The official thrift/discount store bragging thread

[mack11211]

Originally Posted by YoungAmerican

And then... a 1940s double breasted tuxedo in midnight blue, with black faille lapels, fits me *perfectly*. Perfect condition save a couple of missing buttons (inside button, sleeves). I'll get some new buttons and wear this to formal events for the rest of my life.
Wear it on-air when you interview guests. Give radio back some of its Lost Glamour.

 

[YoungAmerican]

Originally Posted by mack11211

Wear it on-air when you interview guests. Give radio back some of its Lost Glamour.
But Mack... I tape during the day. I'm running a public radio program, not a pig farm.

 

[EBTX66]

Originally Posted by EBTX66

Question: I came across an altered but never worn custom made early 1960's mohair and silk Rat Pack/Mad Men, 46R, in perfect shape for $40. I took it to my tailor and the quote for alterations made my eyes water: sleeves, waist/seat/crotch, jacket sides, lower collar for $100. I'm used to having to do work like that to Zegnas, etc. but IYO is something like that suit worth putting the money into it?

Since I didn't get an answer let me rephrase. I just needed input by the guys that either seek out vintage or have done thrifting for a good while.

I know "worth" is subjective based on how much you like something. What I meant was that in the short time I've been thrifting I haven't seen any other suits from this era that are unworn. I bought this on a whim (I know Moo, I'm trying to get better) and don't really plan on wearing it that much. If this era/size/condition is very rare then I'll hang on to it and get it tailored properly once my other tailoring jobs are caught up. However, if you guys see stuff like this all the time, or even occasionally, then I'd rather pass it along and keep my eyes open for another one someday once the rest of my wardrobe has come together.

Thanks.

 

[Robert]

On a whim dropped by Goodwill and found a khaki-colored men's London Fog single-breasted trench coat for $5, near-perfect condition, perfect fit.

 

[EBTX66]

Originally Posted by Vintage Gent

Found a Charvet tie at one of the Houston Goodwills yesterday.

Great find! My in-laws live there, so I've done some thrifting but I've never had any luck. I guess I need to try harder. Darn, that means I'll have to spend more time away from them when I'm visiting

This weekend's haul:

Paul Stuart Navy Blue D/B suit
Paul Stuart D/B sportcoat
NWT Tommy Bahamma tie
Tan 120's Gabardine Murano slacks - Dillard's brand but made in Italy
Vintage PS

All for $15.


Had a weird experience: I found a new Thrift store that was stuffed with suits. I took my time and found a custom navy blue HB suit from some tailor (I forget the name) who's shop is in the Hong Kong Hilton. Full canvassed, surgeon's cuffs, pick-stitched, the works. I hung it on a rack next to me while I dug through the ties. I turned to leave and the suit was gone. I walked over to the rack thinking a worker had put it back but no luck. I didn't remember seeing any guy even remotely close to my size so I was perplexed.

I told my wife about it and she laughed. She's Hispanic and was raised in the inner-city of Houston. She said, "you were the only white person in the entire store, you were dressed very nicely, and everyone there watched you spend an hour meticulously going over every suit and knew that's the one you picked. With your non-existent poker face you probably telegraphed you'd hit the jackpot when you found that one. Of course somebody nabbed it! They knew it must be a good one. My mom or grandmother would have done the same thing: it's bound to fit somebody in the family".

I laughed it off but I'll definitely keep better track of my finds from now on. Who knew you needed "street smarts" to thrift?

 

[Nataku]

^^ I've had this happen to me once or twice. Fool me once, shame on you - fool me twice, shame on me! I've never let it happen again - I keep a firm grip on my treasures or keep them in a well-guarded (by myself) cart. I found some nice ties for the first time this year. At the local thrift which usually never has any good clothes/accessories no less. I'll probably keep the Lanvin and sell the rest - so if you're interested in any of the first 3 let me know! L to R: Gianni Versace, Gianni Versace, Talbott Seven-Fold, Lanvin (looks very recent)

 

[seany]

first post here, went thifting for the first time. I'm not sure about brands and all that just yet, just learning now. Had a lot of fun for the short time I was there. Here's the two things I grabbed while there;

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[/IMG] I never heard of the ribbon belt brand, but its pretty cool pattern. The Saks Fifth shirt cost me 2.99, and the belt .99. The shirt is a tad big (im a small/medium) and the shirt is a large. It's in incredible condition though. btw; if you guys cant see the photos tell me.

 

[DoTheGrownup]

Last night I picked up a recent Brooks Brothes sport coat in a fairly lightweight hopsack cloth. At least I think it's hopsack. There is no fabric tag. This one has a lot going on...sort of greenish/khaki colored with an overcheck in red, green, and blue.

Also picked up a pair of punched captoes in dark brown. They seem pretty old, but are in excellent condition. The maker is "Wright's Arch Preserver", the leather is definitely of high quality but they are not goodyear welted. They have nice leather soles and a two piece heel like on C&J's and the nicesr AE's. Anyone ever seen anything like this?

 

[Marcus Brody]

I had a great thrifting day yesterday. It may sound like the most impressive by SF standards, but I was extraordinarily pleased with it. The first things I got was an old Botany 500 suit. In one thread not too long ago there was a discussion of how even department stores used to have fairly decent quality suits, and this seems to be an example of that. I love it's details. It's double-breasted, 6x2 with a fairly high button stance that leaves only a small bit of shirt showing and combines with the greenish color to make it look a bit military. It's semi-peak (or fishmouth, I'm not quite sure how to describe them, maybe Tautz?) lapels give it more flair though. As it's a tiny bit short in the sleeves and pants yet fits perfectly slim otherwise, I kind of have a look of a super-villain plotting world domination under the subtle influence of Thom Brown. I might eventually have it tailored to fit a bit more traditionally, but I'm keeping it as is for summer. The aforementioned details: fully-canvassed construction, a ticket pocket, side tabs and internal suspender buttons on the pants (and not belt loops), Western (or cross) pockets (again I'm not sure of exact terminology on the flat front pants making them seem extra flat. It's a good look. My second find (at the same store) was a J.Press charcoal herringbone tweed 3/2 sack coat, which I picked up for 4 dollars. I have a number of tweed coats, but none in a perfect herringbone, which is what I've wanted from the beginning. It's in like new condition except strangely it lacks all three of it's front buttons. It seems someone was considering changing them then got rid of the coat. It's a little bit big, maybe a size or two, but I'll probably keep it and have it tailored down a bit as it isn't a style that's meant to be fitted and I'll probably wear it as a jacket in the fall. If not, I'll pass it along here or at Ask Andy's Trad Thrift exchange, as I'm sure they'd love it. It was way too pretty a jacket in too great condition to pass up for $4. My last purchase gets even more tradass. It's a three piece, quarter-lined brown/tan prince of wales check Brooks Brother's sack suit. No darts, 3 roll 2, big cuffs on the pants, it's a trad garment par excellance. I'm a bit sad I'll probably have to make the cuffs smaller so the pants hit right. It has a ticket pocket, working cuffs (thankfully the length there is perfect), and the pants adjust in the back with a little belt tightening device that I hadn't seen before on a suit. The handwriting on the label inside says "Jan 1972" so the like new condition is even more remarkable.

 

[AntiHero84]

Glad to hear that everyone has been having good finds. I'm a little jealous after hearing the prices you pay. Thrift store in the NYC/LI area can be astronomical.

I had a few questions... About a year ago, I found 3 Hickey Freeman jackets which had a "custom tailored" tag on the inside. Does this mean that they were custom made for the owner, or do all HF jackets have this tag? All jackets are a Cashmere/Wool blend and fit perfectly.

One of the jackets actually has horse hair woven into the fabric. Is this a technique they still use, or is this jacket from a particular era of HF?

Also, one of the jackets is rather odd. There are no vents in the back and the cuffs have no buttons. It is as if they meant to put in functional buttons, but no button holes or buttons have been attached. There is just a **** near the cuff. Regardless of the peculiarities, the jacket is my favorite. It fits perfectly and the material/pattern is fantastic. I'm just curious why someone would make a jacket this way.

 

[EBTX66]

Originally Posted by seany

first post here, went thifting for the first time.

Welcome to what will surely become for you a crack-like addiction

Originally Posted by Marcus Brody

I had a great thrifting day yesterday. It may sound like the most impressive by SF standards, but I was extraordinarily pleased with it...

The story of my life. Hey, if it makes you happy then mission accomplished.


The first things I got was an old Botany 500 suit... It's a good look.

It sounds sweet. It may not be appropriate for interviews but so is 50% of the stuff hanging at Barneys - and yours didn't cost $1500.

My second find (at the same store) was a J.Press charcoal herringbone tweed 3/2 sack coat...It's in like new condition except strangely it lacks all three of it's front buttons... It's a little bit big, maybe a size or two, but I'll probably keep it and have it tailored down a bit as it isn't a style that's meant to be fitted and I'll probably wear it as a jacket in the fall. If not, I'll pass it along here or at Ask Andy's Trad Thrift exchange, as I'm sure they'd love it. It was way too pretty a jacket in too great condition to pass up for $4.

That's a fine line that I still don't walk very successfully. I see something that needs a little TLC and I get it, and then the next week I'll find something similar that doesn't need work. The real key seems to be knowing what's a real treasure and what's not. If you figure that out let me know...

My last purchase gets even more tradass. It's a three piece, quarter-lined brown/tan prince of wales check Brooks Brother's sack suit. No darts, 3 roll 2, big cuffs on the pants... It has a ticket pocket, working cuffs (thankfully the length there is perfect), and the pants adjust in the back with a little belt tightening device that I hadn't seen before on a suit. The handwriting on the label inside says "Jan 1972" so the like new condition is even more remarkable.

Now THAT sounds like it fits the definition of a real treasure.

Originally Posted by AntiHero84

Glad to hear that everyone has been having good finds. I'm a little jealous after hearing the prices you pay. Thrift store in the NYC/LI area can be astronomical.

So are the ones in Dallas apparently. Nataku seems to be the one living in the land of $1.99 Kitons. 5 months of total darkness a year must do something to their ability to price correctly.

I had a few questions... About a year ago, I found 3 Hickey Freeman jackets which had a "custom tailored" tag on the inside. Does this mean that they were custom made for the owner, or do all HF jackets have this tag? All jackets are a Cashmere/Wool blend and fit perfectly.

One of the jackets actually has horse hair woven into the fabric. Is this a technique they still use, or is this jacket from a particular era of HF?

Sorry, no clue. These might be questions for a new thread in the Men's Style area. Be warned, you'll get your answer but probably a bit of anonymous venom to go along with it. This is actually the friendliest thread (WAYWRN thread, anyone?) within SF.


Also, one of the jackets is rather odd. There are no vents in the back and the cuffs have no buttons. It is as if they meant to put in functional buttons, but no button holes or buttons have been attached. There is just a **** near the cuff. Regardless of the peculiarities, the jacket is my favorite. It fits perfectly and the material/pattern is fantastic. I'm just curious why someone would make a jacket this way.

Sounds like it was meant to have the buttons attached and someone didn't bother. I have a Kuhlman sportcoat that has the buttons attached and very nice fake button holes sewn in but the two ends of the cuff were never sewn together. I always mean to get it fixed but I forget and no one seems to notice. I'm sure one day some guy will find it in a thrift and wonder what the Hell was I thinking.

 

[DoTheGrownup]

Originally Posted by Nataku

L to R: Gianni Versace, Gianni Versace, Talbott Seven-Fold, Lanvin (looks very recent)

While that's probably at least $500 worth of ties there, I have to say I think they're all a bit butt-ugly. I've come across a lot of really high quality Talbott ties in patterns that make my eyes hurt. I've gotten a bit better at leaving them behind. I still have about 4 Zegna ties I got all at once for $5 that must be from the mid 90's. Somehow the fact that I know they cost an exorbitant amount of money doesn't cause me to actually wear any of them.

 

[EBTX66]

Originally Posted by DoTheGrownup

While that's probably at least $500 worth of ties there, I have to say I think they're all a bit butt-ugly. I've come across a lot of really high quality Talbott ties in patterns that make my eyes hurt. I've gotten a bit better at leaving them behind. I still have about 4 Zegna ties I got all at once for $5 that must be from the mid 90's. Somehow the fact that I know they cost an exorbitant amount of money doesn't cause me to actually wear any of them.

I think we're a little bit more discerning than most. He'll probably list these on eBay and make a killing.

 

[oroy38]

Went on a tweed test run monday morning and picked up a few tweed blazers for $3 a piece. 1 of which was an Oscar De La Renta piece. Also picked up a nice double breasted blazer that fit perfectly. The name is Lindea Domizia, Moda Maschile. Never heard of it. Anyone?

 

[Nataku]

Originally Posted by EBTX66

I think we're a little bit more discerning than most. He'll probably list these on eBay and make a killing.

Precisely what my intentions were. They're ugly to you and I, but someone out there somewhere will say "WHOA! A Versace Medusa head tie! This will definitely get me laid!".