This is Part 2 of a very popular article I wrote last year on how to shrink your Levi 501 XX Shrink to Fit jeans. The original article can be found here and I recommend reading the very helpful comments from the readers.
The first article I wrote on this topic was after a few tries with Levi’s Shrink to Fit Jeans. I achieved the best pants I had ever owned and wore them exclusively for almost a year (the picture shows newly shrunk ones with my old faithfuls. No one believes me when I tell them that they were once the same color).
501’s by design feel roomier then they look which is the reason they are so comfortable and stylish. A button fly and $40 a pair seals the deal. If you haven’t tried them I’d highly recommend it. It is fun to do and you get jeans in the end that feel like they were made just for you. I recently did another pair and just love the results. This is what I did:
- Buy your new raw jeans at your normal waist size but with long length
I am a tall skinny guy and I like jeans that fit comfortably with minimum bagginess. I bought the new un-shrunk jeans at my waist size and the longest leg length they had; this left me with 31-36 (told you I was tall and thin). The final fit is snug and probably perfect length although I would have preferred a bit longer (if they sold 31-38’s it would be perfect in my mind). I buy my jeans at the Levi’s store so that if I don’t like how they come out after shrinking I can return them for my money back. Pretty sweet. - Wear your new un-shrunk jeans for a few days before shrinking them
I don’t think I could quantify the benefits of doing this, but wearing them with that deep navy color and cuffs is just darned cool. They are a bit stiff at this point but you’ll be surprised how quickly they adjust to being worn (or you adjust to them?). - When you are ready to shrink them, draw a hot bath and get in wearing your jeans
One time when I was shrinking my jeans I made the bath too hot an scalded my legs. Not fun! It’s not necessary to make the water that hot. In fact I hear you can also shrink them by going swimming (something I’d love to try in Lake Michigan this summer) Just draw a comfortable bath and sit in it wearing your jeans for about a half an hour. You can also shower with them if you prefer but I haven’t tried it. - Keep them on for the rest of the day while they dry
Before I actually tried it I thought this step was full of problems. It was actually quite painless.The key learning was that they dry much faster on your body then they do hanging up in the bathroom. I sat in the tub with no water in it for another hour or so then walked around the house and went about my business. They had stopped dripping constantly by then. If you want to sit down and feel like they are still wet enough to leave marks on your furniture, try putting down a dark towel first. If it is warm weather, take a walk outside or sit in the park! More practically you can use these few hours to clean your tub which will certainly be blue after soaking in it with your jeans. Try to keep them on for four or five hours, you’ll be surprised how dry they are by then. If you can’t stand the dampness anymore at that point go ahead and hang them up. If I could do it in the winter so can you. - Keep wearing them for a week or two
Don’t do anything else to them until you’ve worn them for a week or two straight out of the shrink tub. This will help them mold to your body even more. If they get too baggy to stand move to the next step. - Back to the shrink tub
I choose to do the shrinking again at this stage. I’m not sure how much it helped but it certainly didn’t hurt. In fact you can repeat these last few steps as many times as you like. Your jeans will get lighter every time which is good if you are going for a lighter look quicker. If you just love that deep deep navy and they are fitting well, I recommend skipping the subsequent shrinking after the first one. - Wear them until they need to be washed then hand wash them
Wear them a lot which won’t be hard cause you’ll probably be in love with them by now (does that blue dye go to your brain? maybe…). Since I like to keep the color dark at first, I hand wash them in the tub inside out with warm water and just enough detergent to get them clean (surprisingly little…that stuff is potent). I hang them up to dry which takes at least over night for me sometimes longer. Using a dryer at this stage is ok if you are in a rush. If you are going for a lighter look, make the water hot, wash them right side out, use more detergent and rinse them in hot water a bunch of times. Drying them outside in the sun also helps to fade them quicker.
I love the results I got with the above steps. Thanks to all the commenters for helping me perfect the process. There are a few things I’d like to try in the future:
- I’d like to try a size 30 waist to see if I can get a nice tight look. 501’s tend to feel roomier than they look and they tend to stretch comfortably in the waist so I think this will be a good plan to skinnier legged jeans. I think I’ll also really research to see if I can get longer legs with these small waist sizes. Anyone have info on custom sizing or getting out of production sizes?
- I’d like to try shrinking some 501’s by swimming in Lake Michigan and lying on the beach and biking around Chicago afterwards. Sounds like a perfect summer day!
- I’d like to see if I can get a hold of the different color and weight 501 XX jeans that are now available. Please comment with information about good online or brick and motor vendors for Shrink to Fits.
I hope I’ve inspired you to go and buy a new pair of Shrink to Fits. Have fun with your custom jeans and report back in the comments on any experiments or tips you come up with.
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46 responses so far ↓
1 Howto Shrink Levi’s 501 Shrink to Fit Jeans - 1 is A | 2 is B // May 13, 2008 at 16:00
[...] popularity of this article and the helpful discussion in the comments with readers I have posted an updated article with new tips and approaches to achieving the best jeans you’ll ever [...]
2 steve // May 13, 2008 at 23:12
Hi Ned. I almost totally agree in your method on how to properly shrink 501XX jeans, for an attractive personalize fit. Go to sheplers.com so you can buy 31X38 indigo 501XX jeans for $31.99. As for the black 501XX jeans, I only see up to 31×36. On orders of at least $50., you can get a $10 discount using coupon codes 0191 or 0249. How about this for a new subject, jeans, especially levis, as fetish clothing? Actually, jeans, mainly levis, are the most popular fetish clothing. You can feel it in your 501XX jeans.
3 nedsferatu // May 14, 2008 at 06:30
Steve, awesome info! thanks for hipping me to Sheplers it looks like an great site for 501 XX. Fantastic range of sizes. They appear to have a generally good return policy but nothing specifically about already shrunk double ex’s. It looks like right now there is a sale on shrink to fits $5 off at $31.99 regularly $36.99 with shipping at around $9. Your coupon code is basically free shipping on two pairs. Now no one has an excuse not to try it out. I think I’ll try these guys for my next pair.
4 steve // May 14, 2008 at 09:50
Hi Ned.Sure, Sheplers has ‘already shrunk’, 501’s, it’s called prewash. Sheplers has your prewash size of 31×36. I’ve avoided prewash 501’s since early ‘04 when levis changed the inseam from a double-stitched to a single-stitch. Sheplers is showing pics of 501 prewash with the double-stitch inseams but I’m betting that these are pre-2004 pics. Are you rocking in your 501XX jeans today??
5 nedsferatu // May 14, 2008 at 10:31
Steve, good info. I have tried pre-shrunk before but they seem baggier than the shrink to fit ones so I haven’t tried a pair in a while. You obviously know a lot about the history and changes made to Levi’s jeans throughout the years; where do you do your research? have you read books about it or is it all from your personal experience and attention to detail. You bet I’m rocking them today, as I am sure you are too.
6 steve // May 15, 2008 at 00:00
Ned- Yes, I rocked in my levis 501XX, all day long & tonite. For my 12th birthday I got my very first levis, it was 505 rigid with lots of indigo dye. By my 13th birthday, I totally ignored all my whimpy chinos and was only wearing levis. A year later, I saw & bought my first 501’s, it was black and $15. Since this was still several years before the www, my jeans education was all from personal experiences.
7 Chris // May 17, 2008 at 18:39
Oh yeah - I was 15 before I got my first pair of Levis (My mom tought they were overpriced.) It took about 3 months to pay for them, but I thought that they were worth every cent.
BTW I wrote Sheplers 3 years ago about their pics and they said they were old.
When I realized Levis were radically changing the 501 I bought up a supply so I’m lucky to have a stock of the pre 2004 cut.
There’s just nothing like a pair of Levis that have molded and been worn in to the perfect fit for your own body.
8 Steve // May 23, 2008 at 00:47
In early ‘04, it seemed that suddenly all 501’s changed to a single-stitch inseam. Levis defended this change by claiming that a single-stitch is more durable than the double stitch!!!! This caused an uproar with the 501XX lovers that in early ‘06, the 501 shrink-to-fit’s changed back to the double-stitch inseam. Of course, the 501 prewash/preshrunk/sanforized line continue to be made with the single-stitch inseam, so I have no idea why most levis continue to be made with the double-stitch inseam except for the 501 sanforized models.
9 Tim // May 23, 2008 at 09:32
I buy my STFs two inches larger than my actual size (35W label for 33W actual). I always try the stiff suckers on at the shop before I bring them home. I wear my rigid new STF 501s out of the store with my trashie old 501s in the bag.
To bust them in I jump into a bath of luke warm water. The 501s tighten up on my bod, the blue dye fills the tub. The cooler water reduces the immediate shrinkage. I strip off and let my crisp new 501s dry in the sun.
How do you guys feel about the new off shore 501s- we call them Mexs (Mexican), Guats (Guatamala), Doms (Dominican Rep), Pols (Polish), SAs (So African)? My conclusion is that each pair of STF 501s fits differently, that’s why I always slip them on before I buy. The imported Levis are no better or worse than my old USAs. STF 501s have just increased from $30.99 plus tax to $36.99 plus tax. I’m keeping my trusty old 501s longer than usual.
10 Steve // May 26, 2008 at 00:57
Recently, levis started making again it’s famed 505 rigid jeans. The 505 rigid’s have 14.75 oz. denim. 501 shrink-to-fit is made with 12.5 oz denim. The 505 rigid is made with a denser denim weave than the 501 STF, believe it or not. I believe the jeans with the thickest denim is Iron Heart, at 21 oz. Does anyone else know of any other model of levis made with denser denim beyond the 505 rigid? Denimheads prize jeans with a thick denim weave.
11 Adam // May 29, 2008 at 23:54
I got 32×36s from Sheplers, soaked them in hot water, line dried, they shrunk a bit after this. I wore them for a day, then cold soaked them for 10 mins, spun them out and put them in the dryer inside out for an hour, now they fit perfect, are still just as dark as they were when I first got em, and fit great. The denim isnt soft or anything even after the dryer. I too would like to try a size down, but my waist hasnt stretched on these, even after a week of solid wear. We shall see…
12 Stiv. // Jun 5, 2008 at 00:36
Hey guys. I was checking out some 501 XX today and I’m really considering getting a pair. I really liked them because they have the longest inseam I’ve seen on a pair of jeans. I’m 6′4 and ALL legs so its hard to find a good long pair of jeans. My only concern is that I like my jeans on the skinny side. I want to keep the length but shrink the thighs. Would sitting in the tub and keeping the bottom (knees down) out of the water do that?
13 Joe // Jun 12, 2008 at 20:48
I’ve never seen so much intelligent information in one place re how to break in Levis 501s. This site is the mother lode of information re breaking-in Levis. I was starting to think it was a lost art. Absolutely, the best way (and to me the only way) to break in Levis is in water.
I have always worn mine in a spa, hot tub or pool brand new and let them dry on. I’m a lifeguard and scuba diver so water is always near. You can adjust the fit of your Levis by doing a couple of deep knee bends, and also by providing lift in the crucial areas for good athletic support. Levis and Wranglers are the only brands that provide good support. Divers and open water guards wear Levis for protection from stings, abrasion and cuts uw. I live in Texas so the hot summer sun allows you to swim in Levis every day if you want and have them dry on. Some people will say that ‘jeans are heavy wet’. Not for intrepid swimmers. And, if you want to swim and free dive just add good dive boots and fins and you’ll become a fish uw. I do this all the time. In fact, dive shops carried Levis 512 Slimfit Jeans modified for aquatics and embroidered and labeled them ‘Levis Diveskins’.
Stay Wet. Dive Levis! - Joe in Austin, TX
14 nich // Jun 23, 2008 at 09:16
Hi, i must say this article has been extremely informative and i’m really excited to try it out when i get my STF.
anyways, i’ve always worn jeans slightly below my waist at a size 28. the smallest size for a 501 rigid indigo i’m going to buy online is a size 30. i was wondering if it was going to be possible to shrink a size 30 down to a 28?
15 nich // Jun 23, 2008 at 09:23
just to add, also, if i was planning to do this process more than 3 times, should i get the SFT more than 2″ longer, which is recommended? i don’t want the jeans to end up too long.
(my usual lengths are about 32/33)
16 nedsferatu // Jun 23, 2008 at 10:33
I’d say really your best bet is to experiment; I’m not sure the exact look you are going for. The 30″ waist will probably be more like a 29″ when your done, but if you let them dry on you, it will be a true fit to your waist. I always like to get the length longer than recommended for two reasons: I don’t mind cuffing if I have to and I don’t like them too short (they get caught on the top of my boots when i sit down). A good starting point for you it sounds like would be a 30/36 pant. when you see how the first one goes you can make a better judgment for your next pair.
17 nich // Jun 24, 2008 at 04:35
thanks for the prompt reply and the advice. i guess i would only know after i experiment it. i’d probably get the 30/34 one. i couldn’t find anything longer than 34 but i think it’d do fine. does the whole jean shrink proportionately if i tried to shrink it without having it on? my concern is especially to the rise and back rise.
18 Steve // Jun 24, 2008 at 10:28
Hi nich. Breaking in raw denim (a.k.a untreated denim or shrink-to-fit) is not an exact science. Personally if my regular jean size is 28×33, then I would be experimenting with 501XX 28×36. I would put my new 501XX on, hop into a full bathtub or a body of water, then keep the jeans on ’till dry. By that time, you’ll be making very good friends with your new jeans. Sheplers.com has 29/36, 30/36 and Langston.com has 28/36, 29/36 and 30/36. If you google it, discount codes may be available for these two companies. For the money, 501XX is the least expensive raw denim jeans on the market, which makes it the best jeans value on the market. You can experiment without going broke.
19 Tim // Jun 25, 2008 at 10:13
Soak your new 501XXs in hot water for maximum shrinkage, cool or lukewarm water for gradual or lesser shrinkage.
Also, if you really want to shrink these suckers to the max, put them in the dryer. For less shrinking and abuse, dry them in the sun.
As I want to keep my STFs as neat as possible for as long as possible on the job, I shrink mine gradually in lukewarm water and sun dry. Sometimes, I just turn the garden hose on my new 501XXs for a gentle breaking in.
For hot water washing, you can expect at least a three inch shrinkage in the waist.
I never buy my 501s by mail order. I buy my STF 501XXs in a store and try them on first. No two pairs of 501XXs are alike. Some begin tighter than others.
Ned, how are you doing with your 511 Levis? Still have some 501XXs in your closet?
20 nedsferatu // Jun 25, 2008 at 10:29
@Tim: I recently threw away the old faithfuls in the picture above. it was sad but i had completely worn through the seat. The new pair are by far my favorite pant right now and I wear them almost everyday. I’m going through a bit of a minimalist phase right now so i don’t have any on deck but when i do have to buy a new pair i’ll most likely use shlepers since they have my weird size (31/38).
21 Tim // Jun 25, 2008 at 11:33
Ned, Thanks for your comment. I’m still not clear on your answer.
Does this mean that you’ll be swimming in Lake Michigan this summer in your 511s, not 501XXs?
What the hell! You trashed that ole pair of 501XXs without giving us a chance to bid on ‘em? That was thoughtless. I for one would love to have a pair of used Ned jeans, even if they’re not STF 501s.
22 nedsferatu // Jun 25, 2008 at 12:21
@Tim, haha sorry I miss read. Yeah I have a pair of 511’s in black that I like but the 501XX are the ones I wear daily. Hmm, well if i thought my ratty old 501xx stf’s were of any value to anyone i guess i wouldn’t have trashed them. funny! seriously though, you guys do anything special with your old ones? proper burial? i just chopped the legs off some experiment STF’s and they work quite well as shorts.
23 Tim // Jun 27, 2008 at 09:09
Hi Ned, Ever hear of duct tape? Instead of sending that old faded holey pair of STF 501s to the shit can, you could’ve put duct tape on the most objectionable holes and get years more wear outa them.
All that effort to break them in, and all the fun times you spent in your “Old Faithfuls” and you just toss them in the trash.
Guys where I live wear their Levis with the knees ripped out, and the seat too. Nobody would trash their fav jeans cos of holes. Old STF 501s just get better with age.
New crisp dark blue SFTs are gr8 when brand new. Just love the smell of raw unwashed denim. But 501XXS get even better as they fade and wear out.
When I was a little kid and new to wearing 501s, I did experiment with giving my Levis a decent burial. I buried a pair of destroyed STFs in the back yard. A week later, they had rotted away. Then I “immolated” some throw-away 501s and burned them. Reduced to ashes and only buttons and rivets in a few minutes. I don’t do this sort of thing now. Just that your question brought back memories. Glad that you’re still into STF 501XXs, hope you shrink ‘em skintight.
24 Jason // Jul 2, 2008 at 12:08
hey, I just bought a pair of levis 501 STF that are 34W and 32L, and the length is just a little bit longer than normal (maybe only 1′ more than my normal size) so im scared that after I shrink them the length will be too small. Do you guys know anyway to minimize the length shrinkage when shrinking your jeans?
btw im 6′0 tall which is why I really don’t want the 32L to get any smaller and I can’t refund them because I bought them when I was visiting another city.
25 nedsferatu // Jul 2, 2008 at 13:03
@Jason, did you buy them at a Levi’s Store? If so, I’m pretty sure you can send them back since they have the satisfaction guarantee (even after you shrink them and then decide you don’t like them, cool huh). They are likely going to be short on you; I’m about 6″ too but it all depends on the style you are going for. I don’t know of any way to keep them from shrinking lengthwise; in my experience they shrink the most lengthwise. Anyone else? Any experience with stretching during drying?
26 Jason // Jul 2, 2008 at 15:07
oh ok, thanks for the help. What length/inseam do you normally get since we are about the same height?
27 nedsferatu // Jul 2, 2008 at 15:33
@Jason, I usually go with a 36 which is probably perfect. Since I wear boots and I like cuffing every now and then I’ll probably try 38’s next time.
when I was little and still growing my pants were always too short for me; i hated it and i thought it made me look like a dork. So now i always go for exactly the correct length erring on the side of long. the 36’s on me are exactly the right length. remember all 501xx shrink slightly differently!
28 Steve // Jul 2, 2008 at 22:12
Hey Jason, With 501XX, buy your regular waist size, and if your normal inseam is 31, your 501XX inseam will be 34. The inseam will shrink more than waist. Put on your new XX jeans, fill up the bath tub or go swimming in your jeans, then don’t take your jeans off, let your XX jeans dry on you as you are wearing ‘em. At the end of this process, the jeans will mold to your form. About 75 percent of the shrinking is done after the first wetting. It’s better to have your jeans a little too long than to short. Even if the jeans were to be an inch too long, stacking or a turn-up looks good.
29 K // Jul 9, 2008 at 17:43
My normal jean size is 33/34, following the normal size recommendations my STF size would be 34/37. Unfortunately though only a 34/36 and a 34/38 are manufactured by levi. Im leaning towards the 34/38s but Im a bit wary of coming out with jeans that are to long. What would you do?
30 K // Jul 10, 2008 at 19:35
If you buy your STFs in your actual waist size and do the break-in that you describe can you still machine wash/dry them down the road? What I mean is does wearing them until dry/molding them to your body prevent the waist form shrinking farther? I hope that makes sense.
31 Steve // Jul 13, 2008 at 01:12
Hi K. Your STF size can be 33/36, 33/38, 34/36 or 34/38. This is not an exact science, but you may have to experiment what’s the best size for you. Levis 501 STF is absolutely the best raw denim deal in America, so @ $33, you should be able to afford to experiment. If your inseam is a full 34, then I think that a 36 STF inseam may come up an inch short on you, and with a 38 inseam, you may have some slight stacking or a small turn-up. A little stackng or a slight turn-up does make a favorable fashion statement. You’ll have to experiment. Once your new STF jeans is molding to your form, these jeans be your your best friend. Getting back to the shrinking process, the lenght will shrink alot more than the waist, and denim does stretch. If shrunken properly, about 75% of the shrinking will be achieved after the first wetting, and over 90% after the third wetting. Personally, I wash my STF’s in the bath and let air dry, maybe a washer may be okay so long as it’s not hot water, but I would avoid the dryer. Remember, it will take weeks, if not months, for all the indigo dye to be rinsed away. If I was you, I would try the 33×38 first. Does anyone else have an opinion what size K should buy?
32 JGrimbo // Jul 27, 2008 at 02:09
Hi, this seems like a great idea and I really like the idea of just jumping in the river this summer with jeans and custom fitting them in this fun way, but I was just wondering how you guys like your jeans to fit and if it’s much different from my taste. i like my jeans pretty tight. not like super-skin-tight rockstar style or something but pretty tight and without any stacking around my shoes. (ialways wear just really thin-soled plimsoles) i am not even averse to sort of high-waters. hehe. so just wondering how i should buy them to fit before the shrinking. any help is appreciated and have already enoyed the site. thanks
33 DogEyedBoy // Jul 31, 2008 at 18:05
Wonderful guides you’ve written here.
I’m new to the world of shrink to fit jeans, and after getting my size right in a Levis store I ordered a cheaper pair online.
I ordered them quite long as I plan to turn them up, and my question is, should I turn them up before or after the shrinking process?
34 Steve // Jul 31, 2008 at 19:42
If you like the current style & fit of Levis 501XX, shrink-to-fit jeans, perhaps you should think about stocking up on ‘em. In time for the back-to-school season, Levis will be introducing new 501XX jeans, one style & fit for the whole world, under the “live unbottoned” campaign. What I do know is that the new 501XX jeans should have a tighter fit, like of 10 years ago. This should be interesting since Americans are fat. The best 501XX deal is at bargainsavenue.com, in Calif, they are offering 2 501XX jeans, indigo & black, for $65.98, shipping included. Even levi.com is offering 2 501XX jeans @ $75 or 3 pairs @ $105, only indigo, shipping included. To sum it up, if you like the current 501XX jeans, you better think about buying a couple of spare pairs, they will be suddenly harder to find come the autumn season.
35 Steve // Aug 2, 2008 at 21:46
Hi DogEyedBoy. Congratulations in your decision to buy levis 501XX raw denim jeans. If done correctly, this will be the most flattering, best fitting jeans you will own, and at such a modest price. If you want to wear your 501XX jeans with turnups, and that is good fashion, my best guess is that you should buy your XX jeans 4 inches longer than your usual inseam length. When a purchaser is walking around in his new XX jeans, before the first shrinking, it’s normal to have about a 2 inch turnup or stacking. To your question, the key is in the inseam size you purchase, in which initally you should start with a 4″ turnup that should shrink to a 2″ turnup. Due to the variance in jeans sizing, my numbers are approximate, and not an exact science. Good luck, and rock in your levis 501XX jeans. NED– where the heck are you? Your silence is deafening!
36 nedsferatu // Aug 3, 2008 at 19:12
@DogEyedBoy, thanks for the kind words! I’m glad you found it useful and you are taking the plunge (all puns intended) with your new shrink to fits. To answer your question, I’ve cuffed my 501’s before and after shrinking and see no difference in either approach. Good luck and let us know how it goes!
37 Jesse // Aug 9, 2008 at 13:03
Thanks for the wicked site!
I recently shrunk my first pair of jeans in a local lake and dried myself/them on the sun drenched dock. No bath tub cleaning for me.
38 Steve // Aug 17, 2008 at 12:12
People first shrunk their shrink-to-fit jeans in the creek, pond or horse trough. Many American households lacked full indoor plumbing as late as post World War II/ cold war era. In the ’50’s to ’70’s, it was not unusal for a Californian to break in his shrink-to-fit’s in the Pacific. Friends would break their shrink-to-fit’s together in bath tub, like in the ’60’s into the ’80’s, while levis was very much in vogue. In those days, shrink-to-fit jeans had more indigo dye to rinse off. Levis 569 line is getting more some interesting variations, such as a crotch rivit, rivets on the back pockets and thicker or silk screened accurates.
39 Julius // Aug 20, 2008 at 22:04
Hey guys i just bout a pair of preshrunk 501’s 31 x30 ive been breaking them in lately but it feel a little bit to loose. If i do the hot soak method will they become shrink as in length or as in width. im not trying to shrink the length but make them skinnier. im new to the denim thing asking help from the experts
40 nedsferatu // Aug 21, 2008 at 05:59
Hi Julius! Preshrunk won’t change much but if it does it’ll affect length and width. My recommendation is to try it and buy a new pair if they don’t turn out how you like. I like making shorts out of failed experiments. Good luck and let us know how it turned out!
41 Gill // Aug 22, 2008 at 20:08
Hi everyone, this thread has been extremely helpful. At the risk of being unpure on this purist denim site, I was curious if anyone has seen the Levis 501s in the Iconic Rigid “wash”? I put ‘wash’ in quotes because I just picked up a pair and they do not seem washed at all…and if so, very lightly. They are a very stiff rigid denim and very much resemble what I would think a pair of Shrink-to-Fits would look like after wearing unwashed for about a month - light crumpling on lap and back of knee. But no fake, white brushing, which i like. Just pure denim with a little crinkling and give in them. They are also a darker indigo than the normal shrink-to-fits, which is nice. They look very similar to the new 1947 501xx shrink to fit jeans which go for $175 bucks…which is outrageous. I picked these up at Macy’s for $36. I like them a lot and would consider them a sort of “head start” in the breaking in process. I even bought them the slightest bit bigger because i am pretty sure that they probably have a bit more shrink left in them. So still a chance too personalize.
Let me know if anyone else has discovered these.
I also found them on this website for sale:
http://www.tillys.com/tillys/variants.aspx?prod=137331811&ctlg=010_Guys&ctg=060_Guys_Jeans&nav=brand&bid=30&kw=levis&size=-1&source=3
42 shambles // Aug 25, 2008 at 10:09
nice one. not knowing about this article i bought a 501 that was a bit too long. got out of the tub about half an hour ago and they’re getting tighter and tighter. but not shorter somehow…
43 Steve // Aug 25, 2008 at 21:46
Hi Shambles, there is 501 preshrunk/sanforized denim jeans and 501XX shrink-to-fit/raw denim jeans. The 501 preshrunk jeans have a single-stitch inseam & the 501XX jeans have a double stitch inseam. From what you are explaining, I suspect that you purchased the preshrunk model. The preshrunk model shrinks maybe 1/4 to 1/2 of an inch in length. The shrink-to-fit model shrinks 2 to 2 1/2 inches in length. The current best deal for 501 shrink-to-fit jeans is at bargainsavenue.com, 2 pairs for $65.98, shipping included. If you actually bought the correct 501, it can take a couple of hours for the jean to fit on you properly, remember, keep the jean on until dry, them immediately begin to rock in ‘em. After the first shrink, about 75 percent of the shrinking process is done. What type of 501 are you trying to shrink? Explain.
44 Steve // Aug 25, 2008 at 22:07
Hey Gill, Levis has expanded it’s 501 line, but it’s all preshrunk/sanforized stuff. The colors are ‘etched indigo’, ‘iconic black’, ‘iconic rigid’, ‘medium iconic’, and ‘tidal blue’. These are all preshrunk, and the wording of the colors can confuse a person if he is actually purchasing 501XX shrink-to-fit, or not. Since early ‘04, all 501 preshrunk has had the single-stitch inseam, and these do. How about it Ned, what do you think of the new line of 501 preshrunks?
45 Julius // Aug 26, 2008 at 19:51
Ned nevermind they were shrink to fits haha. i just did the hot soak method at first it was uncomfortable sitting in the bath tub but eventually got used to it. Its been 2 hours since and im lovin my jeans already there startin to mold into my body form and all that great stuff. thanks for the steps there really convenient. i will be buying shrink to fits more often =D
46 nedsferatu // Aug 27, 2008 at 07:56
@Gill and Steve: I’ve tried a couple pairs of preshrunk and have never really liked them. They always feel too baggy to me. There is definitely a difference in my mind in fit between 501 preshrunk and 501 after a custom shrinking. I would probably spend my $36 on another STF pair.
@Julius: I am so glad you are enjoying your new jeans! the dark ones in the picture above are showing a very nice worn look now: still good enough shape to wear to work, but also casual and cool enough to wear out afterwards. I’m sorry to say, but it sounds like you’ve been bit by the STF bug!
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