Ultimate Buying Guide To Levis Jeans (501, 502, 511, 541, 510))
[0:00:00] I love Levi’s. An American original. They've
been making jeans since 1853. In fact, if you’ve watched my interchangeable wardrobe
series, you know that I recommend that every man should own a pair dark, well-fitted jeans.
That being said, Levi jeans do have an issue and any guy that’s been out shopping for
a pair knows what I'm talking about. 3 words. Too many options 501s, 502s, 505s, 511s, 513s,
514s, 527s, 541s, 559s, 569s. And that’s just some of the styles, which by the way
have changed over the decades. The purpose of today's video, gents, is to give you the
information you need so whether you're buying Levi's online, you're buying them in the store,
you can find the perfect fit for your body type using the information I’m provided
today. Now, in support of today's video, I created additional charts. We created an article
that goes to a lot more detail. So, if you want more information, down in the description
of today's video, I'm gonna link over to my website, realmenrealstyle.com, and there's
a special page. There's an entire article that goes into this in more detail. And while
you're over at our website, I challenge you to find out your style score. If you haven't
seen this, we’ve got a quiz that you answer a number of questions and it's going to spit
out a score. It’s actually really detailed, really fun. And let's find out where you score.
And what's cool about this is we tell you how to improve your score because every point
you can improve on your style score, you can improve the image, the message you're sending
the world. And we show you exactly how to do that once you've answered the quiz. And
as an added bonus, once you get your style score, let me know down in the comments. I’ll
get down there and heart a few of you guys and maybe even choose a few of you guys to
send out a challenge coin too. You know, we love these challenge coins here at Real Men
Real Style. So, I want to see what you scored. Let me know down below. So, the way I’m
gonna organized today's video is based off of fit. I'm gonna start off with skinny fit.
We're gonna go to slim fit and then we're gonna hit tapered. Next, straight fit. We’re
gonna get into boot cut and then relaxed. Now, for those of you with OCD, this is gonna
drive you nuts and that is the way that Levi's has the numbers organized. You would think
it should be sequential. I mean that's an easy way to do it. But unfortunately, because
this company has been around so long and they’ve got so many different styles that came out
in different time periods, you're gonna find that these numbers they try to get them to
match up, but they don’t. I mean what is going on with those 603s right there? Where
did those come from? And why aren't the 501s at the top? Yeah, this is gonna make sense.
What I'm gonna do this in order of is fit. So, if you're a thin guy, this first part
of the video is for you. If you’re a heavier guy, the second half is for you. I will say
though that any man can wear any style or any fit of jeans. But in general, you want
to go with something that works with your body build and I'll talk about that at the
end of the video. So, the first category we have is the skinny jean category. And there
are 3 styles of jeans we're gonna see in this category. 501s, 510s, and 519s. The 519s are
extremely skinny. They're actually kind of rare to find. You're also gonna see 501 skinnies,
but the predominant jean and the one we’re gonna talk about in this particular category
is the 510. Now, the key characteristic for a pair of 510s is they sit right below the
waist and all the way down they fit the body close. Now, there have been videos in the
past in which I said that skinny jeans should be abolished. That's not exactly true. If
you're a thin, a skinny guy, skinny jeans actually can fit your profile well. Now, when
you go look at the different sizes though over on the Levi's website, you'll see 27
waist, 28-inch waist, 29-inch waist. That's where I think it really makes sense. They
do have a 38-inch waist for skinny jeans. I would be careful there. In general, if you're
a heavier set guy, you want to be careful when you're trying to pull off skinny jeans.
Next up, let's talk fabric. In general, most Levi’s are gonna be made from cotton, but
they are gonna add 1%, sometimes more, of a stretch material. You’re gonna see elastane.
I think this is a great thing especially jeans fitting close to the body. You wanna have
that bit of stretch. And I know some people— Hey, I want 100% cotton. No. I think that
they've come a long way in the last 40 years with polyesters and the other blends that
they're creating. So, it is something that fear if you see like 25% polyester in a pair
of Levi’s. That's sometimes a good thing again because they're bringing it in the areas
and they're weaving it with the cotton in a way that it's going to give you better performance.
Now, 510s in general come in five different color schemes. You're gonna see blacks. You’re
gonna see grays. You’re gonna see dark washes usually in an indigo color. You’re gonna
see a medium wash. And you're gonna see a light wash. My suggestion, if you want something
interchangeable, go with a dark wash, go with black, or go with gray. Next up, let's talk
about slim fit jeans. We've got 511s, 513s, 522s, and 603s. So, first up, we’ve got
the 511 slims. In my opinion, one of the better styles out there for young men. I know my
son prefers this style because he’s got a fit body. He takes care of himself, but
he is still relatively thin. He doesn’t wanna go full-on skin. He wants more freedom
of movement and that’s exactly what the 511s give him. They’re not gonna be loose
and baggy like a pair of straight Levi’s would on him, but the 511s are just perfect
for his frame.
[0:05:02] In general, 511s are cut close, but not restrictive.
Now, let’s say you’re a little bit husky. You’re still in good shape, but you've got
a little bit larger thighs, you got a bigger buttocks, then you want to check out 513s.
These are gonna be slim straights. Cut very similar to the 511s, these are gonna have
a little bit more room in the waist and the thigh area. They’re gonna taper not as much
at the bottom, but they still have a good taper. They're not gonna be a boot cut. Now,
what about the 522s? What about the 603s? Unfortunately, I think these have been discontinued.
If I'm wrong, please let me know down in the comments. But whenever I go over the website
now, I see 527s. I see 531s. These are new styles. And again, this is what Levi's is
constantly doing. They’re testing trends. They're saying “Okay, we're gonna come out
with a new number. We’ll only do this maybe a limited run.” Oftentimes if they put it
in their slim category, it's going to be a variation of those classic 511s, those classic
510s. Now, what about 522s? Well, I saved this one because it gets confusing. Levi's
changed it up on us. 522s are now known as 512s. In any case, they are a slim taper.
What is a slim taper? What's the difference between 512 and let's take 511s? That's the
best comparison. There really isn't much. Overall, the upper fit is going to be the
same. But once we go down the leg, we’re gonna see the taper on the 512 is closer.
In fact, we lose about an inch and a half on the overall diameter on the leg opening.
So, you can expect the taper on the 512s just to be closer. Now, this
next category, the tapered category can be a bit confusing because some of the jeans
you can actually fit in other categories. Example being the 512s, which I said are gonna
be over in slim, but they also fit right in with the tapered because they are tapered
cut. But we’re also gonna see in this category some 501s custom that are tapered, but really
it’s the new emergence of the 502s that we see dominating this category. So, I want
to take a second to highlight the 502s because this is a new modern jean that if you haven't
been wearing Levi's for maybe a decade you might have missed. They took the 501. And
on the 502, they modernized. They gave you a little bit more room on that straight cut
you maybe didn't have enough room in thighs. It wasn't something that maybe you wanted
to dress up. You didn’t have a lot of options when it came to fabrics. They fixed all this
with the 502. They left the 501s alone thank goodness. That’s the classic. But in the
502s, we have something that if you wanted to go maybe with a khaki style, if you wanted
to go in a different material other than denim and you wanted to be able to dress these up
maybe with a sports jacket or still dress them down, have something that's versatile,
but you want that more modern fit with a bit of taper at the bottom and that's the key,
is on the 501s they're going to be more wide at the bottom, the more classic look straight
up and down, but those 502s are going to have that tapered look that you can even wear dress
shoes with them. And I think it looks really good. If you haven't checked out the 502s,
go do it. Now if you’re trying those 502s and they’re too tight, you want to check
out the 541s. These are gonna be an even looser fit. In fact, they could go over to the looser
side, but I'm putting them here in tapered because they do still have that tapered cut.
So, if you spent a little bit of time in the gym, you spent a lot of time squatting, you
just got a little bit wider area in the hips, the 541s are probably a good option for you.
For you big boys out there, you heavyset gentlemen, check out the 550s. These are gonna be the
relaxed cut that come with that tapered style so that you can dress them up, you can dress
them down. Next up, we've got the straight cut. And this is where Levi’s started over
150 years ago with their original 501s. So, if you think about it, that says a lot about
a company and us and what we like that we’ve been going to a very similar style of jean
for well over 150 years. Think about how many generations of the same— Yes, some of the
things have changed. The way they use the material, the rivets, the sewing, the placement,
and the fit has been adjusted. But in general, this thing has descended from the original
501s that Levi was selling out in San Francisco. Now, our classic pair of 501s is gonna have
a straight fit at the waist and all the way down from the thigh down to the leg opening
is pretty much going to be straight. So, for the modern eye, they may look a bit loose
and what's interesting is you actually go over to the Levi's website. They've got their
1984 version. They’ve got their 1993 version. They understand that, yes, they do play around
with trends. You’re also gonna see this in the modern 501s. You’re gonna see a bit
of stretch material. Why? Because we've really moved towards that performance fabrics. You
may actually want a size down when you're going for something. If it fits you well,
if it can still fit you in the waist, you may find with one style you wear one size
and with another style you wear another. Other variations you’re gonna see out there of
the 501 are the original shrink to fit. You’re also gonna see them in big and tall sizes.
So, that’s really nice if you’re just a fit outside of the normal parameters. And
if you can’t decide at all, you’re just “Antonio, give me the original 501s”,
they’ve got that on the website as well. Another cool thing with the 501s is they have
the button fly. This is the classic Levi front opening.
[0:10:00] And I like on the waist they've got a wider
range on the 501. So, if you're a bigger guy and you find it very difficult to find jeans,
again, go to the website. 501s also come in the widest range of colors. So, if you're
looking for green, if you're looking for various types of medium to light washes, you're gonna
find it in the 501. Next up, we have the very popular 505s. And these are if you need just
a little bit more of a relaxed fit around the thighs. Otherwise, it's a very similar
fit. But if you've got a little bit heavier, thicker thighs or you just want more room
there, the 505 is going to be the style you want to look at. Now, what if you like the
501s, but you feel they’re a little bit too retro, they go a little bit too high on
the waist, you want something lower and you want to get rid of that button fly, you wanna
go with the zipper? In that case, check out the 514s. You love the 501s except the fit
is just a little bit too loose. You want something closer especially going down the leg. Check
out the 513s. Now, what if you want a more relaxed straight cut, you want something that’s
gonna give you a bit more room than the original 501s? Check out the 551s or, for even a bit
more, the 559s. All right, gents, now let’s talk boot cut. We’ve got the 517s. We’ve
got the 527s. What’s the difference? The 517s are the original cowboy jeans. Made from
100% cotton. These are gonna fit at the waist overall. Have a straight cut except down at
the leg. We’re gonna have a little bit more of an opening. Why? Because this was made
for men that wear boots, hence the name the boot cut. Now, what’s the 527s? How can
they improve on that? Well, they wanted to go for a little bit more of a stretch fabric.
This is a modern interpretation as well. They're gonna go a little— not gonna be as high
up on the waist. So, if you’ve tried a pair of 517s, you wanted something a little bit
more comfortable, something with a bit more stretch, something that maybe fit a little
bit lower on the waist, the 527 is what you want to look at. Next up, we have the relaxed
and loose categories. The dominant player here going to be the 541s, the 550s, and the
559s. You’re also gonna see 560s, 569s, and 570s and what Levi’s calls a loose fit.
There is a difference between relaxed and loose. Relaxed jeans in general by Levi's
definition are gonna fit looser in and around the hips, the waste, and the upper leg area
while loose jeans are going to fit— Basically, they're gonna have a lot more room in down
on the legs and then they fit a little closer up the top. Now, the 541 is known as the athletic
fit. For the guy that’s got a larger seat, he’s got thicker thighs, he wants to check
out the 541s. These are gonna give him room. They’re still gonna fit nicely at the waist.
But overall, the drape and stuff is going to work for an athletic heavyset frame. Now,
the 550s, they’ve been around since 1985 and are actually known as the dad jeans. You’ve
seen them out there. These are gonna a classic relatively loose fit. If you want something
comfortable to wear on the weekend, you got a dad bod, this may be an option for you.
And if the 550s aren’t your style, you want to go for something a little bit more modern
still, a relaxed fit, but something that sits lower at the waist and is gonna have a little
bit larger of a leg opening, check out the 559s. All right. So now, you’ve got a good
overview of jeans, but you're asking “okay, what are the right jeans for my body type”,
well, guys, I got you covered with this video right here. I make it simple. I go over the
different body builds and the style, the type of jeans that are going to compliment that
build. What's your match, what’s gonna work for your particular body build, find out in
this video right here where I make it easy. I make it simple. Guys, click on the video
right here. I will also link to it down in the description.
[0:13:29] End of Audio