LooknGr8
Senior Member
- Joined
- Mar 7, 2011
- Messages
- 801
- Reaction score
- 260
I'm not a pro, I'm still learning. Would love some ideas from the pros who have gone before me.
I'll start with a few things I've learned from SF folks and by my own mistakes:
Go!
I'll start with a few things I've learned from SF folks and by my own mistakes:
- Follow the money: Thrift stores that have the most well-off donors have the most Canali, Zegna, Golden Fleece, J. Press, Loro Piana, Brioni, HF, and other top end brands. Go to those cities/neighborhoods and hit every thrift store there. I envy you if you live near a town with an Ivy League school.
- Look at every tie: Thrift stores tend to stash ties in weird places, sometimes multiple places. Check them all, even if you weren't coming in looking for a tie. In this way, Ferragamo, E. Marinella, and Canali ties made their way into my lineup...and some of them were hiding under a pile of polyester. Saks, Bloomingdales, Barney's also...
- Ditto on the shoes: Such a spotty selection in most stores, you never find them when you need them. When I haven't been specifically seeking a pair of shoes, I've come out with things like AE's and Santonis that, once conditioned and polished, ended up looking fantastic.
- Inspect every square inch of a garment. Excited over a label and blinded by its quality (and that it's in your size!) contrasted by the sea of Gap, Van Heusen, Stafford and Apt 9 and whatever other threadbare junk is on the rack, it's easy to miss a spot, tear, fray or other problem in a garment...and buy it, just to be pissed when you got it home when you realize it's unwearable, even if you did pony up for a pro repair. Caught myself yesterday almost buying a pair of paul stuart wool pants that had a giant fray down by the left cuff -- which actually inspired the idea to write this post.
- Know your European sizes before you go in. For when you run into something awesome in an exotic brand on your lunch hour and don't have time to hit the dressing room.
- Be open minded. Find something perfect -- and a hell of a deal -- except it's in a color you don't normally wear or a pattern you're not immediately enamored of? Get it anyway, and you'll find an outfit or new combination that will look great...sooner if not later.
- Traveling and have a couple hours to kill (and access to a GPS unit?) This site has led me to countless awesome things: http://www.thethriftshopper.com/
Go!