September is a good transition month from the hot summer to the cooler autumn/fall time of the year. It is also a time of the year that some families filter through their closets and chest of drawers and donate clothes that are no longer required. The following are some great items picked up this month.

My older daughter tells me over and over that clothes drop in price after they are purchased percentage wise worse than buying a new automobile. My response to her is that I buy items based on the name knowing that certain brands are very well made and of the best materials.  According to a figure I found on CreditDonkey, the average person my age spends about $209 per month on clothing. I’m a bit over that but much of my monthly purchase also goes to gifts and resale.

Treasures – There are different ways to define a personal treasure. You can determine a treasure by the price tag, the value, rarity, or simply because it satisfies your taste. Many times, a price tag can help determine the value of an item but not always. As an example of this, one of my favorite Goodwill stores had a sweater with a price tag of $4.49 and I picked it up on half price day for only $2.25. The suggested retail price of the Ermenegildo Zegna sweater was $1,395.00. It is certainly a beautiful item and was well worth the small amount of pocket change that I paid for it – a treasure!

Some of the other treasures located would certainly be the $5,895 suit by Oxxford Clothes that I found for only $18.74. Another suit by Giorgio Armani, black label, with a retail of $3,495 was picked up for less than a twenty-dollar bill. One of my favorite, elusive, brands to look for (and find) is that of French made Isaia and this was a $3,250 chocolate colored Napoli Super 140s window pane sport jacket just my size. It will look great with a $900 pair of dark brown Brioni trousers picked up just last month.

Another obscure brand label I look for is that of the Purple Label Ralph Lauren. He has a good number of brands but this is his very best.  This beautiful Italian made salmon colored $425 dress shirt was located for only $7.49. No one will know the brand once I put it on but I will know and the fit is perfect. One other shirt worth mentioning is a thick denim blue western style by Versace for only twelve dollars with a retail price suggested of $795.00.

The accessories category did very well this month with two treasured Italian made belts by Salvatore Ferragamo and Coach. My cost for the two totaled $8.18 with a retail value of $424.22. The last treasure was a Kate Spade black leather purse with dust bag I was hoping to offer as a birthday present for my daughter this coming month but her older sister said she wouldn’t like it. Back to the Goodwill drawing board.

Suits – The two suits mentioned earlier are certainly worth providing more information on. The Giorgio Armani, black label, is made of their finer wool and is suited for a slender build offering what the Italians are so well at doing, making you look great. The other suit is a charcoal colored Gibbons style made here in the USA by Oxxford Clothes. The bespoke suit cost someone just under six thousand dollars according to their website. The two cost me $38.73 with a retail of right at $9,390. Not a bad find and they fit well to boot.

Dress Jacket – A name I love to find but rarely see is that of Isaia. This company has a rich history of suiting the royal families of Europe as well as well-known celebrities around the world. I was lucky to find a like-new sport jacket that fits so well. This jacket alone is priced almost as much as the Armani suit I just mentioned and I paid less than ten dollars for it.

Shirts – Thirteen shirts were picked up from some well-known brands that fit and wear well. These include a Burberry London, a quite fancy white Canali, six from Ermenegildo Zegna including one of their nice 100fili, a not so well known brand Jared Lang Tessuto Italiana, a white Lorenzini tuxedo shirt, a beautiful Purple Label Ralph Lauren, and two from Versace. Shirts are an easy item to sort through on the rack where the brand name shows quickly just beneath the hanger and gives that hard hitting goose bump thrill when you find one of these distinguished names.

Sweaters – Summer time is always a good time to find cold weather clothing. I was able to find three very nice sweaters for a total expenditure of $11.83 showing a retail price of $2,166.43. The beautiful chocolate colored zip front Ermenegildo Zegna was quickly picked up and will make a great Christmas present for someone back home. It needs a little work and the two pulled threads are probably the reason it made its way to the store where I found it. A second name of Lothlorian is one I am not as familiar with but the quality was quite evident and it has a blend of New Zealand possum and merino wool making it very light weight but super warm. The third sweater comes from Versace and I was pleasantly surprised to find I could pick up the $650 item for $5.59.

Pants – This category is either a hit or miss area in that I usually find a few pair of pants in the month or none at all. This month I was able to locate three pair of tan colored trousers and one very nice black pair. One pair was a great example of Giorgio Armani Collezioni dress pants with a retail price suggested at $775. The other three come from Ermenegildo Zegna. It’s nice to be able to have a good selection of different colored high quality pants to hold a shirt next to for properly matching the colors.

Ties – It is quite unusual to have found only three ties in the entire month but this was the case this September. One of the ties was an out of the ordinary brightly colored orange and red item from the French company Lanvin. Lanvin creates very expensive and highly sought after ladies clothing in Europe and this tie reflects the quality they exhibit. The other two ties were from a favorite name of mine in any category; Hermès. Both of the blue ties will look great with any blue, grey or black shirt and suit.

Shoes – I’ve been looking for a good brown monk strap pair of shoes and found my size in a pair from Aldo. This brand is well liked and appears to be practically new and the price to me was well worth the $11.24 paid.

Hanger – Just one suit hanger was picked up and from my favorite, Setwell.

Pocket Square – What a surprise to see the well known Haymarket pattern on a dark brown pocket square but the price of $1.19 really made it worth grabbing. The pattern has to come from only one company and that would be Burberry!

Accessories – A great collection of names for this category was located this month. Two black belts, one from Coach for a lady with a price tag of $1.49 (retail of $175) and another $6.99 belt with ostrich on one side and calf skin on the other fit the heavy chrome buckle with the name of Ferragamo embedded in it (retail of $249.22). My older daughter said that if I find the name of Lucchese on a pair of boots to grab them as these are some of the finest on any shelf. I didn’t find a pair of boots but did find a shining cloth with the name on it she will like as a Christmas stocking stuffer later on this year. My youngest daughter will, hopefully like the Kate Spade Cameron Street Candace black purse I found for her birthday coming up, with dust bag included.

The following chart lists what I purchased for the month of September 2018.  My total expenditure was $268.90 and if you purchased these items at full retail, you would have paid 88.8 times as much or $23,858.13.  I like to show what brands I find to be the more desirable and why as I would otherwise not be able to afford such luxury or expensive taste. I use coupons for 20% off in most cases or use the 50% off colored tag for that week selected. Links are provided for your convenience where I found the retail price, whether it is for the same item or one very much like it. Here is this past month’s selection:

Knowing your brands, as to which command a greater return on your investment, is good business sense. Become familiar with the brands that sell well or have long lasting international respect and when you find them in good condition, they will bring you a good net satisfaction. Good luck with your Goodwill hunting.

Key words:  Aldo, Armani, Brioni, Burberry, Canali,  Coach, Ermenegildo Zegna,  Hermès, Isaia, Jared Lang, Kate Spade, Lanvin, Lorenzini, Lothlorian, Lucchese, Oxxford Clothes, Ralph Lauren Purple Label, Salvatore Ferragamo, Setwell, Versace

For the past few years that I have been keeping the statistics on my purchases, February has typically been a slow month. This was not the case this year however. Perhaps it was the early receipt of my tax refund that prompted me to venture out a few more times. This February was also a great month for some exceptional names in clothing as you will see below. Click the images for a full screen view.

Treasures – The items I consider as treasures may not be what you would see as gems to grab. Generally, there are two criteria I consider that define an item as a treasure. The number one is the price. Is the retail value of the item well above the average? The second benchmark is whether the item is scarce or easy to find in the local department store.

There were two overcoats picked up, both of which are treasures in their own right. One is an ankle length navy, wool and cashmere, Ermenegildo Zegna Su Misura. I was not aware this version was even offered. The other is from Giorgio Armani Emporio made of 80% alpaca and wool. These two have special places to make sure they are treated with the respect they have earned.

I have more suits than any one man should ever need but it is hard to turn down a black pin striped made-to-measure suit just my size with surgeon sleeves (all four buttons work) and a ticket pocket from Samuelsohn. The pants are two inches too long but that can be easily modified in fifteen minutes and is preferred than being two inches too short which is usually the case. A second Samuelsohn jacket made for the same person was located but I was not able to find the matching trousers despite checking several days.

It is rare to find a brand new jacket with the manufacturer’s tags and the sleeve identifier still attached. It is even more rare to find a top of the line jacket within these parameters. I found a brand new Giorgio Armani Le Collezioni jacket, my size, on half-off day that had been on the rack for twenty-one days for my price of $4.99. Now, that was a great deal and is one of these treasures. Some of the other jackets located was one from Boglioli. I had never heard of this brand but the quality was unmistakable. Another was a heavy navy feather suede from Lanvin.  I always enjoy finding a great Oxxford Clothes jacket my size as they go with almost everything and fit move easily with you instead of constricting you like so many others do. This $4,800 example is in the Manhattan style and will look good with dark brown or navy pants.

There were a good number of treasures found in the shirt category. A name I am familiar with but have until now not had the pleasure of owning is that of Brunello Cucinelli. This shirt was purchased for $5.24 and retails for a whopping $725. Some of the other brands in the $500 plus class I consider goose bump producing names are those from Brioni (one of my favorites), Dolce & Gabbana, Isaia, and two from Yves Saint Laurent.

Although the personal selection I now have of ties has outgrown all storage places, I still love to find the names of Brioni, Canali, Gucci and Stefano Ricci. These will always have a special place to hang in my house.

It came as quite a surprise that I would come across a beautiful like-new Fender guitar for a very reasonable price. A friend of mine tuned the six strings but said it would sound even better if I were to replace them with a new set. My youngest plays a number of musical instruments and is now wanting to learn how to place this instrument. Boy, will she be surprised! She will be doubly surprised to find that I also located her favorite brand of purse clutch, Burberry.

To top off this last treasure hunt, I was able to find an older watch by Seiko for myself. The bracelet needed a pin to put it together and my favorite jeweler added one for no cost. The watch is a self-winding automatic version 5606 7170T from about 1971. The 23 jeweled workings inside it helps it keep perfect time so far.

Suits – There were two suits picked up this month. The first was a grey pin striped suit from Burberry. Although it is a size too small, I wasn’t about to let it slip away for less than sixteen dollars. The other was the made-to-measure pin striped suit from Samuelsohn with the working surgeon sleeves and extra ticket pocket. This suit fits like it was made for me with only a slight alteration that needs to be made to the length of the pants cuff.

Dress Jackets – Seven dress jackets were added to my collection with names like Boglioli, Burberry’s (silk), Canali Proposta, Coogi, Giorgio Armani Le Collezioni, Lanvin feather suede, a beautiful Oxxford Clothes Manhattan and another Samuelsohn made-to-measure. The brand new Armani still had the tags hanging from the buttons as well as the left sleeve cloth tag with the brand name on it. The price for the $2,895 jacket to me was less than five dollars.

Overcoats – The navy Ermenegildo Zegna Su Misura was evidently made for someone at least six and a half feet tall since the bottom comes to just above my ankles. The name Su Misura means it was especially made for the previous owner. The other overcoat from Armani Emporio is made from the very warm and light grey and black alpaca fibers mixed with twenty percent wool. Worn over a black or dark grey suit fits it very well. Our temperate Winter climate finds our locality as a dumping ground for some very nice high-end overcoats.

Shirts – There were a total of twenty-six additional shirts that made it to my home this month. The names of many of these were hard to find and made the treasure list above. These were as follows: Apple, Giorgio Armani (3), Bagutta, Brioni, Brunello Cucinelli, Burberry (4), Charles Tyrwhitt, Dolce & Gabbana, Ermenegildo Zegna (5), Eton, Isaia, Psycho Bunny (2), Ted Baker, Yves Saint Laurent (2) and one from Zanella.

I was especially pleased to find the Brunello Cucinelli as it was the first I have seen and is of the best quality you can expect to find anywhere. I have a well-dressed friend that says that anything made by Cucinelli is right at the very top of the list in quality. The Brioni, Dolce & Gabbana and Isaia are quite rare as well but show up a bit more often. Any shirt that does not fit properly will find its way to the gift pile or someone else’s home through eBay and Poshmark.

Sweaters – The Luigi Baldo v-neck Argyle sweater is what you would expect to find in the Italian quality mix of silk and cashmere. It’s a beautiful example of a new name on my list to check from here on. The other sweater is for an acquaintance who has had past connections with NAU and will make it way as a birthday gift later on for less than four dollars.

Pants – A good pair of plain colored trousers can really set off a beautiful shirt if the colors match. Some of the best come from Santorelli and I was able to nail two great brown examples from this company. The third pair is a name that is rarely found but snagged immediately when found; Sartori.

Ties – With the great number of ties in my collection, I have become much more selective as to the brands I now look for. Fifteen of these silk ribbons were picked up representing some of the finer brands you can locate anywhere. These included Brioni, Brooks Brothers, Canali (2), Corneliani, Dormeuil (2), Ermenegildo Zegna, Gucci, Hermès, Lanvin, M.C. Escher, Stefano Ricci (2) and Turnbull & Asser. Stefano Ricci has a slogan that they begin in high quality where everyone else stops. Turnbull & Asser are selected by Prince Charles for his shirts and ties. Each week, I pick a specific brand and find five beautiful examples to match the five suits picked out for that work week.

Shoes – Since this item takes up a bit of floor space, I now purchase only those that might fit well my big feet or if the brand could be spruced up to bring in a substantial profit from eBay or Poshmark. A relatively new brand that has grabbed my interest is a comfortable representative from Donald J. Pliner. These shoes are very well suited for a long day at the office and now number more than just this pair on my floor. The other pair of shoes carries my very favorite, Allen Edmonds. This pair is marked as the Rambler but is no longer offered in their stores locally. The size is too small but will make a very nice pair for someone else later on.

Hangers – My curiosity prevails when the Goodwill sticker covers the name beneath on a nice plastic hanger. I have to see who it represents and this time is showed up as Burberry. The twenty-nine-dollar hanger was selected for a half dollar. Two other suit hangers from Setwell and a hanging cedar block rounded out my price of around three and a half dollars for the $107 selection.

Pocket Squares – This category has dried up a bit since the selection doesn’t require but a few of various colors and only the best companies. The exception here was a black silk item from China.

Accessories – My interest in watches has grown lately and I took a chance on a nice looking representative reflecting the name Audemars Piguet. The AP Royal Oak turned out to be a fake but nonetheless, it keeps good time with a replaced battery. I’m ashamed to wear it but it was worth the chance that it might be the real thing for this price paid. My research will have to dig deeper when the impulse has to be suppressed in favor of common sense. One other watch that made up for the mistake was a find in the jewelry case at a local Goodwill of an older pristine Seiko automatic made in 1971. The watch had just been added to the case that day and after looking it over for a few seconds and having the second hand begin to move due to the working pendulum, it made its way to the cashier for less than seven dollars. I wear the silver colored watch with black, grey or blue suits every other day to keep it running without having to reset it. A brand new Eventronic watch repair kit was located so that I could learn the basics of watch and bracelet repair.

My daughters will appreciate the Burberry Haymarket clutch and colorful Vera Bradley wallet. Luckily, each has their separate favorite of each of these two brands.

Other items in this category were the Christian Dior cuff links and matching shirt studs, a pair of Hestra peccary gloves, two pair of socks, a Shoe Gear shoe shine polish kit, a Resistol brown Cisco cowboy hat and a pair of silver Versace medusa cuff links in the original box.

Be sure to check out the page of comparison prices for categories such as pants, shirts, shoes, suits, sweaters and ties. This page offers many valuable tools that I find convenient when looking up a name as to whether it is worth purchasing or putting back on the rack.

Knowing your brands, as to which command a greater return on your investment, is good business sense. Become familiar with the brands that sell well or have long lasting international respect and when you find them in good condition, they will bring you a good net satisfaction. Good luck with your Goodwill hunting.

Key words: Allen Edmonds, Apple, Audemars Piguet, Bagutta, Boglioli, Brioni, Brooks Brothers, Brunello Cucinelli, Burberry, Burberry’s, Canali, Christian Dior, Coogi, Corneliani, Charles Tyrwhitt, Dolce & Gabanna, Donald J. Pliner, Dormeuil, Ermenegildo Zegna, Eton, Eventronic, fender, Gildan, Giorgio Armani, Gucci, Hermès, Hester, Isaia, Lanvin, Luigi Baldo, M. C. Escher, Mephisto, Oxxford Clothes, Psycho Bunny, Resistol, Samuelsohn, Santorelli, Sartori, Seiko, Setwell, Shoe Gear, Stefano Ricci, Ted Baker, Turnbull & Asser, Vera Bradley, Versace, Yves Saint Laurent, Zanella

The first month of each year is a great time to reflect on the previous year and determine what changes might be made for the upcoming days.  Last year was my best year yet with an monthly average of only 70 items purchased but with a value of 110 times what I paid. There is a definite learning response revealed in the chart below with the value times purchase price showing a definite increase. In comparison, here is what I have determined from previous activities over the past few years:

Monthly Averages per Year

I have had a lot of fun with this but need to throttle the trips and expenditures down and begin to sell off the items I no longer need. Most of these will be clothing that doesn’t fit the way it should and the lesser valuable items that I will never wear. I have too much and this month is a good time to honor a new year’s resolution in this regard!

Treasures – One name I always get goose bumps with is that of Brioni. I located a white dress shirt with French cuffs in great shape and cannot wait to try it on to see how well it will look with a grey suit and red tie. You can find this brand of shirt at Neiman Marcus and that is the name in the label where it was initially sold.

It is always a thrill to see the name that is universally recognized as the most famous world around – GUCCI. I found a silky solid black dress shirt that is a bit too small but wasn’t going to let it get away even though the price was a bit higher than I thought it should be. It was priced at $19.99 but I picked it up for $15.97. Still a good buy for a $380 name brand shirt.

Shirts – Three shirts were picked up this month as I decided to keep the expenditures to only the first week this month. For a little over $31, I picked up just short of $1,100 worth of great brands. My father asked if I could find him some shirts with snaps instead of buttons as these are much easier to put on when your hands just aren’t what they used to be. I located a great Armani Exchange striped shirt that should fit him well. The other two shirts come from some of the best Italian clothiers in the world; Gucci and Brioni. You just cannot beat the quality of material or the workmanship of these two where I shop.

Pants – Another Italian brand to look for in the trousers department is that of Santorelli. For an “affordable” pair of pants that cost only $225 new you would be hard pressed to find a nicer pair of dress pants. These were found for only $6.99 and should look great with any one of my navy jackets.

Ties – The English company Burberry is a clothier that I enjoy seeing the name of whether it be a trench coat, shirt, suit or a beautiful tie. The tie I found for only $3.19 is a current higher end item and is the first item I looked to match a suit with for this coming Monday morning for work. Burberry has a great reputation and continues to honor it through to the new year.

Purses – Here is where it gets interesting. My daughters are becoming easier to buy for when birthdays roll around or sometimes just for fun. I found a couple of purses that I know one or both will love to sport on their shoulders as each shows a definite pattern of who made each. Once again Burberry comes through with a beautiful little clutch with the Haymarket plaid and high quality workmanship I picked up for $15.97 but sells new for $695. The other is a small black over the shoulder from Fendi I paid a bit much for at $43.94 and sells new for $450 but is a brand popular with the girls. The problem now is who gets which one.

Accessories –Within the glass cases in the stores are typically the more expensive or smaller items that need closer attention to. One of these was a quickly recognizable glasses case from Ermenegildo Zegna. I asked to see the case and found that it had a pair of prescription glasses from Burberry. Not only did they work well for my vision but they also had a pair of clip-on shades of equal quality. I needed a pair of prescription sunglasses and grabbed the three-in-one package for $14.99.

Another pair of glasses was located when I saw the black case with a relief of medusa carved in the end. I know right away this would be an expensive item and sure enough it was. I walked away with the $235 Versace yellow tinted glasses, microfiber cleaning cloth and Versace case for $47.93. A bit much but a great present for an upcoming birthday for someone hard to buy for.

Since I collect the older Hummel figurines when I can find them at a good price, I needed a place to keep some of them. A small wood and glass case fit the bill with a few modifications to store some of my collection. I look forward to bringing out some of these little figurines that a German girlfriend introduced me to long ago.

With all the ladies watches I have purchased, I needed a nice watch box to present one of the high-end time bracelets in. These little wooden boxes are great for a number of thing like rings, cuff-links and so on and are well worth looking for in the thrift stores. This one cost me less than a dollar and was well worth it.

Speaking of watches, I purchased a bag of fourteen assorted men’s and women’s wristwatches for $54 expecting to find a real Patek Philippe inside as the tag represented. Sure enough, there it was but instead, it was a nice fake. Surprisingly, there was a beautiful, gold Waltham 17-jewel automatic in great shape in with the rest of the selection. As soon as I picked it up, the watch came alive and on my wrist it went.  Dividing the $54 by 14 items, that comes out to only $3.86 each. By the way, the imitation ladies Patek Philippe works just fine with a new battery and should look very nice on some ladies wrist down the road.

Lastly, I can never turn down a like new pair of leather belts made from Allen Edmonds. Their attention to quality and detail are unmatched as far as I am concerned for a United States made craft. Whether it is a pair of shoes, ties, shirts or belts, these items always go into my buggy.

Be sure to check out the page of comparison prices for categories such as pants, shirts, shoes, suits, sweaters and ties. This page offers many valuable tools that I find convenient when looking up a name as to whether it is worth purchasing or putting back on the rack.

Knowing your brands, as to which command a greater return on your investment, is good business sense. Become familiar with the brands that sell well or have long lasting international respect and when you find them in good condition, they will bring you a good net satisfaction. Good luck with your Goodwill hunting.

Key words:  Allen Edmonds, Armani, Brioni, Burberry, Ermenegildo Zegna, Fendi, Gucci, Santorelli, Versace

November has been a great month, especially when I had decided to really cut back on my spending and concentrate on looking for just the very best in each category I ran across. The comparison of my paid versus the retail turned out to be 148 times as much as my payout for the fifty-five items purchased. That is a pretty good achievement in meeting my triple digit goal but ranks as only the fourth best this year. It’s been a good year. This is one of the ways by which I measure making sure my continuing education is working on finding higher-end items.

Treasures – There are some really nice treasures to list for this month. To top this list is the brand new, never been worn, Kiton suit. Never would I have dreamed that something like this nine thousand dollar highest of the high end suits wind up in the Goodwill just down the road from where I live. It was one of those moments when you see the label inside the coat and have to bring yourself to realize that the record moment just arrived you had been waiting for but never dreamed would happen. Of course, I had to share the moment with the employee that always likes to know what I find since they seldom see the names of the product they place on the racks. It was indeed a treasure. Add to that the Kiton tie I located this month as well. See also the article with more in-depth description on this find “Buying a Jacket, Finding a Suit“.

A second treasure has to be the Chanel quilted lambskin signature purse well suited for a Christmas present for my mother next month. It is a rare time when you can offer something to a family member they would never purchase for themselves but receive with great excitement when offered as a present. I can’t wait to see her expression when she opens the package and this can be considered to be my treasure.

Another Christmas present that fell into the Goodwill buggy this month is the Burberry backpack that garnered so much attention according to the attendant. The price was marked accordingly but well worth paying less than forty dollars for the smile and hug afforded me when the Christmas package is opened.

A fourth treasure has to be the dark grey Ermenegildo Zegna Trofeo suit that fits me so well. The fit and color looks fantastic and even makes me look a little more tolerable to look at. That makes it fit into the treasures category if for no other reason. The three-thousand-dollar suit cost me a total of $7.98 and that was money well spent.

A final treasure would have to be the goose bump causing shirt made by Stefano Ricci. The shirt appears to have come straight from Neiman Marcus or Barney’s and is just my size. It might even look good with the Trofeo suit just mentioned. Actually, I have the pair set out for this coming Friday’s clothing to wear to work.

Suits – There were three suits with a retail total of $16,565 (my cost was $24.95) located and all three were lucky finds in that I found the trousers separate from the jackets. The first suit was a beautiful Ermenegildo Zegna Trofeo dark grey with a faint vertical blue stripe. The Trofeo warrants the name from using the trophy winning example of the Zegna Couture collection, “a worsted fabric made of prestige Australian Superfine merino wool with long fibers.” The $2,995 suit was purchased for a total of $7.98 and fits very well.

The second find, and another name I look for, is that of Oxxford Clothes or Oxxford Crest. This suit is made in Chicago by hand and has been described as the best of the “quiet American” market. There are several models to choose from and feature the highest level of handwork and start at $4,000.

The third suit that I was able to put together was the grand prize of which I have been in pursuit of. There is usually a name by which all brands are measured against as being the best and this company is recognized worldwide as being the very best, Kiton. I was able to find a beautiful Blanc Blu version that had not been worn due to seeing the tailor thread still attached to the jacket on the shoulders and sleeves and the pants cuffs were unhemmed. A fantastic find! The $8.48 suit retails for more than a thousand times that amount ($8,995) in Neiman Marcus.

Dress Jackets – Only two jackets caught my eye this month. I couldn’t pass up the heavy, dark grey Givenchy Monsieur that fit so well. With the dark brown thread, it will work well with either dark grey or dark brown pair of trousers. The other jacket was a beautiful Samuelsohn window pane light grey with darker grey thread for those more formal occasions. The suit jacket was made for Marvin Brown, a previous member of our local City Council.

Shirts – Fifteen beautiful shirts were picked out from the many thousands available. These were from Giorgio Armani, Borrelli Napoli, Burberry (3), Ermenegildo Zegna, Eton, Ike Behar, Marco Brunelli, Prada, Stefano Ricci, Turnbull & Asser, Valentino and two from Yves Saint Laurent. This was my first Stefano Ricci shirt which is a name very hard to find retailing for $750 followed closely by the $695 Valentino but surpassed by the $760 Prada. I paid a total of $95.49 for the fifteen shirts retailing for $6,683 which averaged $445 apiece.

Sweater – Most of the cold weather garments are being snapped up pretty quick this time of the year but I was able to find a lone red Ermenegildo Zegna crewneck for the low price of $3.49 on half-price day. The retail for this great Italian find is $445.

Pants – I cannot say that there have been many times when I found a pair of pants, then two more that I had to share my excitement with those around me but this happened in a very small, out-of-the-way Goodwill. I had already checked the area of pants with my waist size and decided to look to the next size larger and there they were, three pair of like new, dress trousers by Brioni! Each of these pair of pants retails for at least $850 and my price that day was only $5.59. The quality of this brand is of the best I have been able to find and high on my list of brands to look for. The fourth pair of pants did not have the name inside but were quickly recognized by their unique inside waist band as being from the company Burberry. I paid $22.36 for the $3,000 worth of four trousers.

Ties – Fourteen ties were picked up this month representing some of the more highly recognized high-end brands sought after. These included Bally, Charvet, Ermenegildo Zegna (2), Fendi, Hermès, Kiton, Lanvin, Salvatore Ferragamo, Santorelli, Stefano Ricci (3) and Tiffany and Company. This was only the second Kiton tie ($1.99) I have been able to find and was a great example of the Best of the Best Plus One. It had also been a while since I last was able to find a representative by the 99 cent Hermès and this one appeared like new. I always welcome any time from the French companies of Charvet and Lanvin as they are about as perfect as you can get. A surprise came in locating the three Stefano Ricco ties, the Salvatore Ferragamo (99 cents) and the Tiffany and Co. My price for the $3,130 ties was $25.97.

Shoes – I have since discovered that shoes take up a lot of space on the floor and require a more discerning eye when looking for a pair that warrant placing in the Goodwill buggy, after proper inspection. One of my favorite brands for quality and comfort carries the name Allen Edmonds. This is the brand I look for when I know I will have a long day at work and want to be able to kick up my less than sore feet at the end of the day. A pair of beautiful $395 Sanfords were located and found the shoe polish and leather conditioner first thing when brought into the house. As usual, they now look like a new pair.

As I was ready to check out at the register, I noticed a pair of small kid’s sized Coach sneakers atop the “no, I guess I really don’t want these” last minute place to put items before the purchase. It was half-off day and the tagged price made these worth the $3.99 gamble that I might get my money back on a later sale.

Another first name to purchase was that of Donald J. Pliner. I had heard this brand was top notch and quite affordable. Although the $295 pair of shoes were too small for my big feet, they were worth another gamble of paying $4.79 for these obvious quality pair of shoes.

Hangers – Always on the lookout for a good set of cedar or maple hangers is usually my last place to haunt before exiting the store. Not only did I find a nice Setwell suit hanger and Hangerworld 24-tie holder but I also found a neat black plastic suit hanger with the name of Burberry London on it.

Accessories – In the accessories segment of this haul, four much needed garment bags were located, two from Men’s Warehouse, and one apiece from Andrisen Morton and Pathfinder. These help keep the dust off and moths at bay of my better quality suits. Another item to keep the suits and shirts in better shape was a Steamfast upright garment steamer that works great in delivering a steady fog of hot steam to kill those pesky moths and smooth out any wrinkles without having to take any of my finer clothing to the expensive dry cleaners.

Of a lesser need than the garment bags and steamer were a couple of scarves that appeared very much like the pattern of the Burberry Haymarket pattern but were clearly not of the same quality. The two were well worth the little more than two dollars out-of-pocket expense to keep my neck warm while wearing one of my Burberry trench coats on those wet wintry days.

To top this list of accessories were the two lady’s items well suited for Christmas presents. The first was the like new $1,200 Burberry backpack I was able to have the lady pull out of the jewelry cabinet she had just placed an hour earlier. It makes a difference when you arrive at the Goodwill stores sometimes. She said it had already garnered a lot of attention in that short time it was on display.

This second item requires a quick story. I walked into a local Goodwill store immediately behind a short stocky woman and we both made a bee line to the jewelry cabinet to see what “expensive” items were to be seen. I was looking through the glass cabinet and the lady asked the attendant to see three purses hanging from the wall. I couldn’t help but notice that the white bag had the appearance of a Chanel quilted pattern and then the gold double C really grabbed my attention. Lucky for me that she said she thought the bag was dirty and went on to the next purse. After close inspection when my turn came, I found a viable serial number inside and the high quality was definitely not typical of any run of the mill knock off bag you usually see. I told the lady my name and she put it behind the counter for me to ask for when I checked out. With my Sunday senior discount, the $6,650 Chanel lambskin signature bag was purchased for $26.21. It may not be this year’s current item but that definitely should not matter for that low price. What a nice, long lasting Christmas present this will make!

As with previous months, the following chart is broken down into different categories with the subtotal for each, the amount paid, tagged amount and the retail price with a link, where available, as to where the retail price was located. I hope this chart becomes a valuable tool for you in making a choice when locating that high-end item you might run across.

Be sure to check out the page of comparison prices for categories such as pants, shirts, shoes, suits, sweaters and ties. This page offers many valuable tools that I find convenient when looking up a name as to whether it is worth purchasing or putting back on the rack.

Knowing your brands, as to which command a greater return on your investment, is good business sense. Become familiar with the brands that sell well or have long lasting international respect and when you find them in good condition, they will bring you a good net satisfaction. Good luck with your Goodwill hunting.

Key words: Allen Edmonds, Andrisen Morton, Armani, Bally, Borrelli, Brioni, Burberry, Chanel, Charvet, Coach, Donald J. Pliner, Ermenegildo Zegna, Eton, Fendi, Hermès, Ike Behar, Givenchy, Kiton, Lanvin, Marco Bruenlli, Oxxford Clothes, Pathfinder, Prada, Salvatore Ferragamo, Samuelsohn, Santorelli, Setwell, Steamfast, Stefano Ricci, Tiffany & Co., Turnbull & Asser, Valentino, Woodlore, Yves Saint Laurent

October was a great month this year for finding some of the high-end brands that I seldom see, even within this metropolitan area. I call myself a brand buyer, that is, I look exclusively for the high-end brand labels when cruising through these oceans of cloth and wool. This month proved to be the worse this year in an attempt to meet the goal of having a triple digit value of the retail value being only sixty-seven times the amount I spent. On the brighter side, many of the items I found were great bargains despite the price paid and were worth picking up to pass along to family and friends.

Treasures – My idea of a treasure has been changing over the past few months as I educate myself to the value of certain items located in the realms of the isles of racks and shelves in the local Goodwill stores. Some of the items that come to mind this month are those that I can give my family they wouldn’t normally be able to choose for themselves.
     Examples of items that come to mind are the Loro Piana sweater that offers fantastic quality and is so soft. The Burberry crossover purse and clutch my youngest will be so excited to carry. The Louis Vuitton wallet and belt that offer longevity in use and pride of ownership to my other daughter and the artist aluminum easel to show my son’s latest work. These are the items that I consider to be treasures now.
Names like those of the great Italian clothing designers also bring excitement when found represented by Versace, Canali, Armani, Brioni, Dolce & Gabbana, Loro Piana, Borrelli, Bottega Veneta, Gucci, Stefano Ricci, Valentino, and Salvatore Ferragamo. The French names like Hermès, Louis Vuitton, and Lanvin and the Swiss name of Bally and the British fashion house of Burberry denote the highest grade in quality. These are the treasures I like to find to share with those around me who can enjoy them as well.

Suits – Two very nice suits were located from a couple of the higher end quality clothing houses; Corneliani and Versace.  The charcoal Corneliani has a light sheen with faint vertical stripes to slim up the wearer. The solid navy Versace Classic should go with any business or formal get-together. Both are very nice suits made in Italy but both are also a bit too small so they will be looking for a new home very shortly.

Dress Jackets – Dress jackets take up a bit of room but are the best buys at Goodwill in comparison to their suggested retail price averaging right at 212 times what I paid. I selected seven very nice jackets to add to my collection making sure they were from the better known clothing houses of Europe. They are as follows:
The name of Burberrys‘ is synonymous with English quality and the best of Burberry is their Prorsum line. The word Prorsum is Latin for forwards and signified with the Equestrian Knight logo.  When you see a really nice navy jacket of this type for less than five dollars, it’s a no brainer whether you pick it up or not.
Another blue jacket, in this case a lighter shade of blue, came from Canali. The silk and wool blend resists wrinkling and is cooler to wear,  and with a name like Canali, you know you have one of the best on the market. There is something about the way Canali fits in both their jackets, shirts and pants that I find to be more comfortable than any other brand. So when I find this brand in my size, it is a very good day indeed.
     Christian Dior is known for higher-end clothing and when you can find an earlier example of one of their suits, you know you have a great item. I found a navy double-breasted CD jacket with brass buttons for one dollar and it was just my size.  It found its way immediately into my buggy, of course.
Barney’s of New York sells a wide assortment of quality items and Corneliani of Italy created a very nice grey jacket for them. I also found a pair of pants that matches perfectly and now I can add one more suit to the closet.
I prefer to look for clothing made in countries like France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and the good ole USA. It appears that Ermenegildo Zegna is now making one of their lower lines in Mexico and China, the line of Z Zegna. Were it not for the fact that the black jacket fit me perfectly and was on half price for $4.99, I would have passed it up since it has the phrase, “Made in Mexico” on the neck label.
Another somewhat worn, grey jacket was almost passed over until I looked inside the lining for the brand name and saw that it carried the label, Giorgio Armani Le Collezioni. The inside pocket tag showed it was just my size, a difficult size to find of 43 long. The jacket will look great with a pair of jeans and loafers.
A beautiful black jacket from the Versace Collection closes out this selection of dress jackets. Versace is known for its choice of oranges and yellows and wild ties but this jacket is very simple and very well made, what you expect from this design house.

Shirts – Two new fashion houses are represented here due to asking my daughter if I should look into these names even though they are not made in any European country. The first is from 7 for All Mankind. An interesting name but a nice looking shirt that is quite popular these days. The other brand is from True Religion and brings a good price on the secondary market.
Two additional shirts were picked out from the Giorgio Armani Collezioni line. One of these is a formal black shirt which will look great with most any occasion and the other is a nice quality blue shirt made in Hong Kong.
Any time I see the name of Brioni, it reminds me of one of the primary reasons I continue to shop the Goodwill stores in this location. Brioni is known for being at the top of their market in quality and the price the clothing sells for reflects this with the time and material they put into their products. The two shirts I found were white tuxedo style, very formal shirts with a retail price of right at a whopping $850 and I was able to shell out only $5.98 for each. One of these shirts will definitely be on my first pick for the next black-tie event I am asked to attend.
The Goodwill regularly places a slightly higher price on certain labels they call Better Quality and one of these is from Burberry. Even at the Goodwill price of ten dollars, the shirt is a great buy and hangs with the best of my other brands for those occasions when you want to look and feel your best.
Charles Tyrwhitt is not a high priced company in comparison but is one of your better buys for new shirts, in my opinion. They look great and feel good when you wear a shirt from this company. If the shirt is located in my size, it automatically walks toward the cash register with me.
Ermenegildo Zegna produces some really nice items with an emphasis on designing for men. They have a wide range of styles and quality of shirts with one of their more expensive being the Su Misura. I was lucky to find one of these my size and the quality is clearly evident. Three other shirts from this company were purchased this month ranging from a polo style to the more streamlined business shirts.
John Varvatos is beginning to show up in the area Goodwill stores with a more formal style in addition to their “cowboy” plaid shirts. One of the stores had a large selection of new shirts from a variety of brands and this brand was among them. I picked out a nice looking white business shirt made in China to see how well it performed.
A friend at work loves to wear polo shirts made by Lacoste. The French company is making their shirts in a variety of countries these days and this solid black piqué polo shirt comes from Peru.
At least once a month, I like to visit the local Neiman Marcus just down the street from where I work to see what brands they carry and the price tag they show as well. One of these brands is from Lorenzini, made in Italy. I have yet to try it on but the quality shows in how the cloth drapes and the attention to reinforcing the seams in certain stress areas.
The company Turnbull & Asser was founded in 1885 in London and is known as being a favorite of Prince Charles, Sir Winston Churchill, Ronald Reagan, George Bush, Charlie Chaplin and even Picasso. The two shirts I picked up for six dollars each are like-new and have a retail price of $365.
The last shirt on this list is from Yves Saint Laurent and, speaking of price, is second only to the Brioni shirts I found carrying a price tag of $550 which I was able to pick up for $6.99. It came as quite a surprise to find that it was made in Taiwan and I will have to look more closely the next time I see this brand as to where it was made.

Sweaters – I always look to the sweater section when in the thrift stores and most of the time these are mixed in with the men’s long sleeve shirts. It is quite a shock to see how much some of these nice winter items bring in retail. I located a strange but large, black sweater with large letters of “D&G Jeans” at the bottom. I knew right of that Dolce & Gabbana had their name on this one and the price of $7.99 was a great price to pay out for a sweater that retails for almost seven hundred dollars.
Another high priced sweater that I found later this month had the much coveted name tag showing Loro Piana. The peach colored half zippered super soft sweater shirt was grabbed for only $5.24 and retails for almost nine hundred dollars. You will not find this name very often in this area and is the first time in almost five years I was able to put my hands on one of their items.  It will make for a very nice Christmas present in a couple of months.
The third sweater I found is a very colorful 100% alpaca item made in Peru from the Peruvian Connection. This company makes all kind of wearable clothing with the sheared fur from these beautiful South American alpaca camelids.

Pants – It has been unusual to find a good pair of pants but I was able to locate nine great examples, eight of these from Italy.
Two pair of pants from Giorgio Armani were located, one was a nice black pair of Collezioni tuxedo that will go great with the Armani tuxedo jacket I found a while back. The other is a tan pair of Le Collezioni with a ridiculous retail price of around $1,200. They are very nice and are certainly top notch, what you would expect from a name like Armani.
The company Britches makes a very wide range of trousers and are well made with some colors that match many of the dress jackets I am able to come across. This pair of brown pants match a Canali jacket I’ve been looking for a pair of pants for.
Speaking of Canali, two pair of these in navy and brown have the quality you expect from the Italian company. I often receive a nice compliment from the ladies when I wear this brand.
Pazoni is another Italian brand that looks nice and wears well. You can generally find a color that works well with some of those special events or just going to town for groceries.
Santorelli is another Italian brand to look for as they offer pants in around the two-hundred-dollar range as well.
My daughter told me that I couldn’t go wrong if I found a nice pair of True Religion Ricky Straight pants so I paid eleven dollars for this three hundred and fifty-dollar pair of black jeans made in China. We’ll see how well they do on eBay.
One other pair of Italian trousers I found comes from Zanella. The tan pair should go well with most of my dress jackets of a similar shade of brown.

Ties – Once again, this category came in with the greatest number of items; twenty-two. These are represented by some of the better quality producers;  Allen Edmonds, Aurelia, Luigi Borelli, Bottega Veneta (2), Brioni, Canali, Christopher Chronis, Ermenegildo Zegna (4), Gianni Versace, Gucci (2), J. Hilburn, Lanvin, Museum Artifacts, Stefano Ricci, Ted Baker, Tufelo Staufluimi and Valentino.
I always welcome the names of Brioni, Canali, Gucci and Stefano Ricci. There were a few new brands I thought I would try out, namely Aurelia, Luigi Borelli, Bottega Veneta, J. Hilburn, and Tufelo Staufluimi. I was aware of the hard to find Bottega Veneta and did not know they made ties and it was a nice surprise to find a tie from Borelli.

Shoes – This month has to be a record in the number of high-end shoes I was able to find. Allen Edmonds was represented by three pair with their styles of Cameron, Clipper and the Wilbert versions. This brand is by far the most comfortable example of shoes I own, is of high quality and the company stands behind their product to the point of even restoring the shoe to like new if it can be done so.
Another surprise was the fact that I was able to find four pair from Bally. These shoes, made in Switzerland, ranged in retail price from $495 to $650 and wear well, look well and are light on your feet.
On a different search, I have a friend that I was able to find a size 17 for him in a shoe from Mezlan. This pair of shoes are quite different in that they are open weave and have a cap toe made from crocodile. The shoes were picked up for only a dollar but show an incredible retail price of $1,295. A fantastic find and they look great, especially for someone who wears a size that is that hard to find.
A new brand for me is that of Santoni. I found a pair of these at a discount store with a retail of over six hundred dollars. This alone caught my attention. A week later I located a used pair at a Goodwill for only eight dollars and found the quality to be superb. The retail of this certain pair was $810. Another great find.
Several matching pair of shoe trees were picked up for the new shoes and were welcome for prolonging the life of these expensive shoes.

Hangers – I have a good number of wooden shirt hangers and am always on the lookout for some nice large maple suit hangers when they can be found, especially those from the company Setwell. I was able to find a good variety of these and others including a much needed Woodlore 40-tie holder to better view my growing collection of colorful silk.

Accessories – Here is where it gets interesting in the variety of items that can be found for not just myself but for family members and friends as well.
     It is always a good day when I can find an item for one of my daughters they will hopefully cherish or at least show a great big smile when they see what I was able to find for them. Burberry came to the rescue in this regard for my youngest when she celebrated a birthday lately. The like-new Burberrys’ crossbody Haymarket purse was just the size she wanted and the patented plaid pattern shows it is from Burberry. Shortly after her birthday, I found, on a half-price day, a very nice Burberry blue label Peyton clutch that will nicely match her purse.
When you have a lot of clothes, you tend to run out of places to hang them. A gold colored clothes stand came to the rescue and is also used to hang wet clothes on the porch to dry.
     My son has shown his talent in the field of art and I was able to find a large aluminum Freedman easel to show his nicer pieces or I might keep it to place a large framed piece of my own artwork. I was also able to find a neat wooden articulated mannequin he can use to pose for drawing figures. His birthday is coming up in a few months so he might find it in his room rather my mine.
     One of the brands that always carries a high price is from Hermès. Anything from them is typically of great quality and usually of a hard to find material. When I saw five cloth drawstring bags for less than a ten-dollar bill, I knew it was a good price as well as being very difficult to locate. The retail price for all five is about three hundred dollars. A ridiculous price for some cloth bags but they have that coveted logo on them.
     Another name on the same scale is that of Louis Vuitton. There are a lot of fakes of this company’s products but when you find an original for a great price, it is what keeps you scouring the thrift stores for even more. I was lucky when I found not only a ladies long Sarah monogram wallet, like new, but also a man’s Damier 40mm belt. The wallet had a price tag of $79.99 with a retail of $1,000 and the belt was purchased for only $7.98 and retails for $415. Isn’t it nice that Christmas is just around the corner?
     My grandfather always wore a Stetson hat to cover his head. He believed in having less but what he had was the best. I was able to find not just one but two Stetson hats for those sunny days when the sun is just a bit too bright and hot. One is a black wool felt Bozeman, not an expensive hat but one that was needed. The other is a Stetson Gunfighter 5X straw hat to go with my brown outfits.

–

As with previous months, the following chart is broken down into different categories with the subtotal for each, the amount paid, tagged amount and the retail price with a link, where available, as to where the retail price was located. I hope this chart becomes a valuable tool for you in making a choice when locating that high-end item you might run across.

Be sure to check out the page of comparison prices for categories such as pants, shirts, shoes, suits, sweaters and ties. This page offers many valuable tools that I find convenient when looking up a name as to whether it is worth purchasing or putting back on the rack.

Key words: Allen Edmonds, Armani, Aurelia, Bally, Benedetti, Borelli, Bottega Veneta, Brioni, Britches, Burberrys, Canali, Charles Tywhitt, Christian Dior, Christopher Chronis, Corneliani, Dolce & Gabbana, Ermenegildo Zegna, Gianni Versace, Giorgio, Gucci, J. Hermes, Hilburn, John Varvatos, LaCoste, Lanvin, Lorenzini, Louis Vuitton, Mezlan, Pazoni, Rag & Bone, Santoni, Santorelli, Setwell, Stefano Ricci, Stetson, Tom James, Ted Baker, True Religion, Tufelo Staufluimi, Turnbull & Asser, Valentino, Yves Saint Laurent, Zanella