Thrift Store Review: The Garment District

Greetings once again!

Sorry for the delay in new content, but I just relocated to an area I am quite fond of (as you may have gathered from previous posts), Cambridge, MA. Possibly the epicenter of New England trad as home to both the Andover shop, J. Press, close in proximity to the stores and botiques of Newbury Street in Boston, and home to a small, relatively unknown school called "Harvard", Cambridge really is a great place for anyone interested in traditional clothing.

Luckily as I've documented before, Cambridge also is home to some great thrift shops, each with their own unique style and design. As the first post of a multi-part series, I will be posting photos and reviews of the various thrift and consignment shops that Cambridge and Boston have to offer. 

First up is the Garment District, located on 200 Broadway, Cambridge MA, just a short walk from MIT.

The store features a first floor dedicated to costumes, and a second floor packed full of vintage and contemporary clothing. On weekends, a line will form down the street before the doors open for business.

The checkout counter downstairs. The store also features the option of selling your clothing, but I'm not sure exactly how that process works, other than you must book an appointment in advance. 

Downstairs also features the infamous "by the pound" deal where you can experience first-hand what it's like to live in an actual garbage dump. Kidding aside, I didn't venture into this because
A: Even I have standards, and
B: All the "good" stuff is upstairs
nonetheless, people race here to sift through the pile and fill their trash bags, so I suppose it's a good bargain for those in need of the most basic clothes.  

Upstairs, customers are greeted to fairly well organized racks. Interestingly the Garment District sorts by "era" as well as style, so you'll find what you are looking for quite easily. An entire rack of 80's style leather jackets, tye dye shirts, western-apparel, they pretty much have a section for every niche category you can think of.

The tie section left much to be desired, but I spotted a couple decent ties among the mix

Racks jam-packed with shirts, I saw lots of J.Crew, Land's End, and Polo stuff, along with your typical mall brands

Perhaps the best section of the store is where they have skimmed off all the "Designer" brands into one section. Sorted by size, I found suits from Brooks Brothers, Burberry, Canali, and other high end makers. 

Found in the "designer" section: A vintage green university stripe (no longer made!) Brooks Brothers Oxford Shirt. Unfortunately the so-called designer items were all sold at a premium...at least $15 a shirt so the prices are higher than a typical thrift store. That being said, the organization was quite good, making it a lot easier to find what you actually want!

Another vintage Brooks item, a kelly green sweater of Sea Island Cotton, also Made in the USA

A special section for "vintage" ties, notice the couple tradly repp stripes, and bow ties

It seems once things don't sell for a while, they are transferred to this 50% off section. Plenty of blazers and jackets to go around here, although none were particularly appealing on this visit. 

50% off shirts, and 50% off "designer' clothing rack in the background

Sorry to any ladies out there, but the women's section is possibly twice as large as the men's that I covered. It seems this store is a very bohemian mix of "costume-wear" and then occasionally some really neat vintage items or more recent high-end stuff, if you are lucky to come across it.

The store really does have a fun ambiance to it, unlike the very depressing nature of some thrift stores.
If I was a hipster, I'd go nuts in here as there really is no end to the variety and uniqueness of some of the items. So what did I purchase at The Garment District? I'll save that as a surprise for an upcoming article.

A trip to J.Press, Cambridge

J.Press - Little known outside of devotees to traditional style, J.Press has been a foundation of "Ivy Style" since before the inception of the term. While Brooks Brothers, while deemed venerable and influential has hundreds of stores across the counry, J.Press only opperates 4 locations nationwide, in addition to online sales. Despite their relatively small physical footprint, the influence of J.Press style runs quite deep-- and this particular store in Cambridge remains a important part of the culture of the city. 

One of my favorite anecdotes regarding the brand is a story about former president George Bush Sr. while giving a speech at his alma mater, Yale University, during his presidential campaign.

All politics aside, I do believe the man has always been a sharp dresser, even into his 90's. As the story goes, some students in the crowd began to heckle, calling out that he was just another "Brooks Brothers Republican". To answer this, he simply opened his suit jacket, revealing the iconic J.Press label inside. Before you get the idea that J.Press is entierly for old, white conservitaves, I'll also share that former owner of the brand, Paul Press, once gifted Dr. Martin Luther King Jr a J.Press tie after a visit to his New Haven store, which King wore on many occasions.

To me, walking through this door is almost a religious experience. To adhorts of the trad style, this isn't just a store, it's a national monument; A place where a certain look is preserved and kept alive. While clothing retail has made major changes over the past 100+ years, here we see an example of a store that is true to it's name. While Macy's and JC Penny hawk piles of inexpensively produced garbage in identical stores in identical malls across the country, here before us we have something very unique, and true to the traditions and heritage that predates our modern era.

If you like J.Crew, Vineyard Vines, and Ralph Lauren, then you ought to pay attention to Press as well, because this is where these modern brands took their influence from.

In a past article, I have shown you the J.Press York Street shop in NYC, but here are some photos from J.Press Cambridge.

Fun fact: This store features a Harvard-friendly crimson color scheme, while the New Haven location is decked out in blue.

Two long "islands" in the center of the store feature hundreds and hundreds of ties, ranging from emblematics to repps, foulards, raw silk, knits, and everything in between.

A wall of shirts, featuring the iconic J.Press oxford with a button-flap pocket.

Repp ties galore. 

...and let's not forget about bow ties either!

Plenty of summer offerings, including gingham, seersucker, madras, and raw-silk ties. Shorts can be seen below.

An iconic 3/2 roll blazer with elbow patches, a signature casual jacket of the trad-elite. To me, the store projects an aura of authenticity not found in any Brooks Brothers or similar retailers. It's not about glitzy and glamourous merchandise displays, it's about the product. 

Rowing ties are among the many emblematics offered. J.Press neckwear (Made in England) is actually offered at lower prices than Brooks Brother (or many other preppy retailers) at around $69 a tie, or $55 on sale.

Here we see the (in)famous "Harvard Sports" tie. Don't worry, Yale has one too, but you won't find it here in Cambridge.

Simple cuff-links, and sets of blazer buttons behind.

The store features hundreds of suits, sport coats, tweed jackets, and of course, navy blazers. 

Belts of leather ($100) and ribbon ($50) in many patterns and colors.

Some books on display- no doubt featuring apparel by the brand from its 113 year history.