Do Levi's just suck now?
Okay, so I am old and I barely ever buy clothes. A little while back, I got a new pair of black Levi's 505s—basically my default kind of pants for decades—and it was immediately obvious they were different from every pair of Levi's I'd ever worn before. The patch was black instead of brown, and the material felt way lighter: almost like it wasn't even denim. Worse, one of the belt loops popped loose after barely any wear.
I honestly kinda thought maybe they were bootleg or something, even though all the markings looked normal. But I just went into an actual department store today and checked out the Levi's section, and fuck: The black 505s were exactly the same as the lame pair I got before. The blue jeans actually felt better, weirdly.
So is this just how that company is now? And where can I get a pair of basic black jeans that don't suck?