Why Vintage Levi’s 501s Are My Ride-Or-Die Jeans

From Porsche 911 to an Urban Decay Naked Palette to a Fendi Baguette, there are certain products that become household names. This tends to happen with cars, make-up products and handbags, however it’s rare that an item of clothing truly ascends to cult status. Except in the case of Levi’s 501s, a jeans silhouette that’s up there in the pantheon of wardrobe greats.

Originally designed over 150 years ago, the denim specialist’s first-ever jean has attracted a far-reaching demographic that spans generations; counting musicians, artists, CEOs, supermodels and Hollywood actors among its most loyal wearers. Thanks to new iterations, the 501 fanbase is ever-growing. But ask many fashion insiders – like myself – and they’ll argue that vintage Levi’s 501s are best. Because they boast a worn-in patina that can’t be replicated by factory treatment; a charm that comes with having multiple owners over the period of several decades.

Scuffs, faded-out washes, rips, marks, frays and loose waistband labels are traits that add flair to Levi’s 501s and make each pair completely unique. As for how to spot an authentic pair? Trademark details include a leather logo patch and the iconic red tab on the back pocket, first introduced in the 1940s. If “Levi’s” is in capitals on the latter, then the jeans were made before 1971; if they have care labels, they’re post 1970, while a single stitch running down the inseams indicates that they were made before the mid-1980s.

The fit of vintage 501s can vary significantly. Maybe the previous wearer of a pair you found in a vintage store got theirs tailored, therefore the in-seam length is be a little shorter than you’d expect – and thus, they look slightly different. Or, perhaps, a pre-loved style you bought from eBay have loosened a little in their former life, bringing a slouch that wasn’t there whenever they were first made. In short: 501s are better with age. The pair I wear day-in, day-out, fit looser than the original 501, and I also chose to size up so I could wear them lower than their intended high-rise fit.

Historian Tracey Panek, who oversees the expansive Levi’s archive in San Francisco, previously told Vogue Levi’s are like “a scrapbook of the person who is wearing them.” It’s a sentiment that rings especially true when looking at the 501s in its temperature-controlled conditions: there’s a pair dating back to 1890 with an imprint of a pocket watch, and another from the Second World War bearing that adhered to rationing restrictions with military-fabric-lined pockets.

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The blueprint of the Levi’s 501 has shape-shifted in their century-and-a-half existence, be it a tweak to the leg fit, the fly, rivets, fabrication or colourway. Their spirit has even been translated into cut-off shorts, championed by festival-goers in the mid-Noughties. But by far the most traditional and renowned interpretation – and what springs to mind at the mention of those three famous numbers – is a true-blue, full-length, straight-leg jean that sits high on the waist, with a button fly and rivets, that were first introduced in 1873 as an effort to stop work trousers from ripping under strain.

Most fashion relics are boxed up or shrouded in dust bags, brought out only for “special occasions”. By contrast, Levi’s 501s are a piece of fashion history that can be worn daily and, as their legacy proves, durable enough to last nearly two centuries.

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