Levi's - Levis 505 - classic jeans with zipper Review

I didn't think I was ever going to get to wear "real" jeans. My mom thought those were a sign that someone didn't have enough money to buy real school pants. I did, finally, beg enough to get a pair of Levi Stauss jeans. Oh joy!

As a teen, I did not fit in girl jeans. The butts and thighs were too big - still are. The jean man fixed me up with Levi 505 from the men's department. He didn't even mention they were men/boy jeans. He just handed me pants until we got a fit. Service was ever so much better way back when.

Once I got a good fit, I just knew to go get "red tab" Levi jeans at Thread Shed. It was as simple as that. I just walked in and grabbed 27 x 34. End of shopping trip.

My dad wore some gosh awful jeans. I do not know where he got them. Maybe they were the jeans that are advertized in the back of magazines. I didn't even see such bolo jeans at Wal-Mart (not that we had one then).

Mom and I started getting my Dad Levi 505. (Ah ha. We know where I got my hips from.) They fit him perfect, and they looked so much better than no-name, shame jeans. The only issue there was that he was a 35 waist. Try to find odd waist sizes. Ouch. I haunted the local Goodies and stocked up for his birthdays and Christmas, because he would not spring for that much for jeans - but he sure wore and liked them.

My oldest son went for the "hot" jeans. He's built so that he can wear most anything. Younger son is long and lean. Put "sag and drag" on him and they will fall down. He tried a lot of jeans, and (no surprise), the Levi's 505 fit him great. They even sag a bit like is the style.

505 is not the super classic Levi jean. Those are the ones that have the button fly. For obvious reasons, those are not the biggest sellers now. If you have not figured it out, here's the reasons:

1. It takes a while to unbutton the button flies. When at parties or when older, this is not a good thing.

2. If your hand must go inside those jeans to undo the buttons, thou must buy a size bigger than you would need with a zipper. While this may not matter to guys (but might), it is a big deal for girls wearing guy jeans.

So, over time, the 505 really came to stand for the classic when it comes to Levi's. It's the great basic jean - but with a zipper.

They even wash that jean material now. In the old days, they were stiff as boards. My brother wore the same size for a couple of years. I would slip my new jeans in his clothes drawer for a few months. Once they were broken in, then I'd take them back. Repeat. Repeat. He probably still thinks Levi's take a long time to soften up. And, there are advantages to washing the clothes when you're a teen.