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 These have since been replaced by the Jos.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!

Brooks Semi-Annual Sale Details

I received the details on the sale via a mailing today so I thought I'd just quickly share here.

Sale will run: June 20th-July 3rd 2014
Suits, Sport coats, pants and accessories: (up to) 30% off 
Sportswear: up to 50% off 
(Casual outerwear, casual pants, etc)
Dress and Sport shirts: 3/$179(Will go crazy if there are no deals on single purchases....as I put off buying during the 30% sale)
Ties: Buy 2 or more save 50% 
Women's apparel: up to 50% off 
Red Fleece: up to 50% off


Fine print reads: Not valid at factory stores or on Black fleece. May not be combined with other discounts (so I guess the AAAC card/Student discount is out)

There will probably be separate sales going on at the outlets but I haven't received confirmation of this yet. 

I'll post some of my recommended buys on Friday once the sale prices are live. 

Thrifty Retail

 Retail doesn't always have to be expensive, and with some intelligent shopping, you may never need to pay "full price" for anything. Retail stores have limited room for products, and as new items come out, the previous stock must go somewhere. If you're clever with combining discounts, you can score exactly what you've wanted at a price that's friendlier on your summer paycheck. With many stores preparing to offer their summer clearance sales, now is a great time to look for big-savings when it comes to preppy style.

Here's a great example. I was recently in a J.Crew store and noticed they had a sale section. These ACK red chinos for example, originally retailed for $75.00.
They had been marked down to $50, and then again $40, as you can see on the tag.

Now the day I happened to be in the store, all men's sale items were an additional 40% off. That brings the price down to $24.  But it gets better, as I learned that the student discount would apply in addition to the previous markdowns, (an additional 15% off in-store purchases) knocking the price down to about $20.
So by careful selection (and some luck) I was able to get these for less than 1/3rd of their original price

Even better were the grey herringbone trousers which (origionally $88) only ran me $15 after the discounts.

A similar story can be had at a recent trip to a Brooks Brothers "factory store" where I picked up this D-Ring belt (A mainline Brooks product, not made for the outlets) for under $10. The MSRP was around $58.

Continuing with Brooks, who hold frequent sales, I took advantage of a recent sale which offered (If I remember correctly) an additional 40% off on clearance items. I'd been eyeing this particular OCBD with a grosgrain ribbon trim on the placket. 

This ribbon-trim feature I had only previously seen on shirts by Thom Browne (The designer behind Brook's Black Fleece line of what-the-hell fashion). These retail for over $300 so finding a more affordable version (with details such as flap pocket and a slim fit) was a real treat. With the discount applied, I got the shirt for just under $30, and for fun added on a cotton pocket square that was under $10 with the discount applied. 

Further taking advantage of 2-day free shipping (offered when you sign up for a trial of ShopRunner) my $100+ dollar order was reduced to under $40 for an incredible shirt and square...saving me money for future purchases. 

A word on ShopRunner...

One must be careful when signing up as the whole ploy is that this subscription based service will be happy to charge you on a monthly basis even if you aren't buying anything. A discerning consumer however, will be able to cancel before the trial period ends. When I did this, they offered an extension for a few months. I'll have to make sure they don't end up charging me after that but in the meantime it's free shipping so I'm content. Certain American Express cardholders are eligible for a free membership as well so check it out if you've got one. 

So what's next? Well Brooks should be having their summer semi-annual sale soon, which in the past has been ~40% markdowns store wide in mid-late June (after Fathers Day). 

Here are a few items look for: 

THE Brooks Brothers OCBD
Must-Iron, 100% Supima Cotton
Made in USA.

Madras Flip-Flops 

Bow Ties, including some of the reversible variety

Belts, including this one I find really unique from Kiel James Patrick

A variety of boat shoes that may spark your interest. I know these got my attention.

Aside from retail, thrift finds haven't been particularly amazing lately, but here are some things I did catch. 

J.Press Oxford in yellow. I sold it due to the extra-baggy fit but these are a trad holy-grail item, and to think that I found it in a ratchet part of Worcester Ma is even more baffling. 
Paid $5. Retail $101. Sold.

5-Pocket shorts by Rugby Ralph Lauren. Since this (beloved to some) brand doesn't exist anymore, eBay and thrift stores might be your only way to shop for it
Retail ??? (estimated ~$80) Paid $6.

An L.L. Bean Made in USA sweater- Again, a product I don't think is made anymore. I practically want to buy everything I find that's made in America given the rarity at this point, and the fact that it's pretty close to my school color didn't hurt. 
Retail ???. Paid $4.

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

Spring Forward

We've had a fairly unseasonable start to Spring with some cold weather and snow persisting into March. Thankfully it appears warm days are finally here (or within close reach) and as such, an abrupt change takes place on college campuses across the Northeast. In the last few weeks of the semester, bean boots re-materialize as boat shoes, pastel button-downs for fleece jackets, and yoga pants become running shorts. With the snow finally gone we can start fully appreciating Spring style.

Some general guidelines for warmer weather:

• Incorporate pastels but don't go overboard. Try to blend something bright with something subtle.
• Look for more brightly colored sweaters and lighter weight wool or cotton when you need one.
• Spring mornings are typically chilly yielding to warmer temps in the afternoon. Find combinations that can be layered to make your day more comfortable (and less sweaty)
• Know when shorts are appropriate. Cruising around the quad: Yes. Applying for a job or internship: No. 

Here are some of my finds which have made their way into the Spring rotation.

A yellow OCBD brightens up any outfit. Purchased for $6 (Retail $65)

Certain plaids give off a summery feel. Look for Indian madras and feel free to experiment in this department. Certain color combinations compliment certain skin tones, and others, well...just clash. Figure out what works for you and be adventurous! 

A stack of Spring-friendly colored polo shirts. All purchased well-below retail.

Polo Finds

Here are some great finds of Polo Ralph Lauren items submitted to me by a reader named Lukas. We can see a stack of about 6 short sleeve polo shirts (retail about $65 each), three sweaters (between $90-$150 ea) and two prep essentials, the oxford cloth button down in white and red University stripe. Polo, while a fairly common sight considering the brand has undergone much dilution over the years, still produces some fairly nice quality items, and given there prevalence, are among the easiest brands to consistently find while thrifting.

Feel free to submit your photos to have your finds featured on the site!

Four seasons worth of Polo goodness

While I don't tend to exclusively rely on Polo for my wardrobe, I do think they make some great items that can be incorporated into many different looks.

Here are some Polo items from my personal collection:

A darker-blue OCBD. 

A white pinpoint oxford. Fun fact: Any Polo Ralph Lauren shirt with a button-down collar will emit the word "Polo" from the shirt tag. This is due to a legal agreement with (who would have guessed) Brooks Brothers, who have trademarked the term "The Original Polo Shirt"  

A 100% Lambs wool quarter-zip. This one looks teal here but is actually a brilliant forest green. It's really warm, as wool retains heat much better than cotton which is what you will find many cheaper sweaters are made of.
Purchased at local charity thrift for $15, Retail ~$150

Putting it all together...Here we can see a gray polo V-neck paired with a Brooks Brothers shirt and tie (in Argyll Sutherland regimental stripe), a J.Press tartan tie, and a vintage 3/2 roll blazer. 

Write for The Thrifty Prep

After running the site as a full-time student for about a year now, I've realized I don't have as much time to post as I'd really like to. As such, I'm looking for anyone who would be interested in becoming a contributing author to the blog. Guest posts could include:

• Thrift Store finds (In line with the items posted here previously)
• Thrift Store advice/stories
• Style Recommendations/Combinations 
• Your stories of improving your wardrobe

Please contact me at thriftyprep@gmail.com if you are interested!