Recently, Levi’s has been making a big comeback. Bloggers are featuring their popular 501’s and stores like Re/Done and Urban Outfitters are selling classic vintage Levi’s. I’ve wanted to try out a pair of their denim jeans for some time now and with Levi’s Black Friday sale, it was a great time to do so. Most of their jeans are around $98, so the 40% off discount made them a price I could justify.
501 Original Fit, $69.50 (in Thrifted and Gifted)
No – well, simply put this is a big no from me. I’m not exactly sure what was going through my head, but I bought the longest length (32-inch inseam). For reference I’m 5’3″ so even the shorter length, 30-inch, would probably still be a bit too long. In the last picture, I am standing on my tippy-toes so for you taller gals out there here’s a somewhat decent representation of how it would look. It could be because I was fixated on the length of the jeans, but overall the fit felt a little too loose overall for my liking. As you can see, there’s a lot of bagginess around the thighs and knees.
Wedgie Fit Straight, $98.00 (in Love Triangle)
Maybe – now, there’s a reason why the Wedgie fit is a staple and Levi’s classic. Spoilers, out of the 4 pairs of jeans I got, these are my favorite. The fit is exactly how I like my jeans. Without tailoring, the jeans hit at the perfect spot, just above my ankles. The jeans are slim throughout, but the calf area is slightly tapered for a very flattering shape. The quality of these pairs and all the pairs are really thick and nice. Out of all the color choices, Love Triangle is my favorite. I was looking for a medium wash and a cutoff bottom hem and these fit those two qualifiers. The only reason why this is a maybe is because the price. Even 40% off, these jeans come it around $58. And I still don’t know if that’s justifiable. I recently bought some girlfriend jeans from H&M and they have a similar feel and look at half the price. Granted the material is a bit different. H&M’s pairs are a bit more stretchy. Probably more elastane than cotton and more likely to wear out faster, but the stretch means that it feels better on the body. But if you are looking for a more raw denim feel, Levi’s Wedgie Fit would be a great place to start.
501 Original Cropped, $98 (in Market Vintage)
Maybe – these are pretty similar to the Wedgie Straight pair. The calf area is a bit looser and I would say it leans more to the straight leg than a tapered leg. The bottom hem is also a real hem, not the cutoff look, and the color is a bit darker. Because the fit is similar, I do like these pair, but I really need to start tailoring my jean collection instead of buying more. If I don’t really like it that much, it’s not staying and I would rather save my $58 to spend on something else.
501 Stretch Skinny, $98 (in Neat Freak)
No – again, similar to the first pair, these are too long. Not as long as the Originals, but not my length preference. Like I said, I like jeans to hit just above my ankle and these are too long. I also don’t think these are that flattering either. As you can see from the pictures, the grain of the jean around the thigh area looks like a V, the the lines are converging to my knees. I’ve never seen that before in jeans, and I don’t think it’s flattering. And for those two reason, unfortunately this is a no go and will be returned.
Overall
The denim quality of Levi’s are great and you can tell that they will last for a while, but they do lean to the raw denim feel. There are some people that like that, but personally, I like a bit of stretch and elastane in my jeans. I like to feel like I can move around in them, and Levi’s might be a bit too stiff.
Another thing about Levi’s jeans that I’m not a fan of is their pockets. The Levi’s pocket logo is extremely recognizable, but I don’t really like the back of their jeans that much. The logo is fine, but I like my pocket stitching color to be more subtle, something with the stitching to be a shade or two darker than the fabric. On all of these jeans, they are a yellow color that stands out. Personally I like my pockets to either not have a logo or to have a very subtle stitching color.
Similarly with the back of their jeans, I think Levi’s is following the bigger butt trend. Lot of people, now, want their butts to look larger and perkier. While I think Levi’s accomplishes the perkiness, I don’t like their solve for making the butt look bigger. On all the jeans, the pockets are pretty far apart which is supposed to be an illusion for making the butt appear larger. But on me, with all the jeans, I just found that it made my backside look wide and shapeless. (Apologies for no back pictures, I couldn’t hold the camera to show that angle.)
With these thoughts in mind it may appear that I’m not a fan of Levi’s denim, but I think that for some people Levi’s might be the exact pair that they’re looking for. For me it’s a no, but if you like raw quality denim and are looking to really bring attention to your butt, these may be what you’re looking for
katatries 