Spotlight: Levi’s Vintage Clothing Orange Tab
Photo Courtesy of Levi's
Photo Courtesy of Levi's
Photo Courtesy of Levi's
Photo Courtesy of Levi's
Photo Courtesy of Levi's
Photo Courtesy of Levi's
Photo Courtesy of Levi's
Photo Courtesy of Levi's
Photo Courtesy of Levi's
Photo Courtesy of Levi's
Photo Courtesy of Levi's
Photo Courtesy of Levi's
Photo Courtesy of Levi's
As the summer season of music festivals draws to a close, the team at Levi’s Vintage Clothing (LVC) is evoking a bygone era of free concerts and artistic gatherings in L.A.’s famed canyons (both Laurel and Topanga) to launch the newly revived Orange Tab line. The LVC creatives held a 1972-themed bash on private property in Topanga Canyon—cheekily named Party In Your Pants—on Saturday, August 17, to introduce the line. The day’s lineup included a roster of musicians paying tribute to bands of the early 1970s. LVC also produced a print magazine called Zipper filled with fictitious music news, horoscopes and makeup tips. And they invaded the airwaves with KLVC, a digital radio station run by actual DJs that blasted from speakers between performances. Throughout the Topanga ranch, trees draped with fabric streamers, a host of army surplus tents, and bright flower headdresses crafted by Cult Gaia artisans lent the party an aura of yesteryear—as did body-contouring jeans worn by guests of both sexes.
Just like LVC’s previous relaunches, the Orange Tab jeans and cotton t-shirts and sweatshirts are based on patterns found in the Levi’s vaults that date to the line’s origins in the 1960s and 1970s. And, as aficionados at the event noted, the slim-fitting pants have all the original tags, are made in America from fabric that is identical to the denim used to sew the originals (no stretch Lycra here), and the designs are unisex.
Even with all of the period-specific decor and garb in place, the series of bands that took the stage under the hot summer sun drew guests’ attention. As soon as guitarists struck their first chords, they immediately transported revelers to a pre-digital era of blokes dressed as preening peacocks and ladies of the canyon wearing diaphanous blouses. Jonathan Wilson and his band played long Grateful Dead jams including “Fire on the Mountain” and “Ramble On Rose.” Matt Sweeney also performed 1972 classics and Johnathan Rice captivated the audience playing songs by Gram Parsons and The Flying Burrito Brothers. Dawes even imitated The Band’s orchestration, with drummer Griffin Goldsmith handling lead vocals (an impressive imitation of The Band’s drummer Levon Helm) in a set that included “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” and “Up on Cripple Creek,” and finished with “The Weight.” The loudest cheers of the day went to Taylor Hawkins’ band Chevy Metal (joined by Hawkins’ Foo Fighters bandmate Dave Grohl) as they covered a mix of The Rolling Stones tunes including a satisfyingly punk version of Ron Wood’s “Stay With Me.” When the band left the stage, the DJ quipped, “That Dave Grohl, he’s going places. In like 20 years.”
By Elizabeth Varnell
Pictured: Levi’s Vintage Clothing Orange Tab fall 2013 collection
Photo courtesy of Levi’s
