Walton & Taylor Mercantile

"Jack Ass Brand - Model 1870" Blue Jeans

These "Model 1870" jeans are copies (as near as modern research allows) of the first pair of riveted denim overalls (the very first riveted pair were duck overalls) made in 1870 by an immigrant tailor named Jacob Davis of Reno, Nevada. We forgive you for thinking riveted pants were the invention of one Levi Strauss, but Levi was only the fabric wholesaler who sold the cotton duck and denim fabric to Jacob.

Two years later, in 1872, Jacob was selling overalls faster than he could make them, both through his own shop in Reno and through stores in nearby towns. He realized he needed a partner with deep pockets to really make his invention go (and fight off copycats), so he approached his fabric source, Levi Strauss, about a partnership and they were off and running. They received a patent for the idea in 1873 and got a stranglehold on the use of rivets in all kinds of clothing for the next 20 years. This makes Levi's jeans (as well as those made by non-riveting competitors) easy to spot in old photos of U.S. Army soldiers (no kidding), scouts, cowboys (despite what you may have read), and anybody else wearing work clothes.

Nobody knows the exact pattern of that first pair of revitted overalls, but Walton & Taylor Mercantile worked from the original 1872 patent application drawing at left, as well as photos of the oldest known pair of Levi's overalls (estimated to date to 1880) to come up with a very close version of what Davis was producing in the early '70s, before his partnership with Levi. Remember that neither Davis nor Strauss invented overalls (blue jeans); Davis just added rivets to a common article of clothing for which there were already standard and expected design characteristics such as the back pocket and the belted back.

Total Authenticity

Walton & Taylor's "Jack Ass Jeans" may be the last blue jeans actually being manufactured in America. We aren't sure about that, but Levi Strauss shut their last U.S. factory in 2003 and Wrangler and Lee followed them out in 2005. One thing we do know for sure is that these jeans are not only made in the United States, they're the only jeans made anywhere in the world with only a straight stitch machine plus a lot of handwork; essentially the same tools available to Jacob Davis in 1870.

Specs

The denim is 9 oz. weight, as used by Jacob and Levi, much lighter and cooler than the 14 oz. denim that became the standard in the "denim weight wars" of the 1920's; but still plenty durable.

All sewing is on single needle machines, because the double needle machines used in modern blue jeans production did not exist in 1870. Neither did sergers, so there are no serged edges or seams used in Jack Ass Jeans. That means all the seams in these pants are traditional flat felled, french, and english seams. All keyhole buttonholes are hand sewn, just as they were in 1870. Keyhole buttonhole machines weren't invented until much later.

Also, note how many of the seams which would become double-stitched and even triple-stitched in future decades were only single-stitched in the 1870 model trousers. Thread is off-white, as on the oldest pairs of Levi's in existence.

Each copper rivet is hand cut and hand set. They're real copper rivets, not bogus modern so-called "jeans rivets." Rivets are placed at the corners of each front pocket, at the upper corners of the single rear pocket, and on each belt strap. And yes, the famous crotch rivet is right where it's supposed to be. That rivet is the main giveaway in old photos of cowboys wearing Levi's and shotgun chaps.

A Slight Difference

Unfortunately, in 1942 the Levi Strauss company was able to trademark the traditional "arcuate stitching" on the back pocket, so we are forced to substitute the Walton & Taylor "Flying W". Obviously, a lot of hand work goes into these jeans, but it's worth it. They're far and away the closest reproduction of the original riveted overalls you will find.

A Different Fit

These jeans are meant to be worn with the waist band up at the navel, as in 1870. The leg is cut full, as in 1870. Order your regular trousers size for a tight fit for wear without suspenders. Order one size up if you plan to use suspenders. There are no belt loops (those don't show up until the 1920's), so if your waist at the navel measures more than 40 inches, you'd better plan on suspenders to avoid embare-assing yourself. Length is 34 inches. If you need 'em shorter, do what they did in 1870 and roll them up.

Proudly made in California!

Price: $160 + Shipping in continental US $12