The official thrift/discount store bragging thread

[grendel]

Why would you have passed on the shoes? For what I paid I have no issue with tossing them away after I clean them up. Considering I don't have any dress shoes outside of a placeholder Payless pair I can't be too picky.

Thanks for the insight on the jacket/suit. Not going to lie, if cheap enough a friend of brine would have gotten a suit from me as a random gift.

Because the sole is mostly shot and the lining is man-made material, not leather. The leather of the outer is corrected grain, too.

 

[IRKSM]

Doing another closet purge this time only regulars need apply I will just send you a bunch of stuff in the hope of a future hook up mostly shirts like rugby and mid to low tier stuff and some sweaters and ties and a blazer or two maybe keep in mind these are all around me size maybe a little smaller so of you think you can fit into them just pm me and I will try to get the package out tomorrow

 

[mainy]

Yeah those shoes are total garbage. Toss them, start over, can do much much better than that

 

[mainy]

Also, if anybody has a black suit (solid) in 40r, please PM me. Trying to do a favor for somebody.

 

[DeadBoy]

Excellent advise, and thanks for sharing. I'm primarily a jersey and a baseball cap type if guy, so if I see something like that at a store I know what I'm looking at.

But dress clothes-- no freaking clue. At all.

I need to start dressing like a man, can't wear piazza jerseys and batman shirts forever.

Sadly, in North America these days, you probably can. But you shouldn't. So good on you.

Why would you have passed on the shoes? For what I paid I have no issue with tossing them away after I clean them up. Considering I don't have any dress shoes outside of a placeholder Payless pair I can't be too picky.

Thanks for the insight on the jacket/suit. Not going to lie, if cheap enough a friend of brine would have gotten a suit from me as a random gift.

I'll go against the other guys here and say that, if you like the shoes and they were cheap enough, fit perfectly and are comfortable (although I have my doubts about that last one), they're a fine purchase. The suit and jacket were a good pass.

My reasoning is the same for both: styling. While you (possibly) could tell the quality in the Hickey jacket (and the quality definitely is there), it's an old and dated piece, and if your goal is to dress better, it won't serve your interests. The shoes on the other hand may indeed be garbage, but they're light brown brogues and light brown brogues are trendy right now. So even if you only wear them for a couple of months until you get something better, if they were cheap enough, you'll have gotten your money's worth.

As has been said here before... when thrifting for yourself, it goes fit > styling > quality.

 

[capnwes]

ALERT


If you like Polka, or know someone who wants to learn how to play it.....see my sig.

 

[tubby34]



Yeah those shoes are total garbage. Toss them, start over, can do much much better than that

Sadly, in North America these days, you probably can. But you shouldn't. So good on you.


I'll go against the other guys here and say that, if you like the shoes and they were cheap enough, fit perfectly and are comfortable (although I have my doubts about that last one), they're a fine purchase. The suit and jacket were a good pass.

My reasoning is the same for both: styling. While you (possibly) could tell the quality in the Hickey jacket (and the quality definitely is there), it's an old and dated piece, and if your goal is to dress better, it won't serve your interests. The shoes on the other hand may indeed be garbage, but they're light brown brogues and light brown brogues are trendy right now. So even if you only wear them for a couple of months until you get something better, if they were cheap enough, you'll have gotten your money's worth.

As has been said here before... when thrifting for yourself, it goes fit > styling > quality.

Considering its not correct to list the price, I will say I spent only 5x more than I would for a can of soda... For that I can live with them if they can be presentable. Thanks for the advice on fit>styling>quality. I set out to find AE's and I thought I lucked into one, and in my size no less.

 

[mainy]



Considering its not correct to list the price, I will say I spent only 5x more than I would for a can of soda... For that I can live with them if they can be presentable. Thanks for the advice on fit>styling>quality. I set out to find AE's and I thought I lucked into one, and in my size no less.

not sure when it became a rule not to list price but, that's stupid, list it if you want to it's very informative


but, thrifting is just a ****** way in general to find specific things, IMO. i appreciate that you're trying to build a wardrobe from scratch on a budget, and it's doable, but i don't really think thrifting is the best way to do it - gasp. really this is a great way to end up with a lot of mediocre stuff that doesn't really fit you that well, unless you're thrifting in an awesome area like socal or something. if i were you i would identify the basic components i wanted in my wardrobe (IE, 3x khaki pants or whatever, shirts), find a brand that fits me well, and then go bargain hunting on ebay or sales. thrifting is a great way to round out your wardrobe, but you're not going to thrift a lot of staples. usually those are the things people wear into the ground. IE, you're in some ways more likely to find a pair of crazy two tone spectators in good condition than a pair of mint Park aves because people wear the piss out of allen edmonds. which is fine, if you want to end up wearing double pleated zanellas with an old ass zegna shirt with a beat up pair of allen edmonds, and I guess to some people that is an acceptable outcome since the "retail" value of all these items was really high, but ultimately you will look like a doofus

 

[GMMcL]



not sure when it became a rule not to list price but, that's stupid, list it if you want to it's very informative

This is a perennial debate. I think Chiron's point, about stores upping prices once they realize what people will pay, is the best argument against. But making rules on an internet forum is like trying to hold the ocean in your hands: utterly futile.

 

[grendel]

This is a perennial debate. I think Chiron's point, about stores upping prices once they realize what people will pay, is the best argument against. But making rules on an internet forum is like trying to hold the ocean in your hands: utterly futile.

If thrift store employees were regularly reading this thread we'd have much bigger problems than them knowing what we're paying. They could just go around to the other stores and see what the prices are for that.

 

[silverwarebandit]



Not just you. I have a wider waist than normal for my body type, and the Brioni fits me better. I'm 6'3 200 but still needed good tailoring to get it slimmed down for me.

I think they're getting slimmer? I almost picked up a Brioni at Marshalls that had a flawless fit (38R), but was black

 

[Klobber]



but, thrifting is just a ****** way in general to find specific things, IMO. i appreciate that you're trying to build a wardrobe from scratch on a budget, and it's doable, but i don't really think thrifting is the best way to do it - gasp. really this is a great way to end up with a lot of mediocre stuff that doesn't really fit you that well, unless you're thrifting in an awesome area like socal or something. if i were you i would identify the basic components i wanted in my wardrobe (IE, 3x khaki pants or whatever, shirts), find a brand that fits me well, and then go bargain hunting on ebay or sales. thrifting is a great way to round out your wardrobe, but you're not going to thrift a lot of staples. usually those are the things people wear into the ground. IE, you're in some ways more likely to find a pair of crazy two tone spectators in good condition than a pair of mint Park aves because people wear the piss out of allen edmonds. which is fine, if you want to end up wearing double pleated zanellas with an old ass zegna shirt with a beat up pair of allen edmonds, and I guess to some people that is an acceptable outcome since the "retail" value of all these items was really high, but ultimately you will look like a doofus

Post of the day award goes to Mainy.

I have never ever ever ever found in many years of thrifting the following:

- Staple black or brown shoes (not loafers) in good condition from a high end brand and not in a crazy size.
- A solid Navy / Charcoal staple suit from a high end brand that was not horribly outdated or trashed.
- A solid white shirt from a high end brand (I will further say "solid anything" in high end shirting).

Thrifting is not a way to build a wardrobe from scratch - it is a good way to collect a bunch of crap that you will never wear. Mainy hit the nail - it is for rounding. Despite finding lots of stuff occasionally, last year I only kept only 11 thrifted pieces out of hundreds I found. I have a poor keep rate and am very fussy.

If I had to rely on thrifting for my wardrobe, I would be campaigning for public nudity in San Francisco since I would have no clothes to wear.

 

[Brianpore]

Post of the day award goes to Mainy.

I have never ever ever ever found in many years of thrifting the following:

- Staple black or brown shoes (not loafers) in good condition from a high end brand and not in a crazy size.
- A solid Navy / Charcoal staple suit from a high end brand that was not horribly outdated or trashed.
- A solid white shirt from a high end brand (I will further say "solid anything" in high end shirting).

Thrifting is not a way to build a wardrobe from scratch - it is a good way to collect a bunch of crap that you will never wear. Mainy hit the nail - it is for rounding. Despite finding lots of stuff occasionally, last year I only kept only 11 thrifted pieces out of hundreds I found. I have a poor keep rate and am very fussy.

If I had to rely on thrifting for my wardrobe, I would be campaigning for public nudity in San Francisco since I would have no clothes to wear.

Being a hard (near impossible) size to find thrifting, I have come to accept that I just wont find stuff for myself. Literally have maybe found a dozen things in 2 years that I have kept and most of it is size small banana republic or polo shirts and pants.

That said.....what I do, is either trade for stuff that fits (still pretty hard) or usually just take the money I make thrifting and put it towards buying stuff on either ebay or deep discount retail (Isaia Tuxedo

, NWT 36S Polo Corneliani Blue Blazer, NWT Brooks Brothers 36S Suits, etc) that I would have not otherwise been able to afford. I thrift to pay for stuff that actually fits so in my mind that stuff is still cheap due to it all coming from thrifted monies

PS - If anyone runs into a rack of Tommy Bahama Size Medium Floral Pattern (crazy the flower the better) Silk Shirts at under/around $5 a pop, please let me know!!! I've bought a few for someone as presents and he LOVES them. Such a cheap kick ass gift!!

PPS - So for you in the "know" how do I get this on PTO (I never run acutions, but when I do....)???

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140912011018

 

[ChetB]

It depends what you're looking for in a wardrobe. I've managed to cobble together a decent-quality, well-rounded wardrobe of staples during the past two years of thrifting—though my style leans toward American trad, and I wear a lot of Brooks Brothers and similar brands that are relatively abundant. I've been very selective about condition, fit, and styling.

That said, I've sunk a lot of time and effort into this, and it would have been easier shopping online. I've enjoyed doing it this way though.

 

[yossi]

Quick PSA for LA people. There are about 15 really cool western-wear/rockabilly style sport coats in a variety of materials - wool, suede, leather - with cool details, all seemingly well-made, all in great vintage shape, all in 44L, at a certain west side thrift shop. The brand on all of them is Pagano West - made in San Diego - which is new to me. Anyway, PM me if you're a regular - which I haven't been recently - and want to know where it is.