Levi's bespoke final


I’ve been wearing in my Levi’s bespoke jeans gradually over the past few weeks, and the raw denim is settling in well. For those unfamiliar with raw denim, it is favoured by those passionate about indigo twill for the way it moulds to the legs – far more than a regular, washed denim. Obsessives will wear their raw denim for months, even years without washing, to maximise that effect. Odours are dealt with by sponging or even freezing the jeans. 

I’m some way off that. I tend to wear raw denim for a couple of months – say 30-40 wears – before I wash it. By that point most of the shaping has been done. They should still be put on slightly damp after wash, however, to reinforce some of that wear pattern.

The stiff nature of the denim at this stage means that the jeans have sharp pulls and crease marks – as you can see on the examples above and below. Those will soften out with washing. Most important, for me, is the superior fit that the Levi’s bespoke offering has been able to achieve through the waist of the jeans. As regular readers will know, I have a relatively slim waist and (as the tailors put it) prominent seat. This makes it hard to find trousers that fit, and particularly jeans, which usually have a big gap at the back of the waist if they fit elsewhere. 

That problem has been solved by the cutting of Lizzie at Levi’s, with a section taken out of the yoke of the jeans, pull them tight into the small of my back. Finally, I have jeans that fit.
 

Simon Globe-Trotter jeans

The pictures were taken at the Globe-Trotter factory, which I visited a couple of weeks ago. The outfit is fairly typical of what I wear with jeans: a jacket in a casual cloth and a Neapolitan make, brown or tan shoes, a very subtle handkerchief, and knitwear to help transition a dress shirt. It should be noted that the shirt is also rendered more casual by its soft, Neapolitan collar.

Jacket: Elia Caliendo, in Permanent Style Tweed.
Shirt: Satriano Cinque
Knitwear: Trunk
Handkerchief: Viola Milano (currently not in stock)
Shoes: Edward Green
Glasses: Francois Pinton
 

Simon Globe-Trotter
Photos: Luke Carby

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

46 Comments
Oldest
Newest
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Adam

I have always wanted to visit considering it’s 5mins from my house. I had heard they have an “unofficial” factory shop. Is this true?

Andy

Hi Simon – are those Edward Green’s the Malvern? What last/colour? They look awesome.

Rabster

Firstly, my compliments not only on the jeans but how well you wear them with jacket, shoes etc.
I think the photos above are a lesson for all men.

Secondly, any chance of a further article on RTW jeans and what you consider is the best on the market?

J

The jeans look great.

Do you feel they are in anyway superior to “normal” LVC Levis, assuming you can find a pair that fits quite well off the peg?

Cheers

Elva

Hello Simon –appreciate your informative posts. Just to let you know that any good alterations seamstress or tailor can do the “gappy back” trick and the jeans look like they came from the factory. Jeans are almost uniforms around here, and I do the “get rid of the gap” alteration 3 or 4 times per month. I have a heavy duty sewing machine and a variety of colors of heavy “jeans” thread. So to your readers who have this problem, I suggest that they ask around, and (most important) ask to see a sample of the person’s work. Thanks again for all the wonderful information; I give your url to customers who want to know more about fine style points.

Jim C.

Great fit, Simon. Lizzie wields some sharp shears!

James

Hi Simon, I’m looking for a light bomber style jacket for spring/summer? Any that you partcicularly recommend? Even if it’s not the sort of thing you would probably wear. Would you go for black or navy?

Julian

I agree re Baracuta. They do a “faded black” colour which might be a good solution to the “navy or black?” dilemma.

– Julian

James

thanks for the replies Simon/Julian. Are Baracuta worth paying extra for ? There is lots of much cheaper alternatives…

Anonymous

Very slim cut, you trendy young thing Simon

BespokeNYC

Great example of how to wear jacket and jeans well – nice work!

Given that your jeans are bespoke, I assume it was a deliberate style choice to have the leg cut long enough that the cuffs need to be rolled up. Would love to hear your thoughts on this look. I see it on some people in NYC (usually young hipsters) but I always think it looks like their jeans are too long. Just my opinion anyway!

Biff.

Hi, Simon. I was interested to hear that you were able to have the cut of your jeans adjusted to account for your “prominent” seat. I have the opposite problem, where my seat is not prominent enough. Can you suggest types of cloth or cuts that will minimise the problem?

DB

Hi Simon,

I’ve been very inspired by your posts about the Levis bespoke service. I am considering giving it a shot.

Can you give my any more feedback on your experiences so far with the fit? They look fantastic! Any chance of a few more pics of the final product?

Thanks, I appreciate your help!

Arthur

Hello Simon

Interesting post! I am tempted now.. 🙂

1. As I live in Belgium I was wondering how many times you have to go to the shop to finish the process? After she finished the jeans, do you have to go back for a second fitting and last alterations or is one – initial – visit to the shop enough?

2. How did the jeans fit at first? Very tight? Do they losen up a lot? I have the same problem as you have (small waist, pronounced seat) and almost all RTW-jeans that I buy will be tight at first but too loose after some time, making the back pockets ‘hang’.

Kind regards
Arthur

Arthur

Hello Simon, thank you for your kind answer. I happen to be in London for work next week and I made an appointement for my own bespoke jeans 🙂 At this price point it’s something that I can (just) afford and it will be my first expierence with bespoke (although it is not really bespoke I guess?). Because of the durability of denim it looks to me as a real worthwile investment.

I still had 2 questions though:

– Does Elizabeth help you through the process of making the right choices? I have no experience with bespoke (only a little experience with m-t-m suits, and I’m not over enthousiastic about my m-t-m experiences of the past) and I’m not sure what I can expect from her.

– Did you choose the mid-rise or high-rise option? I really like the smarter-look you achieved and would like something similar.

Kind regards
Arthur

Bosco

Just want to know how long would it take ? I will visit London soon, but will stay no more than a week. Just wonder if the store will ship the end-product after fitting. Do you have the contact of Lizzie so that I can contact her directly? Thx!

justin

Have you had any issues of them bleeding on to other clothing or footwear or does the roll up stop this ( for footwear anyway) ?

justin

Thats good to know. I plan to buy my first pair soon but was worried about my footwear as i often wear light coloured trainers, converse etc.

justin

Do you think it’s ok to wear jeans with smart slip ons, something like a C&J Merton ?

Chris Minall

Purchased a pair of 1978 raw denim Levi’s, my fault, but a button came away popped into the Levi store in regent street, and it was fixed in 3 minutes, great service from Shrirekha

Dan

I recently ordered two pairs of these jeans (mid rise and high rise) from the New York Meatpacking location. Interestingly, they did not offer the Japanese raw denim as an option at the $750 price point; only the Cone Mills denim. Perhaps it was available at the $900 plus price point, but that was beyond what I was willing to spend. Looking forward to see how they turn out.

Bernie

Hi Simon,

How many levi bespoke jeans do you have completed? In this article, I believe the leg opening is 15cm, while the two jeans in your “How great things age” article have leg openings of 17.5 & 18cm. Is the jeans in this article the same Kaihara jeans mentioned in your most recent article?

Bernie

Hi Simon,

Thanks for confirming and also sharing your thoughts on rise.

Excited to finally have jeans that fit with a high rise!

G

Given that jeans are originally work-wear worn in mines and on ranches in the 19th century in America, I’d personally find it difficult to justify bespoke jeans, but that’s a matter of personal preference, of course. Real jeans are to be worked in hard outdoorsy scenarios and to be put through their paces, and that being so, are meant to be washed frequently – fancy creases or not.

However, most of us urbanites rarely do put jeans through their intended paces, so and jeans have departed mostly from their original intent. Having said that, given their very, very casual nature, getting a good fitting pair off the shelf is just as adequate with less of on “ouch” factor to the wallet. There’s so may fits out there it’d almost impossible not to find a pair that doesn’t match a body shape. However, each to their own.

MRPS

In all honesty the Levi’s bespoke program is grossly overpriced for what you get. There are a few other options for bespoke denim makers in NYC that are far better. They have superior selection of fabrics and more artisanship to than Levis. Although, Levis is still a good option if you have to have a pair of Levis and want a perfect fit.

There is also absolutely amazing denim with great fits at Naked and Famous. They have 5 main fits and a large selection of various Japanese denims. I am a tough fit and have never been able to find a RTW pair of jeans that fit. I was able to fit into their “Relax Guy” fit perfectly (beautiful stubby 14.5oz Japanese selvedge denim with natural indigo) with a minor waist adjustment.

For bespoke denim in NYC see fitted.nyc and boweryblue.com. Both are highly acclaimed and offer a tremendous selection of fabric, customization, and artisanship.

Mr.PS

The bespoke options I mentioned have denim from the best Japanese mills as well as American Cone Mills in various weights and shades of indigo. The stitching is impeccable with the ability to add custom selvedge bits to the inner waistband, fly, coin pocket, and even the lower outline of one of the back pockets. Small things, but never the less very interesting and fun when you’re going bespoke. This is in addition to being able to do all the usual things like choose your favorite buttons, tacks, etc. Hand stitched buttons are also quite a nice bit on the fly.