your Levi's sorted...

 

Meanwhile there are great jeans to be had, UK made from

 

Peter Christian and Brook Taverner

 

V

 

 

Thanks Versatile,

I'm afraid I'm a little old fashioned, and like to stick with what I grew up with, but not made in Poland though! Levi's should be made in the U.S, it's a bit like buying a Gibson or a Harley made in China, a none starter in my opinion.

 

Ian

[pippy]

I'd never thought about this aspect of Levi's before...

So I've checked! OCD must be taking over my brain (such as it is)...

 

Currently I have five pairs of regular 501's.

The oldest pair are approx 12 years old and the newest two pairs I bought at Xmas.

All were bought dark indigo (unwashed denim) except one of the recent pair which are black with black stitching.

All are 30"(w) x 32"(leg) except the oldest which are 29" x 32". Yes. I've put on weight......

 

But it's the weights and places of manufacture are the odd thing, though!

From oldest to newest;

648g - made in the UK.

658g - made in Poland.

674g - made in Sri Lanka.

720g - made in the UK.

741g - made in ? (illegible).

 

The heaviest pair are the 'double black' pair. I don't know if Levi's use different weight cloth for these style?

The second heaviest are almost unworn - and hence almost never washed. They are AFAIK identical to the 'classic' weight cloth I've always known. They have that 'stiff' feeling if you know what I mean?

As Ian says in the OP, the pair from Poland ARE made from a much softer fabric.

As the oldest - and lightest - pair are a smaller size perhaps we should discount these?

 

The oldest pair were actually the original 'Shrink to Fit' type and have been washed to death. Poor things. Not much left holding them together........

I loved the shrink-to-fit jeans. I wish I could find them here but I haven't seen any for about a decade.

 

P.

[Jimi Mac]

I'm just as surprised these are still sought after over-seas like they used to be...

 

Frankly I haven't owned a pair of Levi's in years and years... Frankly (sadly) I do most of my shopping in Walmart and buy the Wrangler jeans they sell because they're damn cheap. They last just fine and they're probably made over-seas somewhere in The Far East anyway...

 

I think the JC Penny brand of The Arizona Jean Company are good.

 

And if you get the chance, Buy some Duluth Trading Co. Jeans!

[PingPongBob]

Don't bother. They are made in Mexico now. I have two pairs that are over 20 years old that are thicker & heavier than a brand new pair.

[saturn]

Yeah. I still like to wear Levi's too, but they aren't like they used to be. Most of them now come in that style where some of the threads look faded, but others don't. Unless you find a really good clearance sale, most times they will run you about $40 a pair.

[Riffster]

I have a friend that works in that industry, a lot of jean brands are made in the same factories with the specifications of brand, so you may have a pair of Walmart jeans being made right next to an $80 pair of jeans, different specs same factory.

 

Or you have the same line of jeans made all over the world,

 

Levi's had to do what all other brands do to stay competitive, having said that I just bought about 8 pairs at $35 to $40 each, some made in Vietnam others in Mexico (same model # different colors) the fabric is thin-ish which I prefer because of the humid summers here, I would not wear a pair of thick jeans in the summer that's for sure.

 

If you are particular about the thickness look around a lot because there are some models that do have the thick fabric.

[ksdaddy]

I wore Levis when I was a young man with a young man's body. I find Wrangler's from WalMart fit me well and are cheap ($15 maybe, I don't know....). I never have them long enough to "wear them out" because I'll usually crawl underneath a car and absolutely destroy them stain-wise.

[IanHenry]

Thanks for all the suggestions. It still looks like the prices in the U.S are considerably cheaper than the U.K, $35-$40 compared with $170, now that's a bargain! Would be nice if they were to the old spec though.

 

Ian

[brc]

When I started wearing Levis back in the 50s they were $3.95 a pair. Every one wore 501 Levis,and a white T-shirt.

At that time they only made one style 501, button fly

Then the boot cut came out <when the country faze hit> and every manufacturer jumped on the band wagon.

If you have to have Levis, <not sure what area you will be in the U.S.> but Pennys, and Sears are two of the big stores that carry them.

[krock]

I found a really good outlet village near ohio when I went travelling around the US 2 years back. Bought 4 pairs of wrangler's each between $5-$10. Bargain.

[quapman]

Call me cheap or old fashioned but, I refuse to pay over $40 for a pair of jeans.

Will go up to 50 if I like how they feel.

 

Brand is of no importance to me. People are just happy I wear clothes.

[IanHenry]

Brand is of no importance to me. People are just happy I wear clothes.

 

Ha ha, me too

 

Ian

[Riffster]

Thanks for all the suggestions. It still looks like the prices in the U.S are considerably cheaper than the U.K, $35-$40 compared with $170, now that's a bargain! Would be nice if they were to the old spec though.

 

Ian

 

Macy's seems to have most styles of Levi's on sale most of the time. I just bought two pair last week for $37.50 plus local tax. I would not pay more than $40...the list price seems to be $60 on Levi's but there is always a store discounting them.

 

I have bought a couple on clearance for $25 - $30 but by the time they are at that price if I find my size is pure luck.

 

Also, in the States we have stores like T.J. Maxx, Marshall's and Ross that get all the clothes that go "out of season" and you can find Levi's for as low as $15 but their inventory is random and you never know what you are going to find. I have bought some of my favorite jeans there but it is just luck.

[Tman]

I understand wanting a brand like Levi's.

 

I lived in San Francisco for 20 years and the outlet at Union Square is great, I used to go there a lot. They changed styles about 4-5 years ago to where all are "hip huggers" now that are shorter now at the waist so they feel very low. Too low for me. I talked to an exec back then and he said they were all that way. Cost savings because less fabric.

 

You can find classic but used one's on on ebay. Other wise you can find Levi's on line for a lot less than $170. There are many outlets around too with much cheaper jeans. In California Camirillo, San Diego, LA, Bay Area, Red Bluff to name some.

[Riffster]

Tman that's just marketing, the stores in San Francisco are trendy and will carry only those styles.

 

It is the same for Lucky jeans, I never found a pair I liked at an actual Lucky jeans store, the styles they make for Dillards and other department stores on the other hand used to be my favorites.

 

So for instance you may find 527's low waist/boot cut but if you go to a department store you'll have the choice between 527's and 517's, the latter is regular waist/boot cut. This is just an example. But you will probably not find 517's at a trendy Levi's store in San Fran

[lazarusvt84]

52 yrs old ...been wearing mostly Levi's all my life. My last purchase was about 10 yrs ago...well made jeans, no doubt. Then, my boys got me a pair of hip American Eagle jeans this past Xmas....LOVE THEM! ....ironically, made in the Philippines.

['Scales]

Charity shops - wide range of brands, sizes and styles, $5-$10, no sales 'assistants', and my money goes to (hopefully) do some good for someone in need.

[surfpup]

I still buy Levis - the "slim straight" ones seem to fit just right... not loose but not hipster tight either. They do seem different now. The old ones were so stiff when you that you could just about stand them up in a corner!

[brc]

How many of us "older" guys remember their girlfriends buying new Levis, putting them on, and jumping into the bath tub wearing them so as the Levis dried they would shrink to fit.

Or the guys would wear the new Levis as long as they could without washing them. Back in the 50s the style was to buy them long and roll up the pant legs into a cuff.

The stupid shicrap we would do back then.

Its funny how just a word, or an off guitar post brings back those memories.

[milod]

Haven't worn Levis in decades. They're not US made. They also got involved in politics spending cash on groups I didn't care for and pulling support from groups I did care for. They closed their own US factories. My understanding is that no Levis are made of US fabrics. There are 10 suppliers listed for Levi brands in the US, all in California - but that's not jeans manufacturing.

 

Then again, I and most folks around here wear Wranglers in the so-called original "cowboy cut." That's not too odd since a lotta folks are cowboys. Wranglers I'm wearing are made in Mexico from U.S. fabric.

 

It seems the mass market clothing biz has mostly left the US, whether you're talking wool suits or cotton western shirts and jeans. There are some jeans made in the US, but with little-known names regardless of price.

 

As for the "roll up the cuffs" thing, that got going in the 30s or so in low budget cowboy movies. I can show you photos of the real thing cowboys in the open range era and none - repeat, none - wore jeans. Many wore suits even on the range into the late teens and 20s; in the same time period, sweaters and the old style jodhpurs on a given cowboy could be seen in local early-style rodeos.

 

Then beginning in the '20s silent films, filmmakers' idea of "cowboy clothing" began to make a big impact on stuff made and sold even in real cowboy country. Around here you'll see a lotta jeans, two-pocket shirts, boots and vests of various sorts depending on weather. Hats of course...

 

I'm reminded of my niece who came visiting and was to meet me in a local restaurant. She had lived in the mountains 'stedda prairies, then moved to the city, so she was thinking she'd recognize her uncle (me) by his hat. Nope. Walked in the door of the restaurant on cattle sale day at the local auction barn and I don't think there was a male in the place without a hat. <grin>

 

m

[MrNylon]

I've been wearing the JC Penny, "Arizona" brand for a few years now, and I think they're great.

[Bender 4 Life]

I'm with Mr.M. on this one......stopped buying/wearing Levis when they pulled a $3,000,000 annual sponsorship from the Boy Scouts of America over an issue too political to discuss here.

 

Wrangler "Hero"s work just fine for me........

[IanHenry]

One of the beauty's of Levis is the fact that they fit. I've tried other brands and I always find them rather baggy, whereas with Levis you can find a slim fitting, but given the exorbitant U.K price, both my Wife and myself thought we would stock up on them. I'm sure they will be considerably cheaper, but it is nearly 20 years since I was last in the U.S. I bought a few pairs then as well. I'm also hoping to visit the Gibson Factory, but my wife says if I buy a Guitar, it's going to cost me a few carats! (That's funny, I always thought there were two R's and an O in Carrot!!).

 

Ian