Confessions of a Preppy Tie-o-Holic

“Hi, my name is Preppy Croc, and I’m a tie-o-holic.”  If you’ve never been to this meeting before, the correct response in a very affirming tone would be, “Hi, Preppy Croc!”  You’re just seeing the top layer of my tie rack.  There are several layers more underneath this one.  52 ties total.  All but four were thrifted, some for as little as .99 cents.  Most are Brooks Brothers and 100% silk or linen/silk blends.  Some are 100% cotton madras.  None contains polyester!  You may also consider me a tie hoarder.  Not so bad.  In fact, much better smell-wise than cat hoarding.  I sense a new reality show on the horizon, but that would be a decidedly unprep.  Hmmm.

Thrifted Nautical Flag Belt – $3.99

My latest thrift purchase was a nautical flag belt – embroidered on leather with a webbed cotton backing and a brass buckle.  The belt was made by Zep-Pro, a company I had no heard of before.  The low price ($3.99) and overall good condition made this an excellent find.  It always pays to check the belt section.  I often find motif belts in excellent condition by Leather Man Limited that are typically priced under $5.00 vs. $45.00 or more at retail.

 Zep-Pro is based in Pembroke Park, Florida and makes a range of belts and accessories, including ribbon on webbed cotton, collegiate belts and keychains as well as motif pet collars and leads.  By the preponderance of deep sea and fresh water fish motifs, it’s safe to say they cater to the angler.

I can’t access the Zep-Pro price list, which requires access to a secure server by request only.  Odd.  I’d estimate the price falls in the range of $45.00 to $60.00.  I think this belt will go nicely with my Nantucket Reds.

How To Tie A Bow Tie – With Rush Wilson III

As fun as it is to find well-made, classic clothes at bargain basement prices, I also believe in supporting local retail clothiers – particularly when certain items are difficult to find otherwise.  High quality bow ties of 100% silk or cotton are perfect examples.  Recently, I stopped by Rush Wilson Limited in Greenville, SC to look at the current selection of bow ties, with a particular eye for the madras variety.

In this video, store owner Rush Wilson III demonstrates the correct way to tie a bow tie.  He is a very friendly gentleman and will spend time answering each customer’s questions.  His father – Rush Wilson, Jr. – founded the Greenville store in 1959, having opened his first store in Davidson, NC a few years earlier.  Over the years, he developed very close relationships with the community.  You can tell that Rush III has continued that way of doing business.  He cares about the people who shop there and wants them to look their best.

In an era of mass-marketed style, it’s nice to see a traditional  men’s shop thriving, one where the sales associates know you by name.  Aside from offering clothing of superior quality, Rush Wilson Limited’s long-term success is is based on getting to know each customer in order to best meet his wardrobe needs, rather than trying to sell him just anything. If you’re ever in town, you should definitely stop by. You don’t find this sort of unique and personalized retail experience every day – so don’t be in a hurry.

Interior view of Rush Wilson Limited in Greenville, SC.

Prepped Out & Layered Up

Some accessories are just hard to find in a thrift store.  One example is this navy and maroon grosgrain watch band which supports a cheapo – but very accurate –  Timex watch.  I bought the band at J. Press for $9.00.  Grosgrain watch bands come in many colors and various stripes.  They are quintessentially preppy, and some people change them frequently depending on ensemble.  I think the navy/maroon band works well with the Brooks Brothers tattersall shirt (thrift store purchase:  $5.00), green L.L. Bean wool sweater (thrift store purchase:  $7.00) and navy Ralph Lauren duffle coat (outlet mall purchase:  $279.00).   With a little more patience, I probably could have found a duffle coat in my size in a thrift store, but the weather in NYC turned cold, and I paid the higher outlet mall price for mine.  It’s very warm and has a hood.  I’m all prepped out and layered up!

Multi-Prep Finds Today

At my favorite thrift store again tonight (Unique in Riverdale, NY), I found several items that I thought worth showing.  L to R:  Nautical belt from Leather Man Limited in Essex, CT ($6.99), navy surcingle belt from Dockers  ($4.99)…not a preppy brand per se, but passable, dirty bucks with brick red soles from Bass ($12.99), crew neck heavy wool sweater from L.L. Bean (19.99), no name white 100% cotton scarf ($3.99) and a pair of no name 100% cotton, plain front khakis embroidered with whales ($12.99)…though I thought the whale motif just a bit too large.  Total cost of all items:  $66.94. My guess is that these items would retail for around $300. So what items did I buy?  I got the L.L. Bean sweater.  It was a large and a perfect fit, made in the USA of 85% wool and 15% nylon for strength.  It will be great for winter.  I also got the navy surcingle belt.  Again, a perfect fit.  The nautical belt from Leather Man was such a great find, but not the right size.  It was the third belt from that maker I’ve come across in the last month.  The Bass shoes were unfortunately 1/2 size too small.  The embroidered khakis were not my size either.  I passed on the sarf.  The shots for this trip were taken inside the thrift store under fluorescent lights (please excuse).

The workmanship on the Leather Man belts always seems of the highest quality, and I wouldn’t mind making a trip to their factory/store.  It’s about 90 minutes from where I live.

I’ve been looking for a while now for a pair of dirty bucks, but I can never seem to find them in the right size.  I wear an 11 and these were 10 1/2.  They were in especially good condition, which is rare for thrift store shoes.  One guy in the store tonight had found two pairs of perfectly fitting canvas Sperry Topsiders.  Most of the time I buy my shoes at factory outlet malls (Sperry, L.L. Bean, Bass and Cole Haan all have stores at a nearby outlet).  I’ve also found leather Topsiders, Clark’s Desert Boots and Cole Haan leather, cap toe dress shoes for 50% off at Marshall’s.

Follow Up Note:  All of the items that I did not buy on this trip were GONE the next day.

Vineyard Vines Tote

My wife and I were at an estate sale in New Canaan, CT a few weeks ago.  She found a small Vineyard Vines tote with a whale motif for $1.00.  We saw the same item later that day at the Vineyard Vines store in Greenwich for around $30.00.  I found a pair of classic leather Sperry Topsiders for $2.00.  Several men’s suits from The Andover Shop  were on sale at $10.00 each.  Although the suits were an amazing find, I had to pass on them.  They were a size too small.  Heartache.  I should have bought them to resell.