The official thrift/discount store bragging thread

[pnutpug]



All I can think of is double check for wear and rips in the lining and spots and extra wide lapels and patterns that are super ugly to you or match nothing in your closet. Those are crappy. But the thing about HT I love is that those tight weaves make for seemingly indestructable coats that look fantastic once they come back from the dry cleaners....some even without.
Non-Harris Tweeds are a crapshoot, but even those...a lot are nice. I just see so much Tweed and HT in particular up here in New England that I skip non-HT (unless it's Polo or something exotic for flippage).

By "crappy" I mean "poor quality," and I'm also a hard sell on tweed that isn't HT. Wide lapels are deal killers, but I don't worry too much about the liner if I like the weave. Presuming you pay $5 or less, they're pretty reliable flips, even ones by Stafford.

 

[Typhoid Jones]

All I can think of is double check for wear and rips in the lining and spots and extra wide lapels and patterns that are super ugly to you or match nothing in your closet. Those are crappy. But the thing about HT I love is that those tight weaves make for seemingly indestructable coats that look fantastic once they come back from the dry cleaners....some even without.
Non-Harris Tweeds are a crapshoot, but even those...a lot are nice. I just see so much Tweed and HT in particular up here in New England that I skip non-HT (unless it's Polo or something exotic for flippage).

^^^ I agree with what somebody else posted about about "crappy" HT being more of a situation of excellent quality tweed being used to make mediocre sport coats. The quality of the tweed is abused by sub-par construction and styling.

@ LooknGr8: +1. I spent a couple of years looking for the perfect Harris Tweed jacket(s) in predominantly brown or green edit: gray herringbone. A couple came close. There was a gray herringbone with a great cut and fit, but ultimately more worn-out than I was happy with and it found its way to eBay after a year or two and then there was a steely-blue herringbone that was perfect... except that it was steely-blue. It also found it's way to eBay.

Then I found (one for $12 at a Goodwill) and was offered (another one for $35 from a friend who owns a vintage shop) two EXCELLENT Vintage American-made Polo by Ralph Lauren tweed sport coats. I have both. The quality, cut, and style of these two sport coats is as good or better than any Harris Tweed jacket I had come across previously.

This is the Polo that I got from my friend for $35 as seen in my Easter Sunday (International) Thrift Fit in Dublin, Ireland, lol.​

 

[DeadBoy]

^^^ I agree with what somebody else posted about about "crappy" HT being more of a situation of excellent quality tweed being used to make mediocre sport coats. The quality of the tweed is abused by sub-par construction and styling.

Yeah, that's definitely my situation. Any good makers who use Harris tweed that I should be on the lookout for?

 

[AndroFan]

Dem pockets!!! That's an awesome jacket man. Definitely the kind of jacket that would cause me to flip my desk over immediately after finding it.

^^^  I agree with what somebody else posted about about "crappy" HT being more of a situation of excellent quality tweed being used to make mediocre sport coats.  The quality of the tweed is abused by sub-par construction and styling.

@ LooknGr8: +1.  I spent a couple of years looking for the perfect Harris Tweed jacket(s) in predominantly brown or green herringbone.  A couple came close.  There was a gray herringbone with a great cut and fit, but ultimately more worn-out than I was happy with and it found its way to eBay after a year or two and then there was a steely-blue herringbone that was perfect... except that it was steely-blue.  It also found it's way to eBay.

Then I found (one for $12 at a Goodwill) and was offered (another for $35 from a friend who owns a vintage shop) two EXCELLENT Vintage American-made Polo by Ralph Lauren tweed sport coats.  The quality, cut, and style of these two sport coats is as good or better than any Harris Tweed jacket I had come across previously.

​

This is the Polo that I got from my friend for $35 as seen in my Easter Sunday (International) Thrift Fit in Dublin, Ireland, lol.​

 

[Typhoid Jones]

Yeah, that's definitely my situation. Any good makers who use Harris tweed that I should be on the lookout for?

^^^ I'm not sure where you're located, but some of the best Harris Tweeds re: cut & styling that I've come across were vintage department store brands from here in Boston. Jordan Marsh, Lord & Taylor, R.H. Stearns, and a few others have either produced or sourced for their sales inventory some really well done 1960s style sack cuts that had slightly padded or unpadded natural shoulders with undarted fronts but still had shape and would work quite well with a person with a slender frame.

I neglected to give Nataku a shout out in my last post for the Armani Boots I bought from him. Really nice and (I feel like) they make me about two inches taller when I wear them.

 

[grendel]

^^^ I'm not sure where you're located, but some of the best Harris Tweeds re: cut & styling that I've come across were vintage department store brands from here in Boston. Jordan Marsh, Lord & Taylor, R.H. Stearns, and a few others have either produced or sourced for their sales inventory some really well done 1960s style sack cuts that had slightly padded or unpadded natural shoulders with undarted fronts but still had shape and would work quite well with a person with a slender frame.

I neglected to give Nataku a shout out in my last post for the Armani Boots I bought from him. Really nice and (I feel like) they make me about two inches taller when I wear them.

I have a nice one from Nordstrom as well.

 

[Nataku]



I neglected to give Nataku a shout out in my last post for the Armani Boots I bought from him.  Really nice and (I feel like) they make me about two inches taller when I wear them.  

Glad you like them! Enjoy!

 

[Hoofit]

Found a couple of things last night. Both are available
Alden 928 8D

Footjoy Pepple Grain long wings 9.5 E may fit a 10D

 

[madmacs]



Yeah, that's definitely my situation. Any good makers who use Harris tweed that I should be on the lookout for?

Magee

 

[951socal]



speaking of Lanvin, last two times i stopped at my home base GW, i saw a short sleeve shirt with this label:

the tag had a bunch of what appeared to be japanese writing, couldn't find any other info. it was pretty lightweight, not exactly linen though. is this desirable by SW&D'ers?
looked a lot like this shirt:

EDIT:
forgot to include this:

also, Evil Abed casually throwing in a "cool cool cool" is

looks too old to be wearable for them, plus yoox has had new lavin shirts for what macy's sells calvin klien white label for.

 

[eazye]

Another day, another sweet blazer not in my size. Unworn (pockets still basted shut) Paul Smith "The Byard" blazer. Sz 42R. Probably from the same guy that the Etro came from. Dude must have had bold taste in regards to his blazer choice. Navy with light blue candy stripe. Purple lining, made in Italy, ticket pocket, single vent, 2 button. Available for cost + shipping.

 

[madmacs]

Basted pockets does not equal an unworn coat... I dont think I have ever opened the pockets on a suit or sport coat... If I open them they'll just end up with stuff in them, which will ruin the hang of the coat...

I can't be the only one... right???

 

[shadesofbeige]

Hey guys I've got a bit of a conundrum I'd appreciate some help with. Yesterday I picked up a beautiful Belvest navy blazer at a discount store. It fits well, but it's a regular and I'm a short. I'd like to have it shortened, but then the pockets would be too low. I was thinking that maybe I could get some patch pockets made out of a matching colored wool that could make it look normal. Is this feasible? And if so, is it really stupid? I got it for a good price so I could unload it on B&S no problem, but I've been looking for a great navy blazer for a year, and this is one is painfully close. I could post pics if that would help. Feel free to banish me to the tailors' thread if applicable - you guys haven't steered me wrong yet so I figured I could start here. Thanks thrift bros!

 

[eazye]



Basted pockets does not equal an unworn coat... I dont think I have ever opened the pockets on a suit or sport coat... If I open them they'll just end up with stuff in them, which will ruin the hang of the coat...
I can't be the only one... right???

Very true.

 

[GMMcL]



Another day, another sweet blazer not in my size.

Nice find. Likely an orphan, though. See if you can find the trousers in the ladies section. Should be easy to spot in that pattern, and with "Paul Smith" on the waistband.

A few things to know about Paul Smith: First, generally considered a "fashion" house, though I think the Mainline suits (just say "Paul Smith", not "London") get some respect around here. Same with their Japan stuff, I think. Half canvas at best (and that's Mainline), iirc. "PS" is their bottom rung diffusion line.

Also, different suit models have different cuts. All are, in my experience, slimmer than normal. But Westbourne and Byard are particularly slim, iirc. I found a nice 42R Westbourne navy pinstripe once -- actually the only pair of trousers I've ever reunited with a jacket at a Goodwill. But alas, I looked like Chris Farley from Tommy Boy in it.