Know Your Measurements!

Sorry for the radio silence the past few days, but I was happily caught up in a fantastic Valentine's Day weekend with my gal...we cooked a great dinner on Friday (crab cakes, corn pudding and fresh tomato/cucumber salad...mmmmm), went out dancing with friends on Saturday, and caught a fantastic sketch comedy show at Second City last night. But never fear, we're back! Unfortunately, Chicago is still cold and snowy and grey, so I haven't had many opportunities for good photo shoots. The silver lining is, that gives me some great chances to take a break from personal style and get into some meatier discussions, which I have enjoyed. 

On that note: one of the most important pieces of advice I will give any stylish gent working on expanding their wardrobe, and especially if you are trying to take advantage of thrift shops or the virtual treasure trove that is eBay, is to know your measurements.

Purchasing used clothing and accessories can be an incredible opportunity to expand your personal selection without spending an arm and a leg, but it's also a risky venture. Not only are sales often final, with no option for returns, but you'll also find that a lot of pieces will already have been tailored - for someone else's body.

When it comes to eBay, most sellers will help you avoid sizing mistakes by providing very precise and specific measurements. If they don't, any decent seller will happily provide them upon request, and if they won't, you probably don't want to buy from them to begin with.

At a thrift or consignment shop, the measurements won't be as readily available, and trying things on of course is always an option. However, the key to successful thrift shopping is being ready to dig through innumerable pieces of crap to find that one treasure, and trying everything on in the process can be exhausting. My trick is to mark some of my more important measurements (i.e. shoulder width or sleeve length) on a measuring tape and bring it along with me. I'll still try something on before I buy it, but I can weed through a lot of the excess without even taking an item off the rack.

Even when buying new, having your measurements on hand is a huge benefit, especially shopping online. Again, it's not being able to try things on that make online shopping risky, but all clothiers will provide sizing charts, and if there's a measurement they don't provide, they should be able to relay it if you ask. I still always lean towards companies that offer free returns, but being able to compare their measurements with your own will take a lot of the risk out of the process.

Besides my tape measure, I also keep an index card in my wallet with all my important measurements, as well as my preferred sizes from my favorite brands (especially shoes). The more measurements you can include, the better prepared you'll be. On one side, I list the measurements of my best-fitting clothing...mainly my custom shirts and suits, so that when I see something with similar dimensions I can grab it in a flash. On the other, I put my body measurements, which come in handy more often when consulting sizing charts from online retailers. By including as much as possible, and carrying the card everywhere, I'm always prepared to...um...spend more money...(is it payday yet?!).

I'm Gonna Pop Some Tags... (Wide Eyes, Tight Wallets Goes Thrifting)

Here it is, folks. My first post lauding the wonders of thrift shopping. I've been a little slow on the uptake since I've moved to Chicago. I used to thrift back in PA all the time, as a kid actually. I remember coming home with corduroy blazers, 70's style dress shirts, straw fedoras and hounds tooth pants way back in the beginnings of high school (my parents must have thought I was so bizarre). I can't remember specifically, but all that great stuff must have come damn cheap, considering I spent my summers checking the couch cushions at Panera for quarters so I could buy some Ben and Jerry's. At some point, my sense of style fell off for a few years and I haven't been to those stores in ages. Now I'm here in Chicago, and since experiencing my own sartorial revival, I have often been tempted to dive back into my old ways of thrifting. A few factors have kept me from doing so. When I was still at the beginning stages of dressing well, I liked to shop pretty much primarily online. I didn't have to be as confident in my knowledge on-the-spot, and could research and browse and compare until I found exactly what I wanted. Then, when I did start venturing into thrift shops, I found that most of the options here in the city were filled with cheap polyester suits, wide lapels, huge shoulder pads, and just didn't have the patience to pick through a million things to find the one gem (though I do know this is how thrifting tends to work). Add to that the fact that summer was hitting, and none of these stores are air-conditioned, and it just wasn't happening.

Lately, we've been blessed with some way cooler than average temperatures for a Chicago August, and I recently found myself wandering back into one the more highly-recommended used stores. To be honest, I didn't have much more luck when it came to clothing, and the place was a little overcrowded for comfortable browsing (back-to-school sale, I believe). I checked out a few promising blazers, but didn't take any bites (almost had a trim J. Crew number in my hand, until I realized some fatal flaws - 4 buttons, no sleeve buttons, super short sleeves, just wasn't worth it). Instead I found myself happily sorting through the ties and belts in an empty little corner of the store. In the end, I didn't come away with anything mind-blowing or wardrobe-changing, but I got enough value and spent little enough money to have me looking forward to going back with more time on my hands. 

My purchases ended up being two good-looking belts. The first is a woven leather belt. It's definitely a bit worn in, but that's mostly what appealed to me. I'm not an expert purveyor of leather goods, so I'm not confident in my ability to judge the quality of leather right off-the-bat. However, this belt had been used long enough that I could tell how it was going to age, and so far it had aged beautifully. The leather was soft and supple, didn't show any cracks or 'plasticy' looking shine, and was developing a nice patina. I've been looking for a woven belt for a while, so this was an easy choice:

The second was a purchase inspired by a recent post in TSBMen.com on luxury animal skins (particularly crocodile). I think belts and shoes (and more) made from these hides look classy as hell and add a bit of visual interest to simple pieces. However, authentic crocodile skin is hella pricey, and not likely to be in my budget anytime soon. Therefore, I was pretty excited when I saw this croc-leather belt at the thrift shop. Unlike the woven belt, this one looks almost brand new. Chances are, it's entirely synthetic, and won't age well (kind of the opposite of the other belt, in fact). But here, I'm not looking for something to wear every day and last me forever. Instead, I'm looking for a conversation piece to throw on now and then when I want to punch up my look a little bit, and for the price this will do just fine.

And that's the real kicker here. The PRICE. Got both of these belts for less than $3.00. Fan-freakin'-tastic.