Get the right fit ! Soaking the Unsanforized Levi’s Vintage Clothing 1890 501 jeans: Part 1

I am finally getting round to soaking these Levi’s Vintage Clothing 1890 501 jeans. But first, there are a few bits and bobs to do.
Let’s start with looking at the advice that Levi’s give us when starting a journey with a pair of their raw denim jeans.
They give us a little of the lowdown on the denim.
“This garment was made in the USA from Cone Denim loom state fabric - the purest raw denim, taken straight from the loom with no finishing treatments. Due to the nature of the fabric, it will shrink if washed. Te 1890 501 jean will shrink roughly two inches in the waist and three inches in length, while the Tripple Pleat Blouse will shrink about two sizes.
Loomstate denim is hairy (as it is unsinged), it will twist (as it is unskewed) and it will have a high amount of cracking when washed. Basically it is beautifully unstable! Most fabric was sold loom state until the 1930s when sanforization was created by Sanford Lockwood Cluett.”
They give us a handly little info card with the jeans telling us the three ways to treat our new jeans.
Method 1
What they say:
Keep ‘Em Rigid
Buy ‘em small. If you’re not going to wash your rigid Levi’s 501® jeans, buy one size smaller in the waist and buy your true size for length.
Don’t wash ‘em. After the first few wears of your new jeans, the waist will stretch to your size.
The worn look. The wear effect on a true rigid jean will always give the most dramatic look.
What we say:
True, you will get the most dramatic look, but skipping the soak is terrible for your jeans! Unsanforized (loom state) denim needs to be soaked. The shrinking that occurs when you soak the jeans tightens the yarns that make up the denim and strengthens the jeans overall.
Method 2
Dip In the Tub
Measure up. If you plan to shrink your rigid Levi’s 501® jeans in the bathtub, buy your true size in the waist and two sizes bigger in the length.
Relax ’n’ soak. Shrink your jeans in a warm bathtub for at least 30 minutes.
A snug fit. A tub shrunk jean will shrink to fit snugly to your body shape.
What we say:
This is the method I will be using. But I won’t be wearing the jeans in the tub, this is uncomfortable, impractical and will mess up your jeans. If you soak your jeans while wearing them and they let them shrink and dry on your body, then you will just end up shrinking them in places and overstretching them in other places. The knee scrag is the worst result of this. No one wants knee scrag!
Wash ‘Em Good
Buy ‘em big. If you plan to machine wash your rigid Levi’s 501® Jeans, buy two sizes bigger in the waist and two sizes bigger in the length.
Laundry day. To achieve your size, machine wash your jeans inside out at 86 degrees F / 30 degrees C.
Easy does it. Leave the laundromat with everyday jeans you can wash and wear.
What we say:
Yeah, this will work. If you are going to go a whole two sizes up, you might even want to push the temp up to 40… or if you are brave enough to… 60 degrees celsius. But this is just something I’ve done in the past. Don’t come running to me if your end up with a pair of Ken sized jeans. Thing is, you won’t get the dramatic, high contrast fades. You will end up with subtler, more vintage-looking wear. Which can be super cool if you are into that kinda thing.
Now we have decided on how to shrink these. Let’s cut off the labels and take some measurements.
Waist: 40.5 cm /
Inseam: 79.5 cm / 31.3 inches
Back rise: 44 cm / 17.3 inches
Thigh: 29 cm / 11.4 inches
Knee 24.5 cm / 9.5 inches
Hem: 23 cm / 9 inches
Right, now all we need to do is throw them in the tub, but that is for Part 2. This is already over 10 mins and I know how some of you hate it when I drone on for too long.

[@cleophasgaillard3872]

thank you for the blog

[@CeeAreDee]

You're very welcome 😊

[@rpow6861]

They did say that

[@kanisiuskevinwidjaja]

i bought made & crafted 1980s 501 STF, i used it for a month without soaking it first, should i soak it?

[@parthadas4026]

show the jeans more in detail while ur talking ... #love4mIndia

[@CeeAreDee]

yes boss 😂

[@RGary_Hall]

Late question: I hear one shouldn't dry clean raw denim. True? Why?

[@CeeAreDee]

Yeah. I heard that too but no clue why. Seems reasonable to me if you really don’t want to do the home wash thing.

[@RGary_Hall]

@@CeeAreDee ok. I have samples of raw denim. I’ll cut one in half, measure, and keep the other half for comparison and have it dry cleaned. Will report back.

[@CeeAreDee]

@@RGary_Hall nice. I’m curious how it comes out.

[@russellpotts3069]

The not washing was nonsense why do they all have washing instructions and why are they called shrink to fit ? Back in the 90s i saw fashionable Japanese in Tokyo wearing unwashed 501s. That was the beginning of the trend.

[@davidramplin5291]

Love the hair on my 55s

[@CeeAreDee]

I love the 55, was the jean that brought the blue jean from workwear to a cultural phenomenon.

[@davidramplin5291]

I sized up and staying raw. I prefer a loose fit 😊

[@CeeAreDee]

@@davidramplin5291 normally I don't like it too tight around the waist, but since the 1890s don't have belt loops, I've got to get them tight and wear them out and stretch them out a bit till they fit well and won't fall down. 😂

[@richardcartwright5019]

Hey I'm currently trying the keep it rigid approach on a pair of 1937 501s. Normally I buy 2 waist sizes up but I thought I'd give it ago when LVC had a big sale

[@CeeAreDee]

How much shrinkage in the waist and length do you normally get when soaking, Richard?

[@richardcartwright5019]

@@CeeAreDee So I'm a 30 or 31 waist. I have a few pairs of rigid that I got 32. They shrunk in the waist to around 30. But after a few wears the waist goes back to about 31. I got a pair of 1933 in 32 waist but they are still loose in the waist. The cinch and braces are the only thing that keeps my dignity (and a belt).I did chat with the guy in LVC London and he said alot of the Jean's before the 40s dont have much shrinkage and tend to go back to the waist size once worn. Length wise I have had no problems. I always buy 34 leg so they end up being 32 or 33 so I can cuff them.The 1937s I have, stretched a little in the waist after wear.They are not Cone Mill ones but the new Bulgaria made ones so a little different in sizing. I may cold wash them in the bath at some point but I have a few pairs to keep in rotation. But I got them cheap in the lvc sale. Been eyeing up a pair of 1955s next but see if any sales come up?

[@CeeAreDee]

@@richardcartwright5019 Was just saying to David, I love the 55s, they were the jeans that culturally shifted denim. It was the times of course, but the 55s were the blue jeans of the day.

[@alfatehjr.muhammad5271]

How much?

[@locovassau]

So nothing.vid ends with no ending.

[@CeeAreDee]

If you look at the title it says that this is part 1, part 2 can be found here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qqvCc4p8Z72gd7M Cheers :)

[@FrownyMascot]

2:17 😆

[@CeeAreDee]

😂

[@NikonFM2n]

No red tag?

[@CeeAreDee]

the red tab was not introduced till the 30s, since these are an 1890 repro, no red tab. Also no red line selvedge.

[@NikonFM2n]

@@CeeAreDee Oh, I see. Thank you.

[@DarrylBarnes]

So don't follow the instructions got it

[@thedude1187-q9q]

🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡