Levi's wash question--Stavros vs. Tumbled Rigid

[IanD]

I ordered several pairs of 514s through Amazon so I could try on a couple different sizes and see some different washes in person. I narrowed it down to the Tumbled Rigid and the Stavros, but I'm having trouble deciding. They look pretty darn similar to my untrained eye.


The Tumbled Rigid has a warning tag that the jeans should be worn as long as possible before washing, and that the color is likely to rub off, etc. The Stavros has no such warning.


The warning on the Tumbled Rigid sounds like kind of a pain. Is one of these going to be more durable, color-fast, and lower maintenance than the other?

[somaticmarker1]

I don't think one will be easier or lower maintenance than the other. Jeans in general fade as they are washed. As long as you turn them inside out and cold wash the color should remain for a while. But only wash your jeans but every 2 months or so. I only wash mine 2-4 times a year.

[IanD]

Thanks for the response. Will the color be any less likely to rub off on clothes, furniture, shoes, etc. with the Stavros?

[Sigtweed Corduroy]

That sounds like an outstanding TV, thanks for the review!

[Sigtweed Corduroy]

Starvos is just a little bit lighter, where as the tumbled rigid is more like a dark, raw denim look.

[Bulldoggery]

Levi's Tumbled Rigid is one step away from being raw, which means it retains much of its excess indigo. That, in turn, means that it may bleed and rub off on light surfaces, although not to the extent that truly raw denim will.


Stavros is washed and treated, which means it's got some artificially faded areas, some artificial/pre-set creases, and other telltale signs of "pre-washed-ness." In light of that thorough pre-treatment, the indigo from the Stavros won't bleed or rub off.


But what somaticmarker says above (the part about not washing your jeans too often) is absolutely true, regardless of which finish you choose. If you want your jeans to be "dressy" (i.e., uniformly dark and unfaded), (1) get the Tumbled Rigid, (2) don't wash them until it's absolutely necessary, and (3) when you do wash them, don't use a washing machine. And never, ever put raw denim in a dryer -- dryers produce ugly, ugly "crinkling" and unwanted fade patterns that you can't fix.


For reference:


http://www.rawrdenim.com/2011/03/how...uctions-video/

[Sigtweed Corduroy]

That's great info Bulldoggery...