The official thrift/discount store bragging thread

Mild Mannered · Jul 28, 2009

went to a thrift store just today..saw a half decent pair of shoes..and when i picked them up to inspect them, I saw tumbleweeds of dust inside, and a spider crawled out of one shoe so I put them back to some one else will pic up that pair, put them on, and get bitten by a pissed off barking spider.

I also found and bought a tie with a label that had a large letter 'B' on it. who makes that? nice tie though $3.

DocHolliday · Jul 28, 2009

Originally Posted by EBTX66

^^^ I've also seen stuff that's inconsistent. I swear I've seen Hickey-Freeman suits that are fused and today I saw a vintage Johnny Carson DB suit (I'm guessing late 60's - 70's b/c it was 6/2, side-vented, with rope shoulders, and plain front pants) and it was fully canvassed. I thought Carson was a cheap, Sears brand?

From what I can gather: Sears, once upon a time, sold some pretty decent clothing, at least by modern standards. Canvassed coats, welted shoes. Before the big glue revolution, decent quality clothing was much more widely available than today. It's a shame that the memory of once decent brands has been tarnished by their later offerings.

greekgeek · Jul 28, 2009

Found Dark blue a 3/4 length goose down filled coat. Made by L.L.Bean in Freeport Maine. This coat is terrific and almost NOS.

Reeks of quality (and thankfully not of anything else).

Nataku · Jul 28, 2009

Originally Posted by DocHolliday

From what I can gather: Sears, once upon a time, sold some pretty decent clothing, at least by modern standards. Canvassed coats, welted shoes. Before the big glue revolution, decent quality clothing was much more widely available than today. It's a shame that the memory of once decent brands has been tarnished by their later offerings.

+1.

Sears, J.C. Penny, Donaldson's, etc all sold pretty nice clothing prior to the mid 60's. I've come across some very well-made suits from J.C. Penny, probably from the late 50's. Sadly, they were all way to small.

sarcasticfolly · Jul 28, 2009

Yeah, I am constantly finding things from Sears Men's Store from the 60's and earlier that appear to be of pretty decent quality.

illeagle · Jul 28, 2009

over the weekend:

Peal & Co. monks
Florsheim v-cleat, possibly shell
Brioni casual shirt
RRL corduroy jeans, NWT
6 pairs of Zanella pants
Faconnable dress slacks

Nataku · Jul 29, 2009

Found a recent Brioni for Neiman Marcus casual (button-down collar) shirt. Great condition too. Other than that it's been pretty dry.

pejsek · Jul 29, 2009

The thrill is gone. BUT, this week I have found antiqued brown norwegian-welted black label split-toes from Testoni in excellent condition ($14.99), vintage nwot (extra buttons still in pockets) rubberized cotton raincoat with tatersall lining made in Scotland by Mackintosh for Polo ($14.25), two new Hermes ties (blue clouds and ducks, ufos and fried eggs, $3.49 each), new dark tartan Luciano Barbera shirt in fine gauge cotton ($4.49).

I'm still not satisfied.

83glt · Jul 30, 2009

Originally Posted by pejsek

I'm still not satisfied.

I can see why. Why do you even bother anymore? Such a waste of time.

pejsek · Jul 30, 2009

Originally Posted by 83glt

I can see why. Why do you even bother anymore? Such a waste of time.

Well, perhaps I should explain. My impetus for thrifting has long been to ferret out old bespoke pieces. I find a lot less of these things than I used to. I don't mean to be snotty, but these things just aren't the same (though the Mackintosh comes close with its amazing construction and archaic details such as straps for riding).

I realize this is the age-old thrifting conundrum--things were always better back in the day. And, yes, they really were.

tonylumpkin · Jul 30, 2009

NWOB Walter Steiger patent leather opera pumps with grosgrain bows. I'd never heard of Walter Steiger, but the quality of the shoes was unmistakable, so I picked them up. Anyone know the brand? Most of what I find on the net are very high end women's shoes, but it seems they also do a line of men's shoes as well. Anyone own any of these?

Nataku · Jul 30, 2009

Originally Posted by pejsek

I realize this is the age-old thrifting conundrum--things were always better back in the day. And, yes, they really were.

+1

Still, if you're not satisfied you can send those nice finds my way!

I haven't found a Hermes tie in a long time.

swb120 · Jul 30, 2009

I agree...and would be happy to relieve your disappointment by taking the Mackintosh off of your hands!

Unique find (for me here in Pittsburgh): a beautiful Chipp orphaned navy 3/2 sack suitcoat. Absolutely beautiful hand-detailing. Mid-weight wool. MTM but will fit me with some alterations.

And the best part? Made in 1953, but looks brand new!

EBTX66 · Jul 30, 2009

Originally Posted by pejsek

...I realize this is the age-old thrifting conundrum--things were always better back in the day. And, yes, they really were.

IMO this is probably the golden age of thrifting. With the boomers retiring I'm seeing a bunch of nice stuff showing up. You're right in that their things were better made. They also were a generation who for the most part worked in a suit and tie environment so they tended to collect those things over a lifetime. Plus, there's more of them than the next generation so the numbers are in our favor.

The only dampers are the sudden rise in the number of people who are thrifting because of the economy and eBay turning people into "professional" thrifters.

I can only imagine what thrifting will be like in 25 years: we'll be fighting over Alfani suits and Affliction t-shirts.

EBTX66 · Jul 30, 2009

Originally Posted by EBTX66

^^^ I've also seen stuff that's inconsistent. I swear I've seen Hickey-Freeman coats that are fused...

That fused Hickey sportcoat is a 46L, 100% cashmere, 3B, side-vented, and a gorgeous rust/burnt orange color. It might be fused but it's very soft and light. It has 3 very small moth holes and another, larger hole on the back that's already been repaired. The repair isn't completely invisible but its subtle enough that I didn't notice it until I got it home and was going over the coat inch by inch.

I was going to leave it but it as $1.99 and I thought I might try finding a re-weaver. After some thought I've decided that if any of you guys has a good reweaver and wants to deal with the trouble I'll sell it to you for the $2 + shipping (I could use the practice before I start listing in the B&S). Otherwise, I'm sending it to Goodwill.

I have got to learn control myself better in that initial rush I get when I find something...

The official thrift/discount store bragging thread

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