For those who like your Ivy kosher and don’t mind the smell of moth balls, check out vintage dealer HabuchiHuckaby on eBay. According to his seller profile:
I am very fortunate to have an in with some of the Midwest’s best dressed, and sadly fleeting, old-timers. These were the guys who used to grace the society pages in Chicago, New York and Palm Beach back int eh ’50s and ’60s. Their closets were packet with America’s finest, and in some cases the finest hand-me-downs from previous generations as well. I can’t reveal my sources, but trust me I offer only the good stuff. My offerings are usually tipped in favor of trad. That’s the suff of Brooks Brothers, the true campus shops, and English and Continental bespoke.
There are only a handful of items currently for sale, but last week there was a cache of deadstock Brooks stuff. According to fellow vintage Ivy dealer Zachary DeLuca, “He lists good stuff but not very often.”
The market for vintage Ivy, by the way, is heating up, according to DeLuca. Prices are also soaring: DeLuca recently saw a vintage Brooks Brothers popover priced at $200.
In addition to DeLuca’s Newton Street Vintage, there’s another seller on Etsy called The Ivy League Shop, and Typhoid Jones who sells vintage American clothing in the “trad/Ivy aesthetic.” (If ever in doubt that what you have to say may go unnoticed, simply add the word “aesthetic” to instantly add greater importance.)
DeLuca says he used to get hate mail accusing him of price gouging, but not anymore. — CC
If ever in doubt that what you have to say may go unnoticed, simply add the word “typhoid” to instantly add greater importance.
Excellent point!, Kagi. Thanks for bringing some humor in to my day, cheers.
Hi!
I read your blog all the time and never thought that anything having to do with my hobby would ever end up on it. Thanks for that and I really appreciate it. The name of my shop / online personality really is kind of unfortunate, isn’t it? It’s my eBay ID from back when I was an undergrad and it evolved into something else entirely in the last couple of years. Things do that sometimes : )
Either way, thanks again and I look forward to more great posts as always!
So many of the items on all of the sites mentioned in your post are far more attractive than so much of what BB offers today.
I *just* discovered Typhoid’s offerings and the Ivy League Shop two nights ago. Now I’m gonna have to decide whether I want to eat for the rest of the month or blow my cash before the good pieces are bought up.
I just checked out the vintage clothing sites linked above, there are some real bargains and prices overall are cheap, please excuse the term. Unfortunately for me, I haven’t been a size 40 since seventh grade.
The market has been heating up for the past two years but so what. The law of supply and demand will kick in as people realise there is money in Grandpa’s old suits. Many thrift shops already set aside items for dealers as it is fast cash. As people discovered old comics were worth money, more have come onto the market via eBay, and collectors have been able to fill holes in collections.
Thirty dollars (plus postage) for a circa 1930 pure slik woven Sulka and Co. necktie is a bargain considering I paid fifty dollars for a Harvard tie from the student run shop two years ago. Similarly $125 (plus postage) for a vintage men’s Late 1950′s Tartan Viyella Hart Schaffner & Marx 3/2 Sack Jacket in size 42 is great as the only way you can get a new one is to have it tailor made.
Some people have inflated views of what an item is worth, but that happens in all businesses, and the market will make the price. Even my wife, who despairs at my buying another jacket or tie, agrees the material and quality are superior to what is available in upmarket shops today.
Out of context my comment sounds like a dig at Mr. Huckaby’s eBay shop, which is unintended. He has superb stuff (case in point that 60s Brooks tweed) and I wish there was more of it. I’ve also delt with him and he is a good and reliable dealer.
Weird. Who’s going to pay $ 60 for a pair of $ 8 trousers. This makes no sense to me…
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Anonymous,
It depends on what you mean by “$8 trousers.” Paying $60 for trousers you can still buy new for $8 is nuts, but paying $60 for trousers that would cost hundreds of dollars new is a bargain. Paying $60 for trousers that might be found in a thrift store for $8 means you’re paying someone else for their time and knowledge (i.e., you are conducting business).
With vintage clothes, you can get quality and materials unavailable today for anything less than bespoke prices. For some, that’s a good deal.
What did you want me to say Patek’s.
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