Feast Or Famine

In thrift shopping, the most basic clothing items are often the most elusive. Odd as it may seem, you're often more likely the find unusual things than stalwart basics. With men's clothing, the basic items still get worn, and as such tend not to survive until the time comes to donate them. I have written on this topic before, and in my experience no garment has been harder to come by than a standard grey suit.

The classic grey suit had been so hard to find, in fact, that a few years ago when offered the chance to try custom through Imparali Tailors in New York, I immediately had one done up in charcoal grey in a year round weight wool. The suit has some minor points in the details that aren't entirely right, due mostly to my own miscommunication with the tailor, but in general I've been happy with that suit.

Then, in the past few months, the flood gates opened, and three other standard grey suits of excellent quality managed to find their way to me, each through a thrift channel of one kind or another. On the left we have the most recent acquisition, a mid grey tic weave in lightweight worsted with a ticket pocket and forward pleated trousers by Polo, from the heyday of USA production, had for $34.99 via ebay. In the center, a slightly heavier suit with a nailhead weave, also with forward pleats, by Paul Stuart, another ebay find, this one was $40. On the end, a heavy but soft flannel from the Andover Shop, gotten through trade with someone who bought it at a thrift shop. And that's not to mention the two suits I have in grey pinstripe, one for Summer and one for Winter.

Patience really is a virtue, especially so in thrift shopping. If you can only bide your time, every famine will be rewarded with a feast....eventually.

Thrifting Strategy: Ralph to the Rescue

Go ahead, sit down. Some of you are not gonna like this...

Let's begin with an old style AAW run-down of the days ensemble focusing on the crass subject of the low prices I paid for all of it, you know, like I used to do in the old days: Navy pinstriped double breasted suit, recently acqured from ebay, $30; Brooks Brothers point collar shirt, $5.49; Robert Talbott tie, trade; Albert Thurston bright orange braces, new-in-box (not pictured), trade;

and a pair of black tassel loafers by W.S. Foster and Sons of London, $9.99. Total cost of outfit= $45.48.

This suit represents the end of a long trip for me. After all, I'd been wanting the very suit for about twenty years, since the first time I laid eyes on it as a teenager in the 90s. To be sure, I thankfully no longer desire most of the same things I did as a teenager, but this particular cut of Polo suit has stayed the course. Readers may remember my excitement a while back at having also acquired a navy blazer in the same cut.

Soft shoulders, some drape in the chest, and the inimitable wide, knife sharp Ralph lapel.

And of course the 6x4 double breasted front with the option to be worn at either point, a detail I have never seen on any other make of jacket. Even the staunchest of Ralph's detractors will have to admit that there is some excellent attention to detail in the better  American and Italian made lines form Polo.

Forward pleated trousers, standard issue for Ralph in those days. People like to hate on the dude, but back then the only other place offering forward pleats outside of Britain was the Andover Shop, Yes, it's true, Charlie and Ralph have things in common. In fact, for as much as Charlie likes to rail on Ralph and his minions, a complaint I fully understand, I have heard him say the Ralph and Julia Child are responsible for rescuing American middle class taste in the 1970s. I'm inclined to agree. I've spoken in Ralph's defense here before. An entire generation may have grown up with no knowledge at all of good clothing and French cooking. To think of it.

I can remember being sixteen years old and seeing ads like this one in my Dad's copies of GQ, back before that magazine had become the complete cartoon it is now. And I wanted that suit so bad, but they were expensive. Even when they turned up at Filene's Basement (the real one) they were pricey, and besides, what business does some punk-ass teenager have wearing a pinstriped suit just for the hell of it? Talk about pretension. I suppose it went hand in hand with my underage preference for Dewar's or Johnnie Walker over cans of Natural Ice. Damn, I must have been an annoying kid. All of which brings me to my point.

Thrift shopping is of course a random and haphazard thing, but if you keep at it long enough, trends begin to emerge. Just as there are current trends in clothing, such is also the case in thrift shops, the only difference being that you'll see the trends of the past. Much of what you'll find tends to be fifteen or twenty years old, with the oldest things reaching back about fifty years. There are of course exceptions, and you may find brand new items with tags or true antiques.

A lot of whats out there now is from the 90s, and a lot of that is as dated and ugly as you might imagine. But in a time when adults first began to dress wholeheartedly like children, Polo was one of the only mass market brands producing better quality clothing in cuts and styles that don't look dated today, and there's a lot of it. Sure, there's still Brooks and Press to be found, but if we're going to survive the impending "dark times" in the thrift shops, it will largely be Polo that gets us through. Then we can breathe a sigh of relief when the young men of today who were fortunate enough to be a part of the current menswear renaissance begin to donate they're old clothes. 

You can wear well made nicely tailored and styled second hand Ralph, or else wear Armani with an absurdly low buttoning point, massive shoulders, no vent and lapel gorge set two inches too low. The choice is yours.

Thrifty Kids, part 4

Lands' End blazer, new with tags ($79.50), $5.99, Polo green tennis shirt, $1.99, Children's Place khakis, $3.99, boat shoes, $4.99

The other day, I had to meet someone for a brief interview at the Shop. The meeting was in the afternoon, and I had the kids in tow. I told them we would go out to lunch at the local taqueria, and that afterwards I needed them to be good and quiet for just a little while so I could talk to another grown-up. When I got dressed in a jacket and tie to meet said grown-up, both children insisted in dressing in kind. The Girl was happy to wear a cute sun dress. The Boy actually argued for a proper shirt and tie, until I assured him that khakis and a tennis shirt with a navy blazer was perfectly acceptable for a warm afternoon in late Summer. Begrudgingly, he finally agreed.

Bare ankles and boat shoes are, of course, de rigeuer. Like father, like son.

New Life for Old Shirts

This shirt is an old favorite, and clearly it has seen its fair share of use. The collar and cuffs are badly frayed, as are the tips of the collar, and the shirt has shrunk with repeated washing. As much as I don't mind, or even revel in, some proper wear and tear, I must admit that this garments time has come. Having seen the end of its usefulness, donation to the thrift shops is no longer an option. I suppose I could use it as a dust cloth or something. However...

By simply cutting a 16" square out of the back panel, with a little creative folding we have a quick-and-dirty pocket square. Recycling is cool.

Teaser(s)

It's just what it looks like: an entire L.L.Bean "Boat n Tote" filled to the brim with excellent quality neckties and bow ties, over a hundred in all, from our favorite consigner here at AAW. All top quality from brands such as Polo, RL Purple Label, Robert Talbott and Facconable, to name a few. We've also got some barely worn shoes by Alden and Leffot. Available at the Davis Flea this Sunday, 29 July, 10-4.

In other news...

I am honored to announce that I have been selected as the July judge for Thrift Store Runway, as non-profit website whose mission is to promote recycling through thrift shopping. There's still plenty of time to enter, and the rules are simple:  show them an outfit that exhibits great style for $50 or less. I'll be choosing five winners, each will receive a $500 prize! Time to let all that thrifty living pay off a little. Enter here.