Levi's 501 Original Fit

Levi's 501 has been the same pair of jeans since 1873, a straight-leg fit with a button fly, 5 pockets. A riveted construction that was designed for gold miners and has been worn by every subculture since — cowboys, greasers, punks, hip-hop artists, and the fashion students in my program who buy vintage pairs at $200 a pop from Japanese denim resellers. Button fly is slower than a zipper, which is the most common criticism. Five-button closure lies flatter against the body and does not snag or fail the way zipper teeth can, and the time cost is about 3 seconds. I admire the 501 because it proves that a product can be ubiquitous and still carry meaning. Meaning shifts depending on who is wearing it — a ranch hand in Montana and an art student in Brooklyn are both wearing 501s for legitimate reasons that have nothing to do with each other. Selvedge versions from the Levi's Vintage Clothing line use shuttle-loom denim woven in Japan. The rigid unwashed fabric starts stiff and dark and fades over months of wear into a pattern that records your body's movements. Fit is roomy by current standards, which is either old-fashioned or classic depending on your perspective. Levi's offers 501 variations from skinny to baggy, suggesting they understand the original cut is a starting point rather than a final answer. Red tab on the back pocket is one of the most recognized brand marks in the world. Simplicity of a small fabric tag as a branding device is a design lesson that most companies have not learned because they prefer larger logos that announce themselves more loudly. I think the 501 endures because the proportions work on most body types, the denim ages well, and at $70 for the standard version, the jeans remain democratic rather than exclusive.