Comments on: 501xx Jean Sizing Tool

By: Winston

Winston — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 01:32:30 +0000

Hey Ned, great site man! I’m a rookie coming into the STF game. I’ve purchased the pre-washed 501′s for the last ten years and I have 6 pairs. I rotate them every few days because I don’t like the seat and knee sags. I normally wear a 36×30 and they fit fine but I hit the iron and my thighs grew like crazy. My 36×30′s fit tight around the thighs but pretty loose on waist. Just wondering if you have come across anyone with this problem sometime during your experience? My thighs are 30 1/16″ around at the thickest, crazy I know. I tried on 40×32′s and my legs are comfortable in them and the length is great but the waist is way to big. Any suggestions?

By: giuseppe monaco

giuseppe monaco — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 13:33:06 +0000

Buongiorno, mi dispiace ma scrivo in italiano la mia lingua, non conosco l’inglese. Il problema:
ho un girovita di cm. 86, ma quando acquisto jeans levis 501 in Italia la taglia giusta è quella W32 mentre L32 è lunga. Dovendo acquistare on line su Eu-levis, ho molti dubbi per scegliere la giusta W. mi potete aiutare?? grazie e un saluto da G. Monaco

By: Tom

Tom — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 19:27:49 +0000

Bill,
Thank you for posting your question, as I am happy to see that I am not the only one who has had issues with the actual cut of the 501s. I see a lot of the old repeat posts on how to measure length and waist, but rarely other factors.
So, this may be coming a little late, but from what I have found…
Any two pair of 501′s can vary so much depending on when and where they were sewn that they might as well be marked as different fit numbers (501, 502, 503, etc.) or even different gender (!!).
The most critical difference I have found is the back side of the inseam. If you were to fold a pair of jeans in half lengthwise (like how you normally do) this would be the edge running from the where the legs join in the arse, down to the ankle. It seems like those made in the 80′s and 90′s have a true straight cut, that is this edge is a perfectly straight line all the way to the ankle. New 501s have a ridiculous crescent-cut that causes them to be very tight in the thigh and knee, flare out to the ankle and have an abundance of fabric in the hips that causes a, shall we say, “provocative” cut in the seat and crotch. They look like girl pants, dawg.
I will note that this has only been on the pre-shrunk pairs that I have bought, so I am not sure if this has to do with the fabric itself, how it is cut and sewn, or how it is shrunk. My personal recommendation is to find a pair on ebay. Look for “made in USA” (higher quality and from no later than about 2000 when production was outsourced) and with “moustache arcuates” on the back pockets (the signature arches are sewn with a less dramatic design), which usually means straight-leg old-school 501s. And for the love of God, stay away from the Mexican-made ones. Each pair is cut/shrunk differently and so awkwardly. They tag is all discolored, too, like it might be moldy or something.
By the way, I called Levi’s and at first the rep told like “yup, 501′s are all vintage and haven’t changed a bit and are so old-school and trendy and scene, etc” until I pointed out the differences in even arcuate design and pocket depth and he had to concede that the actual cut has changed over the years.
Sorry if this has drifted into pre-shrunk realm, but I am very concerned that if the cut of 501 PS has changed, then so has it for 501 STF.
I have been coveting a pair of deadstock 1995 501 STF for over a month on the ebay and have just ordered them. I will shrink as per the wonderful advice found on this site and report on the difference. If anyone has any advice on how to treat them for an even stonewash fade without dumping 20 pounds of gravel into my (landlady’s) washing machine, please let me know.
Thanks. Cheers. Shrink. Fade. Fit.
-Tom

By: Hank

Hank — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 07:21:14 +0000

Rich, I know that Levis sizing changes every so often, as I have some 517′s from the 70′s, 80′s, and early 00′s and the length from the 00′s is longer (in addition to the very roomy fit). They are the same size waist and length and yet the newer models seem to be at least 2 inches longer. I know the 501 model has the same issue(s) with sizing being inconsistent; I have some deadstock 501′s from the 80′s and the fit is more body conscious (slimmer) than the modern cut which is more loose.

By: romy

romy — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 14:24:35 +0000

im pretty sure i should take waist size 28, problem is where can i get those pair in size28, any link or something? online stores doesnt stock it in those size, ive been wondering why does lvc stop producing 501xx in size 28? ._.

By: Rich

Rich — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 21:30:18 +0000

I have worn Levi 501′s STF for years. Always the same size 34 X 36. They fit great w/my boots. The last pair that I bought -same size- are about 2 inches too long. I have washed and dried all the same. I may be getting older but I have not shrunk 2 inches. Any word if Levi’s has changed their sizing?

By: Caleb

Caleb — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 22:58:41 +0000

its quite possible to size down two with these, im naturally about a 31×30 but i was able to get a relatively slim fit with a little stacking at the bottom by buying a 29×36 and hot soaking it. the measurements for my jeans at the moment are 31 by about 32.5 with a leg opening of about 7.75. there was a little pain at the start but it was gone in 1 or 2 days. i wish they made the 29 with a 38 or 39 inseam like much more expensive jeans as i like the excess length.

By: Kane

Kane — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 04:04:19 +0000

Warning for newbies : I just bought a pair of 501 STF’s, W33 L31 and the actual pre-shrunk measurements of the jeans are quite different – W is 35.0″ measured but the L is correct at 31.1″. These jeans are made in Haiti.

By: Gronquist

Gronquist — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:20:31 +0000

Hello, I was just wondering about what inseam size I should buy. I normally wear a 31×32, but that’s a bit long for me as it is. I would just get a 32 inseam like I always do, but I don’t want them to shrink too much and be too short. I’m debating getting a 34, but I plan on wearing them a bit before I wash them to get them worn some, so I’m not sure>

By: Primemuscle

Primemuscle — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 05:34:19 +0000

It is interesting to note that the method for shrinking 501′s to fit well hasn’t changed since I was a teenager. That was fifty years ago! Back then, we’d buy them to fit comfortably while allowing extra length to accommodate the shrinkage.

Like the current recommendations for shrinking them, we’d get into a tub of hot water (not so hot as to scald one’s skin). Usually, one stayed in the tub for about a half hour. If the water got too cool, you could drain some out and add more hot water. Since I lived in Encino, California in an area where most folks had and rode horses we’d then get on our horse and go for a ride in wet jeans. This made for fast drying in the summer. Sometimes we’d ride through a creek which was actually a storm drainage system for the Sepulveda Dam that eventually drained off in to the Los Angeles River. The river itself was empty in the summer. I suspect the water in the creek came from the irrigation system inside the dam which was used to irrigate the farmer’s fields there.

In the end, the jeans fit well and were pretty comfortable. How good they looked still depended on how good the body inside them was. No matter how well jeans fit, they really cannot make one’s body look any better than it is. I was really skinny back then and so these well fitting jeans didn’t make me look any fatter.
These days, I’m a lot more muscular, but my waist is bigger too. Recently, I bought a pair of shrink to fit 501’s. I plan on shrinking them by getting into the tub filled with hot water and wearing them until they are dry. I suspect because I am far and away not a teenager any longer, I’ve been putting this off for a couple of days because of the imagined discomfort. I no longer have a horse to ride and I now live in a cooler region of the country so who knows how long they’ll take to dry.

They say you can never go back, but who says you can have fun trying.

Prime