Spoiler alert: thrifting is still alive and well. You guys should do it!
Ever since I got my grey suit (blog post coming soon), I’ve been on a bit of a cop freeze. As you’ll learn when that essay comes out, grey represented the Final Frontier. It’s an embrace of sobriety, coming after years of navy and brown suits (and brown checked jackets). Outside of Safin-core (which is already menswear adjacent), there’s nothing I really need to buy, nothing that I’m really looking to save up for.
This cop freeze is definitely great for my wallet, as its certainly not necessary to be in a constant state of acquiring clothes. That being said, the pandemic taught me to focus on big ticket items, so that while my rate of buying has been slowing, the price tags were higher. Just think of how I used the past few years to commit to the shoes and custom tailoring I’ve always wanted. Thankfully shoes last a long time and I don’t need more than the various lace ups and loafers I wear daily. If I was being truly honest, there are certainly a few things I’d still like to get (like a brown wool SB suit or a summer-appropriate tuxedo), but the drive has been slowing down. Again, this is a good thing— especially as I’m planning another NYC trip!
All that being said, I can’t stay away. Kinda. As I state in the bonus pod, I’ve been going thrifting again! Perhaps its because I wanted to decorate my room at home with some accoutrements (the next level in this menswear lifestyle journey). It’s most likely the fact that I still love clothing and can’t be idle (at least completely). Plus fashion tiktok is full of people thrifting band tees and dickies and I wanted to see if I could find the shit I like. And boy was I surprised!
Good jackets and suits are hard to come by (you may need to be on the East Coast for that), but the thrifts are still hitting hard for pleated trousers, ties, and on good occasion, shirts. I know that indie brands are on the rise lately (a lot of dudes have been getting Casatlantic), but I’d always suggest thrifting first to see what’s out there. The finds will still need a bit of tailoring, though that’s what I’ve always been doing.
As I already have plenty of sportcoats and button up shirts, I’ve been relying on thrifting to get better at trousers; its been my goal to have good pants ever since I fully made the jump to wearing good wide ones. I actually gave some of my old chinos and thrifted pants (that were a bit tapered) to my friends! Perhaps I need another follow up to my pant journey essay.
The rest of my thrifting experience is more about “catch and release”: I find cool stuff and leave it for the next person to find (but I do share it on IG to prove that thrifting is still good).
Anyway, you’ll have to listen to the bonus pod for more. You get the first ten minutes for free but then you’ll have to subscribe on Patreon for the rest (as well as for access to our totally cool Discord)! These bonus episodes have been an opportunity for Spencer, MJ, and I to shoot the shit about clothing and life, especially as our main line topics are more philosophical and we’ve been moving away from Twitch streams.
The episode also goes into my visits to J. Crew and Banana Republic as well as brief coverage of Bullet Train, a surprisingly fun romp with some nods to menswear. You didn’t think there would be a bonus pod without any movie style coverage, did you?
Enjoy!
Don’t forget to support us on Patreon to get some extra content and access to our exclusive Discord. Catch us streaming on Twitch every Wednesday and Saturday or watch the clips on Youtube (like our rundown of SadHead Sunday, where you guys get to submit your fits for discussion).
Oh and don’t forget, we do a podcast every two weeks!
Buh-bye!
EthanMWong | StyleandDirection
The Podcast is produced by MJ.
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a little bit of rest 