Affordable stylish stuff you can find on eBay and elsewhere 🧵
Note that not everything on this list is going to fit your criteria for affordability because I didn't write this list specifically for you (as I don't know you). It's for a general audience. Take what's helpful; leave what's not.
Carhartt Double Knees (~$60)
Tough, durable, and handsome. Also a little fuller through the leg, which looks better than skinny chinos. Wear with denim trucker jackets, chore coats, and bombers. Black and brown are good colors.
Shetland Sweaters (~$50)
Type "(scotland, scottish) shetland sweater" into eBay's search field and click the box for "include description." Shetlands are a bit itchy (wear them over a collared shirt) but they have more texture than the smooth merinos at the mall.
Ralph Lauren Outerwear (~$100)
Ralph Lauren has been making clothes for over 50 years, almost always with the same aesthetic but in diff proportions. Go to your local thrift store. Find a Ralph Lauren coat, like this one below. Try it on. I bet you will look great.
Lee 101J (~$100)
Sizing is all over the place, so try to shop at a thrift store. These run super cropped, so not great for tall people. But IMO cooler than the Levis Type 3 bc it has dropped shoulder seams and neat silhouette. Storm Rider has corduroy collar & blanket lining
Vintage Sweats ($30)
You know the cropped hoodie with dropped shoulder seams that designers sell? Those are modeled after vintage sweats by companies like Russell Athletic and Champion. You can find those on eBay for super cheap. Camber is pretty great too, but runs big
LL Bean Totes (~$30)
If you see someone with this bag at a flea market, they're rich. The good news is that you can get their bag for like $30 on eBay. Find the most beat-up version possible and just put it through a wet wash. The patina is charming.
Vintage T-shirts
Find a vintage t-shirt you like. Prices can range anywhere from $5 to a bajillion nowadays bc of collectors. But if you're not hung up on status, there are tons of cool looking ones for cheap. Wear with chore coats or even tailoring.
Ralph Lauren Preston Cords (~$30)
Search eBay for Ralph Lauren Preston corduroy pants. It's a slightly fuller leg, higher rise cut. If you find it too baggy, you can have a tailor taper them from the knee down. Wear with Western shirts and loafers. Or oxford button-downs.
Vintage Fatigues and Cargo Pants ($50)
Available on eBay and at military surplus stores. I like German Army pants (they are post-war). Made from moleskin, but not the plush English kind (kind of rough like canvas). Size up. If you normally wear a 30, take a 32.
Crescent Down Works (~$125)
Made in Washington, super well-built, and comes with leather backed buttons. Rocky Mountain Featherbed is also good (more Westernwear flavor). Wear with chunky Arans during the fall season. Both are plentiful on eBay.
French Chore Coat ($75)
Just an easy layering piece. Buy ones that fit slightly loose (very fitted chore coats look bad). Wear with jeans, fatigues, or workwear-styled chinos. Lots of designer versions nowadays, but vintage is super affordable and easy to find on eBay and Etsy.
Suede Totes (~$100)
You can find vintage LL Bean ones on eBay, but they're kinda expensive. However, lots of good no-name vintage stuff for cheap. Vanson also sells new ones for like $170 on their site. Suede takes a patina quickly, so best with rugged workwear.
Wrangler Western Shirt ($30)
A little more rugged than your basic oxford cloth button-downs. Nice with jeans, fatigues, and workwear-styled chinos. Can even be worn underneath tweed sport coats in the fall. Like $30 on eBay and $50 new. Get the "Lake Wash" if you buy new.
Vintage Fishing Jackets ($150)
For people who are into quirky, offbeat workwear and OK with experimenting. Vintage fishing jackets run super short and wide. Cool with LVC 1947 501s, grey sweatshirts, and black Blundstone boots. I like the ones from the now defunct brand Ideal
Remember that if you buy on eBay, there's going to be a lot of hits and misses. You might get stuck with stuff that you don't like or doesn't fit. Double check measurements and return policies. Be cool about the process. What you save in money, you'll spend in time.
If you find this sort of thing useful, I do two eBay roundups every week for Put This On. The list is mostly focused on classic menswear, tailoring, workwear, Americana, offbeat Japanese brands, and the like.
Let's first establish good vs bad ways to think about style. The first pic is correct — style is a kind of social language and you have to figure out what type of person you are. The second pic is stupid bc it takes style as disconnected objects ("this is in" vs "this is out").
I should also note here that I'm only talking about style. I'm not here to argue with you about ergonomics, water bottle holders, or whether something accommodates your Dell laptop. I'm am talking about aesthetics.
Watch these two videos. Then answer these two questions:
— Which of the two men is better dressed?
— How does each come off?
I think Carney is better dressed, partly because his clothes fit better. Notice that his jacket collar always hugs his neck, while Pierre Poilievre's jacket collar never touches him.
The level of craftsmanship that goes into a lot of Japanese menswear simply doesn't exist in the United States. You can do this for many categories — suits, jeans, hats, etc.
In this thread, I will show you just one category: men's shoes 🧵
For this comparison, I will focus on Japanese bespoke shoemaking vs. US ready-to-wear. The level of bespoke craftsmanship shown here simply doesn't exist in the US, so a Japanese bespoke vs. US bespoke comparison would be unfair. US bespoke is mostly about orthopedic work.
So instead, I will focus on the best that the US has to offer: ready-to-wear Alden.
On a basic level, top-end Japanese shoes are better because they are handwelted, whereas Alden shoes are Goodyear welted. The first involves more handwork and can be resoled more often.
In 1999, a group of Haitians were tired of political disorder and dreamed of a better life in the United States. So they built a small, 23-foot boat by hand using pine trees, scrap wood, and used nails. They called the boat "Believe in God." 🧵
In a boat powered by nothing but a sail, they somehow made it from Tortuga Island to the Bahamas (about a 90 mile distance). Then from the Bahamas, they set sail again. But a few days and some hundred miles later, their makeshift boat began to sink.
The men on the boat were so dehydrated this point, one slipped in and out of consciousness, unable to stand. They were all resigned to their death.
Luckily, they were rescued at the last minute by the US Coast Guard.
After this post went viral, I called Caroline Groves, a world-class bespoke shoemaker, to discuss how women's shoes are made. I normally don't talk about womenswear, but I found the information interesting, so I thought I would share what I learned here. 🧵
Footwear is broadly broken into two categories: bespoke and ready-to-wear. In London, bespoke makers, including those for women, are largely focused on traditional styles, such as wingtip derbies and loafers. Emiko Matsuda is great for this.
In Paris, there's Massaro, a historic firm that has been operating since 1894, now owned by Chanel. Their designs are less about creating the women's equivalent of traditional men's footwear and more about things such as heels or creative styles. Aesthetic is still "traditional."
Earlier today, Roger Stone announced his partnership with a menswear company, where together they've released a collection of tailored clothing items.
Here is my review of those pieces. 🧵
The line is mostly comprised of suits and sport coats, supplemented with dress shirts and one pair of odd trousers (tailor-speak for a pair of pants made without a matching jacket). Suits start at $1,540; sport coats are $1,150. One suit is $5,400 bc it's made from Scabal fabric
Let's start with the good points. These are fully canvassed jackets, meaning a free floating canvas has been tacked onto the face fabric to give it some weight and structure. This is better than a half-canvas and fully fused construction, but requires more time and labor.