May 20, 1873, could well be considered one of the most noteworthy dates in fashion history.
Levi's introduced their first blue jeans for women in 1934 and dubbed them "Lady Levi's." To distinguish the working women's pants from the original 501s for men, they were given the lot number 701. As vacationing on dude ranches became a travel fad in the 1930s, fashion-forward women sported head-to-toe Western wear Stetson cowboy hats, silk scarves and cuffed jeans. "It was the first time we're seeing jeans worn as fashion instead of work pants," said Panek.
Levi'sKnown as the birthday of the original blue jean, on this date Levi Strauss and business partner Jacob Davis received a U.S. patent for work pants reinforced with copper rivets, a design innovation intended to strengthen the humble "waist overall" worn as workwear by pioneers of the West.
Renamed the 501 jean in 1890, the iconic American garment has evolved throughout the centuries from utilitarian uniform to personal style statement, worn by miners and cowboys to hippies and Hollywood bad boys alike.
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The tribes of San Francisco have set sartorial and lifestyle trends ever since that first rush of gold miners in 1849. Style Files is our look back at how we dressed then, how we dress now, and perhaps what we’ll be wearing in the future.
To celebrate the blue jean's 144th birthday on May 20, Levi's is hosting special "501 Day" events around town including the launch of a limited-edition 501 collection featuring their first-ever skinny 501s for men and women, on-site custom T-shirt designs at the Market Street flagship store, and ticket giveaways for a Vince Staples performance at the Chapel in San Francisco.
As a hats-off to the 501, we took a deep dive into the Levi's San Francisco archives, where company historian Tracey Panek oversees a veritable trove of denim collectibles.
Here are some highlights in the history of the original button-fly jean and the brand's single most influential contribution to global fashion.
Style Files is an ongoing series that connects San Francisco's fashion past to the present. See more photos and stories at www.sfchronicle.com/style-files.
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