Put This On

This amazing list is required reading for new hires at a Salvation Army in Minnesota.

I read about it before I saw the list, and I was scared. It would be a bummer for me if the national thrift chains figured out which of their clothing was high-quality and charged accordingly.

Then I saw the list, and I knew I didn’t have to worry. At all. Even a little, eensy, weensy, teensy bit. I mean… wow. WOW.

Seriously: WOW.

As long as I’m offering thrifting pro tips, here’s another: watch out for licensed goods and diffusion lines.

Beginning with Pierre Cardin in the 1970s, and continuing through the 90s, many luxury brands licensed their names to lower-end manufacturers, and particularly menswear manufacturers. This allowed them to profit from their name recognition without having to run a complicated mass-market clothing business. Ultimately, though, it dramatically devalued these brands in the eyes of consumers.

One of the great innovations of the LVMH empire was new strategies in protecting these brands. Most luxury goods makers now offer “diffusion lines,” which are associated with the brand name but not identical. Think of Ralph Lauren Purple Label, Polo, Lauren and Chaps, for example. Lauren is a licensed, low-end brand. Chaps was sold off completely years ago and no longer even says Ralph Lauren on it. Each brand represents a different level of quality, and they’re all tightly controlled by the mothership. Ralph Lauren even has a line without its name on it - American Living - made just for a low end department store.

Bearing these arrangements in mind is essential when thrifting. Novice thrifters often crow about hauls like the one above, which unfortunately is nothing to crow about. In the 1970s and 80s, brands like Christian Dior, Pierre Cardin, Lanvin, Givenchy, and Yves Saint Laurent focused on high-end womens clothing, licensing their name to lousy menswear manufacturers who dragged them through the mud. If you find a find a piece with one of these brand names, give yourself a reality check. Is it really a quality piece?

Many of these brands have, over the last ten years or so, gotten their menswear acts together. The good stuff, though, remain extremely rare on thrift store racks. In my years of thrifting, I’ve found only one piece by those brands that was of worthwhile quality - a Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche blazer from the mid-2000s. It was beautiful, and the quality was apparent when I touched it. I’ve seen literally thousands of pieces by the brands I ennumerated that were utter crap.

Of course, this doesn’t mean you don’t have to consider diffusion lines, as well. Ermenegildo Zegna Su Misura is one of the finest ready to wear clothing lines in the world. Z Zegna is a line you might consider buying if you found a suit on discount for $300. Lauren is a Mervyn’s brand, and Ralph Lauren Purple Label is worth the trip to Saks or Barney’s. It’s always important to do a reality check before you buy.

You’ve been warned.

Here’s a thrifting tip - that works at regular stores, too.

One sign of a high-quality dress shirt is natural buttons. Plastic buttons are cheaper and more durable than mother of pearl, but they lack the natural pearlescent sheen of the Real Deal. The difference is marginal, but it’s one way a fine shirtmaker distinguishes his product.

If you’re not experienced at spotting natural buttons, there’s an easy way to test. Grab a sleeve, and touch the cuff button to the top of your upper lip. at the bottom of your philtrum. (I use this spot because putting it on the part of my lip I use to eat is kind of gross.)

Natural buttons are more conductive to heat than plastic ones, and will feel cold against your lip. The difference is marked, and easy to feel.

The real trick, of course: explaining to store clerks why you keep eating sleeve buttons.

Above is a photo of my greatest second-hand score ever. One that will likely remain my greatest score ever for the rest of my life, unless I find a cache of Savile Row suits that fit me perfectly or something. I’m still vibrating from the excitement.

So I responded to a Craigslist ad that I found through a saved search for some brand or other… Brioni, maybe. It’s a moving sale, but no address, just a phone number. Talked to the woman, and she gave me her address, told her I’d head up there after my dog’s obedience class.

I live in Silver Lake, on the East side of Los Angeles, and she lived in the Hollywood Hills, on the west side, so it took me a solid 30 minutes to drive there. I was kind of tired, and thought, “Why am I doing this?” It was almost two miles up the hill from Sunset Boulevard.

I get there, and it’s a small but very beautiful a-frame. You can literally see all of Los Angeles from this spot. It was absolutely amazing.

I knock on the door, and she opens it, and it’s a pretty woman maybe in her 40s, dressed like an LA new-agey type straight from Central Casting. Right away, though, I can tell she’s 100% for real and a nice lady. Moments later, she tells me she’s a yoga practicioner. She is very sincere, very kind, and not at all flaky for someone who off-handedly mentions she’s psychic. Twice.

Her house was laid out like a sort of yard sale, with all kinds of women’s clothes and household stuff all around.

She shows me back to the bedroom where the men’s stuff is, and there’s a table of Ed Hardy-ish rock star clothes (frankly a little nicer than that sounds, but still very, very not to my taste) right by the door, and I think maybe it’s not the place for me.

Then I see this box of neckties. I bend down to check it out, and the first tie is an amazing striped grenadine Sulka. Then the next one is a Brioni. And so on and so on.

Above them is a pile of handkerchiefs from Facconable and Turnbull & Asser. To the right is another box full of neckties.

A little negotiating (she was psychic, so I was at a disadvantage) and one trip down and up the mountain later, I handed her $750 in cash.

Here’s what I ended up with:

- A silver-handled purple label umbrella.
- A Sulka trench coat.
- About half a dozen Turnbull & Asser pocket handkerchiefs in their wrapping, and about fifteen more squares, mostly by Facconable, mostly unused, some with tags, including four in a gauzy blend of cashmere and silk that is almost unimaginably soft and beautiful.
- 45 ties. Of these, about three or four are clunkers and a few are Versaces. The rest are Borrelli, Brioni, and Sulka with a few Oxxfords thrown in for good measure. Almost all are basics, almost none are dated (though most are wide-ish). Most seem to be unworn, including about ten Borrellis which are still in their packaging.

The woman was incredibly nice, and was very happy the things were going to a good home. She told me that I can expect a lot of money coming in. Also that the neighborhood I’m thinking of moving to is a very blessed place.

I can only imagine who her ex was. Bryan Ferry or something.

Unreal.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year: thrift store season.

Any avid thrifter will tell you that January is the month for thrifting. The reason? Rich people donate at the end of the year for the tax write-off. Those donations filter through the supply chain and hit stores throughout January.

My hope is that this year will be a good one - we’ve had a few down years in thrifting as people have been feeling broke and hanging on to their stuff rather than donating. With things looking better, especially for the rich, my fingers are crossed for a banner crop.

So: go forth and thrift!

Creative Loafing Atlanta: Getting Thrifty with $50

A Loosey-Goosey Brand Guide for Thrifting Suits and Sportcoats

I’ve had many requests for a list of brands to look for when thrifting.  Of course, this is a monumentally huge request, given the sheer volume of brands of all types of clothes that’s out there.  I don’t really think it’s something I’m even capable of doing.

Luckily, though, folks on various clothing fora have put together hierarchical lists of ready-to-wear suit and sportcoat brands.  These tend to be based on things like amount of hand work, canvassing, fabrics and so on.  These aren’t the end-all, be-all of quality - if you’re Rod Blagojevic, then you want Oxxford to look like a competent guy who won’t get all graft-y, and if you’re an Italian playboy, you might want Kiton or Isaia to look like the kind of guy whose yacht travels with its own cigar boat.  Different brands have different meanings, fits, and values. 

That said, these brands, grouped into two loose agglomerations (super-mega excellent and very excellent) produce high-quality goods that are worth looking out for.  I’ve left out mid-tier brands (like, say, Brooks Brothers main line) because things get a lot murkier around that level of quality.  There are plenty of clothes worth wearing at that level, and you should not be ashamed to buy and wear them, but the brands listed below are consistently superb.

Again: this list is mostly alphabetical, and somewhat to very arbitrary.  It’s mostly a tool for folks who want a reference to help them identify the best of the best when bargain hunting.  I’m sure I missed stuff, and the ranking system is loosey-goosey at best.  Nonetheless, I think it will be of use.

Super-Mega Excellent

Attolini
Barbera (Luciano) Collezioni Sartoriale
Battistoni
Belvest
Bijan
Luigi Borrelli
Brioni
D’Avenza
Thom Browne
Castangia
Cheshire Clothing (Chester Barrie)
Cifonelli
Dior homme
Isaia
Kiton
Oxxford
Ralph Lauren Purple Label (both the Saint Andrews and the Chester Barrie)
Sartoria Attolini
St. Andrews
Sartoria Castangia
Sartoria Partenopea
Stuart’s Choice (Isiah until 06, St Andrews post 06)
Zegna Napoli

Extremely Excellent

Alfred Dunhill London
Armani Collezioni
Armani Classico and Black Label (made by Vestimenta)
Boss Baldessarini (made by Caruso)
Boglioli
Brooks Brothers Black Fleece
Brooks Brothers Golden Fleece
Canali and Canali Exclusive
Canali Proposta
Cantarelli
Caruso
Corneliani Linea Sartoria
Corneliani
Corneliani Trend and CC
Ermenegildo Zegna Couture (& mainline to a lesser extent - Z Zegna is low-end line)
Faconnable Tailleur (made by Canali and Cantarelli)
Hickey Freeman
Lanvin (not necessarily true for vintage)
Martin Greenman
Paul Smith (Mainline, not Paul Smith London)
Polo Blue Label (made in Italy)
Ralph Lauren Polo Blue Label (currently made by Canali, older by Corneliani)
Nervesa
Paul Stuart
Ravazzolo
Samuelsohn - Canada
Vestimenta
Zileri sartoriale line
Zileri Gruppo Forall

Q & A: Where to Shop For Men’s Clothes in San Francisco?

Chris writes from Germany: Next month, I’ll be in California for vacation and would like to get some recommendations for stores and boutiques in San Francisco that sell unique and classy clothes like the ones you cover in your blog.  I would be thrilled if you guys could offer some suggestions.

It just so happens that I’m a native of the ‘Sco, and I’d be happy to help you out.  San Francisco’s one of the best shopping cities in the world, and there are a wealth of choices.

Let’s start with new casual clothes.  The denim-only store Self Edge opened its first outlet in San Francisco some years ago.  If you’re interested in jeans, it’s probably the best store in the world.  Be aware, though, that you’ll be spending a few hundred bucks.

MAC, which stands for Modern Appealing Clothing, is probably the best store in the city for contemporary designer casual clothes.  If you’re the kind of guy who buys Maison Martin Margiela or Rick Owens, it’s a must-visit - you can find in Hayes Valley, a couple of blocks from City Hall.  Even if you’re not the designer type, it’s worth browsing.  Prices are, as you might expect, quite high.  Saks Fifth Avenue and Barney’s, both of which are off Union Square, are also great sources for that sort of thing.  Also worth checking out is Unionmade, which opened quite recently and offers authentic and “authentic” clothing for people who are really into, you know, craft and heritage and that kind of stuff.

If you’re looking for something a bit classier, there are options there, as well.  The classic is the men’s clothier Wilkes Bashford.  The owner, Wilkes, was forced to sell a year or two ago, but it was to sympathetic buyers, and he remains at the head of the operation.  It’s as luxurious a menswear store as exists in the world.  Wilkes is good friends with the former mayor (and famous dandy) Willie Brown Jr., and has outfitted him for many years.  Wilkes is, again, downtown near Union Square.

A little further downtown, you can find Cable Car Clothiers, one of the last true traditional menswear stores on the West Coast.  If you’re looking for a Sherlock Holmes hat, sold without irony, this is the place to visit.  They also sell British-made umbrellas and American-made suits and everything else that was as classic in 1945 as it was in 1965 as it was in 1985 as it is today.  Again, you won’t save money shopping here, but it’s a truly magical place.  It’s also not too far from the Alden Store, on Sutter, where they can show you the full line of Alden shoes for men.

If you’re interested in spending a little less, there are a lot of options there, as well.  I’m fond of many thrift stores in San Francisco, but I’m a little hesitant to blow up my spots.  I’ll say that the Town School Clothes Closet is full of wonderful things which are a bit overpriced, but prices come down during regular sales.  I’ve always enjoyed thrifting in the Mission, where I grew up, but if you head to the Fillmore, you’ll find more treasures.  That’s where rich people live, you see.  If you really want to get crazy, check out the Goodwill As-Is Store, South of Market, where you can literally fight people as you go through piles of clothes on long, narrow tables in what amounts to a dungeon of savings.

There’s plenty of vintage in San Francisco, as well.  I’ve been a customer at Clothes Contact, on Valencia at 16th, since they opened… 20 years ago, maybe?  I remember buying a bandleader jacket there because I thought it made me look like Michael Jackson.  (While you’re in the Mission, say hi to my friends Lan and Lino at the amazing vintage furniture and housewares store The Apartment).  La Rosa is the best of the vintage stores on Haight Street, and it’s also right nearby Amoeba Records.

It’s tough to find good men’s consignment, but Goodbyes does it better than any other store I’ve run across.  Quality goods, reasonable prices, and sometimes even helpful sales staff.  (One lady is super-mean, but mostly they’re very nice.)  You can also check out Jeremy’s, which has a stock that’s split between store liquidations and consignments.  A little pricier and often a little lower-quality, but also a little less fussy.

Hopefully that’s enough to fill your time. 

If I might offer some unsolicited tourist advice: many San Francisco tourist traps are great.  Cable cars, for example, are still cool to me.  Riding a bike in Golden Gate Park is wonderful.  Alcatraz is pretty neat, too.  Fisherman’s Wharf, though, is fucking awful.  Don’t go there.  If you do, skip everything except The Musee Mechanique, at Pier 45.

I’m in Martha’s Vineyard… so what am I up to? Thrifting, of course. The above were $1, total.

If you’re looking for thrift stores in your area, you could do a lot worse than The Thrift Shopper.  They’ve got a pretty comprehensive directory of thrifts, searchable by zip code.  Review a few thrift stores in your area, and help build their database!