The official thrift/discount store bragging thread - Page 165

Holy shit, that's one hell of a deal! Vintage Gent, you've truely inspired me to take a trip to a discount store today.

So I went to a couple discount stores. TJ Maxx had nothing. Marshalls had some nice stuff: a couple Zegna suits for $499, some nice dress-shirts from a local high-end men's clothier, etc. Then I went to the Goodwill's boutique called "Second Debut". Hell, it's no wonder I barely find anything good at the Goodwills around here - they ship all the good stuff there! All shirts are around $20/piece. Zegnas ran about $26. Had some decent suits - Canali, Zegna and two Paul Stuarts. All at $225/piece. Found two Robert Talbott Seven-Fold ties for $10, one of which I decided was a little too floral for my liking and is up on eBay. I also found a custom shirt from our very own Marty Mathis. It was very well made and the fabric was amazing, but I couldn't justify $26 for a shirt that didn't fit. Props to Marty, though!

Vintage Gent wins.

I saw a beautiful suit today and I'm so disapointed it was a size too small. It was a vintage american made 3 roll 2 silk suit. It very slubby and black and half lined. It was very light and just awesome but sadly 44L Oh well.

How on earth does Oxxford for Saks end up at Ross? Wouldn't their stuff go to Off 5th? Man, that is crazy. Were you giggling uncontrollably at the cash register? And clearance rack, you say? How many people must have passed those over?

The best stuff I ever see at Ross is low end RL Polo and even that is not too common. I did see some RL Polo white leather shorts at Ross that had an original retail of something like $200. They were heavy leather and just too weird though.

mike

I can't even begin to imagine how they got there. At first I thought they might be used trousers that somehow got into the discount chain system, but the unfinished hems quickly disabused me of that notion.

And clearance rack, indeed. Another item of note: the Ross tag advised me to "compare at $30 and up."

Got a houndstooth (black and brown) Christian Dior men's jacket, £15. Perfect fit.

I've been thrifting all my life. And since moving to my present home, I've found the thrifting fabulous (unfortunately not as fab as some of your experiences; the top end of what I find tends to be Brioni, Canali, Belvest, Zegna, Ferragamo, Allen Edmonds - awesome stuff, sure, but not what some of you have scored.) So, it's hard to pick one item that's tops. But, I can tell you the rarest.

About a year ago, I found a pair of split-toe, 4-eyelet oxfords, with the big squared toebox that was fashionable a few years ago. Nice waxy-finished leather, as well as some unusual SQUARED perfing. Not perfect shape, but still, very nice shoes. Imagine my amazement when I looked at the insole and saw the maker's mark of ... JIMMY CHOO. Yep, the designer who the ladies can't seem to get enough of, but only the ladies.

I actually didn't buy these when I spotted them. Frankly, I wasn't sure they were real. Jimmy Choo for men sounded like some kind of bizarro, half-assed chimera cooked up by idiots in a back alley in Shenzhen or wherever the Chinese counterfeit designer shoes. The next day, I went back and bought them.

I went to the Jimmy Choo boutique in my city and chatted up the clerk. She was sweet but clueless, and there were no Choo shoes for men anywhere in sight. I found a contact form on the Jimmy Choo website and emailed their offices directly.

Next day, I got an email response from London. (I'm paraphrasing "In the beginning, Jimmy offered a line of men's shoes." So they weren't a chimera. And in hindsight, why counterfeit something almost no one knows ever existed?

Oh, the price: FOUR BUCKS.

Shoe porn attached. (The last one is actually a comparison shot with one of the Choo shoes next to an A-E "Bradley," a somewhat-clunky split toe that looks sleek next to this one.)

I should've added. I'm sorry to admit, I've become one of those eBay vultures (only because times have been tough and I've had to resort to eBaying to afford any luxuries or durable items - in fact, the Qosmio laptop I'm posting on now was paid for by eBay.) I used to work for Nordie's, and I've ALWAYS loved great, amazing clothes - and I've seen a LOT of great, amazing clothes. I've NEVER seen men's Jimmy Choo. If you run a search on eBay, you'll find none. Google? Not even a whisper. Even if these shoes are a bit dated, they're definitely the rarest item I've ever found. If they were any scarcer, they'd have to be bespokes.

If they're the lace-ups, then that would be the "Hillcrest" model. I wanted a pair of those for the longest time. Didn't happen, but I have the similar "Mapleton," with more casual rubber lug sole and oiled-leather finish on the uppers.

Vintage Gent - was that a Houston-area Ross?

ExHack, I feel no guilt for flipping items I find. I'm not depleting the amount of clothes available in any way for those who need to buy clothes at thrift (most of my own clothes come from thrifting, too).* The racks are overflowing and I see employees pulling clothes to discard constantly. The luxury items are there for anyone who wants them. I don't have any inside track anywhere so it's a level playing field. And I'm sure I miss (or am beaten to) all sorts of things.

*I also regularly donate items to thrift stores.

Well, I did feel a little guilty when I flipped the Super 100s navy-pinstripe Zegna suit I found, in my size and flawless condition, a few months ago. But my guilt stemmed from an entirely different motive I needed the money more than I needed another suit, but that was like finding one of the crown jewels and selling THAT on eBay!!!

I have a full-time job, a business I co-own, and I'm writing a novel, so there's only so much time I can devote to thrifting (for pleasure and/or profit.) But I try to make part of my circuit at least weekly. I've also gotten a lot more conservative in what I'm willing to bring in, so I know I'm leaving plenty for others to scoop up.

Passed up about 2 dozen vintage J.Press jackets in good condition. Most from the 60's in tan/olive tweed fabrics. Most were three-button. Newest looked to date from the mid-90's. No size to be found on the jacket, but the thrift tags stated 40R. Were between $10-$15 a piece. If there's any interest I can run back and grab some.

I think I had the single greatest thrifting day of my life today. First, at one Salvation Army, I found a brand-new new light tan 3-button double-vented 44R Ralph Lauren Green Label (yes, not great quality, but a serviceable fused suit for what I paid for it) in summer-weight wool, trousers unfinished and pockets and vents still sewn shut. I'm a easy off-the-rack 44R these days, and the fit was perfect. I'm a freelance editor and writer, so I also work as a suit specialist at the Macy's here in VT to get health insurance, so I know that it must have had a tiny pinhole or some tiny imperfection somewhere (I couldn't find it for the life of me); and I know that Macy's eventually sends its damaged items to the Salvation Army. $15 and straight to my tailor for the trousers to be finished, so $30 total. Not bad.

Then, a real gem came later in the day: at the other Salvation Army in Burlington, VT, I found a pair of Allen Edmonds charcoal closed-laced sueded cap-toes (model name is Barton; which is apparently discontinued) in exactly my size, brand-new in the box with the trees, individual shoe bags, an AE shoehorn, and all the paperwork that comes in the box, as well. $6!

On to a consignment shop I sometimes visit; usually there is nothing any good there, but I miraculously found a beautiful nearly-new Canali DB navy 44R suit. The coat fits perfectly, but the trousers had been taken in to a 36x31, so they need to be let out to a 38x32 -- plenty of material to do so. $31, and tailoring will probably cost another $30.

Like I said, best thrift day ever!

-jpb