The official thrift/discount store bragging thread

Originally Posted by iron_ball

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You got me... I'm in Manhattan, which is the capital of the world for cast-off high-end clothing. Men's clothing in particular seems to be available in great abundance -- you always see racks and racks of Hugo Boss and the like, with just one or two top-notch labels thrown in... all at the same price. (Or, every now and then, someone very wealthy and exactly your size will donate a whole closet full of prime loot...)

The stores either don't know what the higher brands are, or don't care if one or two items per rack are at a 99.9% discount. It seems like the trick is to live somewhere where people a) wear that kind of clothing and b) can afford to regularly donate it.

Any place in particular you go? I've been to the cluster on E 23rd (Goodwill, Salvation Army, Housing Works) a few times but it's never seemed that great.

I think this is a poor time of year for thrifting generally.

Still:

A perfect condition suit by Gieves of Savile Row. Very dark gray. 3b front, circa 1960. This one of the most famous bespoke houses (merged with Hawkes in the 70s) but this is a RTW suit, size 40. Chester Barrie level make. But very conservative. Trying to figure if I'll ever have any business wearing it.

More wearable was a blue blazer from Casual-Aire of NY. This was a GV/UES store from the 50s to the 70s, preppy but not 'trad' in the current hidebound sense of the style. Associated with master stylist/Ralph Lauren mentor Meledandri.

Lapels on this one suggest a late 60s/early 70s make date.

The blazer is in a navy blue worsted, half lined, with a natural shoulder, a 3 roll 2, and two widely spaced cuff buttons in the period style. The buttons themselves are Waterbury brass with nautical details --anchors, etc. There is no front darting. All very trad so far, but...

Sharp cutting on the side seam gives the coat an hourglass shape. Also the hip pockets are at an angle --'hacking' pockets -- and the double rear vents each have a button. I've seen buttoning vents only on very long coats -- overcoats, trenches or cattleman's coats but never on a blazer.

One other note is that the blazer is slightly shorter than the other sport coats I found with it that I suspect were from the same person. Is this one traditional hallmark of the blazer?

Regardless, it fits well & I wore it happily last night.

Where is good to thrift in Manhattan?

Can anyone help me identify the maker of these shoes? They're gorgeous shoes, but no brand name anywhere.

I got a blue CO-OP shirt and a white V-neck Marc by Marc Jacobs sweatshirt for $30 each at my Barneys Outlet last week. That's the closest I get to a spanking deal, although they were marked down from $110 and $108, respectively, so I felt great. I never go thrift shopping though, because most of the thrift stores I see are basically in ghetto areas. (I'm in north county San Diego.)

Does anybody know of thrift stores or reasonable/cheap second-hand stores in San Diego or Orange County that are worth visiting?

Originally Posted by iron_ball

Click to expand...

You got me... I'm in Manhattan, which is the capital of the world for cast-off high-end clothing. Men's clothing in particular seems to be available in great abundance -- you always see racks and racks of Hugo Boss and the like, with just one or two top-notch labels thrown in... all at the same price. (Or, every now and then, someone very wealthy and exactly your size will donate a whole closet full of prime loot...) The stores either don't know what the higher brands are, or don't care if one or two items per rack are at a 99.9% discount. It seems like the trick is to live somewhere where people a) wear that kind of clothing and b) can afford to regularly donate it.
Thats the key to thrift shop shopping right there. Used to live in London few years back. The best places were South West London and Hampstead. I still wear an 80s bespoke Burberrys pin stripe from one of my hauls. Great ties too. It wasnt unusual to find an old Moroccan leather 3 seater sofa with the sign; "Please take me away" on a fine saturday morning on the front lawn of one of those old brick houses.

Originally Posted by mainy

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How often do you guys make the rounds? I try to hit all my stores once a week... I feel like anything more is overkill. But then, I wonder - how much amazing stuff am I missing because I only go once a week? It's a real question.
Thats an addict's question bro... Every crate digger, thrifter knows the feeling.... My advice: exercise restraint. Once a week is more than enough.

Originally Posted by Casey

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I got a blue CO-OP shirt and a white V-neck Marc by Marc Jacobs sweatshirt for $30 each at my Barneys Outlet last week. That's the closest I get to a spanking deal, although they were marked down from $110 and $108, respectively, so I felt great. I never go thrift shopping though, because most of the thrift stores I see are basically in ghetto areas. (I'm in north county San Diego.)

Does anybody know of thrift stores or reasonable/cheap second-hand stores in San Diego or Orange County that are worth visiting?

You're right to be concerned about ghetto areas. The fact of the matter is that most thrift stores are full of "ghetto people," who have communicable diseases and unhealthy race and class resentments. The safest thing to do is go to the waiting room of a dentist's office. Dentists are respectable professionals, and you can always trust old magazines.

Again: STAY AWAY FROM THRIFT STORES. Just too dangerous. You could be the victim of a driveby, or perhaps could contract the galloping dropsie.

..

Originally Posted by merkur

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What is the galloping dropsie?

A terrible disease, once rampant in the 19th century, now thankfully confined to ghetto dwellers who frankly don't matter all that much. It is one of the great walls that stand between the normal (rich) people of Orange County and the hobby of thrift store shopping.

Damn, I can't wait for tax write-off season to start again (Nov-Feb, and the goodies usually last well into the spring). Things have been high and dry here, not really worth the gas to check things out

Saw an amazing wardrobe of suits from a couple asian tailors all from 1960. I counted 20 suits and one sportcoat all made for this same guy. All had a similar narrow lapel true 3 button style in every sort of fabric imaginable. Great quality and obviously all handmade with silk lining. Sadly they all looked like about 38. If any little dudes live in DC/MD let me know and I'll tell you where they are.

Originally Posted by YoungAmerican

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A terrible disease, once rampant in the 19th century, now thankfully confined to ghetto dwellers who frankly don't matter all that much. It is one of the great walls that stand between the normal (rich) people of Orange County and the hobby of thrift store shopping.

Uhh... Thank you?

Originally Posted by Casey

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I got a blue CO-OP shirt and a white V-neck Marc by Marc Jacobs sweatshirt for $30 each at my Barneys Outlet last week. That's the closest I get to a spanking deal, although they were marked down from $110 and $108, respectively, so I felt great. I never go thrift shopping though, because most of the thrift stores I see are basically in ghetto areas. (I'm in north county San Diego.)

Does anybody know of thrift stores or reasonable/cheap second-hand stores in San Diego or Orange County that are worth visiting?

Casey,

Young American, in a very snarky way, is giving you s**t for your desire to avoid "ghetto areas."

If you want the deals, you usually have to go into the ghetto to get them. Not always. There used to be a church-run "opportunity shop" right in downtown La Jolla, now closed. I remember the one time we visited, they had a full set of vintage, tweed Hartmann luggage for a very reasonable price. There was also (may still be) a similar shop in Coronado. Here in Las Vegas, there are a Savers and several Goodwills in decent suburban areas. However, these tend toward the exception. Again, if you want to find the deals, suck it up and venture out of your comfort zone. Be also warned, though - you'll usually have to wade through a lot of junk to find the gems. That's also the nature of that particular beast. And on the note of found gems ....

My latest: a vintage early-90s era Giorgio Armani suit, from the era of big shoulders and wide peak lapels on double-breasted jackets. This one is a Le Collezioni model, the color of wet concrete, 4-on-1 button, ventless, besom pockets, fabric a heavier-than-normal weight wool gab. The only flaw is that on the seat, right on the seam, is a quarter-sized faint discoloration. Looks like a bleaching agent got smeared on it, discoloring it slightly from dark grey down to a deep orange. Very minor, and running a soft pencil sidewise over it blends out the flaw completely. A big $12, after a massive coupon. Fits flawlessly.

Also two 17.5x34/5 striped French cuffed dress shirts, from Paul Smith and Hugo Boss. The Hugo Boss has the faintest of color run at the roll edge of the collar, fine for me to wear but not resell, so I'll probably keep the Hugo and list the Paul Smith on eBay. Also nice shirts in other sizes from Zegna, Behar, and John W. Nordstrom, for $4.20-4.60/ea. after the coupon.