We've got the answer for you. In 1954 we introduced the 501Z, a 501® jean with a zipper instead of a button fly.
Firstly, check your buttons. If they're embossed with a style number on their back, then they're less likely to be fake. Genuine Levi's® also feature a red tab with straight stitching, are solid in colour as opposed to streaky, and come with a logo patch made from leather.
Imagine if you took everything you love about the legendary 501® Original and gave it a nineties refresh. Boom: you have the 501® '90s. Think of these as a slightly wider version of our original fit. The easy silhouette sits a little looser, the rise a little lower.
The 501® '54 sits at your waist and features our distinct 501® anti-fit through the seat and thigh, but a slimmer straight leg. That counterbalance is just what the 501® family's been missing.
Levi's Men's 501 Original Fit Jeans (Discontinued)
The 501 Original is our most authentic fit and the 501 '93 is a new add to the 501 line up. Biggest difference between the 2 fits is that the 501 '93 is looser in the seat and thigh vs the 501. On top the 501 '93 targets the consumer that loves 90's inspired styling.
Button fly jeans for men feature a front fastening system that uses buttons instead of a zipper. These jeans have a series of buttons on the fly that are used to close the front of the pants. They are often associated with a vintage or classic style.
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the most valuable jeans are a 155-year-old pair of Levis 501, bought by an anonymous bidder on eBay for $60,000 in 2005. While vintage jeans may be in high demand and come with large price tags, newer pairs embellished with rivets and rhinestones are just as coveted.
501® VS.
Meet the first-ever pair of zip-fly jeans. Patented in 1967, our 505™ Regular Fit has a similar cut to the 501® Original and sits perfectly at the waist, but they also have a slightly more relaxed fit and a versatile straight leg for comfortable movement.
The horizontal double-felled seams on the top of the back pockets of vintage 1950s Levi's jeans are single-stitched. Later 501 models from around 1987 and onwards are chain stitched. Flip the top of the back pocket to see if they're single or double-stitched.
The original version of the 501® was really made with men in mind—so the women's version is definitely a departure from that in that the fit is oh so slightly tweaked for women. The end result, though, is the same. An iconic look and feel backed by a few key attributes.
Enter the 501® CT (which stands for customized and tapered). This new interpretation of the classic 501 jean was inspired by our fans. We were seeing a lot of people tapering their 501 jeans — in fact it's one of the most frequent requests we get at our tailor shops.
It's a durable pant that should last for years, developing unique fading over time, and crafting its own personality. The 501 Original Fit is a no-nonsense jean that is flattering on various body types. It doesn't pander to fashion trends and has an unabashedly straight-leg silhouette. It's neither skinny nor baggy.
At Levi's®, we use a Product Code (which we call a PC9) to identify the style and finish of our products. The Product Code can be found in two places. The first is on the garment. You can see it on the small, white 'wash & care' labels sewn into each of our products.
Simply wear them! The initial rigid feel will soften after a few weeks and only continue to get better with time. The beauty of raw denim is that no two pair are the same.
Levi's® black Tabs
The black tab with gold lettering means you've found a piece from the Sta-Prest collection. The Levi's® Sta-Prest treatment was first used on products in the 1960s, and guarded denim from wrinkles.
So Long, Selvedge (1984 on)
Around 1984, Cone Mills adopted a more modern, economical wide loom, doubling the width of its denim that could be cut in the middle and eliminating the need for selvedge.
Button fly jeans offer several key benefits that make them the superior choice: unparalleled durability, a classic style that's a staple in traditional denim fashion, a better fit that prevents awkward bunching, and the ability to mold to your body over time, creating a truly unique fit in every detail.
Flies are insects of the order Diptera, the name being derived from the Greek δι- di- "two", and πτερόν pteron "wing".
Denim's versatility continues to shine in 2024, with top trends like flared and wide-leg pants offering both nostalgic and modern styles that appeal to a wide range of consumers. Comfort meets style as baggy and boyfriend jeans dominate, reflecting a growing demand for relaxed fits that don't compromise on fashion.
Why did they do this? For the same reason food companies keep shrinking the amount of product in their packaging. For one, the thin fabric costs less. Then thinner fabric is easier and quicker to sew.
The 501 has a mid-rise that is supposed to sit higher on the waist. Mine fall about 2 inches below my belly button. Wearing mid or higher rise jeans lower on your waist will create that baggy loose fit look I'm trying to avoid.
Yet the red label and copper rivets of Levi's 501s – a blue jean beloved by everyone from Barack Obama to Bruce Springsteen, James Dean to Kurt Cobain, Hailey Bieber to Kendall Jenner – have been woven into the fabric of socio-political and anthropological history.