Levi’s 511 vs 513 Jeans Compared [What’s the Difference?]

In this article we compare Levi’s 511 vs 513 jeans. Although both of these jeans have a slim style, the 511 jeans are slimmer than the 513 jeans.

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Levi’s slim and skinny jeans ranked by fit starting with the skinniest:

Levi’s 519 Jeans – Extreme Skinny Fit – (click here to view)
Levi’s 510 Jeans – Skinny Fit – (click here to view)
Levi’s 512 Jeans – Slim Taper Fit – (click here to view)
Levi’s 511 Jeans – Slim Fit – (click here to view)
Levi’s 513 Jeans – Slim Straight Fit – (click here to view)
Levi’s 527 Jeans – Slim Bootcut Fit – (click here to view)

***Here’s my advice. If you want a quick understanding of 511 vs 513, then watch my short 90 second comparison video posted below. If you like the video, please subscribe to my YouTube channel by clicking the button located after this paragraph. Thanks!

In this article we are going to focus specifically on comparing the 511 vs 513 Levi jeans, using photos of the jeans that I own (I own both the 511 and 513).

What is the difference between the Levi’s 511 and 513?

Here’s a look at the leg opening of my 511 jeans sitting on top of my 513 jeans. As you can see, the 511 jeans have a skinnier leg opening:

Levi’s 511 Men’s Jeans – True slim fit jeans. Slim through the hips, thighs, and leg opening. Perfect fit if you want a fitted look that isn’t too skinny. Flex fabric available. Click here to view the 511 jeans at Levi.com.

Levi’s 513 Men’s Jeans – If you want a slim cut that shows some figure, but are worried about it being too skinny, these 513’s may be the right cut for you. Slim cut waist and thighs with a straight leg opening, which gives you a tailored look without it hugging your legs like spandex. Click here to view the 513 jeans at Levi.com.

The difference between the Levi’s 511 and 513 is the 511 jeans have a true slim cut with a 14.5″ leg opening, but the 513 jeans have a slim-straight cut, which has a wider 15.75″ leg opening. The 511 and 513 jeans have the same slim cut in the hips and thighs, but the 513 jeans have a looser cut below the knee.

I personally wear the 511 jeans more than any other type of jeans – I just prefer that fit for most situations. That said, I do own the 513 jeans as well, and if you don’t like skinny jeans, you will probably prefer the 513 style over the 511.

	*511*	*513*
*Fit*	Slim	Slim Straight
*Leg Opening*	14.5″	15.75″
*Sits*	Below Waist	Below Waist
*Fly*	Zip	Zip

Levi’s 511 vs 513 Fit

The 511 and 513 jeans are similar in that they both have the classic Levi’s appearance with a zip fly and button waist. As we just discussed, the main difference in the 511 vs 513 jeans is going to come down to fit.

The 511 jeans have a slim fit while the 513 jeans have a slim-straight fit. This means you can expect the 511 jeans to be slim the entire way from the hip through the ankle. The 513 jeans are a bit different. They have a slim fit in the hips and thighs, but a straight fit down through the ankle.

This means that the 511 fit is the slimmer fit between the two. I like to think of the 511 jeans as a true slim fit, and the 513 jeans as a slim fit for those who absolutely do not like skinny jeans.

Although the 511 jeans are not a skinny fit (meaning they don’t hug your leg like spandex), they do have a slim fit the entire way. For some people, the slim fit makes them feel uncomfortable.

If you are someone who wants a pair of jeans to show some figure, but don’t like the feel or look of slim jeans, then the 513 Slim Straight fit gives you sort of a hybrid jean that might work perfectly for you.

It is going to be slim up near the waist to show some figure, but from the knee down it is going to be a straight cut, to remove any thought of them being skinny jeans.

Levi’s 511 Jeans – Slim fit from the hip through the ankle. Picture here:

Levi’s 513 Jeans – Slim fit in hips and thighs, straight fit from knee through leg opening. Picture here:

In my experience, both the 511 and 513 jeans have a true-to-size fit, meaning the waist and the length was what I expected. That said, because the 511 is a slim fit, if you are naturally in-between sizes, I would probably recommend sizing up.

But I personally have always ordered my normal sizing for the 511 jeans. I think over all the years I have worn them, I have only ran into one pair that I felt was too small in the waist. My recommendation is to order your normal sizing for both the 511 and the 513 jeans.

Click here to view the 513 jeans at Levi.com (affiliate link takes you to Levi.com).

Click here to view the 511 jeans at Levi.com (affiliate link takes you to Levi.com).

To get a better understanding on how slim and straight fit jeans compare, visit our article about slim fit vs straight fit.

Leg Opening

As we have discussed above, the 511 and the 513 jeans are going to have the same slim cut in the waist and thighs, but the 513 jeans will have a wider, straight cut down below the knee. Here is a look at the 511 jeans (light blue) sitting on top of a pair of 513 jeans (dark blue). As you can see, the waist and thigh areas are practically identical:

But from the knee down, the 513 jeans widen out and have a straight cut while the 511 jeans stay slim all the way through the ankle:

Because of this, one of the major differences in these styles of jeans is going to be the leg opening. Here is a close-up look at the 511 (light blue) slim leg sitting on top of the 513 (dark blue) straight leg:

The 511 jeans have a slim leg opening and the 513 jeans have a straight leg opening.

Levi’s 511 Jeans – 14.5″ leg opening

Levi’s 513 Jeans – 15.75″ leg opening

Although this leg opening might possibly impact your decision, for me the overall difference in fit was minimal. The area through the calf feels more relaxed in the 513 jeans, but in my experience, the way the 511’s fit against the shoe and the way the 513’s fit against the shoe are very similar.

Here is a look at a pair of my 511’s and a pair of my 513’s paired with a boot and a sneaker so you can get an idea of how they fit near the shoe:

As I said, there isn’t a huge amount of difference in how they look near the ankle, but because the 513’s have a larger leg opening, they are easier to pair with certain types of boots, especially work boots. Here is a look at my 513 jeans paired with work boots:

Levi’s 511 vs 513 Style Options

Both the 511 and the 513 are available in premium denim cuts. You can expect the premium denim to cost you a bit more, but it will give you more colors to choose from if you are wanting to browse through all the color options.

The 511 jeans are a very popular style, and because of that, there are other types of pants offered in the 511 cut. Levi offers:

511 Chino Pants
511 Hybrid Trouser Pants
511 Corduroy Pants

For the most part, I have had a difficult time finding the 513 style offered in anything but jeans. But the 513 jeans do have a lot of colors to choose from (including a khaki color), but overall, the 511 style has more options to choose from than the 513 style.

Levi’s 511 vs 513 Pictures

Here are pictures of the 511 and the 513 jeans for comparison. We will start with the 511 jeans.

511 Jeans

513 Jeans

Other Options to Consider Besides the 511 and 513 Jeans

Levi’s 512 Jeans – These jeans have a slim cut with a shaped fit near the ankle. Click here to view the 512 jeans at Amazon (affiliate link takes you to Amazon.com).

Levi’s 514 Jeans – These jeans are a true straight cut and are perfect for those who do not like tight jeans, but also want to show some figure. Click here to view the 514 jeans at Amazon (affiliate link takes you to Amazon.com).

Calvin Klein Men’s Slim Straight Jeans – Similar to the Levi’s 513. Nice option to consider if you are after a slim straight cut. Click here to view these CK jeans at Amazon (affiliate link takes you to Amazon.com).

J.Crew Men’s Slim-fit Stretch Jean – Similar to the Levi’s 511. Slim cut jeans (made by J. Crew) that has a stretch material with a classic look. Click here to view these J.Crew jeans at Amazon (affiliate link takes you to Amazon.com).

To read about other options, visit my article that discusses which Levi’s jeans are slim fit.

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