Put This On

The Man Who Thrifted A Ferrari

Who’d have thought you could thrift a Ferrari?

Matthew R. is an inveterate thrifter. He says he works seventy hours a week, and he’s been buying and selling second-hand clothes since 1998. Not long ago, he started a consignment service, Luxeswap, and not only do their auctions often crop up in our eBay picks, but I’ve personally trusted him to consign a number of clothes in the past. He’s one of the best menswear sellers on eBay. But truly: I had no idea.

This week, Matthew bought a Ferrari. With thrift store money.

Here’s how it happened…

Matthew started thrifting in the late nineties, and quickly learned that when he found something good that didn’t fit him, he could sell it on eBay and make a little dough. The first item was an Emporio Armani sportcoat. It sold for fifty bucks. Like most of us, Matthew took the extra money and spent it on clothes and small indulgences.

In 2007, he read a book called One Red Paperclip. It was written by a man, Kyle MacDonald, who traded a paperclip for a pen for a doorknob for a camping stove and on and on for a year until he had traded for a new house. Matthew thought: how could I turn my own little hobby into something special?

So he started a savings account.

His business money went into a business account. His personal money - the money from his own personal purchases - went into the savings account. And year after year, that money grew.

Then, last week, he took the money and bought a Ferrari.

Matthew says: “This car was born of things that nobody else wanted. Things that people discarded. I wanted to be able to say I thrifted a Ferrari. And I did.”

A genuinely remarkable achievement.

It’s On Sale: Tellason Denim

For a limited time, you can take 20% off at North River Outfitters with the checkout code matchbook. The code seems to work on everything except Aldens. That includes the Tellason jeans you see here, which have already been discounted to $165. With the code, these come out to $132, with free shipping to boot. 

Note, I have no experience with Tellason’s jeans outside of handling them in a store. They seemed nice in person, but as it goes with clothing, you don’t really know the quality of something until you’ve personally worn it for a while. On the upside, Tellason gets good reviews on Superfuture, where many denim enthusiasts hang out, and Woodlands has measurements for one of the models. You’ll want familiarize yourself with the brand before buying, as North River Outfitters will only offer exchanges or store credit on returned sale items. 

theparisreview:

Gay Talese’s outline for “Frank Sinatra Has a Cold,” 1966, written on a shirt board.

If you haven’t seen our segment on Mr. Talese, watch it. And if you haven’t read “Frank Sinatra Has A Cold,” read it.

eBay Roundup

We have some great items today. I really like these EG Cappelli neckties, Alden unlined suede chukkas, and this Cucinelli navy coat. I’m also selling a bunch of items this week, all of which end this Sunday. 

And as usual, if you don’t see anything here you like, you can use our customized search links to find more auctions. We have them for high-end suits, good suits, high-quality shirts and fine footwear. 

Four Socks for Summer

For much of the year, I rely on navy wool over-the-calf socks. As many readers will know, I favor over-the-calfs because they stay up on your leg, thus ensuring your bare calves won’t be exposed when you sit down. I also find navy is a slightly more interesting color than black, and can be successfully paired with almost any kind of trouser.

In the summer months, however, long wool socks can wear a bit too warm, so I turn to other options. The first are still navy over-the-calfs, but instead of wool, I’ve come to really appreciate the highly breathable cotton ones sold by Dapper Classics. They sent me a few pairs for free last year and I’m really pleased with how well they’ve held up. Like with many high-end socks, however, I’ve found that solid colors hold up much better than patterns. For whatever reason, high end patterned socks seem to fuzz up and fall apart more easily in the wash. Still, their solid navy is made with a very durable, breathable weave, and you can feel the air whiff by when you put these on and wiggle your feet.

Another popular option is no-show socks, which Jesse has written about before. They’re essentially a short cotton sock that allows you get the look of being sockless without actually having to be so. In addition to the ones Jesse named, 2(x)ist also just released a collection of no-show socks. I have no experience with them, though I’m told they have a rubber grip at the heel that helps prevent slippage. Jesse also reviewed the Mocc Socks he named in his original article, and liked them.

I tried no-show socks a couple of years ago and sadly found they just didn’t work for me. Mine had rubber grips as well, but they still kept slipping off. So I’ve turned to terry cloth insoles from Aldos, which you can slip into your shoes whenever you want to go sockless. If your feet get sweaty easily, sprinkle in a little Gold Bond powder to keep them cool and dry. 

Finally, summer being what it is, I like to wear sneakers a bit more often on the weekends. Dress socks are a bit weird with sneakers, so I pair mine with more casual cotton socks. Like Jesse, mine are from Lands’ End and Uniqlo. I’ve found the ones from Lands’ End hold up a bit better, though I like Uniqlo’s designs (mine are these in grey). Get whichever ones you like best, though I recommend staying away from the white ones. Those just look too much like athletic tube socks, which in my opinion, should be worn only when you’re exercising.  

What I Take Long Walks In

With the exception of running shoes, the most comfortable shoes I’ve worn have always been built on Plantation crepe. Crepe refers to a sort of soft rubber - usually slightly yellow-ish in color - that comes in large sheets. Shoe manufacturers take these sheets, cut them down to the size and shape necessary, and then layer them to form a sole. The result is something that’s very, very comfortable. They make you feel like you’re walking on soft clouds, or more realistically, like those big rubber pads that toddlers play on. 

The upside to crepe is that they’re comfortable, particularly on hard concrete, and look suitably stylish for spring through fall wear. The downside is that they might not last as long as a pair of hard-bottom leather soles. Still, they can still be replaced by an experienced cobbler when the time comes. I’ve also read that crepe can get rigid and crack. I don’t know if this is because of harsh weather conditions or just plain age, but for what it’s worth, that’s never happened to any of my crepe soled shoes. 

There are a number of shoe styles that are commonly made with Plantation crepe - boots, plain toe derbys, moccasins, etc. My favorites are perhaps brown suede chukkas, which I think look particularly nice with cotton trousers, casual shirts, and even the occasional soft-shouldered odd jacket. The pairing of suede and crepe makes for a particularly stylish casual combination, and you can find suede, crepe soled chukkas at a pretty wide range of price points. On the high end, A Suitable Wardrobe has my favorites - a really handsome model that looks sleek enough to be worn with grey wool trousers. For something more casual and affordable, consider Church’s Sahara, Loake’s Gobi, or Clarks’ desert boots. The third retails for about $120, but it’s not hard to find them for under $100. Just Google around or check eBay. 

Our Beloved Sponsors

Twice a month, we like to thank our sponsors for supporting our site. Our sponsors this month include Cottonwork, Flint & Tinder, Frank Clegg Leatherworks, and The Hanger Project.

Cottonwork sells custom-made shirts over the internet. You can order by either submitting your measurements online or sending them your best fitting shirt to be copied. From there, they have a nice online interface for you to work with as you design your shirt. Basically, as you make selections for the collar style, fit, and cloth, you get to see your shirt being built in real-time, so that you have an idea of what it might look like. They also have a free starter kit you can order from their website. In it, you’ll find some coupon codes for your first order, some sample fabrics, and a measuring tape.

Our second sponsor Flint & Tinder specializes in American-made undergarments, including undershirts, boxers, briefs, boxer-briefs, and socks. This summer, they’re also launching something they’re calling The All-Summer Board Short. It’s basically a pair of swimming trunks that you can also use as regular shorts (they have belt loops, pockets, and don’t have any crazy patterns that would limit them to the water). The idea is to give men the option of buying a pair of swim trunk that they can actually wear all summer long, even if they don’t go near water that often.

Our third sponsor is Frank Clegg Leatherworks. Frank Clegg, the proprietor, has been making leather goods for over forty years. Today, he makes a range of leathergoods and accessories out of his workshop in Fall Rivers, Massachusetts. He has a pretty big selection of things he sells in his online shop. There are briefcases made out of a sturdy harness belting leather (which is a kind of vegetable tanned leather treated with extra fat liquors during the condition process), some travel bags made from shrunken leather, and some wallets, card cases, and iPhone sleeves for people looking for small gifts.

Finally, our last sponsor is The Hanger Project. As their name suggests, they specialize in high-end hangers, but they also sell a range of other things, such as Saphir shoe care products, closet organization accessories, and neckties.

So thanks to all four of our sponsors for their support. We genuinely appreciate their support.   

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