You Need a Pair of Expertly Tailored Levi’s 501s: Here’s Why — vogue.com

Once relegated to common workmanswear, the jean has leaned in hard and exceeded any imaginable expectations that Levi Strauss might have had when he introduced denim pants in 1873. Just think about all of the iconic moments that jeans have had throughout each decade—that poster for Friends, Bing Crosby and his tuxedo. Kelly meticulously keeps track of each trend as Vogue’s Denim Editor, I pay attention as a fellow jean junkie, and right now (as it tends to go in our industry), what’s old is new again—literally, and in a big, big way this time. In the last year, multiple lines and stores offering refurbished and reshaped Levi’s 501s have sprung up, providing new takes on a classic shape. But I’ve never had luck with any pairs that I ordered. To be fair, I can be obsessive. I’ve been a long-term collector of elder denim—always disdainful of faux distressing and never one to appreciate the feel of stretch material. I don’t buy vintage Levi’s without a deep consideration of the rivets’ patina, have an eBay alert for fresh Orange Tab listings (hint for ordering on eBay or Etsy—add two inches to your normal jean waist size and cross your fingers) and I check to see that the E on the back is upper or lowercase. (A word to the wise: Uppercase marks a jean as made before 1971. Don’t let them try to trick you—hold tight to those rare Capitol E’s!) Also, did you know that the “fifth pocket” isn’t that tiny little guy on your right hip? Last place went to the back left pocket, who was added about a decade later. Kelly and I learned this when we went out to visit the Levi’s headquarters in San Francisco to work with the Eureka Innovation Lab’s team there on finding and fitting our consummate pants.

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