Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Fashion & Style
  3. Features

Levi’s Launched Your New Favorite Denim: Levi’s 505C

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

When your jeans are as iconic as Levi’s, it might make sense to leave them be. But, not a brand to rest, Levi’s launched your new favorite denim last week–the Levi’s 505™C, a rock-inspired style that pays homage to its heritage while resting firmly in modern style territory.

Levi's 505c Jeans
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The new silhouette was released last week at hallowed NYC rock venue Bowery Ballroom and featured a performance by Levi’s icon Debbie Harry; fittingly enough, the new denim plays off the Levi’s 505, a classic silhouette beloved by rockers like the Ramones in the 60s and 70s — heck, it’s even the jean you see on the cover of the Rolling Stones’ seminal album Sticky Fingers. Levi’s 505™C nods to that heritage yet offers up a different take, featuring a customized slim fit and a variety of washes. The brand calls it “the 70s rock jean cut for today,” and it’s tough to argue with that statement.

Recommended Videos

The 505 has a heritage all its own — it took off in popularity at a time when the brand’s San Francisco roots coexisted alongside the Summer of Love and West Coast counterculture. Karyn Hilman, the brand’s chief product officer, noted in a release that the 505 in particular “rose to fame during an era of unrivaled creativity in art and music,” yet she said Levi’s 505™C is a “modern and slimmer take on this classic.” That’s music to the ears of today’s denim-loving, rock-obsessed, festival-going crowd.

Best men's denim, levi's 505c jeans
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The Levi’s 505™C is slim-straight style featuring a slight hint of stretch — that’s certainly technology that wasn’t around in punk rock’s heyday. It’s available in a range of washes suitable for every taste, from the faded black Dee Dee wash to the stonewashed Tommy to the classic dark blue Elvis, all featuring a nicely tailored fit that works just about any day of the week.

Levi's men's denim, levi's 505c jeans
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Available for both men and women, the jean manages to feel both current and retro at the same time. For budding music fans, seasoned show goers and menswear aficionados alike, it’s great news.

The jeans should perform admirably at your next concert alongside a slim-fit T-shirt and a pair of sturdy chukka boots, and a pair like the classic dark blue Elvis could even add a bit of rocker edge to a lightweight blazer this summer.

Of course, there might be no better match for the Levi’s 505™C than classic white sneakers, a cold beer and a front-row, standing-room view for some rock music — loud rock music. Throw on your Levi’s, plug in and jam away — it’s how they’re meant to be worn.

Beau Hayhoe is a freelance men’s style writer, consultant and PR pro based in Brooklyn. Beau’s menswear and gear writing has… Read Full Bio
Old Fitzgerald and Jonathan Adler team up for a bourbon-night backgammon set
Coffee Table, Furniture, Table

Some bourbon bottles live in the cabinet. Old Fitzgerald’s were made to live on the coffee table.

The brand’s iconic decanter debuted in the 1950s and became a fixture on well-set tables and home bars, backed by the tagline “Your Key to Hospitality.”

Read more
Taylor Stitch teams with Crescent Down Works for a capsule fit for the Pacific Northwest season
Clothing, Vest, Coat

My time in the Pacific Northwest was spent mostly checking out waterfalls, camping in the woods, and (laugh if you want to) chasing after Sasquatch. The forests and mountains between Portland and Seattle are some of the most beautiful in the world, and they can be the cure for whatever ails you. That is why you should spend all your time in them whenever possible.

Now, the weather is beginning to turn. That means the beauty is now wet and the cure is now crisp, cold air. You need to protect yourself from cold and the rain. That is where Taylor Stitch and Crescent Down Works come in. Their new capsule collection is set to make your next jaunt into the wild unknown stylish and comfortable.

Read more
Bushmills and Malbon’s new golf sets come with a hand-etched bottle of whiskey
Clothes, Jacket, Whiskey

If you’ve ever wanted your golf clothes to match your whiskey (and who hasn’t), you’re in luck, because Bushmills and Malbon have released two limited-edition sets that pair the LA-based brand’s apparel with a bottle of 10 Year Single Malt.

Even better, each bottle carries a co-branded mark etched into the glass by hand.

Read more