Goodwill Hunting

As always, I like posting my latest finds for your enjoyment. I haven't had a lot of time since the Fall started to go thrift shopping, but I have gotten lucky on the few times I did manage to go over the semester. Here are some of my favorites from the past couple months, sourced from Goodwill stores, local hospice shops, eBay, and a few other places.

While my recent finds might have originally retailed for as much as $1,750 in total, by shopping in the style of the Thrifty Prep...we now have that money to spend on more booze er, textbooks for Spring semester!

Shown here is a Nicky Milano grenadine tie, an Italian maker esteemed for their high quality neckwear. This one was only $1 for me, but retails for approximately $165.
Also pictured is a eBay BB OCBD I picked up for about $50, and the Southwick jacket I scored a while ago for under $10.

Brooks Brothers Cashmere sweater purchased on eBay. These retail for about $400 when not on sale, so I was happy to snag this one for ~$30. Also pictured, a BB buttondown I found over the summer for $4.

Tie Society Review

I recently had an opportunity to do a review of the tie-rental service, Tie Society. The company operates on a fairly straightforward model-- you subscribe based on how many items you want at a time, create an online "closet" (akin to a Netflix queue), and the ties are sent to and from your residence at no additional cost. 

Contrary to popular belief, this start-up emerged before Taco from "The League" pitched the idea 

Tired of wearing the same old paisley tie to every wedding? Wishing you had that perfect regimental stripe, or perhaps a seasonal tie for Fall/Winter gatherings? Tie Society has you covered. 

Autumn Leaves

It's well into Fall in New England, a time where pastels have been swapped for plaid and beach days for bean boots. Here are a few combinations I've worn over the past few weeks. Expect more photos to come, it's full-on Patagucci season and the colors on campus are getting pretty wild.

Some quick shots:

Land's End OCBD with a Robert Talbott tie

Same sweater, different regiment.

Robert Talbott Repp tie that approximates the BB#4 stripe 

A vintage Orvis tie, worn here with BB shirt and V-neck

The same tie in an orange and green theme for Halloween. PRL sweater and BB gingham shirt

And what are prepsters drinking as the weather gets cold? 

If you can find it, Newport Storm--it packs a punch.

Crikey!

My collection of thrifted (and eBay) crocs from the past year. 

Certainly some of the nicest fabric available for polo shirts.

Spent: $4-12 ea.

Retail: ~$600 

Hitting the Target

So, you might question what a big-box retailer has to do with a blog about traditional style, but Target stores, despite their discount nature, actually, on occasion, have some prep-friendly items. Even prepsters need to buy laundry detergent and clothes hangers from time to time, but on a recent visit I eyed a few items that were actually pretty impressive in their own right.

"At least we're not as terrible as Walmart"

Outlets

Outlet stores are a curious facet of American consumerism. Traditionally, outlet stores or Factory Stores, were connected directly to the merchants factory, as a way to distribute their products directly to customers. Perhaps the best example is the L.L. Bean outlet in the company hometown of Freeport, Maine, which has remained open in the same location since 1917.

From the outside, this looks like a store, but the L.L. Bean outlet is actually the size of a small European nation. 

What has your experience at outlets been? Tell us in the Comments section of this article.

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The Thrifty Prep Guide to Ties

"A well-tied tie is the first serious step in life.”
-- Oscar Wilde

     Ties have been the mark of a well-dressed man for decades, and probably will remain so for years to come. While some see the necktie as the noose of a conformist society around the neck of the free man, and others as incessant fathers-day gifts that are worn maybe once or twice a year, a true gentleman knows how to use ties to their advantage, adding just the right amount of color or pattern to complete a given look.

Truth be told, there are lots of unfortunate ties out there, and as with any part of a wardrobe, there are considerable differences in quality to be aware of as well. In this write up, I'll try to describe the most essential ties for your collection, which brands to look for, how to wear them, and what to wear them with. After reading this article, you should be able to pick up any tie (be it in a department store, thrift store, or your Grandfather's closet, and instantly be able to judge not only the build of the tie, but also the finer qualities and stylistic details that make it special.

Quick access to parts of this guide:

• Materials (The inner-workings)

• The Knot (How to tie)

• Length and Width 

• Styles (Stripes, dots, seahorses)

• Makers (What to look for in a brand)

• How to Buy (At a thrifty price)

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June Finds

Pickings have been fairly slim lately, and I've come up empty handed quite a few times during thrifting adventures. Patience is a virtue however, and I have come up with some great finds in the past month regardless. I've also been checking eBay pretty regularly and a made a couple purchases through there as well. 

Here's the latest acquisitions: 

A Brooks Brothers Fun Shirt . Every prep must own at least (and possibly no more than) one  variation of it.
This particular example is made from two different color stripes, yellow on the front, and blue on the back.
Ebay: $11
Retail: $70?

Preppy Movie Preview: The Royal Tenenbaums

Sure, you may have seen Wes Anderson's 2001 quirky, avant-garde film The Royal Tenenbaums, but the question is, were you paying attention to the costumes? This won't be Anderson's first foray into trad style, as we've seen before in Rushmore, he evidently likes to create characters who lean towards prepdom.

As a estranged, albeit wealthy  family, the Tenenbaums exhibit many elements of preppy style. From camelhair jackets, to numerous suit and tie combinations, quite a few items stuck out to me while watching, so I've screen captured them for review. While each character has his/her own take on dress, overall the details seemed very spot on. Add to the record Moonrise Kingdom, filmed in ocean-side Narraganset Bay and  Jamestown, RI. and you have quite a lot of prep (after taking into account Bill Murray's madras trousers).

The sartorial choices of each character end up being more of a motif than purely costume, but I won't give out any plot spoilers, just photographic evidence of the goods.

Here are a few scenes that grabbed my attention from Royal:

eBay Listings

Started listing some items on eBay. Check here from time to time and snag up some of my thrift finds!
Currently listing:
Brooks Brothers Dress shirts in 15.5
Brooks Brothers Polo shirt (M)
Brooks Brothers Sport shirt (M)

My eBay Store

Thanks for checking it out! I'll be posting additional items here that I pick up while thrifting. Any requests? Comment here and I'll keep an eye out for your hard-to-find item!

A Look Inside J.Press York Street

I was in New York City a few weeks back and had a chance to walk inside the new J.Press York Street store located on 304 Bleecker Street. With the Brooks Brothers launch of  their "Red Fleece" line, York Street seems to be in competition with a niche market for college themed ivy-esque clothes. You could pay the big bucks to outfit yourself here, or get the real thing (Think an O'Connells blazer with a 3/2 button configuration) at a thrift store for $5. The choice is yours!

Just an interesting point however, Ralph Lauren tried this with their 2004 launch of "Rugby, Ralph Lauren" and decided it simply wasn't profitable enough: all 15 of the Rugby stores closed down in February 2013. Possibly not the best indicator but who knows for sure... That being said, Daddy J.Press is a  sweet spot in pretty much every traditionally dressing man's heart, so the new "youthful" York Street branch was worth checking out to see how it compares.

"Just a casual day here"

Latest Loot

 Hit up a couple thrift stores last week, and came home with some good finds.

Always be on the lookout for off-season apparel. Just because you won't be able to wear it right away doesn't mean it's not a good investment!

This Southwick jacket made for upscale retailer Paul Stuart fit perfectly and has a nice pattern. My second thrifted Southwick!
Retails for $500+
 Purchased for $8

Spring Fling

It's just about  finals week so I apologize if I don't update as much in the next few days.

In the meantime, I though I'd share a few combinations that have worked well for me recently- mainly consisting of thrifted items!

• Brooks Brothers tie- $4 
• Brooks Brothers cotton sweater $8 (From Boston)
• Brooks Brothers OCBD $6 (thrifted)

For a late night party

• Brooks Brothers OCBD in pink- $25 @ factory outlet
• J. Crew chinos- $13 thrifted
• Leather braided belt- $1 (thrifted)

For a special event on campus:

• Brooks Brothers bow tie- $12 (like new, online forum)
• Brooks Brothers shirt- $4 (Thrifted)
• Lands End Chinos- $5 (Thrifted)
• Leatherman nautical belt- $20 (retail, West Marine)

Fun first day at the beach

• Brooks Brothers polo- $8 on eBay
• Vineyard Vines club shorts- $22 @ Urban Exchange 

Presentation Attire, Part II

Read Part I

Dress shirts: The Basics. 

The shirt is possibly one of the most crucial aspects of your attire to get right. If you aren't wearing a jacket, it's going to also be one of the most visible. For many men, buying a shirt isn't a very big decision making process. Does it have two arms? Does it sort of fit? It has buttons? Great. Put in on. This approach is dangerous because there are a number of details which, when ignored, can completely ruin a good look.

The main aspects of a shirt can be summarized in the following categories. It's important to recognize the importance of each and check to see that the shirt you wear adds up.

A Guide to Presentation Attire, Part I

If you're a college student, there's no doubt you've attended at least one function that required to dress up a bit more than usual. For the avid followers of the preppy lifestyle, you look good enough to do a job interview at any given moment, but for the majority of the graphic tee wearing demographic, this is where things sometimes can go terribly wrong. I'm writing this not only for the prep set (who ideally have started to build a daily wardrobe around these items already), but for the general college student who wants to look good, but really doesn't know where to start. No, Macy's catalogs are not where to start.

If college is about transitioning into an adult, you sometimes need to look the part, and that means knowing a thing or two about style. Style, in this sense, is dramatically different than the term fashion. Fashion is the physical manifestation of the weird visions that studio art majors have in their head, walking down a runway. Style is what your grandfather wore, and still looks just as good in 2013.

Examples of when you may need to step things up a bit:

• Presentations (For a class, research/academic colloquium, conference, etc)
• Award ceremonies/dinners
• Dances / Parties / Banquets /Receptions (If they ask for semi-formal attire)
• Meetings (If you are meeting with anyone important such as a dean, administration, etc)
• Job / Internship fairs
• Job interview (may require a separate article with additional detail)

The general theme here is that you want to be taken seriously. If it's clear you put absolutely no effort into your attire, people will wonder what else you don't bother to put effort into. It's a mental impression that people will make the moment they see you.

Tie...check.
Pocket square...check
Flash drive with my powerpoint....shit.

80's Throwback

Vintage Brooks catalog scans from Spring/Summer ~1980

I found one of these while thrifting- fits like a slim fit 

Spring arrival

Spring is here. Let the critters run wild. As the temperatures start to rise across the Eastern Seaboard, break in the pastels. Madras season is right around the corner.

My take on Spring: Brooks OCBD, Brooks Sweater, Brooks tie.

Just remember to bring something in case of rain...

More photos to come soon- observations from a college campus.

Recent Finds

The following are some finds I've acquired over the past few weeks. There were many times I walked out of a store empty handed, but in the end, it almost felt like there were an equal number of times I ended up scoring a great deal (or two!).  Lesson being, don't give up if you have a few bad days of searching. Change up your game and re-approach. There is always good stuff out there somewhere! 

A new-with-tags J. Crew sweater for only $7.00? I think yes. 

Gearing up for Spring

So, it may still be March, but warmer weather for the Northeast is just around the corner (or so we hope).

This is the time of year to start bulking up on your spring and summer wardrobes, and utilizing the art of thriftiness, you can save a bundle.

I've broken down a few essential categories, and will provide some ideas of what to look for in each, as well as some of my findings where applicable.

Fear and Loathing in NYC

With the Winter break over, I've been back in school and quite busy (hence the lack of updates). Fortunately however, being only 1.5 hours away from NYC by train, I've had the chance to take a couple trips into the city for exploration, and the pursuit of thrifting! 

I will be creating a "Thrift Store Reviews" page give a rundown on the locations I visited in to give you all an idea of what to look for when you are in the area. 

Trip 1: The Flagship

346 Madison Avenue. The Cornerstone of American Style.

Staying nearby Madison avenue, I knew one of my must-see destinations would be the Brooks flagship store. This massive 6 story complex is the epicenter of the Brooks Brothers brand, and was complete with elaborate decoration and displays. 

The first floor was home to the dress shirts and ties (all priced abhorrently of course), but the selection was incredible. The third floor was focused on sport shirts, polos, and more casual wear, including sweaters and outerwear. Also here one can find the "St. Andrews Links Golf Simulator" for those who like taking swings at virtual balls.. 

The entire store emitted a fair bit of arrogance that I'd never experienced at their outlet stores or smaller locations. No sales person seemed to be under the age of 55 and one woman told me she had been working there for 30 continuous years. There were a couple friendly staff among the mix however, and they offered to hold my bags as I shopped (and snapped some photos). 

Prepsplosion. If there is somewhere where you draw the line, this is pretty close.

Mini BB#1 Repp ties in pastel colors, ribbon belts, Polo shirts with the (stupid) 1818 logo, and a rip-off of the "Official Preppy Handbook" originally published in 1980

All the surcingle a man could ever ask for 

Triple the headsails, triple the fun 

 While the majority of the store was well out of my thrift friendly price range... I did make a purchase here. As it was towards the end of the season, many items were 60% off, and I was able to score a $70 Pima cotton sweater for $27.99.

The Allen Edmonds store, fittingly, is across the street. 

Lunch in the city Veselka, the best Ukrainian cuisine around apparently!  Shown here wearing a gingham BD with oxford cloth collar pullover. 

Read the reviews of the thrift stores here:

NYC Thrift Stores

Trip 2

Brooks Brothers Flatiron Shop

I was in NYC yet again, this time for a concert at Carnegie Hall. The next morning I had some time to kill before the train, so in the rain, I took a quick walk over to the flatiron shop on 901 Broadway.

 The Flatiron shop is designed to be the more youthful, "concept" version of Brooks Brothers, geared towards a collegiate (and possibly younger) audience. The store is arranged almost like the library of a old university, with shirts and ties tucked among old volumes on large shelves, to me, creating a chilling reminder of the library scene in The Great Gatsby (although I didn't check to see if the pages were cut!). In addition to the books, the scene was completed by ivy-ish bits of memorabilia, from card catalog drawers  a pair of old rowing oars, and even a Foosball table.

The store has 3 floors, with the bottom two dedicated to men's clothing. Many of the polo shirts featured the more unfortunate "1818" logo on the front, which I feel is an unnecessary addition to the simple golden fleece. The staff here were all younger, and friendlier than those at the Madison ave. location. There wasn't much on sale, except for some pants in odd styles, and some nice wool sweaters that I couldn't justify purchasing myself. Unfortunately my camera batteries died while I was in the store, so you'll have to rely on the images here, or check out the write-up of another Flatiron location on CollegeTrad.

Several brands have given the "preppy college youth" demographic a shot, Rugby Ralph Lauren (now closing), Land's End Canvas, L.L. Bean Signature, J.Crew Ludlow, and now (to the horror of some), J.Press York Street.

While Flatiron isn't a separate line of clothing, they do tend to take the more trendy items and leave behind the more refined. You'll even see some of the dreaded Brooks Brothers "t-shirts' here, but at least they did offer a nice variety of fairly quality items and cool storefront.

Bow ties in ample supply, and a union jack commode

Now, what did I thrift?

Here's the haul over the two trips

• 4x Lacoste polo shirts (Retail ~$70 ea.)
• Vineyard Vines polo ($70)
• NWT J.Crew Ludlow slim fit suit Italian chino pants (Retail ~$135)
• NWT J. Crew broken-in chinos (Retail ~$75)
• J.Crew gingham shirt ($64)
• 2x Brooks Brothers makers dress shirt (Retail ~$88)
• J. Crew D-Ring ribbon belt (~$40)
• 2 Ties from Land's End, Brooks Brothers (~$50 ea)

Total spent: ~$55
Total Retail cost: ~$840

Thrifty Savings:  Nearly $800!

Preppy College Preview

Not every college has a preppy reputation. The real bastions of prepdom are dotted throughout New England, and a dozen more in the Southeast.  Today I have photos taken during a trip over to Amherst College, founded 1821. Only a handful of students will make it in here, as Amherst is ranked (consistently) as one of the top Liberal arts colleges in the country, but we can all appreciate the aesthetics of a beautiful campus-- where tradition and heritage are preserved through architecture, and sometimes clothing!

Amherst town hall

Vintage

I love looking at vintage ads. It's pretty refreshing that the style we hope to achieve today, has been in demand for nearly a hundred years.

There are too many styles that come and go. Transient looks that we will scoff at as a society in 10 years and think "What were we doing?" (the 90's comes to mind)

This just screams "educated" 

I invite you to take a look at how it was done back in the day, by means of advertisements and catalog photos I've gathered up. Yes, even then there were some quirks but the standard look for men was a hell of a lot better than it is now (think sweatpants and t-shirts).

Gant, a Swedish company, had it's peak in US popularity in the 1960's. 

Advice From the Field, Part 1

  

In this feature, I'll try to share some tips what will help you get the most out of your time, and money, when searching for a good deal. While I'm no professional, in a few months of practice (it is a skill), I've learned quite a lot that I hope to pass on to you.

Your new best friend. 

Eastern MA Thrifting-- Boston/Cambridge

I was out in Eastern Massachusetts today (I reside in the other end of the state), and thought it would be a great opportunity to check out some of the local goods there to be thrifted. I planned a route ahead of time that took me through Waltham (my actual destination), Boston, Cambridge, Somerville, and Natick. I really enjoy getting to visit the Boston area, and this was one of the few times I've had free range to just explore or do whatever I wanted there for the afternoon.

From a warmer time of year... October

The Hopsack Blazer

One of my favorite finds as of recently, was this GANT 2-button blazer. It's a bit more laid-back than your average navy getup, with a slightly rougher wool weave that makes it great for casual wear. This one also features two patch pockets on the front. 

I'll share three different ways to wear it to fit the occasion. 

You can vary up the shirt color/pattern and belt to fit the formality of the event. Going to a special lecture/conference or a special event on campus where you want to look presentable? Pair it with a plain leather belt and white or blue oxford cloth button down. 

You'll notice I haven't included footwear here (or in any posts recently) but I'll try to do a special post on that soon. The obvious choice is boat shoes (leather preferable) but loafers (especially sock-less  is equally tasteful in warmer months. 

For a casual look, just pop one on with a OCBD and some khakis and you'll look better than most students (and some professors) on campus. Also a good look for a night out on the town or dinner.

Dress it up with a repp tie. Featured here is a Land's End with stripe that actually matches the canvas belt coincidentally. If you've got a tie in your school's colors, this is where to rock it. 

Or, with a bow tie. Perfect for pre-gaming in style. Red chinos optional if you really want to stand out.  

From the GANT "Collegiate" line, they don't make this exact blazer anymore but the closest substitutes are the  Rugger and Navy Drill as seen here.

This jacket originally came from a store called the "Wyckoff Ivy Shop" 

This is an example of an entirely thrifted outfit by the way (excluding the watch). Total cost? 

Blazer- $5! (Retail $600)  I did paid $7 to dry clean it so we'll add that to the cost.

Pants- Dockers D1- $4 (Retail $50)

Belt- $1 (Unknown brand)

Tie- Land's End- $6  (Retail $50)

Timepiece- Timex Expedition ($30)

$23 vs. $700+