The Best Way to Buy Levi’s 501 Jeans Right Now
When it came out, I said Post Malone and Beyoncé song ("Levii's Jeans," remember it) stunk. My actual words were, "It stinks like unwashed raw denim. It's music made for a commercial." I got plenty of hate at the office from Esquire's BeyHive chapter, and I never said this to Post Malone's face when I met him. But I was vindicated. I hear the song 10 times a game when I'm watching football because Levi's made a big new commercial with it. Good commercial, at least there's some concept there. And as much as this sounds like me hating, it's not. I respect businesspeople and artists making money, and damnit... the song makes me want to pull on some 501s. There are, however, some rules to buying Levi's these days. For starters, I buy almost exclusively vintage.
Personally, I've got eBay alerts for "Levi's 501 Made in U.S.A.," with every possible version of U.S.A., U.S., America, etc., etc. Levi's stopped making jeans in the U.S. in the early 2000s—2003, officially—and since then has made minor tweaks to the 501 model that ultimately make them a lot worse, in my mind. (They're a lot more tapered these days.) The best Levi's right now are all vintage, and anything Made in U.S.A. tells you the jeans are at least old enough to have the old-school '90s stylings that we menswear nerds love. Chances are, you won't have the money to buy old 501 classic fits from the '60s and earlier. The deadstock, never-shrunk models are probably hiding in somebody's garage in Iowa; though I actually found a near deadstock '60s Type III trucker in New York City mis-labeled for only $50, so it's possible to luck out. But if you really want that look, you might have to but new jeans that reference the old ones.
You can, however, get a pair of slightly worn 501s from the '90s with relative ease on this Made in U.S.A. method. You can always find some great beat-up jeans, but for $100 there's typically some pairs that aren't trashed.
If you don't want to shell out $100 for someone else's old jeans, though, a brand-new pair of 501s isn't a bad shout. You just need to know which models are worth your time and money.
For me, there are three main ones. There's the '93 straight fit, a modern re-creation of my favorite vintage Levi's. They're that '90s heartthrob fit. The rise is slightly higher, and the fit is a tad wider. You get a classic stovepipe look. Another great pair is the Levi's Premium Selvedge 501. Here you get the modern fit with a more classic, slightly higher-quality selvedge denim. Lastly, there's the 501 Original Shrink-to-Fit, a classic 501 that hasn't ever been soaked. That means they're going to shrink the first time you wash them. The trick to making sure they don't shrink too much is to wash them in your bathtub gently. Then put them on wet and wear them around. (I'm not fucking joking.) They'll stretch just enough to mold to your hips and ass. Line-dry them from there on out.
If you really, really just want a mainline 2024 pair of Levi's, I can respect that. We denim nerds would want you to buy one of the higher-end or vintage models. But if you've only got less than $100 to spend, we can make that work. Obviously, I'll recommend the classic 501, but beware: Like I said, the current version isn't as good as the old ones. The rise isn't as high, so they're more of a mid-low rise these days. The back pockets sit a little funny, and that has an unsexy effect on your ass. And the jeans taper too aggressively. These are the reasons I buy Wrangler Cowboy Cuts when I buy new jeans. Personally, within the Levi's lineup, I think the 505 is a better bet. Those jeans have a zip fly with a more classic fit.
But... trust me on this one. If you want to really jump on this all-denim-everything western wear trend, buy a pair of Levi's 517s. Bootcut? Are you crazy? I already told y'all I love bootcut jeans. Buy a pair of cowboy boots—we prefer Tecovas for cheap or Lucchese for luxury—throw on some bootcut jeans, and get to the fucking honky-tonk.
All right, that's a lot of information on jeans, but like I said, this is what we nerd out about. Plus, with the state of menswear today, there are so few real deals out there. Nothing is made as nice as it used to be. All anyone wants to sell you are joggers and stretchy pants. But if you ever need someone to review the Levi's 501 or tell you what denim to buy, we will be here. Esquire will always be here.
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