Winter Acquisitions

It's been a while since my last update, but I figured it was about time I upload some of my latest finds, to keep you inspired on your journey to buying clothes on a "Hoarders" level curating a classic wardrobe at a college student friendly price point. Perhaps now is a good time to reiterate the mantra of this blog:  You can dress incredibly well on any budget. Where there is a will, there's a way, and once you start, it's rather hard to stop. No longer will you need to settle for that Old Navy buttondown you've had since high school. No longer will you need to borrow your roommates tie to wear to the Spring formal. You'll be rocking a wardrobe nicer than some CEOs and pay less for each item than a medium one-topping pizza at Domino's.  The difference: One, you can eat while you're drunk. The other, might be the detail that lands you that sweet job or internship, because believe it or not, in this scary pace referred to as "the real world", how you dress, actually matters.

I mean... I guess you can always work for Taco Corp....

A lot of people are deterred from dressing well simply because they assume doing so is out of their price range. I try to demonstrate that there are many ways to score deep discounts on some of the nicest clothes you will find in even the most expensive stores.

Overall, the past few months haven't been the most productive for thrifting, and I've had plenty of times I've come home empty handed. That being said, as your wardrobe expands and improves, you will naturally become more selective with what you purchase, and what even catches your eye will begin to change. In addition to buying for myself, I have purchased quite a few items over the past season or two with the intention of selling, which has worked well in many cases, but mediocre at best in others. Learning the market for used clothing is a skill that takes time, and only specific items (in a desirable range of patterns, colors, sizes) in good condition will net you a decent profit, but these small monetary gains can help offset your overall costs, as well as pass along preppy/trad items to others in need!

Starting off with a bit of a flourish, as you can see, I'm utilizing a bookshelf for extra clothing storage. A trusty trio of ties (From the Yale Co-op and Brooks Brothers) along with book acquisitions The Boys in the Boat, and Cape Wind. Stacks of sweaters come in handy when it is February in New England, as does a bottle of "Kraken" rum.

A Scarf find, this one from the mills of Johnstons of Elgin. You'll come across plenty of "100% Acrylic" scarves and they are best left alone. Instead, wait until you can find 100% Lambswool (or better yet, Cashmere) scarves. They can also be purchased for a decent price (usually around 25-50% off) after Christmas when stores are running their winter sales. I think this one was about $3.

Found: New with Tags Brooks Brothers Oxford. Not my size, but picked it up for an easy flip. 

Came across a J.Press dress shirt which I resold for $15

Wearing a more rugged (cotton blend?) navy jacket with a Brooks oxford and BB#3 stripe tie.  

This was a really interesting find, and probably deserving of its own post. A literal stack of Turnbull & Asser dress shirts, a world-famous London shirtmaker who outfit some of the best-dressed men on the planet. These are the shirts worn by Connery in the origional James Bond films, a detail direct from the text of the Fleming novels. A distinctive feature of a T&A shirt is the three-button cuff, clad of course with mother-of-pearl buttons and a very luxurious fabric.  The patterns of these were not entirely my favorite, and they weren't all my size, so I only ended up keeping two for myself while opting to try to sell some of the others online.

Paid: $8 ea.
Retail: $350 ea.

Detail of the T&A 3-button cuff. 

Pretty simple Brooks non-iron in a graph-check pattern. Good condition and in my size, so I picked it up.

Found this L.L. Bean OCBD in brand new condition, which is currently for sale. 

I visited a "Vineyard Vines Outlet" in Manchester, NH on the way back from a trip to Vermont. Many of the products here, like many outlet stores, are specifically produced for outlet sale. Even so, I was able to take advantage of their "Buy one get one free" sale to get two shirts for ~$50, which is about half of what a VV shirt normally costs to begin with. Pictured on the right was an acquisition from Brooks in Boston, an aqua colored OCBD I picked up during their winter clearance sale.

A wonderful display of lampshades at the Brooks Brothers store in Boston, MA. 

Found two new-in-packaging Charles Tyrwhitt spread collar shirts at a thrift store. I went up and asked the cashier if they cost more than the normal shirts, and he told me "They really don't pay me enough to care". Long story short, I was able to walk out with two brand new CT shirts for under $10. These are pretty nice dress shirts (I own one and like it) and they typically sell for about $70 each. Unfortunately these were a size above what I wear, but fortunately I was able to pass them on to someone else at a good savings for them.

Gave this Lacoste button down  a try because I don't usually come across their long sleeve shirts. $5 was cheaper than the $135 they ask for on the Lacoste website.

Found this Vineyard Vines Murray dress shirt which alas, was too big for me, but a quick sell online. 

One of my favorite finds as of recently, a Thom Browne patchwork madras shirt in stellar condition, that fits me well. The fabric feels super soft and is clearly of high quality. Looking forward to getting to wear this in the summer. Thom Browne shirts retail for upwards of $350, so it was awesome to pick one up for less than $6.

Just when you thought I had found my lifetime share of Thom Browne items, this very interesting shirt pops up in my local store. It's somewhat of a unique piece, as this is a pique-front formal shirt, paired with a very "informal" (in the traditional sense) button-down collar. A tuxedo shirt is typically anything but a button-down, but Browne clearly throws convention to the wind with this unusual shirt. Another interesting detail: the front three buttons are removable to make way for proper tuxedo shirt studs. Do I have the panache to actually wear this? Hopefully someday, yes. The material itself is quite gorgeous, being made from very thick oxford cloth with, of course, mother of pearl buttons and the typical thom browne finishing detail of a locker loop. I can only imagine the implied scenario here of:

"Yes Darling, I'll be right over to the annual Metropolitan Opera Gala after I hit the midtown gym and pick up my vintage 1958 dinner jacket from the cleaners" 

In any case, I wouldn't be buying one of these at retail ($325) so I'm happy to hang my thrifted one in the wardrobe for years to come. Now I just need some suitable cuff links!

This one was actually my birthday present, and something I was in need of. A Filson bag is a durable, canvas briefcase which is water resistant, rugged enough for the field, but well-known and proper enough for use in the professional world as well. Filson bags are made in Seattle, Washington USA, and are built to a very high standard of quality. Normally, this bag (The Filson Original Briefcase) sells for about $250 new, but I was able to score a deal online through Nordstrom using price-matching to another online site, to get the bag for about 50% off and free shipping.  I've been really pleased with it so far and have used it daily since. If you are in need of a quality bag or briefcase, definitely check out Filson.

This Brooks Brothers Black Fleece tie was acquired brand new through one of my online forums, where I was able to pick it up for approximately 90% off. The retail price is $125, but I was able to purchase it for only $12. It is a lot narrower than most of the ties I own, as Thom Browne styling is known for. The tie is a blend of cotton and silk.

 

A little display of some winter essentials, including a misletoe whale tie, a J.Press santa tie, and a blackwatch tartan tie. Also shown is a Leatherman Ltd. belt, and the new book Rowing Blazers which I received as a birthday gift.

I came across this pair of Bills Khakis brand corduroy trousers, and picked them up for resale. Bills are some of the nicer quality pants you can buy, and they are all made in the USA. The store was charging a lot more than normal prices for these, but I was still able to make a profit selling them for more than twice what I paid. The original retail was $145. (Paid $20)

A Brooks Brothers polo in burgundy, also currently for sale. It's a size Large, message me if interested! 

I organized and participated in a "Secret Santa" type gift exchange on a site called "Reddit" which has various communities based on different interests. One of these Reddit sites, called "Navy Blazer" is pretty fun and definitely worth a visit. Around the holidays, members exchanged gifts with one other "secret" recipient and the results were quite good overall. I was lucky to recieve an awesome package containing camp socks, a L.L. Bean Irish wool scarf, a tie from Paul Stuart, and a pocket square from Brooks. Thanks goes out to the guy who sent me all this!

Okay I'm guilty of "dressing up" this shot a bit, but on display is a Christmas gift I received- a rather neat double-sided D-ring belt featuring the Brooks BB#1 repp on one side, and their "signature tartan" on the other.  

Also found this NWT (old stock) BB tie. Probably more than a few years old judging by the price tag, but I re-sold it on a forum for a small profit as I wasn't in love with the design.

Ties, at the Andover Shop in Cambridge MA. This place really is a trad mecca that is certainly worth a visit if you are in the area. It's a small store but absolotely loaded with preppier-than-thou items ranging from really nice ties to custom suits and jackets. 

Like a kid in a candy store...
Pictured here wearing a J.Crew peacoat I bought from someone online, a Brooks sweater and Brooks button-down shirt.

Christmas Eve-Eve....Had a fun night with family and friends, oysters, lobsters, and a healthy dose of Long Trail ale (Pictured here in a Southern Tide koozie).

Springtime polos for me :)

I don't normally post (or purchase) womens items, but it was hard to pass up this VV skirt I spotted at a thrift store in my town. It was brand new with tags, and unworn, so I purchased it and sold it within 12 hours on eBay for a nice profit. This patchwork pattern is actually no longer sold, but a "staple" VV pattern which of course means it is pretty desirable on the resale market. A nice find for $2!

Had the pleasure of doing some thrifting out near Cambridge, MA and the finds there are much better. I came home with a ton of stuff, some for me, and some to sell. This set of four ties was acquired across a few different stores. 

This tie is actually from a German company called "Van Laack" which I had never heard of before. It has a fantastic hand (feel to the tie) and is in a classic regimental stripe pattern. Van Laack ties sell for about €80-130 Euros, which is about $90-$150. This one cost me $2.50 and is definitely a cool addition to my tie collection. It is a silk-cotton blend, but feels very much like all-silk (with a bit heftier of a weight)

I've posted about Nicky ties before, as they are a rare but desirable find. Made by hand in Italy, these ties retail for about $200 USD.

I don't normally quote "GQ" as a great source for information, but the actor (John Slattery of Mad Men) featured below is wearing a Nicky Tie.

My cost: $2.50

GANT has a long history of offering Ivy style, and this tie almost exactly replicates the "Mini BB#1 repp" sold by Brooks Brothers. Theres a decent chance they were sourced from the exact same factory (as both are made in the USA and 100% silk).

GANT ties (and products) today are a little pricier and fashion-forward than their competitors, with the average GANT Rugger tie clocking in somewhere north of $140. 

I was quite surprised to find this brand-new Vineyard Vines tie at my local thrift. It is actually a "Custom Collection" tie for a certain political organization (to which I have zero connection) so I decided to sell it for a nice margin. 

This was another awesome find, and I really wish it fit me just a little bit better, as I would have been a lot less tempted to sell it! It's a 3-button patch-pocket herringbone tweed sport coat from Rugby Ralph Lauren, the now "retired" brand that put out college trad/prep items and has quite a fanbase within the clothing community, despite the fact that it is no longer available in stores (except thrifts!). This sold very quickly online.

One of my favorite details on this jacket was the silk edging on the interior pockets, adding a very nice touch to this trad-styled item.