Hi y'all,
I can't believe it has taken me this long to find this forum!
I am a 501xx fan, born in the 1970s, which dates me as an 80's kid. In pre-teen years, I loved seeing tight Levi's jeans on people, and all the more when they were worn down and a little ripped, and combined with a pair of Converse Chuck Taylor high-tops. I especially liked the fade pattern on the outer seam when the two pieces of denim are flattened apart. I don't know how to describe it. For a long time, many jeans had the two pieces of denim sewed together on the inside of the outer seam. But on 501's, they were flattened apart, giving a symmetrical look to the fade pattern. Does ANYONE know what I'm talking about?!? Anyway, that, and the button fly drew me to 501's, although I didn't really know the model number until I got my first pair around 7th grade! They were a dark, rinsed blue, not STF.
Later, during college, I realized what the difference was between 501 and 501xx (pre-shrunk vs. STF -- but not nowadays), and I also noticed the change in denim weight. I started shopping at second-hand clothing stores, and I noticed that 501's of the 70's and 80's definitely had a "richer" feel to them, and nice fade patterns, too.
Also noticed (and confused by) the loosening in fit, the change in labeling (use of capital XX instead of lower case xx), the deeper V back-pocket stitching, and the double-stitched inseam using two yellow threads instead of the orange thread and blue thread. Why did I notice such details, and why did I yearn for the jeans exactly as they were in my teen years? I don't know.
Anyway, I still like wearing (out) my STF 501's, and I look forward to participating in the discussions here, when my time permits.
Some other details:
I measure W33, L32.
My latest pair of STF's is W34, L34, started wearing in January 2010. It has gone through two bath-tub soakings, no launderings. I haven't been wearing it daily; maybe about 30 hours a week. It's a little loose; should have gone with W33.
I'm Asian American; live in Los Angeles. So, yeah, I'm a city kid, so I don't wear jeans for hard work generally. But I like to see (and touch) jeans that have been through genuine hard work. mmmmm. maybe it's a fetish?
--posco
EDITED to add photos to illustrate outer seam fade patterns:
Levi's 501, preshrunk, bought in 2003, made in Guatemala:
Levi's 501 STF, bought in 2008, made in Dominican Republic, with "symmetrical" fade pattern:
). The creases there and behind the knees seem to have been preserved. The denim is definitely not as rough as before. There has been shrinkage, but I haven't measured how much. It's not as snug as I'd like, so next time I buy STF's, I'll have to try a 33" waist.