Reason being I tried them on in the wash I ordered (and even then I probably just got lucky). Been wearing 501s forever but I only own one, maybe two pairs at a time. I wear them until there's nothing left, then get another pair. Right now I've had one pair for the last two years. They've never seen a washing machine and are only OCCASIONALLY rinsed off in a cold tub and left to drip dry. (Say what you will about hygiene but I'm left with the most comfortable, best fitting jeans this way.) Unfortunately nowadays you can pick up four or five pair of Levi's in different colors and washes, all marked the same size, and you'll find that a few are super baggy, and a couple are so tight you can't even fasten them, but MAYBE one pair will fit like an old glove. Buy that pair and you won't regret it.

Kind of makes buying online impossible, which is extra annoying since the places in town that sell them mark them up to almost $80 and then run a "sale" that puts them around $10-15 more than the prices on Amazon, and even those places only carry a few washes/colors.

I'm giving five stars to my particular pair of trusty old 501s. I sincerely hope I can find another pair as good.