The official thrift/discount store bragging thread

Originally Posted by alfair

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Hey Guys, first post so please bear with me ~College student and newbie

. I have been reading a good portion of this thread the past couple of days and decided to try it out today for the first time. Reading and actually doing are much different I realized haha. I would like to share what I did purchase and what I did not actually buy but am curious to find out if I should.

Actual Purchases:
Ties: 6 total, paid $2 each
1) 100% Silk paco rabanne Paris, Made in Italy
2) Carlos Devenezia, Hand Made/Made in China, 100% silk
3) Ralph Lauren Green Label Hand finished, cotton/silk
4) GB Hand Made in China 100% poly... Liked the color (solid brown) but don't think it's great designer wise if that makes sense
5) Stafford << Nice tie but same as #4
6) Hand Made in China Geoffrey Beene 100% Silk

Shirts: 2 total, paid $5 each
1) Falconnable
2) Hickey Freeman

Sportscoats/Orphaned Suit Jacket: 3 total, 2 that fit 1 for sale I guess?, Paid $8 each
1) (The one that doesn't fit) Made in Italy Canali proposta 100% Cashmere James
2)Made in USA Hand Tailored Tailor Wiggins Kawamangh's Baltimore
3) University Club by Ralph Lauren Made in USA

$49 or so total
____

Things that I did not purchase but do have sincere questions about.
Ties: Feelings about Pierre Cardin, TKS, Robert Talbot, Oscar de la Renta couture, cparlo palazzi,
Sportscoats/Orphans: Nino cerruti, Forrali Made in Italy, Phillipe Laurent, Viero Richii, Basile made in Italy
Random: Villa Monti Millano Sky Blue 4 button complete suit, Cambridge collection carltons 100% camel hair
Shirts:
Falconnable, LL Bean, J Crew, Merona, Joseph Abboud, Robert Talbott

Thank you and I apologize for the length of my first post. Sincerely appreciate the help.

first welcome to SF,now before you go to another store READ THIS WHOLE THREAD FROM PAGE 1.
i mean that,go do it right now,dont even finish reading what i wrote,you will save yourself a lot of time/money and gain something that is invaluable,something you cant even find in the best thrift store...KNOWLEDGE.
seriosuly just read it.
took me about a week.
i already knew a lot about thrifting from the ten plus years i did it before i even joined Sf and i still learned a lot.

Originally Posted by Xenos

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^^^ Seconded. Dyeing shoes? That sounds interesting. Never thought about it before. Cost? Pics?

theres a guy in this thread who did it himelf and it looked great,i forget who it was.
he used acetate (nail polish) to remove and then applied store bought dye.
if hes reading this im sure he will speak up,nice guy he sent me the whole process in detail but i dont have it anymore

nice pics casmir,very pro looking especially the belts.
and that check book from giorgio looks buttery soft
is there anything sexier then a good leather?

Originally Posted by alfair

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Hey Guys, first post so please bear with me ~College student and newbie

. I have been reading a good portion of this thread the past couple of days and decided to try it out today for the first time. Reading and actually doing are much different I realized haha. I would like to share what I did purchase and what I did not actually buy but am curious to find out if I should. Actual Purchases: Ties: 6 total, paid $2 each 1) 100% Silk paco rabanne Paris, Made in Italy 2) Carlos Devenezia, Hand Made/Made in China, 100% silk 3) Ralph Lauren Green Label Hand finished, cotton/silk 4) GB Hand Made in China 100% poly... Liked the color (solid brown) but don't think it's great designer wise if that makes sense 5) Stafford << Nice tie but same as #4 6) Hand Made in China Geoffrey Beene 100% Silk Shirts: 2 total, paid $5 each 1) Falconnable 2) Hickey Freeman Sportscoats/Orphaned Suit Jacket: 3 total, 2 that fit 1 for sale I guess?, Paid $8 each 1) (The one that doesn't fit) Made in Italy Canali proposta 100% Cashmere James 2)Made in USA Hand Tailored Tailor Wiggins Kawamangh's Baltimore 3) University Club by Ralph Lauren Made in USA $49 or so total ____ Things that I did not purchase but do have sincere questions about. Ties: Feelings about Pierre Cardin, TKS, Robert Talbot, Oscar de la Renta couture, cparlo palazzi, Sportscoats/Orphans: Nino cerruti, Forrali Made in Italy, Phillipe Laurent, Viero Richii, Basile made in Italy Random: Villa Monti Millano Sky Blue 4 button complete suit, Cambridge collection carltons 100% camel hair Shirts: Falconnable, LL Bean, J Crew, Merona, Joseph Abboud, Robert Talbott Thank you and I apologize for the length of my first post. Sincerely appreciate the help.
Welcome aboard. It really depends on what you're doing. Are you doing this to build up your wardrobe or upgrade an existing wardrobe? If you're building up your wardrobe and if the stuff looks good on you (fits well and isn't dated), then you did well. If you're upgrading, then it really depends on what you have right now that you want to replace. To be honest, there isn't a thing in the list of stuff I would have purchased. It's all stuff that members on another forum I'm on refer to as TUC (The Usual Crap). Stuff you constantly see in thrift stores. If I had a nickel for every Stafford or Geoffery Beene tie I've seen, I'd be a millionaire. 1) Don't buy because of the label (unless it's Brioni, Kiton, RLPL, etc). I've seen tons of ugly Talbott, Polo, Hickey Freeman, Canali & Zegna stuff. 2) Make sure the stuff isn't dated. You'll look silly wearing a super low gorge orphaned suit jacket from 1986. 3) Look stuff over carefully before purchase. Many thrifts don't accept returns, and if you're not careful, you could end up with a dress shirt that has a non-removable ink stain or a sweater with a huge hole. 4) Learn to inspect for quality. Just because it says "Made in Italy" doesn't mean it isn't garbage. Spotting hand stitching, feeling for canvassing, being able to tell fabrics just from touch, etc will help you a lot out on the field. 5) Don't rush into it. Unless you need to build up a dressy wardrobe up in a week, take it slow. Don't throw money away on garbage. Looking back, I've thrown away hundreds and hundreds of dollars on junk that I just ended up giving away or re-donating after I became more picky and thought to myself "Why in the hell did I buy this". 6) As Frenchy pointed out, read through this thread. If not the whole thing, at least 20-40 pages worth. You'll learn labels, makers, see photos and learn techniques on everything from stain removal to polishing up second hand shoes. You'll also learn about stuff not to grab.

Some things I like lately in this thread:

• The trend towards lists with boldface headings. It helps me keep track of key principles.

Hey guys, thank you for the help. I've been reading since pg. 500 or so up till now more or less. After evaluating my purchases I've decided that I was happy overall with everything except the ties. Out of the 6 ties, I think I will keep 3. Overall my current wardrobe is standard college guy? (Polo, HF, Perry Ellis etc.) so for me it's about buying some things that I don't really have at all or higher quality basics such as shirts.

Originally Posted by frenchy

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nice pics casmir,very pro looking especially the belts.
and that check book from giorgio looks buttery soft

is there anything sexier then a good leather?

I second Frenchy's comments. The wallet and belts look beautiful! Also loving those pearl links. I need to get a pair of those.

Looking forward to the shoe Appreciation

Originally Posted by alfair

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Hey guys, thank you for the help. I've been reading since pg. 500 or so up till now more or less. After evaluating my purchases I've decided that I was happy overall with everything except the ties. Out of the 6 ties, I think I will keep 3. Overall my current wardrobe is standard college guy? (Polo, HF, Perry Ellis etc.) so for me it's about buying some things that I don't really have at all or higher quality basics such as shirts.

I'm also a second year in college, this thread has helped me so much with what I pick up. Read it all!

Part 2, shoe Appreciation.

Not all of these are fantastic finds, some are fairly worn in reality. I included them because I like pretty pictures of shoes. Most of these are pretty awesome though, and in no way represent the normal level of quality I find in thrift stores (I found these over a period of months).

Just received a vintage Dremel electric shoe polisher from eBay yesterday. Wasn't sure how much I'd like it, but I got to tell you, I love it. It may not be as perfect as hand polishing for hours with perfect technique. But I never felt I was very good at polishing shoes anyway, and this gets the job done in minutes.

Many of these have already been, or will be, put on ebay (too bad I don't get so lucky with shoes in my size)

Interestingly enough I don't use a tripod, it's funny how similar of an angle most of these shots are taken at. I guess that is what always looks good to me through the view finder.

Roughly in order of awesomeness
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J.Crew white bucks



Four pairs of misc Allen Edmonds.






Alden's



Alden for Brooks Brothers, worn lightly maybe once or twice, basically mint. Already sold.



Polo Ralph Lauren - made in England



Polo Ralph Lauren - made in Italy



Allen Edmonds Shell Cordovan MacNeils. Love this brown shell. These were actually an ebay purchase for myself (quite the bargain though), but didn't fit around my toes very comfortably so I recently sold them to a new owner.







OK, are you ready? I saved the best for last. I've seen a lot of shell Florsheim's, I've even owned 2 pairs myself. But, they are always plain old #8 color. Nothing like that ever prepared me for a color or patina like this...
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F***ers look like mahogany, not the rare shell color, but like actual stained wood. It was a ***** to get the effect accurately photographed, they look a little better in person I think, but this picture is a pretty decent view of them.

PM on the cordovan wings and monks!

Wow, those Florsheims are awesome! Not keeping them? What size are they? Very cool.

PM sent.

Alfair,

The only item on your list which I would consider buying was the Hickey-Freeman shirt, and that is just a maybe. When in doubt, don't buy. Everybody buys too much stuff in the beginning. Be patient.

Research, research, research. Learn what is in demand so you can buy it even if it isn't in your size and flip for a profit. Learn what brands are prevalent in your area. I have only seen 1 piece of Kiton and 1 piece of Brioni in 3+ years of thrifting. I see lots of Brooks Brothers, Norman Hilton, Bill's Khakis and vintage wingtips. Decent double sole wingtips are common in this area and are always an easy flip. One area is different from others. Study yours.

Learn how to identify shell cordovan shoes. This skill is valuable.

Learn how to remove stains. There is an old post by VMan which gives a good method.

Don't buy marginal stuff. Little hole? Leave it. Little stain? Leave it unless it is dirt cheap AND you think you can remove it. Orphan suit coat? Leave it, unless it is a top brand AND a workable pattern as an odd jacket.

Inspect items closely, in the store and before you pay. When you find something you want to buy, keep physical control of it. Don't leave it on the rack with the plan of coming back to get it in a few minutes

Originally Posted by CasmirRadon

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Part 2, shoe Appreciation.

Originally Posted by CasmirRadon

Click to expand...

Originally Posted by CasmirRadon

Click to expand...

Part 2, shoe Appreciation.

Not all of these are fantastic finds, some are fairly worn in reality. I included them because I like pretty pictures of shoes. Most of these are pretty awesome though, and in no way represent the normal level of quality I find in thrift stores (I found these over a period of months).

Just received a vintage Dremel electric shoe polisher from eBay yesterday. Wasn't sure how much I'd like it, but I got to tell you, I love it. It may not be as perfect as hand polishing for hours with perfect technique. But I never felt I was very good at polishing shoes anyway, and this gets the job done in minutes.

Which model Dremel polisher did you get?I had a Sharper Image polisher that I was using until I came across a Dremel,needless to say I haven't used the SI since.I paid $3 at a yard sale and it had 2 new pairs of bonnets.Nice score on some Epic Florsheims!

Some more advice, from a beginning thrifter, that I haven't seen covered yet in this week's round of How To Thrift posts:

1) Find out the store's distribution style. The Salvation Army stores in my area put out what that store gets. This means their stock is consistently lower quality, in my experience. The Goodwills ship everything to a centralized location, and then redistribute to all the stores. This means that good and bad are pretty thoroughly mixed. It also means that the GW on the edge of town is just as likely to have that Isaia Napoli sportcoat as the one right in the middle of downtown.

2) Find out when stores put new items out. For example, the SAs in my area put new items out on Thursdays. Most of the time, if you get there before lunch, new items will be on mobile racks and not yet mixed in w/ old stock. This makes for easy picking, for you and for everybody else. The Goodwills in my area get shipments ever morning but Sundays and put things out every day, all day. Which leads me to my next point...

3) Don't be afraid to go frequently You are not the only one who's there several times a week; you are not the only one who swings by on the way to work; you are not the only one who knows what days new items are put out. Cheap things make people do crazy things, so there will always be someone weirder than you that the staff have to deal with on a more frequent basis. For example, there's a tiny Asian man with a funny, high-pitched voice that goes to the GW near me. I see him probably once a week. Every time I see him, he's crouched on the ground, between the men's knitwear and men's pants rack, trying on clothes. Shirts AND pants. In the aisle. Every time, the staff come tell him to stop ripping tags off clothing, and escort him out of the store. He protests while taking his sweet time changing back into his original clothes, complaining that he was going to buy them all, really, and is eventually marched out. Don't be that guy and you probably won't even get noticed.

Originally Posted by CasmirRadon

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F***ers look like mahogany, not the rare shell color, but like actual stained wood. It was a ***** to get the effect accurately photographed, they look a little better in person I think, but this picture is a pretty decent view of them.

Were these like this IN STORE, or have you given 'em a polishing post-purchase?