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Levi's, By the Numbers
They are the BMW of pants. Every three-digit Levi's model decoded in the order it appeared, from the first pair cut for women to the skinny jeans that arrived with Y2K — plus what happened after America stopped making denim.
701
“Levi's saw the vision and leaned in with a line called Dude Ranch Duds, which included the 701, the first pair of Levi's made specifically for women.”
501 Original Fit
“In 1953, Levi's were thrust into the mainstream when a 29-year-old Marlon Brando showed up on screen in The Wild One wearing a leather jacket, an off-kilter motorcycle cap, and a pair of Levi's 501s.”
351
“Super slim, trim, masculine fit in pre-shrunk heavyweight denim.”
606
“A year later, these would eventually become the 606 with a lower rise. Lower rise means they sit lower on your hips.”
505 Regular Fit
“Sitting somewhere between slim and skinny was the 505, which officially popularised the zipper fly. Added in 1967, but didn't really start taking off until the 1970s.”
- 517 Boot Cut
517 Boot Cut
“Despite its history of dressing cowboys and fake cowboys forever, Levi's didn't actually have a boot cut jean until 1969. Cowboy pants were invented the same year that we went to the moon.”
- 550 Relaxed Fit
550 Relaxed Fit
“Relaxed fit 550. That's the James Pumphrey of jeans.”
SilverTab
“Okay, enough with the numbers. These new pants are called SilverTabs. SilverTabs are when Levi's really started getting baggy — and that's when skateboarders started wearing them, that's when the grunge guys started wearing them, and the hip-hop guys started wearing them.”
511 Slim
“There was a time when I thought that I would wear skinny jeans forever. And sometimes I look at photos of myself from back then… this guy thinks he's killing it.”
512 Slim Taper
“Both of these are kind of stretchy, but the 512 is even skinnier.”
Japanese Repro Denim
“They would study every stitch, every rivet, every little fabric quirk. And when they ran out of originals and couldn't find enough of them, they started making their own to the exact same specifications as the original. Not a take on the original — the exact same.”