Levis 501 slim taper review năm 2024

Close your eyes. Think “jeans.” Now open. They were 501® Originals, right? With a classic straight leg and iconic styling, they’re literally the blueprint for every pair of modern jeans in existence—burned into the world’s collective cortex ever since Levi Strauss (the man himself) introduced them in 1873. To this day they’ve never gone out of style. And they never will.

The iconic Levi's® 501®—updated with a slim tapered leg. We took our bestselling jeans and reinterpreted them with a sleek fit that narrows down to the ankle.

  • The original blue jeans, now with a slim tapered leg
  • The perfect blank canvas for customization and self-expression
  • A tailored look, minus a trip to the tailor
  • Crafted from highly covetable and durable selvedge denim made on traditional narrow width shuttle looms

Style # 288940239

Color: Dance Crashers - Dark Wash - Non Stretch - Selvedge

How it Fits

  • Regular through the seat and thigh
  • Sits at your waist
  • Tapered leg
  • Front rise: 11"
  • Knee: 16.5"
  • Leg opening: 14"
  • Measurements based on size 32
  • Model is 6' 0" with a 31" waist. They're wearing a size 31" x 32".

Composition & Care

  • 100% cotton
  • Denim
  • Non-stretch
  • Button fly
  • 5-pocket styling
  • Wash your jeans once every 10 wears at most; this increases their lifespan and saves natural resources. When you eventually launder your jeans
  • wash and dry them inside out with like colors; liquid detergent is recommended
  • Imported

Sustainability

Getting dressed shouldn’t feel like a moral dilemma. Our high sustainability standards reduce our impact on the planet, better the lives of apparel workers and make it easy for you to look good with a clean conscience. We share our sustainability insights across the apparel industry, simply because it’s the right thing to do.

I feel like there have been two types of menswear guys in quarantine – the sartorial guys who have downgraded from sportcoats and trousers to denim and sweaters, and everybody else who has been wearing nothing but sweatpants for the past year (the folks who are still wearing tailored clothing “just because”….well, I don’t know what to say about that). While my loungewear consumption has definitely gone up, I still find myself wearing a lot of denim – even moreso as my lifestyle slowly creeps back to a bit of normalcy.

A bit over a year ago I got two pairs of Levi’s “premium” denim – essentially their mainline product – in their 501 cut, simply because I needed some jeans in a pinch and didn’t want to go through the song and dance of laboring over which $200+ pair to get and hoping they broke in as expected. I’ve worn both pairs extensively and have decided that the 501 is, in fact, good (I may have been the last living person to learn this). Here are my thoughts overall and why I am thoroughly enjoying these ~$60 jeans:

Levis 501 slim taper review năm 2024

First, about the cut. The 501 is the quintessential jean, the most famous cut in denim history. Even as such, it has undergone many iterations (one only needs to browse the LVC catalog to see that). I have no doubt that these have been updated to reflect current trends (mainly, slimmer than most historical 501s), but the overall silhouette is very reminiscent of its namesake. As far as sizing goes, I am usually a 30 or 31 waist and went wither a 30 here. It was comfortable from the beginning, so I would stay true-to-size or go down if you are in-between.

While the 501 cut as a whole is certainly an enduring classic, I think many men are afraid of it because the leg is wider than what some are used to in this waning era of slim pants. Personally, I would not describe these as a loose cut – I found them to be very flattering and still plenty trim. I am wearing a 30×30 here so that’s part of it, but even as such I wouldn’t describe the 501 as roomy at all. My pair has a 7.5″ leg opening, which I think is an excellent “slim straight” shape for my waist size. For guys that pinch every bit of fabric that isn’t clinging to the body and declare it as “extra fabric,” the 501s will seem big. But from a broader perspective, these jeans are well-proportioned. Overall it reminds me of the popular 3Sixteen SL-100 cut, which I’m sure was at least partially based on a 501-style pair.

Levis 501 slim taper review năm 2024

Levis 501 slim taper review năm 2024

Aside from the approachable leg profile, though, the main thing that attracted me to this model is the rise – it’s basically the only non-low rise option in the Levi’s mainline catalog. Unlike the women’s catalog, which spans a wide variety of fits, the men’s denim still caters mostly to the slim and skinny crowd. The mid-rise and button fly make this stand out immediately from the rest of the hip huggers, a style that I have no patience for.

Levis 501 slim taper review năm 2024

The material isn’t much to talk about, as it’s a fairly flat 12ish ounce denim. There’s no selvedge to speak of here – these are mass produced pants, with probably hundreds of thousands of pairs made every year. While there are plenty of washes and fabrics to choose from, these are not made of denim that has any special features to note.

I got the “dark wash,” which is exactly what my denim preference is – washed, but not distressed or faded. The older I get, the less I see the point of raw denim – the benefits of “molding to your body” and “sick fades” seem to be present whether the product is unwashed or washed once. I have had several pairs of once-washed denim that fades just as well as rigid pairs, and with the added bonus of being comfortable from the get-go and taking the guesswork out of shrinkage. This pair is no different, and fade marks appeared over time. They aren’t impressive, but that’s more due to the fabric than the fact that they are washed (and it’s not why anybody is buying a $60 pair of Levi’s, anyway).

The MSRP of 501s vary a bit, generally between $60 and $90. The pair I got retails for $89.50, though there is also this pair that’s $20 less. The only difference I can see is that one is “Premium” and one is not – and Levi’s does such a poor job of explaining what “Premium” is that I honestly have no idea what it means. I’m quite happy with my Premium pair, but I imaging any differences in the two aren’t particularly significant.

Regardless of MSRP, getting them on sale is easy. You can get 20% off any time by signing up for their email list, and sitewide sales are common. But at that point, we’re talking about a difference of maybe $10 at most if you wait for a big sale – if you’re curious to try it out, I would just grab that signup code and pull the trigger.

Levis 501 slim taper review năm 2024

Finding that perfect pair of high-end raw denim and breaking it in over months and years is something of a menswear rite of passage, one that’s probably worth experiencing at least once. But there can still be plenty of satisfaction with a exceedingly average product that just gets the job done well. This is one of those products – not fussy or fancy, but very good at what it does. The 501 is a good reminder that a product doesn’t have to be expensive to be great, and that sometimes the best option is the one that’s easiest.

What is 501 slim taper?

The iconic Levi's® 501®—updated with a slim tapered leg. We took our bestselling jeans and reinterpreted them with a sleek fit that narrows down to the ankle.

Is Levi 501 slim fit?

LEVI'S® 501 - THE ORIGINAL This authentic, vintage fit features a regular waist, straight leg and a regular fit. A classic pair of denim jeans, the Levi's 501 is the original.

Do Levis 501 run big or small?

The 501s and 505s were designed with a 'true to size' fit for men and their waists, who used to wear their jeans that high up in those days." Because of both factors—vanity sizing and men's fits—it's a little harder to pinpoint your size in vintage denim.

What is the difference between Levi 501 and 501 skinny?

I wanted them a little bit more updated: enter the 501 Skinny, which is the same thing as the 501 but just a little slimmer on the legs. They are not actually skinny. They are more of a fitted straight leg, which in my opinion is AMAZING.