Levis 501 Golden Ticket (Shrink To Fit Process) 

Totally unnecessary to wear them to shrink these pants, just washed regular and depending how much shrinkage you need used warm or cold water, again there’s not need to wear them to shrink them .

Dude, you don’t have to wear them. Just turn em inside out and soak them. Especially with selvedge or raw denim. All that nasty starch and gunk just soaked on you.

next time, steam them till moist while wearing them, walk around till on the drier side, repeat as wanted / needed. that won't make so much indigo bleed out.

Those jeans are far too tight for you, you chose the wrong size. All Levis STF shrink 3" on the leg and 2" on the waist, you should just have thrown them in the washing machine?

I have been wearing shrink-to-fit Levi's 501s since the 1960s and my technique for shrinking my 501s is I first wash them and then I dry them. Wearing them in the tub might make your skin blue.

i just lay them flat in the tub for 20 mins filled with warm water then hang dry. they shrink more this way. the waist will stretch back.

The method I've used for shrinking 501 STF's in the past is to wash Permanent Press with a full load of clothes to get adequate shrinking and then put them in the dryer with full load of clothes for about 5 to 8 minutes. I then would interrupt the fully loaded dryer, take out the pants still slightly damp but warmed and then wear around the house for an hour to an hour and a half; do squats and sit etc. After doing that, I'd take them off, turn inside out and get the seams as evenly spread as possible and proceed to hang dry. The next day or later in the evening, I simply would take the jeans down, iron inside out and then iron right side out using aerosol spray starch, but a pillowcase on top of the jeans to prevent staining or damage to the denim. Once complete, I'd have a more or less fitted jean with that sharp rigid texture and look that makes STF's stand out. It's been years now since I've done all that. I've long since become a fan of Wrangler® jeans.

Totally second that. Commando is key when doing the bathtub shrinking ritual. Feels great, too!

A jacuzzi and a brunette are a way more fun way of doing this 🤷🏼‍♂️🤠

lol ive never soaked while wearing. it seems too tedious and messy. i soak my LVC in the hottest water out of the tap for like 20 to 30 mins, then give it another quick wash in the washing machine

Needed this video ✊🏽

Good video. When I did this I stained everything I sat down on and/or touched during the process.

man those are excellent fit. i got my 1966 lvc to look that way but a tiny bit looser i might give it a second soak during summer to get the full shrink

Love your hair

Nice job. I agree with soaking while wearing. Did your hold foil wear off naturally or did you rip it?

When I did this, after the initial soak, I got them much dryer - just damp, actually - putting them through the washer's 'spin' cycle at top speed.

Nice haircut ,, looking fabulous

Would love to know ur thoughts about buying a new pair of levis 501? are they durable like the ones released decades ago?

So i have about 2 dozen pairs of shrink to fit Levi’s 501’s that i haven’t used since high school (2010) & i just found out about this process! My pants are all 36x32 but i am now a size 34x30. Do you think this method you used would work for my used jeans? Im just wondering if the waist would shrink enough if i was to use your method or if i should try washing a pair in hot water in the washer to purposefully shrink to my size now, i don’t want to ruin my old Levi’s so any great tips would help before i try anything & ruin them 😂 thanks.

I just got my 501s and I’m sitting in some wet pants now 😅 not so fun but excited for the end result! Any advice on the tub staining? 😅😅