The official thrift/discount store bragging thread

found a pretty recent brioni tie and a turnbull & asser tie and a pair of royal imperial wingtips. the shoes are in great condition but i can see the size anywhere on them. any tips to find out the size?

Originally Posted by MacDaddy

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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!
Can one of you guys post a pic of the shoe polisher? I recall someone posted a buffer drill attachment way back. Wonder if that would do the same job. I am not good in polishing shoes. No patience.

Originally Posted by CasmirRadon

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Holy freaking cow... also wondering if you polished to that or if they came like that. I ask because I have a pair of NOS ET Wrights that came like that, in a slightly less "grainy" appearance. That's really, really, really ridiculous... like the effect a LOT. It'd be a shame to sell them IMO!

Found a cool Norman Hilton SC in 39 R:

A few decent shoe finds this week:
Cole Haan made in Italy horsebit woven loafers, Sz 11
Allen Edmonds black loafers, nearly new, 11.5 D
Allen Edmonds black woven loafers, 8.5 D

Originally Posted by frenchy

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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

Here's my thread on what I did. Not sure if that's what you're thinking of or not.

http://www.styleforum.net/showthread.php?p=3066497

Originally Posted by catside

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Can one of you guys post a pic of the shoe polisher? I recall someone posted a buffer drill attachment way back. Wonder if that would do the same job. I am not good in polishing shoes. No patience.
Ther are a few different models,here's a few pics.I can't comment on the drill buffer without trying it.

I have one of those buffers, but it is a floor mode. Has an "arm" that comes up and you push a button on it by hand. Nice for a quick buff as you are headed out the door.

Originally Posted by Nataku

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1) Don't buy because of the labell...

2) Make sure the stuff isn't dated...

3) Look stuff over carefully before purchase...

4) Learn to inspect for quality...

5) Don't rush into it...

+1000

My comments on his points above:
1)Once you've done this long enough - and you live in a good area for thrifting - things like Polo, Armani, Boss, Ike Behar, Talbott, etc. get passed over unless they are especially nice.
2) Styling is a personal call because the thrifts around here are flooded with pleated slacks and ventless or SB jackets. I'm proudly wearing my $8 Brioni brown flannels and my $14.99 Zegna Su Misura SB cashmere sportcoat today but I know some guys probably wouldn't.
3) This is the most important lesson! Especially early on I would get so excited when I'd find something nice that I'd fail to notice a moth hole, stain, etc. Also think twice about stuff that doesn't fit right or needs repair. An RLPL suit with a moth hole? That I would repair. An Oxxford suit with 2 or 3 small holes? Don't bother, more will come along. Plus, don't do what most of us did and accumulate stuff so quickly that your "needs tailoring" pile becomes worth the price of trip to Paris. Try to always budget for the tailoring needed.
4) that only comes with time and practice.
5) I've been at this for about two years now. In that time I've went from 1-2 department store suits to 20+ suits: Saville Row stuff, Belvest, Brioni, etc. Zegna suits are my "beaters". When I read that from the guys on here when I first started I had no idea I could find the same. if anything, try to take it slow because once you get to our stage you need so little that it begins to lose some of its earlier thrill.

Good luck!

Originally Posted by CasmirRadon

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Part 2, shoe Appreciation....

Polo Ralph Lauren - made in Italy

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...

Well, I WAS going to post pics of my recent shoe finds but I have been officially OWNED!

Originally Posted by CasmirRadon

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Holy crap...everything there is better than anything I have found at a thrift (though my thrifting has fallen off lately) but these are amazing.

I saw an old polisher with the long handle with the power button at the end (so you don't have to bend down) and am kicking myself for not buying it. It wouldn't replace actually putting fresh polish on the shoes and working them by hand but for restoring the shine and removing light scuffs in the morning before heading out the door (I generally don't have time or motivation to dig into my shoe care bag for the brush and work them over in the morning).

Originally Posted by Temujin

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I have one of those buffers, but it is a floor mode. Has an "arm" that comes up and you push a button on it by hand. Nice for a quick buff as you are headed out the door.
You can use them as either floor or bench buffers,the one you have I would only use on the floor.They're basically identical except for the switch location,here's a couple of pics similar to yours.

Originally Posted by Orgetorix

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Here's my thread on what I did. Not sure if that's what you're thinking of or not.

http://www.styleforum.net/showthread.php?p=3066497

Your boots have inspired me to do the same. If I used acetone on black leather, do you think I could dye it a brown or a grey?

Also, where did you buy the dye
and how is this different from cream/polish?

Cheers

Should have known that last pic of the Florsheim's would get people too excited, and I should have posted the size since it is really unlikely that they fit any of you. I'm betting you've never before wished you were a size 12 B right? They looked pretty awesome when I found them, but just for good measure I have given them a reconditioning with Venetian Cream and a decent polish. Let me tell you, I would kill to have shell that looked like that in my size. Good thing it is so far from my size, because otherwise I'd probably try to fake it and end up messing up my feet. I've got a Dremel Diplomat model like the ones MacDaddy posted. It was pretty affordable off the bay (got mine for about $40 shipped). I've used floor models before, and they are interesting, but I like this a lot better. Super easy to use, and great for polishing everywhere on the shoe, not just on the toe and heel (easiest spots by hand). The Beck polisher I used a few times in the past was annoying and would shut off the motor if I used any pressure at all, this Dremel is awesome, nice motel, runs great, and lets me control the pressure on the shoe.

Originally Posted by k4lnamja

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Your boots have inspired me to do the same. If I used acetone on black leather, do you think I could dye it a brown or a grey?

Also, where did you buy the dye
and how is this different from cream/polish?

Cheers

http://www.cobblersupplies.com/servl...Dye/Categories

The blacks I've done are still black.