Hi Guys,
Thanks for the info on how your STFs are sizing down to give you that gr8 fit.
I take it that Ian is counting the total buttons on his STF 501s, including the top waist button, not just the fly buttons.
My first pair of STFs when I was in HS were 29W and had three fly buttons plus the top button or a total of four. As I matured, by the time I was a junior in HS, I was into 32W STFs with four fly buttons plus the waist button. This has remained standard since then.
Therefore, kids 501s, if you can find em, start with two fly buttons, then as they grow up they get three fly buttons and, when you're in your prime its four fly buttons.
Starting at 38W, you get five fly buttons plus top button for a total of six. Too many buttons and I don't like the long buttonfly. I prefer the tighter shrunked up fly. If I could find three buttons 501s, I'd go for it. Don't need so many buttons on your fly.
Also, there are the usual irregularies in the manufacture of STF 501s. Little consistency. Sometimes the fly buttons aren't lined up properly. An extra fly button could be added or omitted. But we wear these STFs anyway. So long as they're cheap and we can raunch em up.
BTW, I'm still wearing my black rinse STF 501s raw and unwashed and love em. They're loose, but will keep em that way for the time being. I'm compromising in wearing briefs under em to keep my 501s clean longer.
