Goodwill buys

[davestlouis]

I changed jobs recently, from a funeral home where I wore a navy sport coat and gray slacks, to a FH where I have to wear a suit. I have been trying to add to my suit wardrobe without spending a fortune, so I have been trolling thrift stores. Most of the local stores make no effort to keep the pants with the jacket, so that doesn't do me any good. I found ONE Goodwill store that charges $8 for the jacket, $3 for the pants, and keeps them together. Lo and behold, I have found 3 suits in the past 2 weeks:
1. solid charcoal poly/wool blend. Fits great, looks good, the fabric feels really stiff, pants are hemmed, not enough fabric for cuffs
2. dark blue windowpane, 65/35 blend, pants need to be taken in at the waist, fabric feels really nice for a blend
3. dark gray with a muted glen plaid, another blend, but it feels so much nicer than the others. Fit like a glove, and the pants are cuffed. Stafford labels, which I think means it came from Penney's. This is the one that looks and feels like a much more costly item.

I used to be really touchy about 100% wool suits, that was all I would wear. I have gotten to the point where the suit is a work costume, much like the guy at Disney World who wears the Mickey Mouse outfit with the big head. I can't justify spending $500 or $1000 on suits that will just get torn up at work, so these work for me.

So, for $33 and an hour of my time, I have 3 more suits in rotation...

 

[djhatman]

Second hand store can be great places to find stuff. I got a Hart Schaffner Marx suit at the DI (Local Goodwill) fits greats and looks great for $25. I only problem is that finding stuff is very hit or miss and can take a many hours and many trips.

 

[jamespowers]

Thrift shops can be quite a boon to those who don't want to spend a ton of money on clothes but still get something that looks like you did.
I have spent a bit more on some items at thrift stores in higher income areas but they tend to have better pickign there---so its worth it. I'll have to check some of the local ones that I have been neglecting as of late---especially the higher income area ones.

 

[davestlouis]

I've been very happy with the results. I see relatively few suits in my size, unfortunately...I'm a 48R to 50R. I enjoy the search too.

There's a local upscale resale place called the Scholar's Shop, they are starting to sell mens' clothes, but I suspect they won't be $11 for a suit.

 

[get_atomized]

I got my 1934 long tailed tux at Goodwill for $30! I rarely shop anywhere but thrift stores, I find clothes in both new and vintage shops to be far out of my price range

 

[jamespowers]

I've been very happy with the results. I see relatively few suits in my size, unfortunately...I'm a 48R to 50R. I enjoy the search too.

There's a local upscale resale place called the Scholar's Shop, they are starting to sell mens' clothes, but I suspect they won't be $11 for a suit.

Sounds like you found a good resource for your clothes that won't break the bank. That would work for me as well.

 

[davestlouis]

Went to the Scholar Shop today, suits were $30 to $40, more than 1/2 were Jos A Bank or Jos A Bank Executive, the rest were other high-end brands...alas, nothing that fit me. If I wore a 42, I would have been in high cotton!

 

[jamespowers]

Went to the Scholar Shop today, suits were $30 to $40, more than 1/2 were Jos A Bank or Jos A Bank Executive, the rest were other high-end brands...alas, nothing that fit me. If I wore a 42, I would have been in high cotton!

Well there is always next time or the next store.
You'll find something. Did they have ties, shoes etc?

 

[davestlouis]

They have a 2nd location, I'll pop in there later in the week. I didn't see any ties that looked interesting and I have enough foot and ankle issues that I'll only buy new shoes.

 

[Warbaby]

With the exception of sox and underwear, I buy all my clothing at thrift stores. Since I live in a beach town where more than half the population is over 65 and retired, the thrift shop pickings are really great. I'm also fortunate in that I wear a size 40 which is prolly the most common size. So far I've accumulated more than a dozen high quality suits, all for $10 each or less, and more than a dozen jackets at no more than five bucks apiece, not to mention trousers, shirts, shoes and fedoras. There's no way I could ever afford a wardrobe like that at new retail prices.

 

[davestlouis]

The Scholar Shop also had a dozen or more tuxedos for sale, one had tacky paisley embroidered fabric on the lapels, the others were pretty normal, just not big enough for a chubby boy such as myself.

 

[Talbot]

Couldn't agree more...

Why spend large $$$ on a suit when a perfectly good second hand one can be found with a bit of effort.

Pricing down under can be a bit patchy with the larger goodwill stores charging around $50 for a suit. There is a Salvation army store here in the Melbourne CBD that is asking $99 to $199 for second hand suits! I'm not sure they are shifting many.

With a $50 suit I need to consider the cost of alteration (if any) and the quality for the cost. Pickings have been getting a bit thinner these days, but I have been pretty lucky in the past having been able to score many Feraud, Boss and even Zegna suits. If one of these owes me $100 and fits well, I'm happy. The lightweight fabrics are beautifull, but they wear quickly if treated badly. Right now I'm wearing a charcoal grey three button woollen suit made for the previous owner by a tailor in Kowloon

One thing I have learned is to inspect the suit closely, especially the wear points. Trouser pockets, seat, fly and upper inseam. Jacket cuffs, pockets inside and out and lapels (for stains). I have been caught a few times with patches and repairs in strange places

Smaller suburban goodwill stores (we call them Opportunity Shops or Op Shops) can have great pricing, but not as much of a range. They get picked over pretty rapidly by dealers. Often the truly vintage suits they have are made from incredibly heavy fabrics. Fabrics seem to have become a lot lighter over the years, perhaps its the English influence or is it just me?

 

[Chasseur]

I'm a big fan of Good Will and Salvation Army stores. Pickings here in Hawaii are normally slim, but I picked up a decent 100% linen sportcoat for $6 last year. Two years ago I picked up two tailcoats in my size for $5 a piece!

 

[GBR]

I'm a big fan of Good Will and Salvation Army stores. Pickings here in Hawaii are normally slim, but I picked up a decent 100% sportcoat for $6 last year. Two years ago I picked up two tailcoats in my size for $5 a piece!

Second hand at best please.

 

[Chasseur]

GBR my post was missing the key word "linen" that made that sentence make sense...

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Fabrics seem to have become a lot lighter over the years, perhaps it's the English influence or is it just me?

Neither of the two. It's the Italian influence. http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showpost.php?p=823740&postcount=1


.

 

[Talbot]

Interesting Marc, thank you.

Talbot

 

[davestlouis]

Found 2 pairs of identical wool gabardine trousers, khaki in color, "Pronto-Uomo" on the label, 100% wool, made in Canada, with a Canadian union label inside. One pair was $6 at the Scholar Shop, the other was $3 at a Goodwill store 20 miles away, both today. They are lined to the knee, pleated and cuffed, seem like nice items. I didn't need 2 pair, but it seemed like serendipity to find them in two places, the same day, so I bought the second pair.

 

[jamespowers]

Found 2 pairs of identical wool gabardine trousers, khaki in color, "Pronto-Uomo" on the label, 100% wool, made in Canada, with a Canadian union label inside. One pair was $6 at the Scholar Shop, the other was $3 at a Goodwill store 20 miles away, both today. They are lined to the knee, pleated and cuffed, seem like nice items. I didn't need 2 pair, but it seemed like serendipity to find them in two places, the same day, so I bought the second pair.

For $9 total, you can't go wrong. I found a wool jacket with the same label in one of those by the pound clothing stores. Decent quality as far as I can tell.

 

[Lamplight]

Sadly, the pickins are slim at the thrift stores around here. The only decent thing I've found so far was my tweed jacket for $10, and it's not that great.