Why I’ve Spent Twenty Years Hunting Quality Menswear in the Most Unlikely Places

There’s something kind of satisfying about strutting into a courtroom wearing that retailed for forty- seven dollars. I’m not delusional – believe me, I know most attorneys won’t know a Brioni from Jos. A.

Bank . But I know what I’m wearing. That jacket has pedigree; it was made by hand whereas some unknown entity hemmed up the pants on his suits.

When I started frequenting thrift stores and looking for vintage clothing I didn’t do it because it was fun. Back when I was a twenty-six-year-old junior associate making good money but schlepping away my earnings on student loans and Margaret’s engagement ring, I needed clothes that looked like clothes a lawyer should wear, but my clothing budget was decidedly limited.

One of my senior partners had started giving me “investment dressing” lectures after they caught me wearing a Polo shirt to court, and I got the hint.

I ended up at the Salvation Army on South Street on a Saturday morning scared. What if someone I knew saw me shopping at Salvation Army? I kept glancing around like Phillip suddenly showed up to conduct law school alumni services.

But after circling the store twice with no intentions of buying anything I took a deep breath and started trying things on. That day I learned what quality clothing really looked like.

The Brooks Brothers suit that I found – navy, probably from the 1980’s when Brooks actually made things in America – was the first piece of “quality” clothing I had thrifted. Jacket was $15, trousers were $10.

I took them both to my dry cleaner, had them pressed, and wore them to court a week later. They fit weird (they were too big in the shoulders) but I knew they were real wool. Good wool drapes differently than polyester blends.

Button holes sewn by hand don’t look like machine button holes. Details like that. Most men never understand that the guys with the closets full of amazing clothing aren’t necessarily spending more than you are.

They’re just better at identifying quality. Over the last twenty years I’ve honed what some might call a science of finding outstanding menswear at insane prices. What started as simple fiscal necessity became something not quite obsession but… Obsessive?

Yeah, Margaret likes to call it an obsession. To me, it’s applied know-how. Once you know how clothing is made, what fabrics are made of, how things are supposed to fit – you can spot gold wherever you find it.

Dress Barn? Sure. Nordstrom Rack?

Of course. The men’s section of Bloomingdales? Absolutely.

But you can also find it at estate sales in Rittenhouse and consignment shops in the burbs and, yes, at your local Goodwill.

My favorite thrift store find was an Oxxford tailor made suit in charcoal wool. I was scrolling through men’s clothing at a church rummage sale in Gladwyne three years ago – Margaret dragged me over there looking for vintage jewelry – when I spotted it hanging next to a rack of polyester leisure suits and box-shaped 1980’s business casual. This suit looked brand new.

It was a dead stock Oxxford, made of wonderful charcoal wool, with hand sewn buttonholes and real horn buttons. Someone’s dad probably had it made back in the 1970’s and never wore it. All told I spent $25 dollars.

So what’s my secret for scoring big at thrift stores?

You have to know what you’re looking for before you even walk into the store.

Other shoppers see a “suit” and think polyester sweater- and heavy polyester blend lining. I see quarter-inch box stitches on the sleeveheads and know it’s a wool suit that’s worth taking home and checking out. Pattern recognition, really.

You can’t scroll through men’s racks thinking everything’s garbage. You have to know better. Plus, I’ve been professionally wearing clothes for nearly three decades – I have a sense for these things.

But understand this: you will spend hours scrolling through garbage looking for that holy crap suit. The lighting in thrift stores is usually awful. Everything’s dusty.

You’ll come to recognize the particular staleness of second hand clothingstores. But once in a while – maybe once every 20 trips – you find something.

Location is everything. You want to haunt thrift stores near wealthy zip codes.

Your best bets are usually going to be on or near the Main Line because people in those towns have a lot of money to replace their clothing every few years. I’ve found amazing garments at thrift stores down by Wayne because there’s a heavy securities trader / business attorney overlap in that region and they bring their Nacionales and Levantas to drop off. I have another favorite shop just outside King of Prussia that obviously gets a lot of donations from fancy closets.

I hit up about six places once a month. Some monthly, others every few weeks. There’s one consignment shop in Wayne that gets really nice mens clothing but has no idea what to charge for it.

The Goodwill in Oaks has been known to cough up some fabulous pieces, clearly donated from several high-end closets. I know all the employees’ names at one estate sale company that specializes in Main Line houses. If there’s anything worthwhile in a sale they text me.

No need to waste an hour browsing through women’s hats and clothing I’ll never wear when the owner of a brokerage firm’s estate is full ofmenswear gold.

You also have to know your sell-by dates. Can the sleeves be shortened? Waist suppressed?

Sure. But can the shoulders be improved? No.

Probably worth passing up that beautiful pair of Allen Edmonds that you found if they’re noticeably worn down. Same thing with stains on ties. But my tailor, Roberto, can work wonders on thrift store clothing.

He knows that when I buy something from Goodwill it isn’t likely to come back. He also knows I’ll be shopping with him for decades. We have a nice relationship – he charges me reasonable rates to alter things and I give him consistent business.

Plus, even if you find a perfectly sized suit at thrift store, you’re going to want it tailored. Suit is probably too big in the shoulders. You’ll spend $100-$150 for a thrifted suit plus alterations and still come out spending less than 20% of retail.

But that suit will fit better than anything you’ll find off the rack at Men’s Warehouse. Believe me, I’ve screwed up before. Big time.

Turns out that gorgeous camel cashmere overcoat I bought had an enormous moth hole in the butt I didn’t notice. Those Alden shoes with gorgeous patina? Soled wore through.

Not enough material to resole them and not worth spending $200 just to have them done. “ Burberry ? Bornberry .” Rookie mistake. Should have known when I picked it up.