At some point a few years ago, I became so embarrassed of my junior high photos (where I exclusively wore carpenter pants), that I decided I needed to make up for this fashion indiscretion with mature denim tastes...and so I thought: why not shrink-to-fit jeans?

...but still, I was used to the low, low price of carpenter pants, so I didn't want to break the bank.

Levi 501xx (also known as 501 Shrink-to-Fit or 501 STF) have been a great entrance into raw jeans...but something that you should know is that different brands of jeans shrink at different levels, so sizing can be tricky.

I think a good rule for these Levi 501xxs is that you should take whatever your regular jeans size is, and then add two inches to inseam, and one inch to waist. So, for comparison, in non-shrink-to-fit Levi's, I wear 31 x 34. With STFs, I wear 32 x 36.