The Levi's Jeans Guide

Here at Brag Vintage, we have one of the largest collections of used and vintage Levi's jeans, denim jackets, and denim shorts available online in a multitude of styles and colours.

Having experienced the challenges of identifying and defining the various Levi's styles—and noticing a lack of comprehensive guides online—we decided to create this guide to help you select the best pair for yourself. Or maybe you’re looking to sell one of your old pairs online and need more information.

The Guide

Due to the vast range of Levi’s model numbers, we have separated the guide into each series. Click on a series number below to see the detailed table guide for all the individual models within that series.

Included on this page:

A brief history of Levi's jeans
Explanations of some of the less obvious headings in the table guide

Please note: This is a work in progress. Some series numbers are still being updated or activated.

Series Overview

Understanding the Guide

This guide is not exhaustive but will be updated as we discover new information. It contains details of all the jeans we have come across while working in the vintage/second-hand jeans business.

If you have information we may have missed or spot inaccuracies, feel free to comment.

Disclaimer: This guide is based on our experience handling thousands of second-hand Levi’s jeans. We are not associated with Levi Strauss & Co. or any of its sub-brands.

Model Number

The model number identifies a pair of jeans. It is often printed:

On the back badge/tag above the back right pocket on the waistband
On inside labels of the garment

Leg / Cut / Style

The cut/style refers to the shape of the jeans. Here are the main styles:

Straight Leg: Consistent width from thigh to hem.
Bootcut: Slight flare at the lower leg to fit boots.
Tapered: Narrows toward the hem.
Loose: Baggy, often straight leg but wider than normal.
Skinny/Slim: Modern, tight-fitting cut.
Comfort: Looser than straight leg but not as baggy as loose fit.

Rise

The rise is the distance from the top of the waistband to the crotch seam:

High Rise: Worn high on the waist; largest proportional measurement.
Mid Rise: Sits lower on the waist; medium measurement.
Low Rise: Worn on the hips; smallest measurement.

Availability Score

Each series number is assigned an availability score (1–5) to indicate how easy the jeans are to obtain:

5: Still in mass production
4: Still available new, not mass produced
3: Production ceased but easily available second-hand
2: Production ceased, hard to find
1: Rare

A Brief History of Levi's

As you probably already know, Levi's is a privately owned company founded by a German-born man by the name of Levi Strauss. He moved to America as an 18-year-old in 1847 to join the family's dry goods wholesale firm.

In 1853, he became an American citizen, and the same year Levi Strauss & Co. was founded. Levi moved from New York to San Francisco to expand his dry goods business. Upon arrival, he noticed there was a large demand for rugged work pants from local workers and miners and went about making his now-famous jeans.

He initially used brown canvas, and after exhausting the local canvas supply, he sourced a material from France called Serge de Nimes. This was shortened to “de Nimes”, and denim was born. Indigo dye was later used to make the jeans blue.

In 1873, Levi Strauss patented the riveting process along with a tailor called Jacob Davis, who came up with the idea. The rivets were used to strengthen the corners of the pockets and other stressed areas of the jeans.

In 1890, the patent expired and Levi's began using the iconic 501 trademark. Levi Strauss died in 1902 at the age of 73. The famous red tab on the back right pocket was introduced later, in 1936.

Levi Strauss experienced massive growth from the early 1960s to the mid-1970s during the so-called “blue jeans craze”, when jeans flooded into Europe and Asia.

The firm continued to expand its product line, adding new models and styles, including stone-washed jeans, which it was able to produce after acquiring Great Western Garment Co., the innovator of the modern “stone washing” technique.

As of 2010, the company, headquartered in San Francisco, California, had 16,500 employees, 470 company-operated stores and more than $4 billion in revenue. Levi's today continues to be an innovative leader and trendsetter in American fashion, style and culture.