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Levis 501XX 1944 - Deadstock Dry
Everything changed during WWII. The US government told all clothing manufacturers that they had to remove a certain amount of metal, fabric & thread from their garments in order to conserve these important raw materials for the war effort.
LS & Co did what they could to help. Off came the watch pocket rivets, the crotch rivet and the cinch and its two rivets. Buttons became standard issue during the war, and featured a laurel leaf design.
There was one rationing rule that was harder to bear: the order to remove the arcuate stitching because it was considered false stitching. Rather than lose this important design feature, LS & Co worked out a way to paint the arcuate stitching on every pair of 501 jeans. The paint eventually washed out but having the arcuate visible when buying the jeans was an important thing.
Note - All sizes listed with the ticket size first and the post shrinkage size afterwards.