Jack's NYC

I have been asked for thrifting tips. The first stop for any aspring thrifter should be PTO’s How to Thrift for Menswear guide. I would highlight the following:

• Know what fits you or what can easily be altered by a tailor. Note: this is different than just knowing your “size.”
• Don’t buy crap. Sure, that Banana Republic shirt might look nice and, heck, might even fit you, but you don’t want to buy used clothing with poor materials and craftsmanship. In addition, since most thrifts have a flat fee for clothing categories, why would I buy a Banana Republic shirt when I can get a Polo Ralph Lauren or better for the same price?
• Come with a plan; don’t buy everything that fits/suits you. If you ignore this, you will end up with a pile of clothes to donate to the thrift after a year. I know thrifting can be addictive, but be selective!
• Wear a dress shirt with an undershirt. The dress shirt allows one to easily judge the fit of suits, blazers, and sport coats. If you don’t have a dress shirt remember that jacket sleeves should go to the wrist bone. The undershirt is helpful so that you don’t have to wait in line to try on shirts; this is a massive time saver.

Over the past few months, largely thanks to thrifting, I have replaced most of my wardrobe with better quality clothes. These items not only look better, but will last much longer. While I am appropriately attuned to quality, I realize I need to educate myself on both style and fit. Indeed, New York is one of the fashion capitols of the wold, however, the streets are a free-for-all with folks pushing boundaries in every possible way.

For my education, I have turned to two seminal works: Roetzel’s Gentleman’s Guide to Grooming and Style and Flusser’s Dressing the Man: Mastering the Art of Permanent Fashion. The two texts complement each other wonderfully: Roetzel provides a detailed history of timeless men’s products (e.g. Saville Row suits, shoe styles and companies, dress shirts) with Flusser describing how to put these pieces together (e.g. what colors and fits flatter one’s proportion and color). Flusser argues that fashion (i.e. “permanent fashion”) is defined by one’s physical traits rather than seasonal flourishes put forward by designers. Needless to say, I can’t recommend both resources enough.

In light of my desire to update my look, the question becomes how to do so on a limited budget. Thrifting! I am a scavenger at heart; nothing is more exciting than finding an incredible deal at a yard sale or thrift store after a day of searching. I know some of you may scoff at the idea of searching through or even wearing used clothes but NYC is different. The better styles on the street, the better the donations, the better the finds. For instance, suits from Brooks Brothers, Polo Ralph Lauren, Burberry, Canali, etc. can readily be found for under $50 at select thrift stores. Quality used clothing, even if it needs a little tailoring, makes sense. Best part is, it’s hard to find clothes in my size, so more searching!

Following the Blundstones, the Filson Original Briefcase was my second major NYC purchase. Filson, founded in 1897, produces outdoors products of unparalleled quality. The briefcase is made of heavy 22 oz. oil finish cotton twill and features bridle leather details. Like Brooks Brothers, Filson stands out because of the craftsmanship of their products and timeless style. Their motto, “might as well get the best,” fits well and I strongly recommend my Boston readers head over to Hilton Tent City and check out their Filson collection to confirm my findings.