Surprisingly Cheap but Good Brands

[Brookston]

As a re-seller, I sometimes come across a used piece of clothing that feels and looks high quality, but for whatever reason doesn't sell for very much on eBay. I thought listing some of those items might be a fun resource for those of us who don't have the largest wardrobe budget.

I'd start with Egara belts. They are a Men's Warehouse brand, I believe. The leather feels very high quality, and the belts I have, have held up incredibly well. Aside from the buckles being a little bit too modern looking for my taste, I have no complaints, and they routinely sell for less than $15 bucks on eBay.

Another is vintage Johnston and Murphy shoes. The American made ones were built like ******* tanks, and can be got for $20-ish.

Any others that you guys know about?

 

[Jaggery]

Great idea for a thread! Occasionally it does seem possible to get more than what you pay for, especially when you're not paying full price.

If anyone is looking for a basic ETA movement automatic watch, Victorinox makes some solid options that can be found under $300 new (or NOS). See here for example. Not everyone's idea of cheap, but a good value. Maybe it helps that they're an established Swiss company and not known primarily for watches? As someone who isn't a watch collector, I also appreciate that many of their designs can span the line from casual to professional.

 

[comrade]

LL.Bean Polos

https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/914...ket&bc=&feat=Polos-SR0&csp=a&searchTerm=Polos

They come in a variety of fabrics and are
well-made. They compare favorably with
my Lacoste's which are more
than twice as expensive. Downside:
They are very full cut, even in the semi tapered version
I take a large because I am very big on top
( 44R Sport coat) but not proportionally large in
the mid section. The medium is too tight in
the chest and shoulders.

 

[comrade]

Fruit of the Loom all cotton polos

https://www.ebay.com/itm/FRUIT-OF-T...l+cotton++polo&_from=R40&rt=nc&LH_TitleDesc=0

Here looks like an example of what my wife found for me at Grocery Outlet
probably more than five years ago. I have a bunch in Pima Cotton in different
colors. They were probably around $10*. They are color-fast and indestructible.
And the fit me better than LL Bean or Lacoste.

*I do not usually wear cheap clothes.Tailored clothing, mostly
Belvest, Isiaia, Partenopea, Borrelli. Shirts, T&A, H&K, Finamore, Drakes

 

[jrd617]

^ not anymore for borrelli (has gone full skinny) and s partenopea (RIP)!

 

[Jaggery]

Speaking of cotton, Costco's Kirkland Signature t-shirts have a practical cut and nice soft feel. In the past, I think some were marketed as Pima. The newest iteration that I see on their website--can't vouch for these personally--are "100% combed ringspun cotton" and 6 for $14.99 after a rebate.

(Now I'm picturing one of those $10 polos under a hand-stitched, fully-canvassed blazer!)

 

[comrade]

^ not anymore for borrelli (has gone full skinny) and s partenopea (RIP)!

My Borelli jacket is the hard to find Sorrento model in Linen.
There are a few NWT ones on eBay. who knows when they
were made. Also lots of partenopea in the eBay pipeline.

 

[jrd617]

I'm pretty they have canceled the Sorrento at this point. They seem to have been bought Germans (according to @SartodiNapoli) and gone full tacky, tight fit. See comments here: https://www.styleforum.net/threads/...s-to-id-the-maker.24109/page-223#post-9401076

Get S. Partenopea on Fleabay while you can. When those get sold, there will be nothing more. Factory closed last year. https://www.styleforum.net/threads/the-cm-graveyard-first-sartoria-partenopea-next-j-crew.547332/

I'm with you though, love both of those makers. Between those two and Eidos, CM has been dealt a huge blow.

 

[LaymanX]

LL Bean Unshrinkable tshirts are my goto t-shirt. I don't need artificial rips, elaborate tiger decals, or branding. I just need a soft, fitted tshirt that lasts through the years.

 

[Purplelabel]

Musto*, Joules, Crew Clothing & Barbour are great British brands that don't break the bank.

*if you don't go for full on gore-tex sailing or country clothing.

 

[SimonC]

^ not anymore for borrelli (has gone full skinny) and s partenopea (RIP)!

As @comrade said, plenty of good pricing on the old Borrelli stuff, on outlets such as Yoox.

Musto*, Joules, Crew Clothing & Barbour are great British brands that don't break the bank.

*if you don't go for full on gore-tex sailing or country clothing.

Barbour is one to tread carefully on - none of it is junk, but they have a core lineup of British made wax jackets and then a bunch of more seasonal stuff.

One I'd add - Ralph Lauren makes so much stuff that the mall stuff crowds out the good. A little patience will be rewarded by very well priced Corneliani Made in Italy pieces.

 

[IdesofMarch]

I have a lot of luck with undergarments from Uniqlo. The "airism" and "heatism" undershirts are great. They are soft, silk like and wear well. This might not be what your looking for in the thread because it only mentions a few items from the brand, but I have yet to be disappointed with Uniqlo.

 

[comrade]

I wear jeans and /or chinos virtually every day as a retired
active senior (ugh!). I usually wear a braided belt .For the past
seven or eight years I have settled on cheap braided belts
from Macy's. To me they look like similar belts for around
$100 from BB or RL,etc but on sale run as little as $ 25.
They are semi-disposable in that they begin to unravel
after about 18 months of constant wear. This goes against
a general preference for long lasting quality clothes. I have
a favorite T@A shirt that is about 25 years old and bespoke
trousers that show no wear at 20 years.

https://www.macys.com/shop/product/...-4d46-99e0-653da0628437&trackingid=489x105214

 

[SS 376]

For dress shirts that can go as low as $30 per, Charles Tyrwhitt is really hard to beat. They are comparable with shirts that cost three times as much.

I'll also put in a plug for vintage Countess Mara ties.

 

[ace13x]

For the non-Hypebeasts, Levi's jeans on sale aren't bad. They're currently on a stretch fabric kick, so you have to weed through to find the 100% cotton stuff, but it's still there. Last time I was in Sears (about a month ago) they still had MiUSA Cone Mills 501's.