Goodwill buys

[jamespowers]

I'm very happy with the Richman jacket, it's very heavy weight wool though and it hasn't been cool enough to wear it yet.

Nice. It has been that cool here in the mornings. I would have worn it a few times already.

 

[davestlouis]

New purchase today, HSM glen plaid suit coat, "Macy's Mens Store" label, 100% wool, beautiful condition, will look great with black trousers. Goodwill was having a sale, $4. I almost bought a solid midnight blue DB suit coat, with thoughts of making a sport coat of it by adding brass buttons, but I couldn't bring myself to do it...I've never owned a DB jacket and don't like the notion of looking like a "wanna-be" yachtsman. I also wasn't wild about how low it buttoned, so I passed.

 

[jamespowers]

I almost bought a solid midnight blue DB suit coat, with thoughts of making a sport coat of it by adding brass buttons, but I couldn't bring myself to do it...I've never owned a DB jacket and don't like the notion of looking like a "wanna-be" yachtsman. I also wasn't wild about how low it buttoned, so I passed.

lol lol lol lol So you would be wearing the Mr. Howell ensemble then?

lol

 

[davestlouis]

Yeah, not my "look"...

It also makes me think of Ted Knight's character in CaddyShack. What a pompous ass.

 

[jamespowers]

Yeah, not my "look"...

It also makes me think of Ted Knight's character in CaddyShack. What a pompous ass.

I can see what you mean.

 

[davestlouis]

I think it may be the hat more than the jacket...the ascot doesn't help either, but the DB was too close to that look for my taste. The biggest boat I have is a Sunfish at the moment, that doesn't lend itself to showing off at the yacht club.

 

[davestlouis]

Well, I went back and bought the navy suit coat, HSM/Foley's label. The outside looks great, the lining has one bad spot where it looks like the original owner carried something in the left inside pocket. I need to find some novelty brass buttons and I'll have yet another navy sportcoat. It was $8. Is it possible to reline the jacket, or at least patch the lining so it doesn't get any worse? Also got a GAP blue and white striped sportshirt for $3, still had the tag from the shirt laundry on the tail. Good day at Goodwill. Chesterfield MO. The store in O'Fallon MO was packed with people, no good buys, so I left empty handed.

 

[Lamplight]

After a thorough scouring of all the thrift stores in town yesterday, this thread depresses me even more. In one I did find a Harris Tweed sport coat that was pretty nice, but it was too long (dang it!) At Goodwill I found a nice looking pair of worsted wool pants which, according to the label, were my size. They were dirt cheap, so I didn't bother trying them on in the store. When I got home, I learned that they were waaay too snug. Luckily, they fit my brother very well. They're not vintage in the slightest but they look nice. Everything else I saw, I mean EVERYTHING, was of the lowest possible quality, less than ten years old, and/or just plain hideous. lol And yet, next weekend I'll probably be looking again...

 

[davestlouis]

I enjoy the thrill of the hunt. The Goodwill in Chesterfield also had several mens's suits in wild colors, they look like something a professional football player or basketball player would wear...one was mustard yellow with a plaid waistcoat, the other periwinkle purple with a striped waistcoat. Would have made tremendous Halloween costumes. I didn't check the size, somebody else was already looking at them. Instant pimp costume...

I was at work the other day, some of the funeral directors were bitching about ruining expensive ties by dripping their lunch on the tie. I had on a Brooks Brothers that I had paid $2 for, and just smiled...

 

[jamespowers]

Well, I went back and bought the navy suit coat, HSM/Foley's label. The outside looks great, the lining has one bad spot where it looks like the original owner carried something in the left inside pocket. I need to find some novelty brass buttons and I'll have yet another navy sportcoat. It was $8. Is it possible to reline the jacket, or at least patch the lining so it doesn't get any worse? Also got a GAP blue and white striped sportshirt for $3, still had the tag from the shirt laundry on the tail. Good day at Goodwill. Chesterfield MO. The store in O'Fallon MO was packed with people, no good buys, so I left empty handed.

It is possible to have a jacket relined as well as patched. Patching could be a problem if the material is of an unusual pattern. I suppose you could steal some from a hem if the damage is small. Relining the whole jacket could get to be a bit expensive---unless you can do it yourself.
So does this mean you are trading up from the Sunfish?

 

[jamespowers]

I enjoy the thrill of the hunt. The Goodwill in Chesterfield also had several mens's suits in wild colors, they look like something a professional football player or basketball player would wear...one was mustard yellow with a plaid waistcoat, the other periwinkle purple with a striped waistcoat. Would have made tremendous Halloween costumes. I didn't check the size, somebody else was already looking at them. Instant pimp costume...

I was at work the other day, some of the funeral directors were bitching about ruining expensive ties by dripping their lunch on the tie. I had on a Brooks Brothers that I had paid $2 for, and just smiled...

Those also sound like perfect Joker or car salesman costumes.
I would think that dripping lunch on a funeral director's tie would be the least of their worries. There is much worse that could get on their ties.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

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If possible, go to (non-chain) thrift stores which are relatively near wealthy, 'old money' neighborhoods. I'm still mourning the closure of "Children's Hospital Thrift Shop", which was near Hancock Park in Los Angeles. Generations of rich Hancock Park families donated to that store. Over the years, I found "Oviatt's" suits, fedoras, and ties; "Machin" shirts; an "Eddie Schmidt, Inc." overcoat; and much, much more. That thrift shop sold the best of the best.



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[tonyb]

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If possible, go to (non-chain) thrift stores which are relatively near wealthy, 'old money' neighborhoods. I'm still mourning the closure of "Children's Hospital Thrift Shop", which was near Hancock Park in Los Angeles. Generations of rich Hancock Park families donated to that store. Over the years, I found "Oviatt's" suits, fedoras, and ties; "Machin" shirts; "Eddie Schmidt" overcoat; and much, much more. That thrift shop sold the best of the best.



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That's the trick. It's fortunate that such thrift shops don't draw the crowds the Goodwills and Value Villages do. That's on account of 'em usually being somewhat off the beaten path, and because their relatively small size means they also have relatively small inventories (duh), which leave them less appealing to the run of thrift store shoppers. But the inventory they do have tends to be of much higher quality.

Rarer and more precious still are such shops located in areas some distance (50 miles or more, say) from the centers of the metropolitan areas. I know of one that is staffed mostly by volunteers, and I suspect the rent is either waived or much reduced from market rate (which is lower in the smaller burgs to start with). So, little if any payroll cost and low overhead.

The affluent donor base certainly makes a HUGE difference. It's all to the better if those affluent donors are also elderly.

My fave place often has garments fresh from the cleaners. And vintage stuff as well. This place puts nothing on the floor that isn't in ready-to-wear condition. No stains, no soiling, no missing buttons, etc. And I've yet to find a junk garment (high polyester content shirts with lots of pills, for instance) on their racks.

The prices are a tad higher than what you might see at Goodwill, but the value is much, much better. And the prices are still a whole lot lower than what a person would pay for comparable merchandise at a consignment or vintage shop in the big city.

 

[cptjeff]

I enjoy the thrill of the hunt. The Goodwill in Chesterfield also had several mens's suits in wild colors, they look like something a professional football player or basketball player would wear...one was mustard yellow with a plaid waistcoat, the other periwinkle purple with a striped waistcoat. Would have made tremendous Halloween costumes. I didn't check the size, somebody else was already looking at them. Instant pimp costume...

I was at work the other day, some of the funeral directors were bitching about ruining expensive ties by dripping their lunch on the tie. I had on a Brooks Brothers that I had paid $2 for, and just smiled...

Since thrift stores tend to be popular places for college students to find halloween costumes, there's a reason those suits are out this time of year. They'll sell them, and probably get them donated right back in November.

And I have been very happy buying vintage ties at the thrift store here. I finally own ties that I can wear properly thanks to the shorter lengths of the past.

 

[cptjeff]

I enjoy the thrill of the hunt. The Goodwill in Chesterfield also had several mens's suits in wild colors, they look like something a professional football player or basketball player would wear...one was mustard yellow with a plaid waistcoat, the other periwinkle purple with a striped waistcoat. Would have made tremendous Halloween costumes. I didn't check the size, somebody else was already looking at them. Instant pimp costume...

I was at work the other day, some of the funeral directors were bitching about ruining expensive ties by dripping their lunch on the tie. I had on a Brooks Brothers that I had paid $2 for, and just smiled...

Since thrift stores tend to be popular places for college students to find halloween costumes, there's a reason those suits are out this time of year, they'll sell them, and probably get them donated right back in November. the one here has a rack for halloween fashions, and it has some of the most garish clothes ever dreamt up.

And I have been very happy buying vintage ties at the thrift store here. I finally own ties that I can wear properly thanks to the shorter lengths of the past.

 

[davestlouis]

jamespowers, I was thinking of having it relined in something wild, like a Lily Pulitzer type of print, just for giggles. It's a navy blue lining now with a little diamond pattern woven into it.

 

[davestlouis]

jamespowers, I have also downsized TO the Sunfish, from a ComPac 16 microcruiser. I would be just as happy to bid the Sunfish adieu also, it hasn't gotten wet this year.

In Missouri, a funeral director is not the same as an embalmer, which is unusual. In most states they are one and the same, at least from a licensing perspective. My point is, our FD's rarely even touch the deceased, unless they are placing or removing jewelry, or straightening the clothing of the deceased. BBQ from church picnics is the worst hazard their ties face.

 

[Lamplight]

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If possible, go to (non-chain) thrift stores which are relatively near wealthy, 'old money' neighborhoods. I'm still mourning the closure of "Children's Hospital Thrift Shop", which was near Hancock Park in Los Angeles. Generations of rich Hancock Park families donated to that store. Over the years, I found "Oviatt's" suits, fedoras, and ties; "Machin" shirts; an "Eddie Schmidt, Inc." overcoat; and much, much more. That thrift shop sold the best of the best.



.

Funny you should mention this. A couple of hours ago I discovered a clothing store near my house that I had never seen before. They didn't seem to have any real vintage clothing, but they did have LOTS of high quality, name-brand newer clothing. More expensive than the charity stores and thrift stores, but I got a decent wool sport coat for $20 which literally looks brand new. In fact, some of the clothing was brand new, as I saw original tags on one suit. Not sure where they get their clothing, but I didn't see anything that wasn't immaculate. Plus the staff was extremely friendly. I'm thrilled to have discovered this place after my dismal luck yesterday, and I will definitely be returning!

 

[Cigarband]

At Goodwill I found a nice looking pair of worsted wool pants which, according to the label, were my size. They were dirt cheap, so I didn't bother trying them on in the store. When I got home, I learned that they were waaay too snug. Luckily, they fit my brother very well.

There is a way to size trousers without trying them on and I've used it for years when shopping at thrift shops.
Fasten the waist closure and fly. Hold the pants by the waistband on either side above the front pockets, then keeping the waist opening of the pants closed, wrap the waistband around your neck. If the waistband overlaps itself by at least two inches the pants will fit your waist. Works every time.

 

[ThesFlishThngs]

Or you could carry a tape measure, but your method is much more fascinating.