It may come as a surprise to hear that some things are better bought vintage. Decades-old underwear and socks? Not so fast. Jeans, on the other hand, are just what you need: the right mix of new and old, traditional and trend-setting, timeless and of the times.
So, what's up with old jeans and why the hell do people spend big money on vintage Levi's?
It's all in the history. Levi’s jeans have lived a hell of a life. There are loads of stories in these indigo-colored coveralls — no matter how much of that dye there is left. They’ve served industrial workers, revolutionaries and rock’n’rollers, crossed borders, helped define a generation and birthed industries. After all this, it's safe to say Levi's is American fashion’s most successful missionary.
Now, there are lots of other Levi's. Learn more about every fit in our guide to Levi's jeans.
The Best Vintage Levi's Jeans to Buy
You’d be here forever if I listed off every pair of vintage Levi’s you could potentially buy. Simply put: I’m being intentionally short. Stick to the 501 or 505. These are the most abundant and thus the least likely to be scammed on. If you feel you’re being price gouged, just walk away (or close the window). There will be another pair.
Levi's 501
The 501 is the original Levi’s silhouette. It is straight-legged, sits right at the waist and wears like jeans are supposed — without fuss and for a long while. These have a button fly, a feature adored by denim purists, and a medium rise.
How to Tell if Your Levi's 501s Are Vintage
Check for a care tag. It’ll reveal quite a bit of info: where they were made and (unintentionally) when they were made. Care tags were added in the early ‘70s, just before Levi’s transitioned from Big E Red Tab logo to the Little E Red Tab logo in 1971. (Use this Levi’s guide to date your tab.)
If you have a Big E, yours are older than that. Care labels were added this year, too, and they act as a good marker for jeans with a damaged or removed Red Tab. Selvedge 501s were made until 1984 (marked by a visible red selvedge finish on the outseam). If yours are not, they’re modern, meaning they were made between 1984 and 2002.
What You Should Spend
- $50-$100 for something you’ll love but also wear: Levi’s jeans made between 1967 and 1984.
- $100-$250 for something interesting, that you’ll maybe wear out: Levi’s jeans made before 1984, which includes customs or rare pairs (patched, painter or faded).
- $250+ for something collectable: rare ones or customs, or jeans from the mid-‘50s or early ‘60s.
Always inquire about free returns — even if it’s only guaranteed because of issues with how they fit.
How to Find Vintage 501s Online
These are the key search terms that'll help surface 501s when shopping online: Redline Levi’s 501s, Made in USA 501s, Big E Levi’s 501s, ‘70s Levi’s 501 Jeans, ‘80s Levi’s 501 Jeans, Vintage 501s.
Levi's 505
505 jeans boast what collectors call a “regular fit,” compared to the 501’s “original fit.” They’re straight through the leg but a bit slimmer in the thigh. The rise differs a bit, too, as many report it feels higher. But there’s one component you can always count on: The 505 will always have a zipper fly.
How to Tell If Your Levi's 505s Are Vintage
Since the 505 was introduced in 1967, in conjunction with pre-shrunk denim, there are Big E and Little E versions — as well as selvedge and non-selvedge, because they were made pre-1984. Use both goalposts as frames of reference. Then use this guide to date your caretag. If there isn’t one then you know your 505s were made between 1967 and 1970 (and they’re one of few; and worth a whole lot).
What You Should Spend
- $50-$100 for something you’ll wear: 505s from the late ‘70s or early ‘80s.
- $100-$250 for something you’ll cherish: earlier 505s or Orange Tab, Levi’s budget-minded line, 505s. Orange Tabs aren’t as high quality but like defective chips, the rarity makes them worth something.
- $250+ for a collector's item.
And always inquire about free returns — even if it’s only guaranteed because of issues with how they fit.
How to Find Vintage 505s Online
These are the key search terms that'll help surface 501s when shopping online: Vintage 505 Jeans, ‘70s Levi’s 505 Jeans, ‘80 Levi’s 505 Jean, Levi’s Orange Tab 505 Jeans, Made in USA 505 Jeans
Levi's Vintage Jeans: Key Terms/Concepts
Denim: The fabric used to make jeans, this strong cotton twill is dyed with indigo which gives it a distinctive blue shade. In recent years, this all-cotton fabric is woven with a small percentage of stretch material for comfort. Vintage Levi's are made from 100-percent cotton.
5-pocket: The foundational design of all blue jeans designed by Levi’s. The 5-pocket design is simple: two front internal pockets, one right-hand coin pocket — originally a “watch pocket” — and two back patch pockets.
Rivets: This is another foundational feature of all Levi’s, copper rivets are placed at a handful of stress points on the jeans — including the back pockets until 1967.
Red Tab: The Red Tab is the small red tag on the back right pocket. Learn more about Levi’s tab colors here.
Big E: Levi’s switched the text logo on their back red tabs from all caps to lowercase in 1971, meaning jeans made prior will have LEVI’S on them. Ones made after will look like this: Levi’s.
Orange Tab (1969-1999): Levi’s introduced a budget-friendly line of fashion jeans — they were less expensive and less burly than worker jeans — that had an orange tab instead of a red one.
Cone Mills: Cone Mills White Oak opened in 1895 and supplied Levi's with selvedge denim starting in 1913. The North Carolina operation stayed in business in 2017, when it closed due to a lack of orders.
LVC: Once called Capital E, Levi’s Vintage Clothing (LVC) is Levi’s in-house reproductions label. Don’t be fooled by the jeans you just picked up; if they say vintage anywhere on them then they aren’t vintage.
Levi's Authorized Vintage: Levi's launched its own certified vintage line in 2017. There they sold authenticated old pairs.
Levi's SecondHand: Levi's SecondHand replaced Levi's Authorized Vintage in 2021. It's a more robust retail operation with a large supply of, as the name implies, secondhand Levi's. You can sort by Vintage, Made in USA, '90s and 2000's.
Made in USA: Levi’s closed its final US factory in 2002. Everything’s been made overseas since.
Redline: Redline Levi’s are pre-1986 Cone Mills Denim jeans with red stitching on the outseam.
Care Tags: Care tags were introduced right around 1970. They were required by US law to offer washing instructions and details about sizing and manufacturing.
What's the Difference Between Vintage and New Levi's
Why buy vintage at all? Well, sustainable and stretch denim aside, jeans haven’t changed much since their debut. So, go back in time and grab a pair from the late ‘60s onward, and revel in the glory of fashion’s original journeyman: Levi’s blue jeans.
Quality
The primary difference between vintage and new pairs is the quality of the denim — noticeable in the weight, thickness and shape. Sure, vintage pairs have probably been broken in quite a bit, but they should feel more significant than new jeans. Brand-new they probably felt more like your Carhartts: crispy, tightly-woven and tough to break in.
Levi’s stopped making jeans in the US in 2003, but the decline started at least a decade prior, when Levi’s began reproducing its vintage pairs under the Levi’s Vintage Clothing line, in part, I believe, to capitalize on interest in vintage Levi’s and counteract quality issues — switching to inferior materials, struggling to control mass manufacturing — with its current catalog.
Care Tags
Now that you know which to buy, here’s what to look for, and how much you should spend. First, check the care tag. Care tags were added to Levi’s jeans — by law — in the ‘70s. They’ll be your north star; where you look before you check anything else. They’ll let you know whether they’re made-in-the-US, or whether they’re vintage at all. And if they’re really old; ones without them are ‘60s-era or earlier.
Pricing
Standard fare made-in-US Levi’s 501s (which were made before 2002) will run you between $40 and $120 dollars — same for 505s. But the beauty of vintage is in never knowing exactly what someone will want for what they’re selling. Sometimes it’s a steal and you’ll score on a pair.
Other times they’ll overcharge, and you’ll settle for something pricier. Moral of the story is don’t pay more for vintage jeans than you would new ones. ($150 for new jeans won’t go as far as $150 for old ones.) Levi's has also made it easy to shop its archive. With Levi's SecondHand, you can cop vintage jeans for a fair price: no resellers' uncharge, no shipping or processing fees and plenty of sizes to choose from. Plus, you can be notified when a pair in your size arrives.
Condition
“Don’t be afraid to buy damaged jeans,” says Levi’s Tailoring and Customization Designer, Jennifer Sharkey. “Denim holds up really well and is very good for repairs. It does beautifully under being repaired, tailored and reworn. Don’t be afraid to buy something that has some aesthetic damage — that usually just adds to the jeans. Knee holes, scuffed hems, torn pockets, anything that doesn’t impact the wearability will just add to the look.”
