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Ever since the brand secured its first patent in 1873, Levi's jeans have defined the genre. Worn by legendary famous folk and your grandfather alike, Levi's has endured for 150 years by keeping prices low and having the ability to meet the trends of the time.
Look across the range, and you’ll see that every decade has its cut—a cultural barometer of the moment—and each generation its specific 501. (Hell, nowadays, every rival denim brand seems to also sell their take on the 501.) In other words, there are the Giants of the Garment World, and then there’s Levi’s.
Unfortunately, you can suffer from so much success. The downside to the amount of winning cuts Levi’s has produced is that the brand now sells almost too many styles for its own good. Navigating the range is a buyer’s nightmare—full of variations within variations—and is enough to make some want to turn their back altogether. But because getting it right is worth it (for your budget, and your backside) we’re here to parse it all for you, breaking it down to the basics and hopefully making the spectrum of styles a little bit easier to navigate.
Let’s get into it. Starting, of course, with the 501.
Our Favorite Levi's Jeans by the Numbers
| Fit | Levi’s Style Numbers |
|---|---|
| Straight | 501 Original, 505 Regular, 514 Straight |
| Relaxed | 550 Relaxed, 569 Loose Straight |
| Bootcut | 517 Bootcut, 527 Slim Bootcut |
| Tapered | 502 Taper, 541 Athletic Taper |
| Slim | 513 Slim Straight |
| Skinny | 510 Skinny |
501 Original Fit Jeans
Fit: Straight and classic | Stretch: No | Fly: Button | Leg Opening: 16-17.5”
There’s a reason why we consider the 501s one of the best jeans for men. In production under that name since 1890, today’s 501s have a straight leg with no taper, a mid-rise, a five-pocket design, a button fly, and enough room to be considered comfortable without being mistaken for loose or baggy. That’s largely been the case throughout their history, though the 501 tends to go through time-specific tweaks—the 1944 iteration used less metal to save it for the war effort, for instance. As such, the current 501 tends to be something of a sign of the times. Not the trend, but the median, if that makes sense.
Given how well almost every iteration has sold, you can still buy a lot of historic versions of the 501. It can be overwhelming, but the 501 collection makes up some of the best jeans in the entire Levi’s catalog, so they’re worth your consideration.
- 501 Original Fit Selvedge Jeans: Made from what’s called “selvedge denim”—the strongest, most durable type of denim—these come in a touch wider at the hem.
- 501 STF: For the purists out there, Shrink-to-Fits are made with “unsanforized” denim that will shrink a couple of waist sizes upon washing, like the early Levi’s models. Buy them two sizes big, and let them mold perfectly to your legs.
- 1947 501 Jeans: With a slightly slimmer fit, the 1947 is one of the most classic 501s. Plus, the end of war rations allowed for cool things like the watch pocket rivets and Levi’s iconic arcuate (back pocket stitching) to return.
- 1954 501Z Jeans: For the zipper-fly heads out there, this is your only 501. Thankfully, it’s a good one—and fits similarly to the 1947.
- 1955 501 Jeans: A bit baggier than the two before it, the 1955 retained all the updated details of the 1947, but has a more boxy overall silhouette.
- 1933 501 Jeans: The oldest restored 501 actually offers one of Levi’s most contemporary silhouettes, with a wide, straight leg and a nice high rise.
- 1966 501 Jeans: Beefier-legged and slightly tapered, with a denim specifically developed to feel exactly like the original, the 1966 might be our sleeper favorite.
- 1993 501 Jeans: Coming in with a lower rise and a wider leg, there’s a reason skaters love the 1993.
502 Taper Jeans
Fit: Tapered | Stretch: Yes | Fly: Zipper | Leg Opening: 14.5”
The 502 is a touch slimmer than its better-known predecessor. It also tapers from the thigh down, creating a slightly crisper silhouette that follows the natural shape of the leg. The modern iteration also has a bit of stretch, which comes in handy on all slimmer cuts. While some say that the 502 is a “streamlined” version of the 501, we’d argue that it’s a different idea altogether.
505 Regular Jeans
Fit: Straight | Stretch: Yes and No | Fly: Zipper | Leg Opening: 16”
The 505 didn’t really find its footing until the 1970s, when its slimmer silhouette was adopted by rock stars of the era—if you’re familiar with the album cover for The Rolling Stones’ “Sticky Fingers,” you’re familiar with the 505 and its zipper fly. Despite having a stronger taper than the 501, the 505 has a touch more room in the seat and thigh, and Levi’s also makes them with stretch, though you can still find them in a rigid selvedge denim, just like they were originally sold.
510 Skinny Jeans
Fit: Skinny | Stretch: Yes | Fly: Zipper | Leg Opening: 13”
If the 505 represents Levi’s foray into dedicated Slim territory, the 510s are the brand’s original Skinny jeans. With a low rise, slim thigh, and tapered, ankle-hugging 6.5” hem, they’re also made with denim that has a considerable bit of stretch, making it easy to go skinny skinny. And skinny skinny still hits extra hard with some boots or Chucks.
511 Slim Jeans
Fit: Slim Taper | Stretch: Yes | Fly: Both | Leg Opening: 14.5”
While the 501 is the undisputed people’s champion of the Levi’s line, the slim 511—one of the newest styles in the catalog—has been hot on its heels in recent times. Designed to be slim-but-not-skinny, they have a little bit more room in the thigh than the 510, while still retaining that cut’s tapered fit and narrow leg opening. The 511 has some helpful stretch as well, and is sold with either a zipper or button fly. If you close your eyes and picture “slim jeans” in your head, there’s a good chance these are the ones you’re seeing.
513 Slim Straight Jeans
Fit: Slim Straight | Stretch: No | Fly: Zipper | Leg Opening: 15.75”
Let’s say you’re in the market for some jeans, but the slim and skinny pairs feel too tight, while the looser, straighter cuts don’t fit quite right. Fear not. The 513, which is technically considered a slim straight, sits somewhere between the two. They have a lower rise, sitting below the waist, with a thigh that’s slim—not tight—and a fit that stays straight through the leg, naturally opening up the farther down it goes. As with most of the modern, slimmer styles, these have a bit of stretch woven into them, and a zipper fly.
514 Straight Jeans
Fit: Straight | Stretch: Yes | Fly: Zipper | Leg Opening: 16”
The best way to think about the 514 is as a lower-rise counterpart to the 505. Because, well, that’s what they are. They both have a straight leg, though one that sits on the slim end of the spectrum, a zipper fly, some stretch, and a knack for looking great with a white tee or a button-up.
517 Bootcut Jeans
Fit: Straight Flare | Stretch: No | Fly: Zipper | Leg Opening: 18.25”
Originally introduced in 1969 as part of the (more experimental, and now highly collectible) Orange Tab line, the 517 Bootcut was a staple of the 1970s , before fading in popularity for a time. But now that a little bit of flare is on its way back, so are the 517s. To be clear: we’re not talking bell-bottoms here—these have a mid-rise and are slim through the seat and thigh, while the leg flares out just a touch below the knee to accommodate some taller footwear. Giddy up.
527 Slim Bootcut Jeans
Fit: Slim Flare | Stretch: Yes | Fly: Zip | Leg Opening: 18.25”
If you’re into the idea of a bootcut but prefer a lower rise—or know you want some stretch— the 527 is where you want to live. Essentially the same as the 517 with regards to the leg—slim through the seat and thigh with a subtle flare below the knee—the 527 sits below the waist, which feels a touch more contemporary, and also has some stretch, which the 517s do not.
541 Athletic Taper Jeans
Fit: Straight Taper | Stretch: Yes | Fly: Zipper | Leg Opening: 15.75”
Appreciating that we are all, quite literally, built differently, the 541 is Levi’s take on an “Athletic Fit”—a modern development in menswear that generally means you can expect more room in the thigh and seat. That’s certainly the case here: the 541 has a low rise and extra-roomy seat and thigh, but also tapers pretty significantly toward the ankle, giving it something of a sweatpant silhouette. If you’re looking for an easy-to-wear, modern-fitting pair of jeans—with a zipper fly and some stretch—this is a very respectable place to start.
550 Relaxed Jeans
Fit: Relaxed | Stretch: No | Fly: Zipper | Leg Opening: 16.5”
If you want more room than a straight leg, but are hesitant to go all-the-way baggy, these relaxed Levi’s are your best bet. Introduced in 1985, they have a mid-rise and loose fit all the way down, tapering just slightly at the hem. And relaxed doesn’t mean sloppy: the 550s are, in fact, wonderfully contained, with plenty of room but very little excess denim pooling around the ankle. Are there wider jeans out there? So, so many. But very few wear as well.
569 Loose Straight Jeans
Fit: Relaxed | Stretch: Yes | Fly: Zipper | Leg Opening: 18.5”
If you’ve made it here, you’re not looking for skinny jeans. Or slim ones either. In fact, you probably don’t even want fabric touching your thighs. If that’s indeed the case, then the 569 deserves your attention. Fit-wise, they sit a bit lower on the waist than the Levi’s 550s do, and don’t taper nearly as much—which means that they wear more relaxed as well. So, if you’re looking for some looser Levi’s with a beautiful drape, these are the ones.
Levi’s Jeans FAQs
The numbers refer to the specific style of jean, starting with the 501, which was officially named the 501 in 1890. Why 501? That’s still unknown, but Levi’s has stuck with it, typically using numbers in the 500s for jeans, and the 400s for shorts. It would be nice if there was a correlation between width and numeral—unfortunately, there isn’t.
It depends! The vast majority of Levi’s are made with what’s called sanforized denim, which has nearly all the shrinkage worked out of it prior to sewing, meaning your pair shouldn’t shrink much at all going forward. That said, some pairs—like the 501 STF—are made with unsanforized denim, which will shrink up to two sizes. So always check the details, and remember that air drying is the most fail-safe way to preserve the way your jeans fit.
Not anymore. Up until a few years ago, some rigid and rinsed pieces in the Levi’s Vintage Clothing range were made in the US, but now everything in the Levi’s line is made outside of the country.
A rivet reinforces jeans at heavy stress points, particularly the pockets and fly. The rivet was the signature element of a Levi’s jean in their early days, allowing them to become the pack leader in a surprisingly competitive market. An arcuate is the decorative stitching found on back pockets, often used as a subtle (or not-so-subtle) branding element.
The five-pocket design is now something of a default when it comes to jeans,regardless of brand. It refers to the five pockets on most jeans, comprising the two scooped pockets at the front, smaller watch pocket at the right, and two patch pockets at the seat. (Fun fact: Early Levi’s models only had four pockets, but the final pocket they added wasn’t the watch pocket, but the back left one.)