After a month of living in the Boston metro area in the lovely city of Cambridge, I am happy to say I couldn't be happier with both the culture and amenities city life has to offer. As an added bonus, I now have ample access to some great thrift stores. I thought I would share some of my recent finds and acquisitions, as well as some photos of what I've been up to this past month.
I will preface this by saying that I have been putting a lot more items into my online store lately, as some finds that are out of my size-range are just too good to leave behind! My typical week so far includes visiting at least 4 different thrift stores at least once a week, so with that variety I have had some good luck lately in regards to what I've found. I will also share some non-thrift retail purchases that I think fall into the category of this website as I normally only buy at retail stores if I can get a great deal.
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First up we have an item that's been on my list for a long time, the Allen Edmonds Park Avenue shoe. I'm a firm believer that every man should own at least one pair of high-quality dress shoes, and these fit the bill perfectly. For those of you who are new to the brand, Allen Edmonds manufacturers all of their dress shoes in the United States, in Port Washington Wisconsin.
The Park Avenue is a cap-toe oxford style shoe, and is one of their more desirable styles.
The Park Avenue retails for $385, however I was able to get this pair for the relatively low price of $185, using the Allen Edmonds Shoe Bank - which is basically an online outlet store that hooks you up with the Allen Edmonds shoes you want at really great prices.
I expect these shoes to be in my wardrobe for many years to come, considering they are fully re-craftable on Goodyear welted soles.
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| What better to go with shoes than socks? By picking items like socks up on clearance, you can save a bunch of money. I paid less than $5 for each of these pairs, with the J. Crew socks clocking in at a whooping $1.35 or something after a hefty discount on their sale merchandise. Since these aren't exactly summery socks they will remain in the drawer until Fall. |
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| A couple Brooks Brothers acquisitions from one of their outlet stores: Clark fit chinos in Forest green at 60% off brought these down to $40 from $98.50 and even more impressively, I picked up a great pair of Irish Linen chinos in Milano fit for only $23 after an 80% discount. |
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A combination I wore out to the Beehive Jazz Club:
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| I was quite surprised to come across this: a vintage J.Press shawl lapel tuxedo jacket in absolutely perfect condition. It also fit me like a glove! I searched everywhere for the matching trousers, but sadly they were nowhere |
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| If you see this label...you must buy it. That's the rule. |
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| So here we see the pinnacle of suiting offered by our beloved Brooks Brothers, the Golden Fleece Suit, their top of the line off-the-rack offering. These suits retail for $2,000 and up, and offer hand-made tailoring and the highest quality fabrics. |
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| So you can imagine my surprise when I came across this label inside an unsuspecting jacket at a Goodwill store in South Boston. |
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| Perhaps one of my better finds to date, this Golden Fleece suit was in damn near perfect condition! It was a size or two larger than what I wear, and rather than try extensive tailoring I decided to sell it, giving someone a very good deal on a very good suit. I had to take a while to appreciate the tailoring and drape of this suit however, as you will rarely encounter something (aside from the ultra-high end labels such as Brioni or Ralph Lauren Purple Label) The suit itself is cut from luxurious English Cavendish wool, and of course, made in the USA by expert craftsmen. Retail: $2,100 USD Paid: $12 Sold for: $85 (A steal!) |
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| J. Crew has some ridiculous clearance from time to time, so I took advantage of it and picked up some goodies. Everything but the socks were 70% off the already marked down prices...with an additional 15% student discount! Cotton Linen Tie: $4.25 Wool Socks: Maybe $4 a pair? Wool Pocket Square: $3.19 Notebook: $2.50 A bunch of iPhone backup chargers: $3.16 |
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| Jaspe Cotton Gingham tie - |
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| The Beetles. |
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| The Seaport World Trade Center |
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| A couple Vineyard Vines belts |
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| Brooks Brothers Extra Slim Shirt Paid $5 Sold for $25 |
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| A beautiful tie made for the Princeton University Store, in the classic Tiger repp stripe. Since I'm not a Princeton grad, maybe I'll try to hook up someone who is with this one! |
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| I found a brand new pair of Murray's Nantucket Red chinos (THE original Nantucket red) for only $4. I wish they were my size because an authentic pair of Murray's has been on my wishlist for a looong time. I sold these for $65 (Retail $95). A true pair of Murray's is Guaranteed to Fade which means they only grow even more perfect with age, taking on that ever sought after light pink color after countless hours of sun and saltwater. |
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| Barbour is most recognized for their waxed cotton jackets (more about those in an upcoming post) but they also make some great tattersall shirts. This one has a corduroy lined collar to complement the country-friendly color palate of burn orange, greens, blues, greys, and beige. Purchased for $4 Sold for $24 |
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| I can't adequately describe the feeling that came over me when I found this one among the racks. I've written before about the merits of a Thom Browne (Or Thom Browne designed, in the case of Brooks Brothers Black Fleece) shirt. The designer's signature oxford shirts feature a grossgrain ribbon in red, white, and blue, along the inside front placket. These shirts retail new for a ridiculous sum of $350, but I absolutely love the design. |
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Beefy oxford cloth, mother of pearl buttons, a beautiful collar roll, and Made in the USA construction make this one of the coolest shirts out there in my humble opinion.
This one is a size 0 which translates to extra-small, but I knew I had to buy it anyways.
Why? Because the demand for TB items is HUGE. I listed this particular shirt for sale with a price of $180 to see if anyone would bite, and within 24 hours it had sold.
Now I just have to wait for the day that I can find one in my own size without going broke in the process.
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| A really nice Brooks Brothers Golden Fleece Sea Island Cotton dress shirt. Sea Island cotton is one of the worlds most luxurious cotton fabrics and is made in very small quantities. As such, this shirt is the top-of-the-line offering at Brooks Brothers, setting your wallet back $325 a pop if you were to buy one new. Notice the tasteful thickness of the fabric, the mother of pearl buttons, and the elegant cut of the spread collar- all signs of craftsmanship you won't be finding on a run-of-the-mill dress shirt. |
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Another first for me, an Oxxford clothes 7-fold tie. Oxxford is one of the premier suit makers in the United States, commanding prices upwards of $5,000 per suit, and almost all of their orders are custom-made for the client. Truly a brand for the power-elite, Oxxford has dressed both presidents and Rockefellers, and countless top "out-of-sight" class men for nearly 100 years. I've written about the 7-fold style tie before, but the basic concept is that a thick piece of silk is doubled over, with little to no interfacing material required inside (as compared to most ties, which are a thin layer of silk over a inner lining). As a result, they always cost a lot more, and usually are only produced by high-end makers. Of course, this process is done entirely by skilled hands, with no robots (or Chinese child laborers) sewing the stitching.
New: ~$210+
Paid: $3
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| Remember my post on The Graduate? I spotted a fiery red Alfa Romeo and couldn't resist snapping a photo. |
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| Standard issue Argyle & Sutherland regimental bow tie. |
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| I found this belt, by Vineyard Vines, and was puzzled for quite some time as to what the cryptic key symbol meant. I assumed it was created for some corporate entity, but dug up nothing after searching online. A poster on Reddit informed me that the logo actually belongs to "JB's Keys", which is a small charity which focuses on awareness, treatment, and finding a cure for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a particularly devastating form of MD which primarily effects children. If any of my readers are affiliated with this charity, I'll be happy to send this belt your way free of charge. |
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| Vineyard Vines D-ring belt, a prep classic. |
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| Finding new with tags items at thrift store prices is always nice. I sold this non-iron classic Brooks Brothers shirt in yellow and blue stripes to a (presumably) well-dressed guy in Hong Kong, of all places. Paid $5 Sold for $30 |
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| Another highly respected maker, Eton is a Swedish brand known for high quality shirts and excellent craftsmanship. This example, much like the Golden Fleece shirt above, features luxurious mother of pearl buttons and a thick twill fabric that drapes excellently. This shirt is from their red-ribbon collection and cut in the "contemporary fit" which is slightly slimmer through the body. |
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| Eton shirts like this one sell for $245 new, but I found this one for only $5. Later sold for $20, to someone who got a really good deal on a great shirt. |
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| Billiards, anyone? The State Street Brooks Brothers location in Boston's financial district features a full-size pool table. If only the felt was woven in a repp stripe... |
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I almost never find quality shoes in good condition, with the emphasis on almost. I spotted these Allen Edmonds Walden loafers in the bottom of a bin and immediately knew they weren't your average beat up, dog-slobbered Bostonians. While not my size, after a good polish they were ready for eBay. While they aren't Alden, they are certainly a good quality Penny loafer, and I know this first-hand owning two pairs myself!
Retail: $275Paid: $6 Sold for: $65 |
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| An intriguing Marshall's find, this is a Brooks Brothers Black Fleece belt, made from wool flannel on a genuine leather backing. The art-deco styled buckle combines with the traditional menswear fabric to create a piece that has designer Thom Browne written all over it. I wish it was my size, but sadly it wasn't. Marked down to $10 on clearance however, it was too nice to leave behind and decided to bequeath it to an eBay buyer who snagged it for only $20. This might also be a good time to mention that it was recently announced that Fall 2015 will mark the last season for the Brooks Brothers Black Fleece line, and an end to the partnership with Browne who has been behind the collection since it's inception in 2007. |
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| Just a classic, pink dress shirt from Brooks Brothers. $4 vs $95 new Sold for $18 |
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