Levi's Men's 501 Original Shrink-to-Fit Jeans

For 30 years (about every 4 years) I buy 4 new 501 shrink-to-fit jeans. I will buy no other jeans... until now. I bought 2 new pair, washed them as I always have, and the button holes are shredding and catching the buttons and fraying and are already not closing. My 4 year old jeans seams are in better condition than the brand new pairs. OBVIOUSLY Levis has lowered themselves to the modern world of crappy construction. It's a sad day for me. I never thought they'd change--I thought Levis would be the one constant in an ever-changing world of companies lowering their standards and changing for the worse. But nothing is sacred. I will never buy Levis again.

I have a 36" waist, and I bought a 38" STF. It's tight. The fabric is thin, and I was worried they were counterfeit Levi's, so I scanned the barcode.They legit; however, they are made in Haiti, and the quality coming out of Haitian factories is poor. Too many cuts are made in quality. The fabric is too thin and lightweight to be a quality raw denim, and I'm worried about the fit after first washing.I wear NOTHING but Levi 501 shrink to fit jeans. I've been wearing them since I was 16, and I'm 52 now. I bought a pair from Zappos four weeks ago and they were the quality I expect. This . . . is crap.I'm very disappointed in both Levi's and this vender for selling them.

I started buying 501 STF jeans a few years ago as an introduction to raw denim. I wanted to see what the raw denim craze was all about, and at typically $40, the 501 STF is about the cheapest pair of raw denim jeans you can find. Once you get the sizing and shrinking process down, you'll love them! Here is what I do:1.) I size up 2 inches in the length and size down one in the waist. I wear a 36x30 in Levi's 541 (also a great pair of jeans if you want a slimmer look), and so in 501 STF I order a 35x32. The extra 2" in the length allows me to do a very small double cuff, which i prefer.2.) I then soak them by themselves (inside out with no agitation to retain color) in a tub of HOT water for 30-45 minutes. I make sure to weigh them down and submerge them.3.) I then let them hang dry, and they are usually dry within 24 hr. You'll see a lot of people recommend wearing them while wet, but I've seen this lead to baggy knees and diaper butts in the jeans.4) Then I simply wear the crap out of them. They are VERY tight in the waste at first, but after about 2-3 days of continuous wear, they stretch and become extremely comfortable in the seat/thigh area.One caveat about these jeans is that since they are raw denim, they are fairly stiff and not soft. They will soften up over time with wear and washes.

To start, I'm reading all these long winded reviews about diminished quality, lower weight denim, poor fit, etc. All I can say is the multiple pairs I've received have been top notch and amazing in fit--once I stopped listening to all of the self-proclaimed denim experts out there that is. The 501 STF denim is exponentially thicker than their non-STF counterparts, and quite frankly much thicker than any other denim brands I've worn to include raw offerings from brands costing 5x as much. As far as sizing... theories abound. Some say size up 1" in the waist and 2" in the the inseam--with one idiot proclaiming you must go up as much 4" in the inseam! Levi's own website instructs staying true to waist and going up 2" in inseam. So many of the reviews you read on sizing start out with... "I normally wear size XX and went up 2" in the inseam to be safe, and then in reading their entire post you find out they cuff their jeans. If you don't cuff your jeans like myself (can't stand cuffed pants--especially jeans) then stay true to size in both waist and inseam and you'll be fine. My process is simple... I turn them inside out (to help retain color) and soak in hot water for around an hour. I then launder in the washing machine with hot water under the normal cycle. When done, simply hang to dry and then wear. They will be snug the first initial wearing, however, after the fibers conform to your body, they'll loosen up and fit perfectly--or at least this has been my experience every time. I've never experienced length being an issue as I always witness shrinkage around the hips and legs, not the length of the inseam. To be honest, the only reason I even soak mine before laundering is to bleed off some of the dye as it will get on everything from your underwear to furniture to vehicle seats. I've tried the "wear while wet" procedure often touted by denim aficionados, however, if you have a muscular build like mine--thick calves/glutes, you'll only end up with a saggy ass and blown out knees once dried.