Levi’s: the OG purveyor of denim jeans, a brand that most people on Earth have heard of, and a touchstone of popular culture that started back in the late 19th century and stretches to the present day. In other words, the Coca-Cola of the menswear world. Andy Warhol’s estimation of the fizzy drink — “All the Cokes are the same and all the Cokes are good” — easily translates to a pair of 501s.
You can know that Steve Jobs wore Levi’s, Marilyn Monroe wore Levi’s, Barack Obama wears Levi’s, and you can wear Levi’s too. But what else does the brand hold beyond its patented riveted work trousers? Quite a lot actually.
In today’s lesson, we’re delving into the world of Levi Strauss & Co., and instructing on exactly what you should be shopping from the storied brainchild of baby blues. Let’s begin…
Let’s start with the obvious: denim.
But specifically…
501 Original Fit Jeans
No one — not even Levi’s itself — remembers why the first ever pair of its jeans (and the first ever pair of jeans, period) were named ‘501s’ back in 1873. Whatever the reason, they remain the most recognisable cut and shape in the world. A blue midwash with a button fly is still the most famous iteration (thanks, James Dean), but you can branch out on colour into darker and lighter blues, as well as browns and blacks, and you can even opt for a little more stretch than starch. Whichever you choose, a pair should last a lifetime and are likely to remain as popular in 2073 as they were two centuries before.
502 Tapered Jeans
Though a single digit higher than the ‘501’, the ‘502 Tapered’ didn’t arrive until eighty years after their predecessors, in 1967. Scroll between our pick of this style and the above Original ‘501s’ and you’ll see that there is more room to be had in the thigh here, while the silhouette tapers to a closer fit at the hem. A safer choice for those of you who are finding it difficult to transition out of your skinny jeans era.
555 Relaxed Straight Jeans
Described by one GQ US contributor as “better than vintage”, Levis’ recent ‘555’ design takes cues from early roomy designs, adding more space to the ‘501’ for a structured near-baggy take on the best wide-leg trousers for men.
505 Regular Jeans
It originated in the Summer of Love and appeared on the covers of The Rolling Stone’s Sticky Fingers and The Ramones’ 1976 eponymous debut, but the ‘505’ has had a resurgence in recent years. Its goes-with-everything cut might be a little less roomy than a ‘501’, but it’s still a ‘Regular’: somewhere between a ‘Skinny’ and a ‘Slim’ for those among you who still consider Joey Ramone the apex of male aesthetics.
Then there’s the jackets
Using denim in its jackets as well as its trousers is a practice almost as old as the brand itself, and denim outerwear likewise remains a touchstone of this brand’s legacy and modern output. Renamed a ‘Trucker’ (by who else? Levi Strauss & Co.) in the 1960s, it has an arsenal of Truckers and Sherpas dedicated to this silhouette and its sherpa-lined compatriots. That’s not all, though: the brand has become quite a dab hand at other forms of outerwear: think Harringtons, corduroy puffers and parkas.
…and the overshirts
Is a modern masculine dresser’s wardrobe complete without an overshirt? How could it be? Levi’s focus on denim is obvious, but its care with plaid flannel is almost as recognisable, and you don’t have to be a cowboy or a lumberjack to own one or the other.
Finish off with a T-shirt or henley
Like a cheeseburger and fries, it’s hard to get T-shirts and henleys wrong, but that doesn’t mean some places aren’t better to source them from than others. This is one of those better places.