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Why I Stopped Thrifting

post #1 of 49
10/11/09 at 12:45am
Thread Starter 
There's no way I find anything by thrifting anymore. I feel my tastes have gotten so specific that the odds of finding anything that happen to fit one of the ideal categories in my mind, have the right features, and are also my size (a not so-difficult to find 38/M) are so infinitesimal that it is not worth the effort.

Furthermore, I think there may be something to the claim I heard earlier on here that there are no longer any good thrift finds, that is, that we are now in the period where the clothes put in thrift shops are now inferior, since good clothes stopped being made sufficiently long ago that they no longer appear in thrift stores.

I am glad I did it; I think it was a good part of my sartorial evolution, but I think it's good for me that I stopped.

Thoughts?
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post #2 of 49
10/11/09 at 12:52am
I've never been thrifting, but how are the difficulties you described any different from those inherent in other ways of buying clothes?

Seems like it's always gonna be hard to find exactly what you're looking for if you're picky.
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post #3 of 49
10/11/09 at 12:52am
I've still seen some great stuff in thrift stores, so I don't think a blanket statement applies here. I love going to Florida on vacation because they're so behind the curve on clothing, it seems like there's always something good or at least interesting to be found there. It's also why I like tweaking my own clothing. Most people here are very specific in their tastes in clothing, and don't wear XXXL. Kind of the opposite of the bulk of what you find in any thrift store...
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post #4 of 49
10/11/09 at 12:57am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by bach View Post
I've never been thrifting, but how are the difficulties you described any different from those inherent in other ways of buying clothes? Seems like it's always gonna be hard to find exactly what you're looking for if you're picky.
I feel with thrifting it is much harder to get good odds. Even in upscale areas, the clothes you find are not so great. In buying new clothes, on the other hand, you can buy from places that share similar tastes to you. If you can find such a place which is not entirely out of your price spectrum, you have hit the jackpot. (I feel Rugby is the closest to being that for me, except for the gaudy logos that randomly ruin some items. The prices on sale are just low enough for me to afford. I am not saying that if I had my own collection it would look like that, but it is very acceptable for me, on the whole.)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ludeykrus View Post
I've still seen some great stuff in thrift stores, so I don't think a blanket statement applies here. I love going to Florida on vacation because they're so behind the curve on clothing, it seems like there's always something good or at least interesting to be found there. It's also why I like tweaking my own clothing. Most people here are very specific in their tastes in clothing, and don't wear XXXL. Kind of the opposite of the bulk of what you find in any thrift store...
How did you learn to make your own clothes? The last jacket you made seems very advanced! The process of making clothes also seems like it could be a benefit. Bespoke with yourself as the tailor seems like the ideal situation for someone with a vision of clothes.
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post #5 of 49
10/11/09 at 1:17am
i think you aren't looking hard enough, often enough.

also, people expect to walk into a goodwill and find couture items... obviously that isn't what they are good for.

But bluemagic, you dress prep which is basically ALLL OVER freaking thrift stores holey moley.

i see brooks brothers shit all the time

so thrift, or thrift and tailor.
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post #6 of 49
10/11/09 at 3:44am
It obvously depends on how much your time is worth. Do you have more time or money?
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post #7 of 49
10/11/09 at 3:58am
Echoing what MJK said, how bad is it really to go look at 1 rack of shirts? Does it really take you that long? What if you do find something that you wanted, hell of alot cheaper than shopping full price goods.
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post #8 of 49
10/11/09 at 4:20am
I know what you're saying, but it also applies to regular shopping.

I too have gotten to the point where I see something i almost like, and then something will throw me off. Usually it's the fit, but even when i do find something, it'll have pockets the wrong formation, or a collar which is slightly to large, or too many buttons etc
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post #9 of 49
10/11/09 at 4:20am
Thrifting is only a temporary phase for most people. I dabbled with it in college and restarted a year ago.

If you are hard to fit and know exactly what you want, it's very difficult to find anything worth buying. I don't know if the time and energy spent looking through racks of clothes equals real savings when compared to going into a retail store that has exactly what you want.

Most "good clothes" were rescued from thrift stores in major cities long ago (at least on the West Coast). It doesn't help that you sometimes run into actual teams of buyers working together to stock their trendy vintage store on the westside. It's still possible to find decent stuff but not in the numbers or the level of quality that people seem to find on the east coast.

Now that my style has evolved and I have pinpointed what I want out of my wardrobe, I can't/don't find many things worth buying at thrift shops anymore. Don't get me wrong, I still find the occasional item that makes me say "wow!", but not as often. I guess my enthusiasm for the treasure hunt is waning.
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post #10 of 49
10/11/09 at 4:38am
Quote:
Originally Posted by bluemagic View Post
There's no way I find anything by thrifting anymore. I feel my tastes have gotten so specific that the odds of finding anything that happen to fit one of the ideal categories in my mind, have the right features, and are also my size (a not so-difficult to find 38/M) are so infinitesimal that it is not worth the effort... Thoughts?
I think this too sometimes, but I keep at it for many reasons: environmental, spritual, etc., but mostly bec. occasionally I'm surprised. Iow, sometimes I discover things at thrift stores that I wouldn't have imagined liking. Some things I like on first sight and some grow on me. In the latter case, thrift stores allow me to experiment. For example, I never thought I'd want chestnut longwings, but I found a pair of vintage Florsheims for $5 and I got them. Now I enjoy them a lot. If I don't like an item, I can give it away w/o lamenting the money spent. There certainly are specific things I want and am happy to spend a fair amt. to get (such as these Alfred Sargent slip ons) but I think I will always enjoy the surprise and ability to experiment that thrifting affords.
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post #11 of 49
10/11/09 at 6:45am
I miss thrifting. Can't find any decent places in Seoul for it. I think that it's fun to look around for stuff, then sometimes hit the jackpot. Basically playing the lottery but not losing all your money each time to enter the store.
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post #12 of 49
10/11/09 at 10:26am
I've found it's great so long as you are smart with your search, I look at the fabric for instance and if that doesn't do it for me I quickly move along, then if I happen to find one I like I'll check the size and if it won't work I move along (if it's similar I look at the item and see if it's worth altering). There are some nice things to be had at thrift stores and whats more it can make items and styles you normally wouldn't consider more enticing because of the price.
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post #13 of 49
10/11/09 at 11:07am
Quote:
Originally Posted by bluemagic View Post
How did you learn to make your own clothes? The last jacket you made seems very advanced! The process of making clothes also seems like it could be a benefit. Bespoke with yourself as the tailor seems like the ideal situation for someone with a vision of clothes.
I just taught myself. I bought a sewing machine, and practiced on junk fabric and clothing while reading the manual. When I got better at the basics, I started doing basic alterations on decent clothing. After a while, I got a good feel on how to do most things, I started reading on making clothing. Once I became familiar with where to put different seams and in what order to sew together different pieces of different garments, I gave it a shot. It is pretty nice if you lack the cheddar but have some time to kill. I may not be able to afford Yohji or even Engineered Garments right now, but I do know that if I find a decent piece that's only off on a thing or two, I can fix it and make it fit perfect. Or if I can't find something I like in my price range, then I can make something close for next to nothing. Though to be honest, while jacket's are typically more in-depth than most other garments in sewing, that last jacket I made wasn't particularly difficult comparatively.
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post #14 of 49
10/11/09 at 11:20am
Depends where you thrift shop. I only go to "upscale" places where the store is picky about what it takes in. Yesterday I found a corduroy RL hunters sport coat in my size and perfect condition for 30 bucks.
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post #15 of 49
10/11/09 at 11:28am
^ That sounds more like a version of a Plato's Closet rather than a thrift store...

EDIT - I had to do a double-take after seeing the avatar
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