Jan
A Fistful of Vintage Shop — Alex of A Fistful of Style opened up his vintage Etsy store and there’s some really cool items in there, like this Hermes tie. Definitely a store to save to your favorites and keep an eye on.
Dec
1930s De Pinna white linen suit — Beyond the fact that this suit is nearly eight decades old, there’s a story to go with it:
The man who gave me this suit told me that it belonged to his father. His father purchased it at the De Pinna department store on 5th Ave. in NYC. De Pinna is a now-defunct department store that was known for its high quality, conservative clothing and was owned (along with Brooks Brothers) by the parent company of Julius Garfinckel & Co. out of Washington D.C.
Here is what the man recalls of the suit’s history:
“On Friday June 28, 1940 my Father dressed in this linen suit and his best friend - both newly minted physicians - steamed away from Pier 32 in NYC on the American Republics Line S.S. Argentina bound for a great adventure to South America. For two months they ventured by ocean liner, train, private car, donkey and dugout to ‘Rio, Sao Paulo (the Chicago of Brazil), Montevideo, Buenos Aires, the Great Lakes way to the south hidden amongst the Andes, Arequipa and the Quinta Bates, Cuzco and Macchu Picchu on the swift waters of the Urubamba, the myriads of flamingos resting on the shores of Lake Titicaca and Lima the ‘City of Kings.” These were the days where each accommodation was preceded by a letter of introduction, one dressed for dinner, and the world unfurled before you.”
You don’t really want to know how much it costs to own this suit, but it’s definitely something to admire — especially being so clean after all these years.
Jan
Officially licensed Salvador Dali silk pocket square — Picked it up for about $25 on Etsy. Boom! Got to be one of my best finds ever.
Nov
Any tips for searching Etsy?
You’re not going to like them: search for a generic term, like “sport coat” and sort by “most recent”. Then spend the time going through each and every page on that generic term.
It helps to have a job that leaves you with lots of extra time on your hands. The upside to my method is that you can do this once and then only have to go as far back as the last item you saw.
I also take note of what looks like a good vintage clothing shop on Etsy and check it out. If they have decent items, I’ve favorite it and check back in periodically to see if they added new stuff.
But, yeah, Etsy’s a pain to search.
Oct
Just pulled the trigger on the Purple Giorgio Brutini Prince Albert Slippers. I've been wanting a pair of slippers for awhile and now I got them--not yet, but soon. The Silentist always coming through. Thanks.
I had those sitting in my “like” box forever, but never convinced myself I’d actually wear them with any frequency to justify the purchase — despite how cool they looked. Glad they’ve been picked up by someone who’s going to rock them!
Oct
Megalist: Etsy menswear finds
For quite some time, I’ve been slowly curating a list of menswear items on Etsy that I think look pretty exceptional. While there’s a few semi-well-known Etsy stores (listed below), there’s also a lot of random items out there you more-or-less stumble across through random searches.
Of course, this is mostly reflective of my personal tastes. Still, maybe you’ll find something you’ll enjoy.
Great Etsy stores:
Neckties:
- Thalhimer’s geometric, silk, Italy, $8
- Slubby pink striped shantung, $25
- Blue shantung striped, $25
- Robert Talbott aqua madras plaid, $10.50
- Polo RL neat blue, silk, $17
- Michelson’s burgundy Shetland tweed, $31
- Lot of 3 wool knit ties (red, navy, charcoal), U.S.A. & Italy, $23
- Luciano Barbera navy cashmere, Italy, long length, $76
- Rooster Indian shantung silk square-end tie, $25
- “No-evils” embroidered club silk square-end tie, England, $27
- Robert Talbott red repp tie, silk, $38.50
- Charcoal cashmere w/ cross stripes, $18
- Atkinson’s red/white stripe, Irish poplin, $65
- Canali maroon w/ light blue grid, Italy, silk, $7
- Kiton white w/ blue paisley, Italy, silk, $70 (might be 7-fold)
- Charvet navy w/ white circles, France, silk, $28
- Hardy Amies grey w/ black dots, England, silk, $11.50
- Wide red Irish linen for Saks, $45
- Isaia red silk jacquard w/ paisley, Italy, $21
- Paul Stuart autumn plaid, silk, $29.20
Outerwear:
- Loro Piana cashmere overcoat, EU 50/US 40, $515
- Grey tweed overcoat, ~US 50, $60.99
- Brown Harris tweed overcoat, ~US 38, $81
- Gloverall navy wool duffle coat, ~US 48, $163
- L.L.Bean tan coach’s jacket, XL, $41
- Pendleton grey tweed overcoat, ~US 46, $93
- Richmond Brothers tan raincoat, tagged US 40, $37
- Grey raincoat w/ zip-in faux fur liner for winter, US 38, $59
- Vintage reversible varsity jacket, $45
- Woolrich 60/40 red parka, L, $77
- Woolrich melton wool red hunting jacket, tagged US 42, $68
- Ralph Lauren OD green quilted jacket w/ shooting patch, L, $100
- Charcoal wool-cashmere overcoat, ~US 40, $83
- Pendleton grey donegal tweed overcoat, ~US 40-42, $116
Sweaters & Knits:
- Grey w/ blue piping Shetland cardigan, ~S/M, $49.41
- Pendleton camel-wool 50/50 v-neck, L, $26.10
- Navy Italian cashmere crewneck, $65
- Grey cable-knit Shetland sweater, $41
- Woolrich navy-grey Norwegian knit, XXL, $47
- L.L.Bean navy military sweater, England, S, $40
- L.L.Bean navy-white Norwegian sweater, XL, $64
- Fair Isle sweater, EU 36/US 36, $69
Footwear:
- Lands’ End brown saddle shoes, 11, $38
- Giorgio Brutini purple velvet Prince Albert slippers, 10.5, $71
- Florsheim Imperial shell cordovan wingtips, 10.5E, $145
- Allen Edmonds walnut captoe brogues, 10.5E, $76
- Bass Weejuns, 9.5, $32.50
- Grenson walnut wingtip chukkas, UK 8.5F/US 9.5D, $175
Blazers & Sport Coats:
- Bill Blass navy cashmere sport coat, 40R, $41
- Hart Schaffner Marx green houndstooth cashmere blazer ~42R, $91
- Green corduroy blazer w/ suede patches, ~40-42R, $42
- Madras sport coat, ~38-39L, $150
Trousers:
Luggage and bags:
Aug
It’s on Etsy: Midnight blue shawl collared tuxedo, 38R — A vintage wool, one-button, shawl collared tuxedo in good condition and midnight blue for $85? Might need a dry cleaning and alterations, but that’s probably as good of a deal you’ll find.
Jul
It’s on Etsy: Bullock Jones blue double-breasted blazer — If you’re a 44L and have $111, then you can get this awesome blazer. It’s “deadstock” and still has the tags along with mother-of-pearl buttons.
Jul
Two More Suits on Sale
1960s Navy Pinstrip - Now 44.00
Damn, these are nice. If you’re a 40-42, then you should take a gander.
Jun
I don’t post here about my Etsy listings too often but I had to mention this tux. It is perfect for summer weddings and I think it might be one of the best vintage tuxs’ I have seen to date. It is from a great label and is in awesome condition.
Click photo to be taken to listing - lots of pics and measurements.
Wow. I love that waffle pattern in the lapel. Looks to be about a size 40. For less than half the price of a rental tuxedo, you could easily buy your own and get something much nicer. Plus, something like this will set you apart — in a good way — from all those polyester-blended rentals out there.
Apr
Indian madras and cotton neckties at Wooden Sleepers — $32 shipped, perfect for complimenting your summer wardrobe.
Mar
Random eBay & Etsy finds
Oxxford navy suit, $59.99 (Buy it Now) — It’s a size 38R in the chest, however, the shoulders are larger than a typical 38R (19.5”), which kept me from pulling the trigger on this. If you have broader shoulders, then this might be up your alley.
Vintage Brooks Brothers harrington jacket, $25 — Sized as a 42, this jacket also has a zip-out liner, giving it a bit more warmth if you need it. Not a Baracuta original, but still looks pretty cool.
Vintage Rukka raincoat, $30 — Sized at 42, made in Finland.
Vintage Lacoste tennis sweater, $29 — Sized large, acrylic.
Mar
Vintage navy linen necktie — $15 shipped, 3” width. It’s listed as wool, but looks like linen to me and would be a nice summer piece. I’d get it if I already didn’t have one.
Mar
Vintage Men’s Burberry wool overcoat — $85, approximately a size 40-42. Helluva steal, if you ask me.
Mar
Vintage Polo chambray necktie — Snagged this cheap tonight off of Etsy.
- ©
The Silentist is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License. - Archive
- RSS
