Because of the numerous requests and inquiries I've received in regards to successful thrighting, I decided to edit, update and re-post this article I wrote 2 years ago titled, "Do Your Wardrobe a Favor." For all you who are either beginners or have never been thrifting yourself, this how-to-guide will provide you with all the information you'll need to anticipate when walking into a thrift store and being able to navigate through one comfortably (and cleanly).
I have no problem or shame in humbly saying I'm a pretty dapper young man. Wait, can you be humble and make such a statement? Hmmm...who knows? Anyway, I'm often complimented on what I'm wearing and the way I put it all together.
It's just a beautiful mess in my mind. What most people don't know upon meeting me, however, is even though my wardrobe is currently ridiculous, I don't spend a lot of money on clothes. Since the time I was a little boy, my mother always taught me to be a smart shopper. I never was the type of person to run to the most popular store in the mall to grab anything you could find 100 other people wearing at any given time. Even when my style was more "urban" I would frequent Marshall's, Ross and TJ Maxx.
Sometime in high school when my style started to evolve and I was enlightened by a great friend about the whole vintage movement and thrift shopping. At first, it was a little off-putting, as it may be to many of you. Whenever I passed a Goodwill or Salvation Army, I had this stigma that those types of places were for poor and homeless people. Needless to say I was dead wrong. It was/is actually a hidden treasure.
I love the current state of fashion in all its schizophrenic glory because I feel like almost anything goes. Just as long as you give an ensemble some thought and be somewhat forward thinking, you can pretty much do what you want. Thrifting is so very conducive to this.
In order to be a successful thrifter, it takes patience. You
must have patience. The thrift is nothing like shopping in the mall or at a department store. They are rarely neatly organized and sales reps are not going to help you find item A in a size B. What you see is what's available. They're often a mess. And the closest thing you can come to any organization is the categories - shirts, vests, jackets, pants, suits, etc. That's about it.
Upon entering you should definitely anticipate the smell. Although it isn't unbearable, it is very "pungent and [may] sting the nostrils" as Ron Burgundy would say. Haha! Once you find your desired section, you're going to have to sift through just about everything. I usually try and focus my sights on colors, patterns and textures, and go from there. If it looks like something worth purchasing, I first check the size. If the size is sufficient, I check the quality of the piece looking everything from stains to missing buttons. If everything checks out, I add it to my basket.
I visit some of my favorite thrift stores on a weekly basis and always leave with at least 5 pieces and never spend more than $20.
Everything is second hand, but if you can look past that and you have a good eye, the thrift can be extremely rewarding - as evident by my closet.
Below are all the "ingredients" for any good thrifter.
First and foremost, since I do thrift so often I keep a bottle of hand sanitizer in my car. Thrifting may be extremely rewarding, but the harsh reality is that you don't know where that shit has been.
These are pretty self-explanatory. Again, you don't know where the stuff you purchase in a thrift store has been so wash the hell out of it. I sometimes wash my finds twice to be on the safe side.
Finally, find a good dry cleaner. A lot of the items you buy in the thrift can be machine washed, but some of them can't (or shouldn't be). In the past few months, I've come up on some pretty awesome leather jackets, blazers and other coats that I had to take in. And even though my cleaner is ridiculously expensive, it's worth every penny.
Like something out of comic book pages, 7 of the most influential African American fashionistos in Los Angeles met up this week to discuss everything from style to education and ultimately possibly combining our powers (in true Captain Planet form). I'm guessing if you don't know me, then you most definitely know one of the other six. I can't express how much I enjoyed being in the company of like-minded individuals, who are just as creative, knowledgeable and ambitious as I am. We all knew at least 2 people in the group and it felt like the collective was bound to happen sooner or later. I'm very anxious to see what comes of association.
My "Super" friend Aminah, who's a grad student at the University of California at Berkeley, came down to LA this past week to celebrate her birthday with us. Amongst my numerous responsibilities as a host, I figured a quick trip to the thrift was only appropriate on our long list of things to do. And as always the thrift yielded some great finds!
The other day during a visit home I went through the mountains of old photos and documents from my childhood that my mother keeps buried deep in her closet. The funny thing is I was looking for a specific photo to add to the Sartorial Roots series and ended up finding something even better! As mentioned before, I love the in depth exploration into what makes me, me.
I'd assume that I don't have to pull out my soapbox and tell you how important it is to get your hair cut and keep yourself well groomed regularly. I have a set appointment with my barber with my barber Aharon (pictured above) every 2 weeks like clockwork. What I like most about the services AB provides, besides the fact that fact that he's an excellent barber, is the fact that he will come to you. I don't have to worry about the hassle of going to a barbershop and waiting for 10 of minutes or hours at a time. He's flexible and I get my hair cut when I want, the way I want, for a very reasonable price. His base starts at $10 and any additional costs depend on how far he has to travel to get to you.
Before the messenger bag, there was the briefcase. Think back to a time when men wore those wool double-breasted suits and carried those boxey leather briefcases with all those "important" documents in them. No matter what the contents, it gave the impression that guy meant business. As much as I love my collection of messenger bags, there's something so distinguished about a briefcase. Somewhere along the way we traded one in for the other and forgot about that distinction.
I'd like to formally introduce you all to one of the many side projects I've been working on. Welcome to 'The SB Experience!' Amongst the collection of many hats that I wear, I'm firmly planting both my feet and stepping into the shoes of Seth Brundle the personal stylist. I'm currently developing a consulting service where I help men advance their style based on any budget. It's pretty evident that I'm an advocate for men's fashion and getting guys to care about their appearance again. The SB Experience takes men on a journey that goes far beyond clothing. It's a session of self-discovery where we will explore how you want the world to perceive you and how to go about doing that - encompassing everything from etiquette and resume building to date ideas and interior design. It truly is a total reinvention of self - an unrivaled experience.
