On my way home from getting a haircut last week, I happened upon the Village Discount Outlet—which was almost a warehouse. (Or should it be wearhouse?) It was packed, both with clothes and with scarf-covered women cramming their shopping carts full of stuff.
The sizes run big for a little guy like me, but after significant rooting I snagged these incredible wool/alpaca slacks that fit perfectly.
Yeah, they're pleated. I'm okay with that.
A couple of drawbacks: There aren't any dressing rooms, which isn't the worst problem; as long as you're wearing a T-shirt, you can throw other shirts over it. Pants—that's another story. I did figure out a way to try them on, but it was tricky and I don't really want to talk about it.
The place isn't curated well, but that means prices are dirt cheap. Saw a decent trench coat for 90 cents. And I walked away with a slim-fit Italian dress shirt for $6 that'll make a perfect gift for the brother.
And these pants? $4. Believe it. Inspect carefully, though. When I got home I found a worn hole in the seat, which will mean a trip to the tailor.
But at 4 bones? You gotta dig, but that's hard to beat.
//SJP
i love alpaca things and i love...
ReplyDeletethrifts.
//MFW
TELL ME HOW YOU TRIED THEM ON, I know a thrift store with a similar post-apocolyptic/abandoned city warehouse vibe that looks like a clothing bomb exploded in it back in the 70's which has awesome pants and shorts but no damn dressing room. The best I can come up with is to wear some basketball shorts to the store and just try pants on over them.
ReplyDeleteAlso, why must all old women in those places be covered in scarves, don't they know it's not 1940's Poland?
Nice score on the pants, they should last forever assuming you can keep the moths away. Also, that clothing label is awesome, that should just be the company's logo.
It WAS exactly like 1940s Poland. Very strange.
ReplyDeleteGood call on the shorts...that probably would have worked. In my case, it helped that I had some long underwear beneath my jeans. Still was a little awkward, so it was also handy that there was a whole rack of huuuuge trenchcoats nearby. I'll leave it at that.
I boycott the blog until I'm made aware of how you tried the pants on.
ReplyDeleteI love shopping for clothing at the Village (usually go to the one near Western/Milwaukee on the edge of Bucktown/Logan Square). I'd also recommend the 2-story Salvation Army in Lincoln Park near Ashland & Fullerton. It can get pretty overwhelming in there but there are good finds if you have the time-- guess ladies are lucky in that we can try skirts/dresses on pretty easily.
ReplyDeleteFrom the look of your blog, you know what makes a good thrift store, Leilani. I'll definitely have to check out the Salvation Army. If you've got any other suggestions for our thrift map, let us know!
ReplyDeleteIf this was the Uptown Village, I think I bought that trench last weekend.
ReplyDelete