Thrifting

[CJJ]

Well I was on my way to a thrift store and I got sidetracked by a Nordstrom Rack... I found a blue cotton blazer discounted from $295 to $19.95. It fit a little weird in the shoulders but the on site tailor was there and said that he could fix that for $20. He said apply for a Nordstrom card and you get $100 worth of alterations a year... I took the good man's advice and for $22.50 got me a knew tailored jacket.


I know it isnt Thrifting but that a pretty good deal in my book.

[nicholascrawford]

That sounds like cheating the system!

[CJJ]

@ Nick, I see it as working the system my brother, working the system.

[laxattackdog]

How often do you guys see any blazers/suits(let alone something decent) in a 36S or 36R? I've gone to thrifts every once and a while over the last few years and I almost never see anything below 40R.

[mystix]

Lax, I am currently at 1 for 50.


I have seen 3 jackets after like 50-60 visits to 7 different stores. I live in Metro Toronto which is a fairly large city. I am about to just give up thrifting and just check out ebay/forums.

[trash]

I've never seen a 36 in the (admittedly few times) I've checked out thrifts. Not sure if it's because it's just not a common size, or it's so common that anything in that size is grabbed very quickly.

[laxattackdog]

I'm pretty sure there aren't many because the majority of people who should be 36 have been sold 38 or 40 suits.

[LesserBlackDog]

I encounter jackets that "fit" me (I'm a 36) on a relatively regular basis. Not necessarily every time I go thrifting, but often. And, of course, when it rains, it pours.


Of the jackets that technically fit, however, many are in poor condition, have moth damage, are too boxy and don't seem to be worth tailoring, etc. I've been thrifting seriously for maybe 3-4 months now and have acquired 3 really good blazers, and 2 that are just "ok."


Culture and geography may play a role. I live in a notably fit community in a notably fit state - there are lots and lots of skinny people here. We also have lots of high-paid professionals, but not many other people interested in dressing well, so I don't have a lot of competition for high-end menswear.

[LesserBlackDog]

P.S. For those of you who shop at Savers/Value Village, I think some or most locations have a 50% off Presidents Day sale tomorrow, but if you're a member you can get the 50% discount today (I'm about to head there now).

[chern]

Went to Savers this morning and only got a few things:


- Gentree of New Haven navy DB overcoat. This thing is a goddamn tank, was made locally and will last for years. A woman I was talking was amazed it was there; said it retails for $300-400 usually.

- Bert Pulitzer cotton oxford in a pretty cool pattern: blue, white, purplish plaid thing and fits perfectly

- two books: Killing Pablo and Einstein's Dreams. I'm not really sure what the latter is about, but seems really interesting for a buck


and I've never seen so much Brooks Brothers in my life. Almost every third shirt I saw was BB.

[nicholascrawford]

I'm a 36 like BenR (really a 36L, compromising with 38R or MTM), and I've found perfect fitting 39R and 38R jackets that even covered my bum and had long enough sleeves. It's totally worth looking and trying things on, even if they're tagged as a larger size.


I've been to a thrift store 4 times in my life and have found well-fitting jackets as a 36L about 3 of those 4 times.

[LesserBlackDog]

@ Nicholas - Yup, one of the jackets I've found that fit me was a 37. Another was a 38. I've tried on at least one or two 36's that were too big. I even tried on a jacket marked 44 that fit once, but it was Italian and I'm pretty sure it was just some completely wacky sizing system. I tend to gauge jacket sizes based on how they fit on a hangar, rather than looking for a size marking. A lot of jackets don't even have sizes marked.


Anyway, I hit up the 50% Savers sale today and found A SUIT! WOO! First thrifted suit! Finding a suit is a double-whammy of difficulty for me because I'm a size 36R AND I need bigger trousers than the standard 36R suit will have. These trousers fit (barely) but are tight, so I'm going to have my tailor let them out and maybe taper the legs. I love the color - charcoal glen check with a subtle red, blue, and green accents. The suit isn't branded, per se, but bears the logo of one of the now-defunct, high-end menswear stores that used to be around here.


Other stuff I got:

-A paisley Western-style shirt, just for fun

-Polo shirt

-Fitted t-shirt (you can never have too many)

-Tie

-Hangers (plastic ones... going to put my shirts on them so I can free up my wood hangers for other things)

-Pint glass

-Crystal decanter


For a grant total of $28. And they gave me a free tote bag since I spent more than $25.

[jonATL]

Anyone need a canali suit?

[nicholascrawford]

Nice haul, BenR!

[greg_s]

Found a store with great stuff but man it was pricey. I found a fantastic 100% cashmere plaid oxxford blazer, but they wanted $130. Ended up finding a great price on an Ermenegildo Zegna tie.