Jeans - real vintage Levi's or fake?

Midge

Midge

Super Moderator
Staff member
Jeans - real vintage Levi\'s or fake?

I bought these jeans as vintage Levi's in a little shop off Carnaby Street in London about 10 years ago, and wore them about 2 or 3 times. I haven't worn them or take a close look at them forever, and since I a) don't like high waisted jeans anymore, b) they've shrunk with washing - they were always a tad too tight and now I can't get in to them anymore - and c) they're a 32 length, too short for my taste anyway, I want to sell them.

The question is - do I sell them on ebay or at the flea market? Because flea market it'll be if they're fake. Looking at them again closely and trying to find out a bit more on the internet, but not really succeeding... I've started to think they might be a fake. Not sure about the orange tab with the capital "E" especially! The brown label doesn't look like the real deal either, when I take a good look :duh:.

jeans1.jpg


jeans2.jpg


jeans3.jpg


This the label that was attached to it (I found it in my photo album!):
jeans4.jpg


This looks good enough I think... But've been taken from a "real" pair? Thinking back, these jeans, for vintage Levi's deadstock, weren't expensive (I bought a pair of new Levi's as well on that day, in another shop). And Carnaby Street was then already pretty much a tourist spot :eyebrow2:.

I admit I didn't know much about vintage fashion then and just went for the name.

Karin
 
Originally posted by Midge


The question is - do I sell them on ebay or at the flea market? Because flea market it'll be if they're fake. Looking at them again closely and trying to find out a bit more on the internet, but not really succeeding... I've started to think they might be a fake. Not sure about the orange tab with the capital "E" especially! [/img]
Click to expand...

Not sure where you see the capital E. On the hang tag, I see a lower case "e". Levi's changed from the "e" being upper case to the "e" being lowercase in 1971, so it is definitely after then. doesn't mean they are fake with no capital e, it just means they were then or later.
 
Awww -no pics in that thread...bummmer, I was curious as well. The Levi's there look alot like the ones in Canada I always saw, I have no idea what is meant by small e Cap E, where do you look for that?? High waisted bells - I'd say late 70's to early 80's - Levi's weren't and still aren't that costly aound here, but I also know nothing about vintage denim so I'll just watch and learn :)
 
Here is a link that hatfeathers introduced us to back in feb/march

http://www.levisguide.com/index.html

there are some pictures of the leather labels,,, but I can't find anything about the yellow tab. I remeber there being a discussion over levis a LONG time ago but I haven't found it and gave up looking lol.. your best bet will be internet search!

Jennifer
 
Thanks you all. I've googled around, but didn't find much. Jennifer, I found the page you mentioned too - pretty much the first hit. If I go by that information on bar tacks, these jeans would be 1983 or newer...

The problem is, all these pages only talk about the 501, and barely about other models.
On that old workshop page (thanks for the link, Patentleathershoes!), at least orange tabs are being mentioned for the 70s and 80s, and the big E, so maybe I should keep my faith that they're the real deal. However, I think at the shop where I bought them they said late 60s, which is probably wrong. But what did I know then... :icon_wall: The name Levi's and the fact they said they were 60s made me go :adore:, never mind the fact they were veeeery tight!

Here in (continental) Europe, Levi's used to be pretty expensive, and certainly more expensive than in the US. Everybody who traveled to the US, say in the 90s, went to buy jeans. Nowadays it's not quite so bad anymore (and then there are a lot even more higher priced jeans labels around now). And I remember a big supermarket chain, starting to sell Levi's around '94 or so, and they were quite a bit cheaper there. Only it turned out they were fakes!!!

I don't want to make a fortune out of these jeans, I just don't want to sell a possible fake as real :clueless:. I have a pair of black corduroy Lee's that are cut pretty much in the same way, bought as deadstock too, but they're not so tight - I will hold on to those. I just don't want to keep something that doesn't fit anymore.

Anyway, I found an e-mail address on the Levi's homepage, they have a sort of curator who will answer questions on vintage Levi's. I've sent her a message with all the photos and hope that I get an answer.

Karin
 
Thanks, Marty!
Yes, they are very small! I have a 27 in the last new Levi's I bought (though have worn 28s too), but these here... no way I get them over my hips. Washing would have shrunk them a bit I guess. Wasn't this the kind you were supposed to put on and jump into the bath with :BAGUSE:?

Well, will give ebay a try, stating all measurements. In the worst case, I can still take them to the flea market. You never know there.

Karin
 
Have faith. When I have sold bell bottoms (and ditto corduroy suits), they always went to slim folks. I have sold size 36 (mens) blazers and really slim jeans. Maybe its the hipster thing. Who knows. Also people who wear tiny sizes have as many problem finding clothes to fit as people who wear XXXL sometime.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top