Maxing Out

 

The TJ Maxx /Marshalls stores of the world operate as the clearance bin of retail. These stores take end-of-season, excess, and other unsold inventory from malls and other retailers and price it starting at about 50% off. 

I used to never even consider shopping at these stores...Until I ventured out of my somewhat rural home town and realized that the products carried vary widely by geographic location. Near urban centers, I saw many shirts from Ralph Lauren Black Label, Brooks Brothers, and even items from prep-tailers such as Vineyard Vines and Southern Tide. 

Much like shopping at a thrift store, you have to follow the model that 95+% of everything there is garbage...with a possible 5% treasure trove hidden in the mix somewhere. 

My goal here is to document some of the better finds I've seen/purchased/heard about at these stores, to demonstrate that yes, even in the cesspool of low end garments, there are some gems to be had by the patient.

Advantages:

• Prices significantly reduced from retail MSRP
• Typically have clean dressing rooms
• Generally, items are well organized by size
• Products have fewer unidentifiable stains than at thrift stores
• Stock rotates fairly frequently
• Clearance sections can yield some exceptional buys (if you are lucky)

Disadvantages:

• You might need to be in a nicer area to find higher end products
• Sizes can be limited
• Still lots...and lots...of rubbish
• Still more expensive than the used market
• You will lose a little bit of your soul
• Beware of products designed for sale here. Always check quality and for possible flaws.

My finds:

Some shorts from Southern Tide- normally $70, here found marked down to $15. These weren't my size unfortunately, but the fact they were here demonstrates that TJM and others take inventory from even the smaller independent retailers, as Southern Tide isn't sold in many large stores.

These yellow chinos from PRL are somewhat of a niche item... but at $10 new they were hard to pass up. Original retail is $98

The tie section at these stores can be hit-or-miss. The majority of what they have will usually be junk ties from cheap China made brands, but you will on occasion see ties from Brooks Brothers, as well as other higher-end brands.  This tie was from last year's Spring/Summer collection at Brooks, and was a good buy at $17 (compared to $79 new).

This shirt was actually at a Nordstrom Rack, which is Nordstrom's own discount store chain. A lot of what they carry comes directly from Nordstrom stores, which typically have higher-end brands and products. Since Nordstrom changes up what brands and collections they carry on a seasonal basis, there are always interesting finds to be had.  This shirt, was a real surprise to find because it is a J.Press York Street oxford. Unfortunately for me, the fit was way too slim and they didn't have the next size up.

 To get the best prices at Nordstrom Rack, try to take advantage of special sales such as "additional 30% off clearance" to maximize your savings.

 Later in the post I'll share one of my best Nordy Rack finds ever.

This slim-fit Vineyard Vines tucker shirt, did fit however and despite the christmasy pattern, decided to pick it up as gingham is definitely underrepresented in my current wardrobe. 

J. McLaughlin is a clothing brand that doesn't really get a lot of attention. They have unique stores scattered around the East coast in quant, preppy towns. I was rather fond of these two ties, which were on sale at a TJX for $12 each, and normally are sold for about $80 new. 

Spotted here was one of the Brooks Brothers Signature Tartan ties from Fall/Winter 2014. Had it been in the blue or red designs, I probably would have bought it but I wasn't a big enough fan of this one to take it home. 

Don't let the "Irregular" label scare you-- Brooks marks overproductions with this label to prevent returns to retail stores. There's (usually) nothing wrong with these ties.

In my local store, I came across a trio of these Vineyard Vines party shirts. Unfortunately they are in one of the least-appealing designs of all time, so there was no way I was spending $40 to look like a circus clown. More importantly however, is the fact that you can even find "exclusive" brands such as VV at these stores for a significant discount.

Just a canvas tote, with Anchors.

Found: A pair of Bills Khakis for only $15. Considering these are sold for over $100 new it was a cool find. Notice the red tag: Once an item has been on the shelves long enough, they start knocking the price down incrementally. These started at $40 before becoming $25, and eventually $15. 

These blackwatch slippers were only $7...and since I don't have the bankroll for $400 slippers, these will have to do for now.

These Brooks Brothers shirts had generic tags with possibly inflated prices. In either case, based on the labels I could tell they were some special production run...or something different that what is sold in the mainline stores. In either case, they are made in USA which is always nice to see.

Some brands will even go to the effort of relabeling their items when they are sent to places like TJ Maxx. Others will mark the tags in some way as to prevent returns to the original store. 

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Below are some finds from friends on the AskAndy forums, to show you some of the other high-end items that are out there at deeply discounted prices.

Ralph Lauren Made in Italy Brogues 

A Ralph Lauren Purple Label sweater.  Purple Label is the absolute highest level of luxury that Ralph Lauren offers. This cashmere sweater would be over $1,000 new... but my buddy found it at 90% off for $100. 

Also purchased by him was this RL Purple Label shirt. Originally retailing at $465+ he was able to buy it for only $70. I have yet to be lucky enough to add a Purple Label garment to my wardrobe...but I'm patiently waiting for the day that I can. 

A pair of Brooks Brothers white bucks, seen here for $79 (Normally over $200)

Seen here is an Isaia 7-Fold tie (see my tie article for details) that was found at a Marshalls for ten bucks. As you can see, the original price reads $235.

Also spotted was a Brooks Brothers Golden Fleece 7-Fold, which clock in at about $175 ea. normally. I think that "Compare at" price is a little low there, bud! Needless to say, I'm pretty devastated that I never find ties like these whenever I go looking...but they are out there.

You may even encounter shirts from the upper-tier brands such as Isaia, Eton, Kiton...the possibilities are endless, and also weirdly random. Here were a whole rack of Isaia dress and sport shirts at $129...which is steep....but remember, if no one buys them at this price, they will be discounted further.
Isaia dress shirts normally retail for about $475

Perhaps my favorite discount store find to date, has been this brand new pair of Cole-Haan penny loafers....for $5

I don't know how or why they were only $5.00, but at the Nordstrom Rack in Boston I spotted them and was quite happy I did. It wasn't even the only $5 pair in the store! So I purchased these, in my size, and a second pair, which I resold. I haven't found any more $5 shoes since then, but it's always a fun day when you can pick up a brand-new $160 pair of shoes for less than the price of a Subway sandwich. 

Tied and True

I came across some wonderful vintage finds for my tie collection-- apparently from someone fond of wool ties- as none of these contain silk, instead opting for other natural fibers. A wool or cotton knit tie has a certain texture that silk ties often lack, giving a more casual appearance that can look great year round.

One under-appreciated aspect of thrifting is the history behind some of the items you'll come across. A little bit of research turns up all sorts of details and anecdotes about the past culture of small haberdasheries and how every little town had their own. These have since been replaced by the Jos. A Banks and Men's wearhouses putting out the same cheaply made goods in strip malls across America- with no variation or individuality between them.




From Left to right: 


The tartan (labeled a "Lime Tree Isle") is from a small but famous London shop called the Scotch House which has been shut since 2001 apparently. The two locations now hawk Burberry instead...a sad transformation.

Next we have a cotton madras tie from Rooster, a company known throughout the 1950's and 60's for neckwear, and producer of many trad-friendly designs and patterns.

The red wool repp has a tag from a store called A.S. Cooper Bermuda, which is a store still in business on the island today.

We then have offerings from the holy J. Press and Brooks Brothers. The Press is all wool with a classic tag bearing the name of the San Francisco location which closed its doors in the early 1980's. The Brooks Brothers tie features the Brooksgate logo, used throughout the 1970's as a separate line of items designed for younger men, kind of their "collegiate line" in a sense. 

Image from a vintage Brooksgate Catalog 

The solid blue knit (with a square end) is the only tie without a makers tag, but it does say "Made in England 70% New Wool 15% Mohair 15% Alpaca" so at least it has the bragging rights of being made from 3 different species.

Best part is, the whole lot was only $3 due to a store-wide 50% off sale. Pretty hard to beat that!

Tie Rescue

Upon walking into your local thrift store, depending on how it is arraigned, you may encounter something that looks like this:

Image from 100days100ties

If you are lucky, the ties will be arraigned neatly and hung from pegs or some other display board. If you aren't, you will find a large heap with hundreds of neckties intertwined like snakes in a bucket. These will unfortunately be dug through, pulled, snagged, dirtied, and otherwise neglected until someone finds one they like, and saves it from its unsightly end. In my case, I walked in, and among the ratty and weathered 1970's atrocities, plucked out this one right away:

A BB#5 Repp in Red/Navy in like new condition (despite being at least a decade old given the label)

I like to think I'm doing a sort of service "rescuing" these ties..Giving them a new home and a second life. Rather than buried beneath a pile of silk and polyester, they can be proudly displayed in my collection, worn to events, or perhaps passed on to someone who I know could use it. This tie normally sells for $80 new, but I picked it up for a measly $1 bill. So do your part, and liberate a tie in your local thrift shop today. 

As a college student, you certainly need ties from time to time, and why spend upwards of $50 on a tie when you can have better ones for a couple of bucks at most? You won't find a tie this nice in a store like Sears, JC Penny, Macy's, and arguably, on the shelves of J. Crew or Banana Republic. The ties from these stores will be often made in China. But I found this one sitting in a bin, waiting to be rescued like a wide-eyed puppy.  

All silk: Check

Classic repp stripe pattern: Check

Made in USA: Check

It passes the Prep test

Pure luck saved us $78.50 while adding to the collection of BB Repp ties every well dressed man should own

And another word of advice: Look for patterns before labels. Here are just a few similar ties I've thrifted over the past year, each from a different maker:

Brooks Brothers, Robert Talbott, Bentley, The Custom Shop, and Nicky Milano
Combined Retail Price: ~$500

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"

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?

A Good Day

Over break, I've had some quality time to thrift around my area and visit some shops that are ordinarily out of the way to get to. One of the key elements of successful thrift shopping is persistence. You might visit 3 different stores, and find one quality find between them all, or you could strike gold and find half a dozen or more great items (per store!).

This will be a rather long post, but I wanted to show off some of my favorite steals from the past week or so.

Last week I traveled to 5 different stores, and came back with a small handful of items. Today, I made it to 6, and attempted a 7th, but that's a different story... Regardless, I found some items I'm pretty happy with and will showcase here.

This houndstooth jacket seemed like a good buy at $8. It is USA made by Anderson-Little. It's 100% wool, 2 button and darted, it's not the most traditional of jackets but it will look good worn casually where a blazer might be a little too bold. The material however feels pretty nice and it was very clean and shows minimal signs of wear.