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Finding the Perfect Vintage Levi’s® With Emma Chamberlain

Campaigns and Collaborations / 
January 2023

Finding the Perfect Vintage Levi’s® With Emma ChamberlainFinding the Perfect Vintage Levi’s® With Emma Chamberlain

For Emma Chamberlain, vintage denim is more than just an avenue to great personal style. “I think that buying high quality denim is an incredible investment,” she says. “Not only will it serve you its whole life, it’ll also serve the next person, and the next person, and the next person.” Basically, as Emma likes to point out, vintage denim is one of the easiest paths to sustainability in fashion. Plus, it looks really cool.

Levi’s® jeans transcend fashion. They’ve literally been in style through every era since the end of the 19th century. And more than that, they get better with age. “The thing that’s so magical about denim,” says Emma, “is that the longer its life is, the more incredible it becomes.” Whether it’s the perfect fading, some holes, or maybe even some paint splatters, the older the jeans are the more character they have. And for Emma, that is the key to a perfect pair of jeans. “I tend to be more excited about denim that has character. They feel like they’ve had a life before me, and I like to be able to see that in a pair of jeans. That’s kind of the magic of them.”

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“I tend to be more excited about denim that has character. They feel like they’ve had a life before me, and I like to be able to see that in a pair of jeans. That’s kind of the magic of them.”

- EMMA CHAMBERLAIN

Vintage denim also offers an emotional connection that’s hard to find with a lot of other clothes. “I just think it’s so satisfying to find that perfect pair of jeans,” says Emma. “Every time I find a pair that fits perfectly, I feel reborn. I feel rejuvenated. I feel excited. Then I wear them to death and hand them off to the next person.” With vintage denim, you add your own story—maybe a torn knee from learning a skateboard trick, or paint splatters from your first apartment—and then you hand them off to the next person so that they can add their part of the story. It’s like being a steward of the jeans rather than their owner.

As for finding that perfect, mood-altering pair of vintage Levi’s®, Emma says it’s all about gut feeling. In fact, she equates it to falling in love. “You see someone and you’re like, ‘I don’t know why, but you’re the love of my life.’ It’s the same thing with jeans. It’s very much love at first sight.” Of course, finding a good pair of vintage denim in a shop may simply be a starting point. Because the great thing about Levi’s® is that they are endlessly customizable. Take Emma’s current favorite pair of 501® Originals, for example, which she cut off the bottoms to wear cropped with loafers. Anything you can do to make your vintage Levi’s® your own is part of the fun.
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Ultimately, the true beauty of Levi’s®, though, is their longevity. They can log time in so many different wardrobes over so many decades because they’re built to last. And this is what Emma really loves about them. “When clothes are made to last like Levi’s®,” she says, “you can wear them for longer, and you can buy less, and you can waste less. We need to keep clothes from ending up in a landfill, and end the current wear and waste cycle. So when you can’t wear your clothes any longer, repair, recycle, and donate them to extend their life.”
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8 Tips for Finding Your Perfect Pair of Vintage Levi’s® 501’s:

1. Don’t rely on tag size, modern sizing is different from earlier years, and jeans–especially in the waist–can shrink or stretch. Always try them on first. Or, if buying online, know your measurements for waist, hip, knee, hem width, and inseam, and then check them against the measurements of the jeans. Check out this Levi’s® guide for how to measure your jeans.

2. To keep from spending all day trying on jeans, use this easy trick. Button the waist and then wrap it around your neck. If the two ends can’t touch, they’re likely too small, so you can spare yourself a trip to the dressing room.

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3. Definitely keep an eye out for selvedge denim, which you’ll know by a finished edge (usually white) on the outseam. As far as durability and resale value, and as a way to impress denim heads, selvedge is the way to go. Just look for 501® Originals made before around 1985, since everything was made using selvedge denim before that.

4. Don’t think in terms of gender with 501® Originals. Instead, just look for a pair in your size, or you can go a little bigger and have the waist tailored for a baggier fit. There’s also the Levi’s® 701–introduced in 1934–which is a 501®-style fit for women with a higher waist, and, starting in 1981, a women’s 501® Original as well.

5. Levi’s® jeans are endlessly customizable, so if you find a pair that you like but the waist is too big, or the inseam is too long, simply take them to the Levi’s Tailor Shop or a denim tailor to create the perfect fit.

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6. The list of where to look for vintage jeans is endless. But a good place to start is flea markets, vintage shops, and specialty denim shops.

7. Don’t be afraid of damaged jeans. While you might want to avoid crotch blow-outs (although those can be fixed at a Levi’s® Tailor Shop), things like holes in the knees, frayed pockets or hems, and paint splatters are what give vintage jeans their character.

8. If you’re searching online for vintage 501® Originals, here are some key phrases to use: Levi’s SecondHand; Vintage 501 Originals; Made in USA 501 Originals; Redline Levi’s 501 Originals; Big-E Levi’s 501 Originals; ‘70s Levi’s 501 Originals.
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