Suits & Shirts · Menswear Culture 2026
Levi's and the Return of '90s Denim: Why the 517 and Low-Rise Jeans Are Back
Nineties nostalgia has found the one brand that never needed to reinvent itself, only to be remembered.
Fashion runs on cycles, but few brands are lucky enough to sit exactly where the cycle is heading. Levi Strauss & Co. is one of them.
According to the Wall Street Journal, sales at the company slowed as shoppers drifted toward newer silhouettes and the brand failed to capitalise. The jeans that defined the 1990s were, for a while, simply out of the conversation.
Then the decade came back. Low-rise jeans, straighter cuts and a quieter, more minimal wardrobe have returned, and Levi's finds itself holding the original pieces.
The Principle: Denim Never Left, the Story Did
Jeans did not disappear in the 2010s. What faded was the idea that a pair of Levi's was a reference rather than just a purchase.
Nostalgia fixes that. It gives an old garment a narrative, and a narrative is what turns a basic into something people actively search for.
That is the strategy in one sentence. Levi's is not chasing the trend. It is recovering archive, and in menswear that is the strongest position a brand can hold.
The 517: A Bootcut With a Screen Credit
Levi's is launching new designs that echo its most coveted vintage pairs. One of them is the 517, the jeans seen in Love Story, the hit series about the romance between John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy.
The 517 is a bootcut: fitted through the thigh, with a slight flare from the knee that sits over the shoe. It was the shape of an era that preferred a long, clean line to a stacked hem.
For a man, the bootcut works best with a leather loafer or a chunky boot that has enough volume to balance the opening. A narrow dress shoe will look lost underneath it.
The Tailor's Note
Bootcut jeans live or die by the hem length. The back of the leg should graze the top of the heel, never pool on the floor. Any tailor can adjust it in a day, and keeping the original hem is possible if you ask for it.
Where to find them:
- Levi's 517 Bootcut for men — the cut from the series, in dark indigo and mid washes.
- Levi's 527 Slim Bootcut — the same family with a slimmer thigh, easier to wear with a blazer.
The 501: Where the Whole Story Starts
You cannot talk about Levi's without the 501. It is the straight-leg, button-fly pattern that the brand has built its identity around, and the reason the nineties revival feels so natural for the house.
The origin goes back to 1873, when Levi Strauss and the tailor Jacob Davis patented the use of copper rivets to reinforce the stress points of work trousers. The idea was practical. The consequence was a garment that never stopped being made.
Why jeans have a pocket for a watch
The small fifth pocket above the right front pocket was designed to hold a pocket watch. Nobody carries one now, but the pocket stayed because the pattern did, which is a good rule of thumb for classic menswear: details outlive their function.
If you want a single pair that explains the brand, this is it. Choose a rigid or low-stretch denim. The jeans will feel stiff for the first weeks, then mould to you in a way elastane never allows.
- Levi's 501 Original — straight leg, button fly, the reference pair.
- Levi's 501 '93 Straight — a nineties-inspired take with a looser, more relaxed shape.
Low-Rise Without the Costume Feeling
The WSJ points to renewed interest in low-rise jeans as one of the engines of the recovery. For women's wardrobes the return is explicit. For men, the answer is more nuanced.
The safe route is a mid-rise that sits just below the navel. It gives the relaxed proportion of the decade without exposing the belt line or shortening the leg visually.
⚠ What to avoid
Heavily distressed or ripped denim when you are wearing a blazer. The tailoring needs a clean base, and a dark, even wash does that job.
Stacking the hem over a dress shoe. The nineties silhouette is long and clean, not scrunched.
The Washes That Matter
Colour in denim is a question of wash. These five cover almost every situation, from the boardroom Friday to a Sunday lunch.
Beyond Jeans: Jackets, Slip Dresses and the Wider Wardrobe
Levi's is also moving past jeans into other pieces from the decade, according to the WSJ. Slip dresses and leather jackets are on the list.
For men, the more interesting category is outerwear. The brand's Trucker jacket is one of the most imitated shapes in menswear: short, boxy, with the characteristic seaming across the chest.
A double-denim look works if the two tones are clearly different. Dark jeans with a lighter jacket reads as intentional, while two near-identical blues look like a mistake.
- Levi's Trucker Jacket — the denim jacket pattern everyone else copies.
- Levi's leather jackets — the category the brand is now pushing.
- Levi's Vintage Clothing — archive reissues for those who want the original details.
The Business Behind the Revival
The WSJ adds that the on-trend products are being matched with a push to sell directly to consumers through the brand's own website and a growing fleet of stores. Analysts quoted by the paper see Levi's on its strongest footing in years.
It is a useful lesson. A brand with a recognisable archive, a clear moment and control over how it sells is far better placed than one that depends only on discounts.
Buying Guide
Check the fit code before the price. Levi's numbers (501, 517, 527, 511) describe the cut, not the quality, so a 501 and a 501 '93 are different garments.
Look at the sizing chart. Waist and inseam are listed separately and vary by wash, so confirm both before ordering.
The nineties revival is easy to dismiss as a passing mood. In denim it is something sturdier: a return to patterns that were right the first time.
If you buy one pair, make it a dark, rigid 501 or a 517 with a hem cut for your shoes. Wear it with a navy blazer, a white tee and a good belt, and keep it for years.
Trends return because quality never fully left. Spend on the cut, the cloth and the fit, and the next cycle will find you already dressed for it.
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