Levi's 501 66 Early 1970s, Button 6, Cut-Off Hems, Machine-Darned Repairs, Light Indigo, Approx. W29
Levi's 501 66 Early 1970s, Button 6, Cut-Off Hems, Machine-Darned Repairs, Light Indigo, Approx. W29
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- Prepared and sent from Tokyo within 7–14 days, often sooner, or as arranged
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- Import
Duties and customs · View the estimate
A guide for this piece: about $37, based on the 10% US charge on the declared value of goods made in Japan.
The final figure is set by US Customs and depends on where the piece was made and the kind of object it is. Many antiques over a century old carry no ordinary duty; most jewellery and leather goods add a single-digit rate.
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- Sizing
- Measured flat by hand, waist, rise and inseam, in centimetres · Find your size · Ask before you buy
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A mid-1970s Levi's 501 of the type Japanese collectors call the 66 early, stamped 6 behind the top button and covered in dense black machine darning that turns its repairs into a graphic surface.
The Piece
After the red tab changed to a lower-case e around 1971, Levi's kept producing the 501 on narrow selvedge looms for several more years. Japanese collectors call these pairs 66, after the date printed on their care flasher, and the early versions with single-stitched back pockets and strong fade characteristics have become a category of their own.
This pair carries the small-e red tab, a top button stamped 6 on the reverse and the button fly and stitching of the period. Its character, though, comes from its repairs: dense black zigzag darning across both knees, the thighs and the rise, applied by machine in bold, overlapping rows.
One knee has opened again above the darning, the hems have been cut off and left to fray, and the denim has faded to a pale, sky-like blue. It wears as a cropped straight leg.
It is tagged 30 and measures about W29, with a 72 cm inseam after the cut-off.
Details
- Designer: Levi Strauss & Co.
- Season: Mid-1970s, 66 early
- Model / ref: 501, small-e tab, button 6
- Material: Cotton denim
- Colour: Light faded indigo
- Made in: USA
- Tagged size: Tagged 30, approx. W29
- Measurements: Waist 74 cm (37 cm flat) · Hip 96 cm (48 cm flat) · Rise 27 cm · Inseam 72 cm
- Included: Jeans only
Condition
- Vintage with heavy wear and extensive machine-darned repairs, priced accordingly.
- Open tear at one knee above earlier darning.
- Hems cut off and frayed.
- Small marks and general fading consistent with age.
Condition grade C on the Japanese scale; see Japanese condition ranks, explained.
Authenticity & Care
The labels, materials, stitching, hardware and construction are examined together and documented in Japan before dispatch; anything that cannot be confirmed is stated plainly in the description. Every piece carries the Japonista authenticity guarantee. Wash rarely, by hand in cold water, and hang to dry; vintage denim and old repairs reward gentle handling.
Delivery from Japan
Packed by hand in Japan and shipped insured and tracked by EMS or an equivalent express service. Import duties and taxes, where applicable, are payable on arrival. Every sale is final; please ask anything before you buy, and see our published policy.
Every figure above is taken by hand with the pair laid flat, in centimetres. Measure jeans or trousers that already fit you the same way and allow a centimetre or two of margin, the quiet safeguard on a final sale. Our jeans and trousers size guide reads waist and inseam in inches and centimetres, and for anything it leaves open the curator team replies within one Tokyo business day.
Considered offers are welcome through Send an Offer, and each one is reviewed personally.
Continue browsing: Japan Luxury Archive · Levi’s
Specific Vintage Denim, Found to Order
If you are looking for a particular 66 or Big E pair in your size, we can search Japan's vintage circles for it. Our Hunting Salon™ locates a specific reference across Japan’s private collector circles, then inspects, documents and delivers it to you. Begin a Hunting Salon™ request →
Collectors also search: Levi's 501 66 early · vintage Levi's 501 1970s · Levi's 66前期 · Levi's 501 repaired · sashiko style repaired jeans · Levi's 501 W29 · 70s Levi's jeans · Levi's darned denim
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