NSV x Keikari

Keikari recently interviewed Zach De Luca of Newton Street Vintage. While it may seem odd for me to push for someone who is basically a competitor, Zach is a good friend and has plenty of insightful things to say about style, tradition, thrift shopping, and dressing well. Read the article here.

Horse Trading

In Zach's first half of this post, he writes of the serendipity that is crucial to successful thrift shopping. I've often written of the virtues of patience when it comes to this stuff. For me, the trade we dealt last Winter of two "different but the same" polo coats involves a good deal of both.

When I found the polo coat that eventually found its way to Zach, I was happy. I had wanted a classic polo coat since high school, when I first learned what one was. At the time, I was heavily obsessed with 1930s/40s dress up, and the polo coat had all the details to match. Its a testament to the classic styling of the coat that no matter how my tastes varied with time, my desire to have one never waned. I paid thrift store premium for the coat, and wore it a few times, but was never more than 98% happy with it, and not exactly sure why. Then it hit me.

The coat I had lusted after these twenty years wasn't just a polo coat, it was the Polo polo coat, as seen here. Ralph Lauren was in top for in the early 90s, when ads like this were running ( note the correct fit of the clothing. This was before designers were locked in a death race to make the smallest, tightest version of everything). The style was impeccable, the quality was great, and most of the stuff was being made domestically. Unfortunately for a guy like me, the prices reflected all this. But I was hooked. Only last year I had managed to acquire the equivalent double breasted navy blazer, and I'd waited twenty years for the coat. What was another Winter or two? I let Zach know I had a nice coat that might fit him, and he replied with the news that he had a polo coat too, one that might be better suited to me than it was to him.

So lo and behold, there it was! The actual coat I'd been thinking of all this time, an actual early 1990s USA made Polo polo coat. The one I'd found had a trimmer cut, in keeping with its likely early 1960s provenance; this one is fuller, with softer tailoring and a mid-calf length, details I find fitting on a coat like this.

Ralph's classic wide, knife sharp lapel, and big fat seams and edges,

Big mailbox pockets and wide turn back cuffs, with a 6x3 button stance that has clearly been rolled to the center button. 6x3::6x2, there we go again with nerdy numerical codes

A wide half belt pulled just tight enough to create soft draped folds in the back.

We agreed to a trade and both walked away happy. We didn't discuss what either of us had paid for our half of the deal, because in the end it doesn't matter. Each of us found something we wanted for a price that was more than fair, and each of us was left with a tiny pang of elusive regret, but we both came away with something better.

Having friends who are hopelessly obsessed with thrift stores as you are helps you cast a net that is exponentially wider when you consider things for their trade value. Just make sure that none of your friends are exactly your size.

Horse Trading

Welcome to a new semi-regularly series called "Horse Trading". Zach of Newton Street Vintage and I  have a bad habit of trading most of our best things with each other, and this series will feature two part posts by each of us discussing the same trade. The first installment deals a very unseasonal polo coat, but it's a good place to start as it illustrates the only time where we both traded for different version of the same garment. Zach's post follows below, mine will come soon.

When Giuseppe and I team up for the markets, the wheeling and dealing starts before the clothes even leave the van. Actually, the wheeling and dealing usually starts while the clothes are being loaded into the van. Two clothes-mad menswear obsessives, a truck load of good vintage clothes, an East Cambridge old-man dive bar serving dollar 'Gansett, all the variables in the equation point to some serious sartorial commodities trading, and by "commodities" I mean stuff that 99% of the world considers old junk.

But if you're like us, and you know that the thrill of second-hand clothing involves a degree of serendipity that can't be found by throwing money around in retail chains, then you'll know that the art of the clothing trade is more than just a swap; it involves careful consideration of all the ways in which these clothes have value.

Before I wax too poetic about this I'll set the stage. G and I show up for the White Eagle Bazaar (at the aforementioned East Cambridge old-man dive bar) wearing nearly identical polo coats, both of which we thrifted, and neither of which were quite right for their wearers. Mine was an 80's  USA-Made Polo Ralph polo coat, with all the details that make a polo coat a polo coat, and big, broad sweeping peaked lapels that I love about all things Ralph does with peaked lapels. Trouble was, the sleeves were a bit short and it was a bit big through the middle. 

Giuseppe's coat was of older vintage, 60's Filene's, with with almost all the same details, only slightly shorter in the body than my Ralphie, with more conservative peaked lapels that curved with a bit more "belly" than Ralph's broad, straight peak. The Filene's also had a hooked vent, which I found to be a nice nod to 60s Ivy without looking too much like period costume.

Our usually frantic pre-market set-up was put on hold while we took turns trying on the coats and weighing the ins and outs of a potential trade. They both had roughly equivalent resale value, but Giuseppe's Filene's coat had more history to it. I liked the lapels on the Ralph but found the length on the Filene's to be better. The hooked vent was speaking to me, a detail that I hadn't seen on polo coats before. It came down to a matter of fit, and in the end G and I both came away with coats that fit us better than the ones we walked in with.

words and photos by Zachary De Luca

Another Man's Clothes

People often ask me "doesn't it bother you to wear another man's clothes?", or coarser still "how can you wear a dead guy's things?" The answers are respectively "No", and "with great pleasure".

A while back, I acquired a truly beautiful navy blazer through a trade, and it quickly become a staple and a favorite. Originally found by good friend Zach, it was hand made in New York of very fine cashmere for a man who just so happened to be built exactly like me, with perhaps slightly longer arms. Mere weeks later, the above jacket surfaced. It's the same coat, down to every detail, only this time rendered in a large scale glen check with blue accents, also cashmere. The fit you see here is "as is".Incredible.Once again, found by Zach and acquired through trade.

Ticket pocket and two button cuffs, with side vents...

with not black, but smoke blue buttons to bring out the blue accents in the check. This thing is for real.

Once again, by Virgil Carducci of Fifth Avenue. The name remains a mystery.

So,I guess when such a thing happens, one can only assume that some fellow has died and his things are now being cast away by family members. It's very likely. I can fully understand why many people would find this to be a bit creepy, I get it. But I choose to believe that the kind of man who commissions such garments to be made would be happier to see them in use than be quarantined simply because the original purchaser has passed on. What good can come of that, really? Whoever he was, both he and Virgil put a lot of soul into these jackets, and I'm happy to keep them alive. There really is no need to be morbid about it, is there?

Frankly, I'll be thrilled if his suits start turning up  soon.I bet (hope) they have forward pleats.

p.s. Spring goods trickling in to the Shop. Silk jackets have begun to post today.

Painting With a Broad Stroke

The Suit Room has had some things to say lately. Both of his last two pieces, one on the virtues of being traditional without being rules-bound, and the other on the merits of thrift, resonate well with what I try to do here at An Affordable Wardrobe. He doesn't write much, but when he does it's worth reading.

Keeping Warm, English and Italian Style

My apologies for my recent absence. After plenty of time burning the candle at both ends, a fella runs out of gas and needs some rest. Time to turn in early and hide out for a bit, keeping warm under a vintage blanket:

Hudsone Bay Comapny Point Blanket, possibly 1940s

so soft, so warm, found by Mrs. G., the inveterate blanket expert, less than $10

Wacky, sexy, Italian movies of the early 1960s, especially the ones starring Sophia Loren, provide welcome entertainment for a guy who is both obsessed with old stuff and actually Italian:

p.s. I've also been plenty busy preparing for the upcoming White Eagle Bazaar. If you live around Boston, don't miss it.

AAW x NSV

An Affordable Wardrobe and Newton Street Vintage,

together again

at the White Eagle Bazaar, Saturday, 1 December, Noon till 5pm

Polish American Club, 747 Cambridge Street, Cambridge MA

Top Shelf Flea Market 6 Today!

Sunday 21 October 2012

George Dilboy VFW Post 529

371 Summer Street, Davis Square, Somerville, MA

Noon till 5pm

As usual, an excellent collection from a great group of vendors.
If you live in the Boston area, drop by. We'd love to see you.

Worth Every Penny : Newton Street Vintage

Zach of Newton Street Vintage and I make a pretty good team when it comes to putting together a 10x10 pseudo shop under a tent in a parking lot.

Evidence of this fact can be found in the fact that the two of us can't work together without either one taking home some piece of the other guys stash. Sometimes we buy, sometimes we trade, but we never walk away from one another empty handed. This outing proved no different, as I found myself making room for what may be the best cold weather suit I've owned yet:

Trad/Ivy/Preppy authentic, well-curated vintage heritage Americana, or whatever the semantics police would have us call it now, is played in spades in this old charcoal pinstripe suit. Natural, nearly un-padded shoulders, no darts, 3/2 roll...all the details, all rendered in the kind of thick but soft sturdy cloth that barely exists anymore in the world of ready made clothing.

The extra high third buttonhole, right in line with the breast pocket, age this one solidly in the late 1950s/ early 1960s. The stripes are not-quite-white. That's a huge bonus for me. I rarely wear black shoes, and will likely never wear this business suit in a business setting, so those tan stripes ought to work nicely with my near fetishistic collection of brown shoes, most especially cordovan longwings and tassel loafers.

Despite the weight of the cloth, the coat is "skeleton lined" only at the shoulders. The more I learn about clothing, the less I appreciate a fully lined jacket.

A note on button holes: the best of the old jackets had four button holes, evenly spaced. Don't forget that the coveted "3/2 roll" is a derivative of the old tunic cut military uniforms, not just a fashion detail. Note also how the buttons are sewn on a full half inch from the edge of the coat.  This is a sturdy garment meant to last a long time, not a fashionable thing meant to work for a year or two. Likely 60 years old, I just got it, and intend to see at least ten Winters use from it. No doubt I will.

The previous owner had the pants let out...all the way out...so much so that some extremely talented tailor in the alterations department built this gusset in the back from scrap cloth rescued from elsewhere in the suit. I'll have them taken in, but it's almost a shame to destroy that gusset.

From, as you may by now have guessed, the High Holy Brothers, back when the Brothers were all High and Holy.

As I stated at the start, I got this one in trade, for a bottle green blazer by J. Press, a vintage tweed jacket, and a pair of tan gabardine slacks with side tabs and forward pleats by Ralph Lauren Purple Label. Fair enough. Had I paid the $125 it was priced, it still would have been worth every penny.  Think of the kind of junk you would have to settle for on sale at Marshall's for that price.
Vintage clothing, whether found for pennies at a thrift shop or bought at a fair price from a well respected seller, is usually worth every penny.

The Davis Flea

The Ghost of Fred, Again

The ghost of our man Fred Astaire is perhaps an ever looming presence when one is writing about menswear. Occasionally, he manifests himself especially clearly. I can't help but think of him any time white tie and tails is mentioned.

On 8 May, I posted an album of photos of a vintage 1930s full suit of evening wear, tailcoat and trousers. I also said that it would be posted here for auction in the coming week. Well, two and a half months later here it is:

A beautifully cut piece in excellent condition for its age. My best educated guess puts this garment in the late 1930s/ early 1940s, back when there were still a fair number of men who had occasion to wear full evening dress. The chest measures just over 20 inches across, and will fit a man who normally wears a 40 long, with the tails falling just to the knee on a man of about 6 feet. Sleeves measure 26 inches, shoulders 19 across.



Beautifully constructed with a nipped waist, curved back seams and pleated tails. This is the most complicated piece of menswear outside of military dress uniforms to see any regular use in the last hundred years or so, and truly an excellent example of the category.

Note the hooked vent, a traditional detail on such a coat and an indicator of it's age.

Complex darting and seam work typical of a close fitting "body jacket", expertly executed.

Broad peaked lapels faced in old fashioned thickly corded grosgrain silk. The wool is jet black and fairly thick, almost the weight of a smooth flannel. Not a piece to buy now and wear tomorrow, but a real stunner come New Year's Eve, or just for the opera and theatre season.

The trousers measure 16 inches across the waist, fitting a 33/34 inch waist. They have a very high 15 inch rise, which keeps them in line with the short waist of the jackets front. Double pleated, elegantly full cut through the legs, plain hems (of course), 32 inch inseam with up to 2 inches to let down.  Held up by braces attached to the outside of the waist band.



Button fly closure,

About an inch of fabric to be had in waist,



Matching grosgrain silk stripe down the outseam,

From Richman Brothers, a long gone shop formerly located on Madison Avenue that specialized in formal wear.

I'll be accepting bids on this suit via email at anaffordablewardrobe@yahoo.com throughout the week. So if you're tall and thin, and you have any reason at all to wear such a thing, make me an offer. The last time I had such a thing for sale, it came to a showdown between a concert pianist and a professional tap dancer. Maybe this time we can get a violin player and a magician...or at least someone clothes mad with enough dash to pull it off. Happy bidding!

This could be you.....

24 July 2012 : SOLD That one went up quick, and the bidding is now closed. Thank you one and all for your interest. Congratulations, Mr. D.N. Wear it in good health.

p.s. for a full range of much easier to wear items in a range of sizes, don't forget to visit our booth at the Davis Flea this Sunday, 29 July, 10a.m.-4 p.m.

AAW x NSV...Again

Once again, the unstoppable partnership of An Affordable Wardrobe and Newton Street Vintage makes a live appearance:

An Affordable Wardrobe...

and Newton Street Vintage.

Together again at the Davis Flea, Sunday 29 July, 10am till 4 pm. Be there or be a hippie.

Calling It: Paisley Ties

 Designer Valentino Garavani, stylish Italian guy,

Journalist Vittorio Feltri, stylish Italian guy,

Mr. De Luca, of Newton Street Vintage and recently, the Andover Shop, stylish Italian guy,

A current personal favorite, 1990s Polo,

 and the Brooks Brothers shirt I like to wear with it.

Nostalgia fashion, or the trend of reviving clothing styles from the past, follows the same cycles as current fashion, on a thirty year delay. This is largely because thrift shops tend to be full of things that go back thirty years or so, generally speaking, and the hip, young and iconoclastic like to find beauty and irony in the detritus of the past. In the 1970s, thrift shops were full of clothes from the 1940s, wide legs, striped suits, wide lapels, and dramatic cuts. Current fashions of the times co-opted the basic ideas. In the eighties, when the thrift shops were bursting with the kind of 1950s American clothes that fetch high ticket "antique" prices these days, we had the Stray Cats and Happy Days, and so on and so forth. While it's true that I may have been harping on the impending 1990s fashion nostalgia trend, the 1990s were thirty years ago, and I can see what kind of stuff is flooding the thrift shops these days.

The young and hip will take it to the hilt, embracing not only the trend itself but its very ugliest underbelly, in an effort to be "new". The old will scoff and moan, wail and gnash their teeth, and resist as hard as they can. Those in the middle will take it apace, accept the best of it, like the return of pleated plants and paisley, especially big, saturated, boldly printed paisley, and allow drops of it to infiltrate their wardrobe, thereby adding new life to the old pieces with...new old pieces.

Stylish Italian guys everywhere said so. We called it. Shotgun!



Gone to Market

see you there!

Top Shelf Teaser

I apologize for my lack of time spent around these parts this week.  With Top Shelf Flea Market V fast approaching this coming Sunday, I've been in a constant swirl of prep work. Just to whet your appetite, here's a little teaser of what's in store for menswear this time out:

Summer sports coats in every shade of tan, seersucker and silk tweed. Cotton, poplin, vintage and not so vintage, you name it, I've got it. Plenty of old stuff from the Big Three: Brooks Brothers, J.Press, and Andover Shop.

A nice little group of jaunty, lightweight plaid pieces. The muted one, third from the left, is vintage 1960s Abercrombie & Fitch. The mini gingham beside it is also vintage, though it's single breasted, it does look suspiciously like that one from the J.Press x Cremieux collaboration a few years back.

And of course, too many ties to mention.

Not to be outdone, good friend Zach of Newton Street Vintage counters with his own group:

I've got my eye on the navy and gold number.

And it seems I'm not the only one who thinks that intricate broad printed paisley is due for a comeback.

He's got me beat with this fat stack of real bleeding madras shirts....

And these butcher striped shirts are a great bold touch with khakis and a navy blazer, no tie, no socks.

See you at the Flea!