Levi’s Made an Exact Replica of Bob Dylan’s Early ’60s Blue Jeans
Were these the original bootcut blue jeans?
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Alongside the release of A Complete Unknown , the upcoming Bob Dylan biopic starring Timothée Chalamet, Levi's will release a batch of period-correct clothing designed in tandem with the film's costume designer, Arianne Phillips.
The collection includes a suede trucker jacket and brown-leather D-ring belt, both inspired by garments that Dyla n maybe, kind of wore in the early 1960s. Meanwhile, its centerpiece, a modified pair of 501s from the era, has receipts …
The jeans follow after the exact Levi's Dylan wears on not one but two album covers, The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan (1963) and Another Side of Bob Dylan (1964), right down to the custom U-shaped gussets sewn into the bottoms, effectively converting them into bootcuts.
Timothée Chalamet wearing a pair of the jeans in the film A Complete Unknown . - Credit: Levi's
The original modification was performed by Dylan's ex-girlfriend, Suze Rotolo, who detailed the procedure in her 2009 memoir A Freewheelin' Time . (Rotolo also features on the cover of The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan .)
Interestingly, the customization was more than a modest attempt at frugality. According to Paul O'Neill, the design director of Levi's Vintage Clothing, the brand had yet to release bootcut style that neatly fit over boots. That makes Dylan's pair historically significant in not just the history of Levi's but denim as a whole.
Dylan's modified 501s predated Levi's first official attempt at bootcut jeans by several years. - Credit: Levi's
"I was honored to consult on this film and work with Arianne and team to authentically bring Bob Dylan's early Levi's styles to life," O'Neill said. "It was exciting to reproduce Dylan's original jeans with the inserted panel."
Pricing and availability
The limited-edition jeans will go on sale December 20 for a price of $495.
They come with a commemorative box, sheet music for his song "Girl from the North Country" and other Easter eggs, such as a typed note that reads, "I'll let you be in my dreams, if I can be in your" (an early Dylan lyric) tucked inside the watch pocket .
Coming Soon
Levi's Vintage Clothing 1955 501 Jeans
If you miss the sale, you can at least catch a glimpse of the jeans in the film A Complete Unknown after it premieres on December 25. Watch the trailer below.
