Sometimes I enjoy pulling into a courtroom wearing <a href=”https: //joewears.co.uk/i-dressed-entirely-from-walmart-for-a-week-and-got-more-compliments-than-ever/”>a Brioni wool suit that cost me $47</a>. Not because I’m bragging or trying to pretend that I can afford bespoke suits – honestly, most of the lawyers I know wouldn’t know Brioni from Jos. A.
Bank anyway – but because I know what this jacket is. Where it came from. Who made it.
Unlike that cheap off-the-rack suit purchased by half of the attorneys in that room (I’m looking at you, grey blazer with the ropedyed shirt hanging out). <img class=”size-full” src=”http://joewears.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/im1979_Thrift_Store_Treasure_Hunter_Finding_Designer_Labels_a_2ccae5a0-7dcf-42ec-a57a-324cfa56788b_1.jpg” alt=”im1979_T thrift_Store_Treasure_Hunter_Finding_Designer_Labels_a_2ccae5a07dcf426eca57a324cfa56788b_1″ width=”1024″ height=”682″ /> Before I had a “uniform” of sorts and understood what made a garment high-quality, shopping at thrift stores was born out of necessity. I didn’t choose to frequent thrift stores, they were simply the most economical way to build a professional wardrobe when I was making nothing but lawyer bills and student loan payments.
Back in the late ’90s when I was a young associate attorney making a nice salary but bleeding money from student loans and trying to find Margaret’s engagement ring.
I desperately needed clothing that would make me look like a professional instead of some kid who raided his dad’s closet for his court date. But on $20 a week for clothing, I wasn’t going to find anything remotely suitable at Brooks Brothers. An older partner had mentioned something one day about “investing” in your clothing and I had got the message.
That’s when I first stepped foot into a secondhand store. It was Salvation Army on South Street and I felt like I was doing something wrong the whole time I was there. The fluorescent lighting, the smell of dust and mothballs, the pang of guilt every five minutes as I passed rack after rack of someone’s discarded wardrobe.
But I browsed around anyway, knowing I didn’t have much of a choice. It was Saturday morning and there wasn’t much else open anyway. <img class=”size-full” src=”http://joewears.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/im1979_Thrift_Store_Treasure_Hunter_Finding_Designer_Labels_a_2ccae5a0-7dcf-42ec-a57a-324cfa56788b_2.jpg” alt=”im1979_T thrift_Store_Treasure_Hunter_Finding_Designer_Labels_a_2ccae57dcf42eca324cfa56888b_2″ width=”1024″ height=”682″ /> What I learned that day completely <a href=”https://joewears.co.uk/the-30-wears-test-a-sustainable-approach-to-mens-fashion-decisions/”>changed my perspective about menswear</a>. Quality clothing was out there.
It’s just a matter of knowing where to look and what you’re looking for. The first treasure I found was a navy Brooks Brothers suit with pinstripes. Probably from the ‘80s when Brooks still made their suits in the US and knew how to construct a garment.
Jacket was $15, trousers were $10. I cleaned and pressed it at my local dry cleaner and wore it to court one week. It wasn’t perfect but fit well enough for me to recognise that this was… different.
Wool that feels thick and heavy doesn’t cling and drag the way cheap fabrics do. Buttonholes sewn by hand don’t look quite as regimented as machine-stitched ones. And it’s the little things like that which let you know when you’ve stumbled onto something quality. <img class=”size-full” src=”http://joewears.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/im1979_Thrift_Store_Treasure_Hunter_Finding_Designer_Labels_a_2ccae5a0-7dcf-42ec-a57a-324cfa56788b_3.jpg” alt=”im1979_T thrift_Store_Treasure_Hunter_Finding_Designer_Labels_a_2ccae5a07dcf42ec a” width=”1024″ height=”682″ /> It was that day I realised that most men never discover that the well dressed don’t necessarily spend the most amount of money on clothing.
They’re just better at identifying quality clothing than others. Over the last two decades I’ve honed a methodology (some might call it an obsession…) of finding great menswear at ridiculously low prices. In any condition.
Because once you know what to look for you can find amazing garments anywhere. Estate sales in Rittenhouse. Upscale consignment shops in the burbs.
Crazy expensive resale shops in Nashville. Yes, even Goodwill. It doesn’t matter where you find it as long as you know quality when you see it. <img class=”size-full” src=”http: //joewears.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/im1979_Thrift_Store_Treasure_Hunter_Finding_Designer_Labels_a_707926d8-d6d0-4d93-8fcf-705b0c3dc8d3_0.jpg” alt=”im1979_Thrift_Store_Treasure_Hunter Finding Designer Labels_a 708794d6d04d938fcf3dc8d3_0″ width=”1024″ height=”682″ /> My favourite score to date was an Oxxford suit in charcoal wool.
Had to go to a church rummage sale in Gladwyne to find it. Bless Margaret’s heart for dragging me along while she rummaged through bins of old jewellery. I wandered into the thrift shop across the street to give her time to finish looking.
Nothing but women’s clothes and housewares in that pathetic excuse for a mens section. But there it was hanging all by itself on the clearance rack: a charcoal wool suit labelled Ralph Lauren. Full canvas.
Hand-padded shoulder. Cheque-celled silk lining. Two sets of giant horn buttons.
Maybe his father had it custom-made in the ’70s and never wore it. Label was long gone but craftsmanship was obvious. Who cares if it’s Ralph Lauren?
I paid twenty-five bucks. Felt bad for the Salvation Army when I bought it. For me, the hard part isn’t finding thrift stores with clothing – I live near Philadelphia which is EXPLOSION with tailoring hacks like myself – it’s having the patience to dig through junk in order to find treasure.
Same thing goes for estate sales and resale shops. You will be miserable for about 90% of your search and truly joyful for about 1% of the time. But that 1%?
Holy shit is it worth it. <img class=”size-full” src=”http: //joewears.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/im1979_Thrift_Store_Treasure_Hunter_Finding_Designer_Labels_a_707926d8-d6d0-4d93-8fcf-705b0c3dc8d3_1.jpg” alt=”im1979_Thrift_Store_Treasure_Hunter Finding Designer Labels_a 70d6d04d93fc705b0c” width=”1024″ height=”682″ /> Know where to look. Proximity to wealth is everything. There’s a reason I scored that Ralph Lauren suit in Gladwyne.
Affluent neighbourhoods = better resale items. Live near the Main Line? Hate yourself yet?
You Might Also Like
Good resale shops near me get most of their high-end clothing from Main Line closets. Private equity execs. Corporate lawyers.
Those aren’t people struggling to unload their belongings. They’re affording new clothing every year and need to clean out their wardrobes to make room. That’s where I want to spend my time looking.
I have about six locations I rotate through each month. There’s a consignment shop in Wayne that has great menswear but terrible pricing skills. Giant Goodwill down the street from my office in King of Prussia that must be the beneficiary of at least five high-end closets.
Estate sale company that specializes in Main Line property. Invaluable. They text me pics of potential sales just so I can decide if it’s worth my time to drive over.
He calls me whenever he gets something that he knows I’ll be interested in. Scored an Armani suit last year he texted me about. Know the owners at the estate sale company.
They understand I’m only interested in high quality menswear and will often let me know if they think a sale will have good clothes or not so I don’t waste my time. <img class=”size-full” src=”http: //joewears.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/im1979_Thrift_Store_Treasure_Hunter_Finding_Designer_Labels_a_70 79d6d0-4d93-8fcf705b0c3dc8d3_2.jpg” alt=”im1979_Thrift_Store_Treasure Hunter Finding Designer Labels_a_ 79dc8d32″ width=”1024″ height=”682″ /> Know your limitations. Yes, you can have virtually any alterations done to a garment. But should you?
Don’t be afraid to pay Roberto to shorten those sleeves or take in the waist on that cool vintage suit you found. But some things are dealbreakers. Can’t alter shoulder fit like you want.Heavy wear on an otherwise gorgeous pair of Banisters is not worth the price of resoling.
Lots of failed experiments over the years. Gorgeous cashmere overcoat with hidden moth damage I didn’t catch. Alden loafers with sole wear that made resoling not cost-effective.
Bruce tartan“ Burberry” trench coat that was actually cheapassMade in China crap. Stains on silk neckties are never worth the cleaning price. <Image class=”size-full” src=”http: //joewears.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/i_Cropped-18.jpg” alt=”I Walked into Banana Republic and Left with a $900 Suit” width=”1024″ height=”450″ /> Building relationships with thrift store managers, your tailor, estate sale companies – it makes all the difference. My tailor has turned more than one doomed thrift store trouser by skilled crotch strengthening.
We understand each other’s businesses and respect what the other does. He charges me a fair price for alterations and knows I’ll bring him consistent business because of our relationship. Clothing tells a story.
That Turnbull & Asser shirt I scored in an estate sale? Some guy wore that to functions. Important functions.
Nice dinners. Even nicerr dates. Someone cared enough about this shirt to keep it folded properly and use quality shirt stays.
Now it’s doing the same for me. Law students and new attorneys have approached me after court hearings asking where I find clothes that fit so well. I mention estate sales, resale shops, secondhand stores, and they give me a look reserved for people who shop in dumpsterS.
They would rather buy a shirt from Uniqlo than wear a vintage shirt passed down from someone’s grandfather. To each his own. But let’s be serious here.
You can pick up a vintage woolsports coat for $30 and have it tailored properly for another $75. Spend that much and you can buy an obviously fused Carmona jacket from J.Crew. An wardrobe of quality pieces for <a href=”https://joewears.co.uk/how-much-money-am-i-saving-by-shopping-secondhand/”>less than 1/3 what retail costs</a>.
That’s just a cool thing to be able to accomplish.
But beyond that, there’s something satisfying about being able to wear clothing with more history than you can probably cram into your own wardrobe. Understanding how clothing is made and why certain labels are more desirable than others.
Recognising quality that your average shopper wouldn’t notice. Margaret harps that I spend too much time digging through rubbish to find awesome clothes. She’s never complained when I show up to court or a firm function looking sharp.
And that, my friends, is why she’s married me and not any of you. Granted, this isn’t for everyone. If you have the money to buy quality clothing new and don’t mind spending the retail price to do so, have at it.
But if you’d rather save your money to spend on things other than clothing, know your limits, and don’t mind getting dirty digging through thrift store racks, you can dress WAY better than almost every guy in your price range. And you’ll have a better understanding of what you’re wearing as you’re destroying the fabric of society with your_legal know-how. PS – Don’t broadcast your best secondhand shopping spots to the world.
We’ve already got more competition than we need looking for awesome vintage clothes.
