The official thrift/discount store bragging thread - Page 69

whoa thats fuckin incredible. you go to a Savers in Australia? that is my local source in the states as well.

Two pairs of braces for under ten pounds; the blue ones are nothing special (albeit good condition) but the purple ones, although unmarked, are almost certainly boxcloth by Thurston with the elusive catgut ends. I'm very pleased.

Ballin charcoal wool/cashmere trousers, $20 from Marshalls.

Ah, Vintage Gent is certainly back, and we are glad.

Aren't Ballins Made in Italy? Not Incotex but very decent quality.

$20 is less than the 100% wool beater slacks at Costco and Sams.

For us Houstonians, which Marshalls were you in.

I'm very close to the Marshalls across from the Galleria. That store doesn't get a lot of steals like these Ballins, or they have so much traffic that the good deals go immediately.

Heh, thanks - here's a trick: Look through those boxes or jars with loose buttons/safety pins/sewing kit/old keys and odds and ends of the sort that every person in the world seems to keep. My old local Salvation Army usually took all these boxes and emptied them in a huge jar, where you could usually pick out a fistful of buttons or whatever, and just ask for the price. I've found several pens, lighters and sunglasses, and even on rare occasions watches, in these.

Thanks for the kind words.

If memory serves, they were made in Canada.

I've actually had pretty good luck at the Marshalls across from the Galleria (Incotex, Luciano Barbara, high-end made in Italy Polo stuff). But I got these at the Marshalls in Meyerland, which has been good for a nice deal from time to time.

Anthony, you clearly posted these to humble my Dooney & Bourke braces above. You have succeeded admirably. A wonderful find!

VintageGent, I must check my local Marshall's for Ballin. It would be quite a discovery if they had some.

Lucky Strike, thanks for the tip. I've not seen any jars like that, but I'll keep my eyes open. I confess I'm not as dedicated in checking the odds and ends as I ought to be. I need to get better about that. There has to be some of that stuff coming through, though.

Yup Marshalls is great. I got my first (2 pair of) Woodlore cedar shoe trees there last Saturday, marked down to $9.99 each.

Recent thrift finds: a nice slim fit Polo RL blazer w/ gold-tone buttons and a Charles Tyrwitt FC blue mini-stripes shirt.

Wow! The Marshalls in Austin never gets anything like that, at least that I have seen. We have two new Marshalls in Austin now and one of them is relatively decent. They have Allen Edmonds on a fairly regular basis at OK, but not great prices. I've found some really good deals at the one in Laredo, but I don't get down there much anymore.

A few days ago at a thrift store I found a nice hefty red Brooks Brothers tie for $1.50 and a Bullock & Jones sport coat for $2. I am pretty sure it is cashmere, but it might be a really nice camel hair. There is no fabric tag. I have no idea why they priced it so much lower than their other jackets. Anyone know who might make stuff for Bullock & Jones?

A few weeks ago I was visiting my family in Virginia and caught the 75% off sale at Yesterday's Rose in Fairfax. There were people filling up whole grocery carts with clothes. Anyway, I got a very nice navy blue linen suit made for Britches of Georgetown and what seems like a pretty nice leather coat. It had no label. They thought pretty highly of the coat as it was originally priced at $45, but after the markdown both linen suit and leather coat came to around $15 total. Oh, and I got a Jerry Garcia tie with some really pretty colors. Too bad they are so flimsy.

mike

Not humble, but complement!

Hi All, nice thread and this is my first post. I found this site while searching for info about shell cordovan. I used to do a lot of thrifting and would sell the stuff. Not much time for that now since I got married and had a kid, but it was great while it lasted! Now it's more of a hobby when I have spare time. Thrifting really taught me a lot about good clothes, and I definitely dress better now...or rather, I dress "dressier". Instead of the usual khakis and polos I wear slacks and dress shirts to the office.

So, on to the "finds". I have a pretty good assortment of shirts like Thomas Pink, Borrelli, Turnbull & Asser, Lorenzini, etc. but my favorites are all Faconnable and Ralph Lauren. Especially Ralph Lauren...there is something about the suppleness, strength and texture of the shirts that to me makes them really comfortable. Oddly enough, they are probably one of the cheaper dress shirts around. Out of 60-70 shirts in my closet, I wear the same 7-8 constantly.

My most "luxurious" find was a navy Kiton suit in fair condition. It was too big for me and I sold it for $600.

Another great find was a Mulberry messenger bag (made in England) that retails for around $800...I kept it as I had been looking for something similar for a long time. It cost $15 and is in very good condition. I'll pass it down to my kid eventually.

Then, just the other day, I found a pair of excellent, almost new Alden black calfskin shoes at the Salvation Army a few blocks from my home. Strangely enough, I was looking for stuff to sell so that I could fund a pair of Alden shell cordovans. These are a size too big for me, so I will sell them and use the proceeds to pay for portion of the new shoes.

My rule of thumb for clothes shopping is if I think it will turn up in a thrift store, I will be patient and sooner or later it will surface. But something like a pair of shell cordovan Aldens in the right size would be really rare...so if I need (want) something right away, say, the next year or so, I will pony up the bucks if I have them.

I think the same way...good belts, as an example, are few and far between, so I generally close my eyes and swipe the plastic. Another thing is the way I get spoilt by thrift prices - suddenly retail prices seem like usury. And welcome to the forum!

Nice find! You should take pictures and post them here on the Buying and Selling thread... (what size are they?)

Chester Barrie Orphaned Rope-Striped navy suit jacket. On Sale at 31.50UKP (down from 250UKP).

Now, striped odd jackets aren't to versatile, but for occasional wear with jeans and shirt, pretty good value.

Went for a bike ride this morning before settling down for a day's worth of studying, and made an unfortunate detour to a trifecta of my favorite "high end" thrift shops on the other side of town. Picked up a couple things to sell, so as to make the following purchases gratis - Valentini linen pants - YSL pocket square + Valentino tie* - *Now, here's the thing about the tie. It's without a doubt brand new (no tags, but you can just tell it's never ever been worn). Cashmere/silk blend, with just a dash of GOLD - I know gold thread is out there and is used every now and again with silk (think Indian saris), but to have it in a tie is pretty awesome - A $10 tie no less. I'm not sure if the thread's delicately weaved throughout the entire tie, or is used only to write out "limited edition" under the Valentino logo. Either way, I pretty pleased with the haul.