NYC Carhartt store

[Fifty150]

Really? Jeez, it sucks to be poor.

Prices are high when you are buying fashion. For those on a budget, you can still get decent quality.


I'm on a budget. My budget does not allow for couture boutique fashions. My focus can not be on paying the most for a label. My buying budget has to take into account how well will the item work, and how long will it last. Do I buy the fashionable "cargo pants" from the high end shop, or do I wear my BDUs? Do I buy the poly/cotton blend shirt from the high priced designer, or a wool shirt from a reputable woolen mill? Do I pay $300 for jeans, or buy Levi's? Is that Armani jacket really ten times warmer and more durable than my leather A-2, since it cost ten times as much?

We get issued new uniforms on a regular schedule. I know plenty of guys who take the patches off their old uniform shirts and jackets, and rotate these items into their everyday civilian wear. Isn't that how army surplus items became popular?

 

[Edward]

We get issued new uniforms on a regular schedule. I know plenty of guys who take the patches off their old uniform shirts and jackets, and rotate these items into their everyday civilian wear. Isn't that how army surplus items became popular?

My parents, both born in the late Forties, were greatly amused when I started wearing army surplus as a fashion choice in the Eighties. To them it had always been something that those who were too poor to afford anything else wore - this would have included ex-military struggling to make ends meet. Most of the people I see on the street these days in head to toe military gear when not on duty are among London's homeless community (ex-forces are one of the biggest single categories of homeless in London).

 

[Fifty150]

Many uniform items are just better made than civilian clothing. Higher stitch count. Better water resistance. Warmer insulation. Local law enforcement gets wool pants and shirts. The military invests who knows how many millions of dollars into researching textiles for the extreme cold weather items. As a result, today, everybody who can afford it, has Gore-Tex. But of course, you can wear Gore-Tex for free if you were issued it as a uniform item. Or buy it for a fraction of the cost at a surplus store.

 

[Edward]

Many uniform items are just better made than civilian clothing. Higher stitch count. Better water resistance. Warmer insulation. Local law enforcement gets wool pants and shirts. The military invests who knows how many millions of dollars into researching textiles for the extreme cold weather items. As a result, today, everybody who can afford it, has Gore-Tex. But of course, you can wear Gore-Tex for free if you were issued it as a uniform item. Or buy it for a fraction of the cost at a surplus store.

Never cared for it aesthetically, but as a general point I agree: one of the reasons I took to ex-military gear (predominantly over-dyed black) in my teens was that it was durable and inexpensive. Also there was the absence of trendy logos and mainstream fashion appeal, which were equally important to me.

 

[EmergencyIan]

After Christmas, I went to the Carhartt WIP (Work In Progress) store here in NYC and bought a Heritage State Coat in Dearborn/Carhartt Brown. I really like it. And, at the time, everything in the store was 40% off. A $268 USD regular price down to $175 USD tax included. That's a pretty good deal for a very nice and well made coat.

- Ian

 

[Tomasso]

That's a great coat. And the deal you got illustrates the point that better garments can be had for reasonable prices if they are purchased at the after season sales. The fancy duds that are being pooh-poohed around here as being too expensive can sell at 75% (or more) off retail.