Monthly Archives: November 2007

Speaking of Shrinkage: How Do You Shrink Your Levi’s®?

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Nothing seems to spark more debate in the denim world than how to shrink your jeans, especially when it comes to the venerable Levi’s ® 501 ® Shrink to Fit ® jeans. Do you wear them when you do it, do you bleach them a bit, do you use warm or cool water, or do you just throw them in your wash with the normal settings? Do a search and your are sure to find several tips, theories, and elaborate schematics on how to shrink your jeans. A search on the Style Forum brings up at least two threads with over 60 posts on the subject matter:

http://www.styleforum.net/forumdisplay.php?f=13

We even had a customer document his particular “on body/in bath” method for us:

Levi’s Shrink to Fit: Step 1 Levi’s Shrink to Fit: Step 2 Levi’s Shrink to Fit: Step 3 Levi’s Shrink to Fit: Step 4 Levi’s Shrink to Fit: Step 5 Levi’s Shrink to Fit: Step 6 Levi’s Shrink to Fit: Step 7 Levi’s Shrink to Fit: Step 8 Levi’s Shrink to Fit: Step 9 Levi’s Shrink to Fit: Step 10 Levi’s Shrink to Fit: Step 11

While Levi’s ® doesn’t suggest or even recommend a method, the official shrinkage amount is listed at approximately 10%. There’s a chart on the label that will approximate the shrinkage for your size, which we’ve posted on our 501 Shrink to Fit page. You can find it here.

But, of course, as they say, there’s more than one way to shrink your jeans. If you have any tips or tricks, unqiue methods, or advice on how to shrink your Levi’s ®, please feel free to post them in the comments. We’d love to hear your suggestions and stories!

Mythbusters: Jeans Shrinkage is Safe

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One of my favorite shows is the Discovery Channel’s Mythbusters and, in case you missed it, they did an episode on jeans myths last week. In it they tested 2 myths about jeans: 1) That your jeans catch fire when dragged by a horse and 2) that wearing your jeans in the tub to shrink them can be fatal. As a western wear blogger and with Levi’s® 501® Shrink-to-fit Jeans® being one of Langston’s most popular jeans, I was very interested in the results to say the least.

Thankfully for our customers and jeans buyers in genreal, both myths were busted on the show. So, you can safely shrink your jeans in the tub and wear them confidently in the saddle without worry of them catching fire if you get tossed (here’s to hoping you never have to test the latter yourself), but watching mythbuster Tory Belleci get dragged by a horse while his colleague, Grant Imahara, spent 6 hours in a hot tub to shrink his Levi’s® to beyond skin tight made for some great entertainment. Of course, all of this was trumped by them capping the pressure valve on a water heater causing it to shoot hundreds of feet in the air when it exploded. Great stuff!

Personally, I’d never heard of either myth. If anybody has any other denim myths, feel free to e-mail them to us or place them in the comments. Maybe we get them to test them out for us in a future episode!

Western Wear with a Rock and Roll Attitude

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Rock and Roll Cowboy Hoodie Rock and Roll Cowgirl - Camo Thermal Rock and Roll Cowboy - Camo T-Shirt Rock and Roll Cowgirl - Pink Mock Rock and Roll Cowboy Trucker Hat Rock and Roll Cowgirl Tank Top

This fall we’ve expanded our Panhandle Slim selection online to include the Rock and Roll Cowboy and Rock and Roll Cowgirl lines. These lines are inspired by and meant to capture the look and feel of the emerging Red Dirt music scene that has begun to spread across the country.

Named for the color of dirt found in much of Oklahoma, the Red Dirt music scene began in Stillwater, home to Oklahoma State University. As many musicians began migrating to Austin or Dallas, the scene became fully entrenched in Texas and has begun to define the sound there. Often referred to as Americana or alt-country, Red Dirt music is often a hybrid of rock and country with dashes of traditional American music like blugrass, blues, and honky tonk thrown in for style. Some of the better known Red Dirt artists include Cross Canadian Ragweed, Randy Rogers Band, Stoney Larue, Red Dirt Rangers, and No Justice.

To reflect the eclectic styles found in Red Dirt music, the hoodies, tanks, thermals, and t-shirts of the Rock and Roll lines start with lots of camouflage, pinks, and blacks and add screen printed graphics to give them extra attitude. So be sure to check out the next Red Dirt show in your area, but don’t be caught going without your Rock and Roll Cowboy or Cowgirl gear from Panhandle Slim.

AQHA Comes to OKC

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Oklahoma State Fair Arena

With exciting new classes, great evening performances, and more entertainment than ever, the 2007 AQHA World Championship Show has plenty to offer. Hosted at the newly renovated Oklahoma State Fairgrounds, this year’s show is the richest in history, with over $2.6 million in cash and prizes going to top competitors from 48 states and six countries. The action kicks off on Friday, Nov. 2nd and runs through Saturday, Nov. 17th. Participants and spectators alike will be witnesses to history, as the first world champions will be crowned in open and amateur divisions of performance halter and ranch sorting. This year also promises bigger than life enhancements, with action in the ring being projected onto the Bank of America Super Screens in the State Fair Arena. Bigger than life applies to more than just the technology, as this year’s show boasts a combined 3,303 entries, compared to 2,817 last year. In addition to seeing the best American Quarter Horses compete for world championships, there are plenty of activities for the entire family at the World Show.

November 14-17, the Team Wrangler Showdown will take place during evening performances. Team members will compete in head-to-head competitions in classes outside of their specialty, just to show what good horsemanship skills are all about. As well as competitive feats and great entertainment, this year the World Show hopes to bring awareness about research, patient care, and preventative measures in the pursuit of a cure for women as well as the horses they love. Saddle Up for the Cure is a day-long celebration of life and hope at the World Show. On Saturday, Nov. 17th, exhibitors, owners, and spectators are all encouraged to wear pink in support of cancer research. During that evening’s final performance, there will be a tribute to cancer survivors and horses. Proceeds will benefit the University of Oklahoma Cancer Institute and the Oklahoma State Center for Veterinary Health Sciences.

As usual, Langston’s has a strong presence at the World Show exhibitor’s hall in the Travel & Transportation Building. With booths for both adult and children’s apparel, Langston’s offers a great selection of western wear and casual wear, with special offers for World Show attendees.

Langston’s Adult Apparel BoothLangston’s Children’s Apparel Booth

A full schedule of the World Show with working orders can be found on the American Quarter Horse Association’s website.