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Dan's new 501s!

(11 posts) (4 voices)

Started 1 year ago by Daniel85
Latest reply from Tim

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Daniel85

member
Joined: Apr '09
Posts: 24
I finally got my new pair at Fred Meyer yesterday. They were on sale for $31.99, and I had a $5 coupon, which for some reason was entered at $10-- so I ended up getting the jeans for $21.99. Not bad.

They had a mix of Mexican and DRs, some with the XX tag, mostly from mid-late 08. I did see some 09s in the larger sizes. I ended up getting a 33x34 Mex 1008. There was a DR pair that fit me a bit better in the waist, but the stitching at the hem was all doubled up and crappy, like it got locked up in the sewing machine.

Here are my presoak pics:

As always there's the hip flare, which I'm hoping will be somewhat reduced after the soak. The waist fits fairly snug. I haven't measured it, but I think it may be closer to 32 than 33 (gotta love outsourcing), because the other 33s I tried on fit looser. The butt fits a bit weird, which is another thing I hope will get a bit better after the soak.

Interesting note: when I was looking through the stacks of 501s at Freddy's, I saw a returned pair that had obviously been washed, no tags, with a price tag of $46 RRP stapled on!! Do you believe that?
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Posted 1 year ago #
Ned

senior admin
Joined: Jun '07
Posts: 183

great post thanks for sharing the pics. love that raw look. hip flare will actually get better if you just wear them for 2 days. it's the sitting or something. can't wait for the updates

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Posted 1 year ago #
Tim

member
Joined: Feb '09
Posts: 48

Dan, Thanks for sharing the pics of you into your new unwashed raw STF 501s! I wish I could post pics of my STFs, but my gal would think I'm crazy in taking photos of my Levis, downloading em and putting em on the web. I'm still working on that.

The fit looks cool, except for that hip flare (guys here call it the state trooper look). I find that just by pulling the legs down on the unwashed STFs reduces it. Also, when you wash your new STF 501s, that shrinks em down and eliminates the bulge. The tighter you wear your Levis and the smaller the size also takes care of the flare.

I'll wear my new "black" STFs for awhile before washin em. I'll wear em the first time in public to a concert this week. I just throw a shirt on over my Levis to go out on the town. That's California casual. I take it that you don't wear much over your STFs either.

As I'm keeping my new STF 501s pristine and unwashed, that frees up a pair of my 501 blues for everyday wear and wearing out. The trouble is that STFs are made to just wear out and trash. The hard part is keeping em new and crisp.

Dan seems to verify that every pair of STF 501s is unique and it pays to slip em on first before buying. My new ones are Mex, otherwise, I have Cols and Guats (Guatamala). I still hang on to a few pairs of Made in the USA STFs. They're totally ratty now, but I won't toss em.

Thanks, Ned, for providing us a site to discuss how we wear Shrink to Fit 501s!

Posted 1 year ago #
Daniel85

member
Joined: Apr '09
Posts: 24

Lol Tim, my fiancee thought I was dumb for wanting to take pics of my jeans. Oh well.

What's the deal with the hip flare anyway? Is it just poor construction, or a consequence of the anti-fit seat?

I usually just wear a tee or casual shirt (gingham or western) over my STFs, with Chucks or some other kind of canvas sneaker. Looked good 50 years ago, looks good today.

Unfortunately it's been overcast and muggy here in Seattle for the last few days, but I'm waiting for a nice sunny day to soak them and them go hang out by the pool for a few hours. After that first soak I'm gonna just wear the hell out of them without washing for as long as I (or my girl) can stand.

Posted 1 year ago #
Tim

member
Joined: Feb '09
Posts: 48

Hey Dan, At the price you paid for your STF suckers you can beat the hell outa em and experiment with the shrinking. Be sure to post pics of these STF 501s after you've worn em for six months.

I'm lucky cos my partner likes me in my snug STF 501s. She's become an expert on the buttons. Trust you've got your fiancee trained. Very important in a relationship. A guy's jeans, and STFs, are best left to the guy. I wash my own 501s when they're still newish and got some dark dye still there. I insist on drying my good STFs in the sun, no electric dryer. After a few months of beating up, I let her do the washing. She doesn't like grungey 501s, so they go into a well stocked rag bag to be torn up for rags, or used for grease work on my car or for fishing jeans.

It's Carhartt work boots I wear daily with my STF 501 blues. I need heavy boots on the job and I just wear the same gear after work. Always with a simple tee or top over my 501s and, always, white sweat soxs. After two weeks on the job, I agree to wash out my work Levis.

Posted 1 year ago #
Cam

member
Joined: Feb '09
Posts: 47

I'm either working or recreating. There's not much "casual" time in my life, so 95% of the time you'll find me wearing boots with my 501's (or 517's); either work, hiking, hunting, or pac boots. On top of that, it's just t-shirts. The only things I go through faster than jeans are white Hanes Beefy T's. I order a big stack of them twice a year and burn right through them. I mix in a few colored ones as well. On the rare occasions when I have to clean up, I'll usually put on one of my darker pairs of 501's and a western shirt. I haven't had a tie on in... I don't know how long.

Posted 1 year ago #
Daniel85

member
Joined: Apr '09
Posts: 24

I was originally going to do a soak straight up, but I never got around to it. Ended up wearing them raw for 5 or so days last week, before doing a tub soak last night.

Pre-soak:

And post-soak:

Posted 1 year ago #
Ned

senior admin
Joined: Jun '07
Posts: 183

great fit!

Posted 1 year ago #
Tim

member
Joined: Feb '09
Posts: 48

Dan, Thanks for the update. Always interested in seeing your progress on shrinking a pair of 501 blues! Fitting snugger in the waist, hip flare (all but) gone. Maybe, with additional washings you can get em even straighter against your body. OK as they are. Got the rite length now to show off your Chucks.

You've got me interested in picking up a pair of Chucks. They look cool with your Levis. I take it that these are plain black top Converse tennies. Please let me know the details of the style and where you buy em. Are they available in (which) retail stores on the west coast?

Your STFs will continue to shrink the more you wash em. With a couple of washings, the wear patterns will develop. It depends on how beat up you want these suckers to look. As I'm into 501s and 936 Wrangs every day, my burn rate is one pair of STF 501s every six months. Must always have some new unwashed STFs on hand in my closet.

Haven't washed my black STFs yet. I know they're loose. But they'll do for now for formal wear. Got plenty of once washed STF 501 blues to wear on the job.

Posted 1 year ago #
Daniel85

member
Joined: Apr '09
Posts: 24

Thanks for the comments guys.

As you can see there's a strange little bit of flare on the left (screen left) side, probably due to poor construction. I'm hoping it'll flatten out with more wear and subsequent soak/washings.

The feel of the fit is perfect. The waist was tight even before shrinking, but it didn't feel any tighter afterward. I'm definitely glad I went true-to-size on that.

I'm not sure how I feel about the knee stacking. Maybe next time I'll try a 33 leg instead of 34, to get less of that.

Tim: I've been buying my Chucks for the last few years back home in Australia, at a footwear close-out store that sadly no longer exists. I get the plain black high tops, but you can always go with the low ones if wearing them high around the ankles bothers you. They look the same with jeans. Both styles should be fairly common, but the only place I know of that definitely has them in stock all the time is Fred Meyer. You could try Kohl's too, if you have one nearby.

Posted 1 year ago #
Tim

member
Joined: Feb '09
Posts: 48

Dan, Thanks for the info. I scouted out the Converse outlet down at the Mexican border. Wanted $39.95 for the original high top Chucks. Thought the price was a bit steep, will shop around.

Sure looking forward to slipping on some high top black sneakers on weekends. They'll be gr8 under a pair of well broken in, shrunked up 501 blues. Appreciate your help.

If they ask me why the black sneakers, I'll put on my best Aussie accent and say, " Well, mate, that's the way the blokes wear their kit down under."

Posted 1 year ago #

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