It's funny how fashions change. When I was a teenager, bell bottom jeans were IN. I loved them. I could walk up to a creek, pull off my shoes and socks, pull those huge pant legs up above my knees, walk across, and be back at work, with dry feet, in no time flat. Now, my older brother did not fare so well, as he had moved on, fashion wise, and he had boot cut jeans. Took him 15 minutes to figure out how to cross.
Well, fast foreward to today, and I'm at at a little cafe, and in walks this girl, with new jeans, that have cuts in the front. In the pant legs. I look her over, and say "looks like you ran into a barb wire fence! Are you ok?" She looks at me funny, and says: "No, I bought 'em this way!"
We used to try hard to keep from shredding our clothes, but I was always destroying my clothes, and shoes, at work.
She sure looked like a surveyor to me.
I have pants, with barb wire cuts in front, and blood stains in the frayed ends.
Fashion. It's plumb strange.
I bet a pair of '70s bell bottoms are expensive now.
N
Ah yes, the look on my face when my daughter brought a pair of worn out shredded jeans to me at the department store and said she wanted them, it must have been a sight to see. I kept the language clean, while inquiring what in the heck was she thinking, wanting a worn out used pair of jeans when we came to buy her new clothes? After some explanations, some tears on her part, and some threats of not in my home on my part, we did discover some jeans with stitched in looking rips (yeah, really!) that were decoration, not fabric damage. Since them, my daughter has delighted me by showing me the prices on "cowboy" shirts at the local western wear store. $89 for a shirt. I can't buy my shirts locally any longer, but I can still mail order my pearl snap shirts for $19, and they still come folded up in the cellophane wrapper with the safety pins holdin the collar and sleeves together.
Now my dad's fashion statement was khaki pants and a circular slide rule with a book of natural tables in his back pocket. As a youngster I was always curious what he found so interesting in that book! My dad never did join the blue jean movement.
Nate The Surveyor, post: 450426, member: 291 wrote: t's funny how fashions change. When I was a teenager, bell bottom jeans were IN.
Nate The Surveyor, post: 450464, member: 291 wrote: Now my dad's fashion statement was khaki pants and a circular slide rule with a book of natural tables in his back pocket. As a youngster I was always curious what he found so interesting in that book! My dad never did join the blue jean movement.
Funny you should mention khaki. On Monday, my wife and I had lunch at our favorite deli. While we were there, another older couple came in. The man was dressed in total khaki, pressed shirt with two flapped pockets, creased khaki pants, and a heavy-duty brown belt.
I couldn't help but wonder if he was a retired surveyor who couldn't part with the old-time uniform.
I've got lots of khaki shirts, but I never could find a pair of khaki pants that stayed up worth a hoot. I've been stuck in 501 Levis for about 60 years now.
MathTeacher, post: 450490, member: 7674 wrote: Funny you should mention khaki. On Monday, my wife and I had lunch at our favorite deli. While we were there, another older couple came in. The man was dressed in total khaki, pressed shirt with two flapped pockets, creased khaki pants, and a heavy-duty brown belt.
I couldn't help but wonder if he was a retired surveyor who couldn't part with the old-time uniform.
Probably looked about like this classic, I suppose:
paden cash, post: 450534, member: 20 wrote: I've been stuck in 501 Levis for about 60 years
Gosh, after 60 years they'll probably stand up by themselves.
But seriously - 501s? Really? You can't be as fat as you claim to be, if your still wearing 501s. I owned 1 pair, way back in the day. Screw them buttons -switched to 505s with an honest to gosh zipper.
Nowadays I wear 550s. What I just found out is that Lee & Levis aren't making 100% cotton relaxed fit jeans any more, they've put spandex, or some such girly-stretchy material, in them - I tried 'em, I hate 'em. I just bought 3 pair of all cotton 550s on Ebay for $88 delivered.
SS
Nate The Surveyor, post: 450426, member: 291 wrote: ...I have pants, with barb wire cuts in front, and blood stains in the frayed ends.
ebay.....$60 precut and broke in.
Sergeant Schultz, post: 450542, member: 315 wrote: Gosh, after 60 years they'll probably stand up by themselves.
But seriously - 501s? Really? You can't be as fat as you claim to be, if your still wearing 501s. I owned 1 pair, way back in the day. Screw them buttons -switched to 505s with an honest to gosh zipper.
Nowadays I wear 550s. What I just found out is that Lee & Levis aren't making 100% cotton relaxed fit jeans any more, they've put spandex, or some such girly-stretchy material, in them - I tried 'em, I hate 'em. I just bought 3 pair of all cotton 550s on Ebay for $88 delivered.
SS
Y'all wear them expensive jeans. I get mine from Costco and they're 100% cotton. I haven't bought Levi's since they decided the Boy Scouts didn't deserve their support, that must have been about 25 years ago.
Andy Bruner, post: 450549, member: 1123 wrote: Y'all wear them expensive jeans. I get mine from Costco and they're 100% cotton. I haven't bought Levi's since they decided the Boy Scouts didn't deserve their support, that must have been about 25 years ago.
Their quality has gone way down since 25 years ago as well. There was a time that they made white-tag, red-tag and orange-tag jeans that were "cheap", "standard" and "extra-tough, extra-stiched" respectively back in the 90s sometime, but I think that was short-lived if I'm not mistaken.
Andy Bruner, post: 450549, member: 1123 wrote: Y'all wear them expensive jeans. I get mine from Costco and they're 100% cotton. I haven't bought Levi's since they decided the Boy Scouts didn't deserve their support, that must have been about 25 years ago.
You know, I've tried other blue jeans over the years and I keep going back to Levis. The 501 "Shrink to fit" is my "go-to". I was appalled a few years ago when I discovered "my old blue jeans" were really stitched in China. I boycotted them for a year or two and wore Wranglers. Now, not wanting to brag or anything...but there's not enough room in Wranglers for my "junk". 😉 Squatting down to pound a hub could get real painful real fast.
My wife discovered I could actually order "Made in the USA" 501's on-line. If you want to see what I pay for an American-made pair of Levis, you're welcome to look it up. I'm ashamed of what I pay.
And it's time for a "back in the day" story about young Paden....(wavy screen and eerie music noting a flashback)...
Momma Cash made our clothes back in the day, shirts and pants. Sometimes we would get to pick the material, sometimes not. I started Junior High School wearing corduroy britches with elastic waist-bands made by my momma. Somebody gave me some friction for wearing "pajamas" to school and made me self-conscious.
I told Momma Cash I wanted to wear blue jeans. Momma Cash informed me if I wanted to wear something other than what she sewed it was time for me to buy my own clothes. Levis were 5 bucks a pair. At the age of 13 I sub-contracted Holden's paper route (until I got one of my own) and started wearing blue jeans. I was disappointed that momma quit sewing my shirts at the same time. I guess that was a milestone for her. I was her last child and she moved her Singer sewing machine onto the back porch and put a ivy plant on it. I moved it (and the ivy plant) when I sold her house in 2009 after she passed.
Sergeant Schultz, post: 450542, member: 315 wrote: Gosh, after 60 years they'll probably stand up by themselves.
But seriously - 501s? Really? You can't be as fat as you claim to be, if your still wearing 501s....
Most of my adult life I wore size 32/32. I'm now at 36/32....and a new pair is awfully tight. Most of my fat is between my ears...;)
Dickies canvas. Tough, and turns briars. Last better than blue jeans.
Nate The Surveyor, post: 450558, member: 291 wrote: Dickies canvas. Tough, and turns briars. Last better than blue jeans.
And only $24 a pair at Wally World. Levi 501s are...what?...$60?
Mark Mayer, post: 450563, member: 424 wrote: Levi 501s are...what?...$60?
And the darn buttons suck - 505s rule
paden cash, post: 450555, member: 20 wrote: there's not enough room in Wranglers for my "junk"
Roll up yer bluejeans, boys - it's too late to save yer boots.................................
I spent the 70s in tan khaki and then they sorta got too expensive to buy.
Changed to Wranglers for about 10yrs and they got too thin.
Now it is Schmidt WorkWear and Carhartt tees and Rockys Boots.
paden cash, post: 450556, member: 20 wrote: Most of my adult life I wore size 32/32. I'm now at 36/32...
I wore almost exclusively 32/30 then 33/30 then 34/30 Levis (forget the model number) and would walk in and buy without trying them on. Then one time I got home and found that 30 length didn't match old 30 length. Later confirmed on another pair.
Made me mad enough I've never bought another pair of Levis except at garage sales.
I like Lee but will buy almost any that look like they will fit and don't have holes at a garage sale.
Mark Mayer, post: 450563, member: 424 wrote: Levi 501s are...what?...$60?
$37 at Langston's.
For most of my life I wore 32/34, but about 10 years ago I had to up it to 33/34.
501s are about the only long pants I wear. I have 1 pair of Docker-type slacks for the very occasional meeting or upscale dinner out, and a business suit for funerals. Other than that, it's 501 Levis or shorts.
