Levi's Fits Explained
Levis — with so many fits to choose from, it’s hard to know where to start. Here is a comparison of many of Levis’ most popular jean fits.
When you think of the word “denim,” chances are you think about Levi Strauss.
Levi’s are to jeans what Coca-Cola is to soda. They’re what Nike is to sneakers.
This 170-year-old denim manufacturer has more customers now than ever before, which is why they offer so many different styles of jeans.
And while it’s nice to have options — slim, skinny, original, athletic taper — it can be hard to choose the best fit for your body, especially if you haven’t tried them all on for yourself.
This article is a companion to Brock McGoff’s (The Modest Man founder) video in which he tried on 8 different pairs of Levi’s jeans to show you how they fit. Thus, in this article, “I” refers to Brock.
What I Ordered
For reference, I’m about 5’6” in shoes and 120 lbs after dinner.
My actual waist is about 29” around, and I usually wear 28 or 29 depending on the brand and cut.
To keep things scientific, I ordered size 29×30 in every style.
With that in mind, here are the fits I tried:
- 510 Skinny
- 511 Slim
- 512 Slim Taper
- 513 Slim Straight
- 531 Athletic Slim
- 541 Athletic Taper
- 501 Original
- 505 Regular
To keep things consistent, I went with a light wash for each pair.
Levi’s Fits Explained
Let’s see how each pair looks, starting with the slimmest fit and working our way up:
Levi’s 510 Skinny
510’s sit at your waist and are skinny throughout. They have a nice silhouette but, for me, are uncomfortably tight in hips and seat. You can see some pulling across the front of my hips.
I do like the shape of the leg, though, especially below the knee. If I was keeping these, I’d get them hemmed for slight or no break, and I might also size up to 30 waist.
A few years ago, these would have been my top pick. Nowadays, I prefer slightly more room.
Levi’s 511 Slim
The ever-popular 511 fit sits below your waist and is slim throughout.
These jeans are a pretty substantial jump from the 510s in terms of room through hips and legs, but the waist doesn’t feel much different, though.
They have more of a straight-fit leg due to less taper below the knee. 511s also look nice cuffed as they have a very clean drape and leg shape.
These are probably my number one overall choice, all things considered (style, comfort, etc.).
Levi’s 512 Slim Taper
512s sit below your waist and slim through the thigh.
This pair has a noticeably more narrow leg opening than 511, making 511 seem like a slim-straight leg.
These jeans have a very comfy fit overall and are a good middle ground between the 511s and 531s.
Levi’s 513 Slim Straight
Now, let’s move on to somewhat looser cuts with the 513. 513s sit below your waist and slim through the seat and thigh and have a straight leg.
Levi’s 513 Slim Straight Jeans
My pair had a noticeably longer inseam than the others I ordered. I think that maybe this was just an anomaly due to mass manufacturing.
Levi’s 513 Slim Straight Jeans
These jeans have a very roomy calf/ankle (too wide for my taste), and a rise that feels similar to 511 and 512. The waist is a little looser than other pairs I’ve tried up to this point. I could probably size down to 28.
Honestly, I’m not a fan of the silhouette overall of these pants.
Levi’s 531 Athletic Slim
Next, we have Levi’s 531s. These are designed to sit below your waist and be slim from hip to ankle.
They feel much roomier through the hips and thigh (hence “athletic”), and are pretty similar to 513 but with more room in the hips and seat.
Levi’s 531 Athletic Slim Jeans
One odd feature is super deep front pockets — this is probably because they’re made for stockier guys.
The rise feels oddly low compared to 512, 513 (more like the 510 rise).
Levi’s 541 Athletic Taper
Levi’s 541 Athletic Taper jeans sits at your waist and have extra room in the seat and thigh.
To men, these are pretty similar to 531 athletic slims but have a slightly better leg shape because they have more taper from the thigh down the ankle.
Levi’s 541 Athletic Taper Jeans
Levi’s 501 Original
Levi’s 501s have a long and storied history. This old-school fit has these jeans sitting at your waist, roomy in the thigh, and with a straight leg.
Levi’s 505 Regular
Trying on a pair of 505s I didn’t notice much difference from the 501s. If you look at 505s side-by-side with 501s, both cuffed, they’re very similar. These fit at your waist, have extra room in the thigh, and have a straight leg.
My Recommendations
My favorite Levi’s fits were the 511 Slim and 512 Slim Taper.
For the 511s, I’d wear them with a slight break or cuffed.
For the 512s, I’d wear them with no break or cuffed.
If you want to be on trend, of course, the 501 originals are a good choice right now, in 2023.