A Fistful of Style

Wardrobe Building v. Outfit Collecting

One of the most important thing I’ve learnt as a thrifter is that the most expensive thing you can buy is something you never wear. That said, occasionally I find things like these absolutely amazing vintage spectator shoes (that fit exceptionally well and are incredibly comfortable) that I know I need to have, but don’t quite know how they fit in my wardrobe.

However, since I’ve built my wardrobe piece by piece in thrift stores, mostly unsullied by the demanding needs of the S/S - F/W-designer-collection-grail-must-cop-etc… grind, I find myself with a flexible versatile wardrobe that can accommodate more eccentric pieces pretty easily.

In this case since the shoes are a pretty loud statement I went with the classic “Italian background” (navy tie/french blue shirt) and gray trousers. I went with a cream jacket over a navy blazer for 2 main reasons.

1. I find when wearing a more outlandish item it’s helpful to have something to “bridge the gap” as it were between more conservative items and the more eccentric ones. If I were wearing a navy blazer, Italian background and gray pants with this the look would be only about the shoes, the off white jacket balances it with a slightly more bold top to balance the exceptionally bold bottom.

2. It was hot as balls on a freshly paved street out there and white wears marginally cooler than navy blue.

Either way, it’s important to remember that as you build a thrifted wardrobe you’re looking for things that will eventually coalesce into a specific style, not just into a bunch of crazy crap that seemed cool on the racks.

I’m working on a longer more informative post on this idea, but that’ll probably have to wait a bit.

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Wearing:

Jacket - Bespoke (gifted)

Shirt - Vtg. Van Heusen “Profiles” $2.50

Tie - The Custom Shop $2

Pocket Square - “Handcraft” Made in Italy $1

Trousers - B Republic - $20 @ Reny’s (A Maine Adventure)

Shoes - Vtg. “Benjamin’s of NH” $10