Vintage 501 Levi's Jeans
When I think of US History the first thing that comes to my mind is blue jeans. They earned their name in the 1890's as "501" when Levis started assigning numbers to pairs to differentiate each of their fits. They have since become one of the most coveted styles for Vintage Levis. The last pair of Vintage USA made 501's was produced in 2003, in San Antonio Texas. If you're trying to find the style of a pair of vintage Levis worn by celebrities like Emma Chamberlain, Gigi Hadid or even an icon like Princess Diana they were most likely 501's. Vintage 501 Levi's Jeans feature a mid rise, slim fit, straight leg and a 4-5 button closure. They are 100% cotton rigid denim.
Vintage 701 Levi's Jeans feature a mid rise, button closure, a straight leg, slimmer fit down the hips than a classic 501. Many tag's on 701's will feature "student fit" to indicate they're slimmer.
This style was formally introduced in 1967. This means that if you have a pair of vintage 505's they can be up to 40 years old. Vintage 505 Levis have a mid rise, slim fit, straight leg, & zipper closure.The fit is extremely similar to that of the 501 without the button fly. These are also narrower down the hips than a normal pair of 501's. This fit is perfect if you have smaller hips.
Vintage 550's are high waisted, relaxed in the hips, have a tapered leg and a zipper closure. These have more space in the hips than 501's/512's/701's. If you find that these styles are typically too small for you, try vintage 550's.
If you own a pair of Orange Tab Levis they're fake. Just kidding. I hear this a lot! Orange tab Levis aren't fake, it's a budget fashion line Levis ran from 1969-1999. These were less expensive than your normal red tab and during the time less coveted since they were "budget friendly". If you've come across of pair of orange tabs with the tags blacked out or even entirely cut out, this is why. This line included styles like 646 bell bottoms, 917 bootcut Levis, 15951, 951, orange tab 550's, 317's, 505's, 950's, 517's.