Money Well Spent

*This old post will be relevant to an upcoming post so I thought it made sense to revisit it today (12/6/24). This belt had fallen out of favor over the years, but lately it has seen a lot of action. I tend to use it in my for lack of better words, Americana fits (see an example below). More on that later. Now on to the old post.


I am in the process of trying to find a pair of jeans that I like and in that struggle I found a belt that I had forgot about. It’s a simple leather belt that I had made 10 plus years ago in the middle of a mall.

I had this belt made before I started to a work for an insurance company. I wanted a simple leather belt. I was struggling to find one that I liked and that fit me. Then I remembered this kiosk in the middle of the mall where I had purchased a few belt buckles. You know the kind of place. Ran by a mountain man type wearing a lot of leather. He sold buckles of all kinds both large and small, NASCAR leather jackets, leather goods, maybe knives, and now important to me leather belts.

I wish I remembered the man’s name, but I don’t. The mall is still there, but empty and closed. I do remember him saying that he had a small place on Mackinaw island that he ran in the summer. He did the kiosk off-season. The short of it is that he was a great guy and could help me out. When we started to talk about the belt he guided me to a few hundred leather straps to look through. I picked my buckle and leather. He then measured me, asked me about width, and told me to come back the next day. I did and it was perfect. He made and sold this belt for around $20. It was money well spent.

There are still places where you can get belts made. For example,
Narragansett Leathers is still around offering moderately priced leather goods. I am sure there are others out there as as well along with people making other stuff like shirts and moccasins. Enjoy it while it is here and get while the getting is good.

Measurements of Brooks Brothers OCBDs over the Years

Ivy Style enthusiast Farrago has put together a great post over at Talk Ivy providing measurements of Brooks Brothers OCBDs ranging from the 1960s up to the recently updated 2016 OCBD. These are the types of posts that keep forums going. He was kind enough to allow me to repost this great information over here.

As promised, I got around to combing through the museum. I took measurements on the collars, chest, and length (back and front). I weighed the shirts as well. Apologies for my usual poor photos.
1960 Brooks Brothers OCBD

1960’s Brooks Brothers White OCBD

No pocket. Purple label without care instructions. 6 button front . Gussets on the sides. Note the collar length of this shirt.
Collar: 3 ”
Weight: 10.51 oz.
Chest: 24 1/4″
Front: 30 ”
Back: 32 ”
1970 Brooks Brothers OCBD

1970’s Brooks Brothers Yellow OCBD

Pocket. Red label without care instructions. 6 button front.
Collar: 3 7/16″
Weight: 12.28 oz.
Chest: 25 1/4″
Front: 28 1/4 ”
Back: 31 1/2 ”
1980 Brooks Brothers OCBD

Late 1980’s Brooks Brothers Blue Blazer Stripe OCBD

7 button front.
Collar: 3 3/8″
Weight: 11.96 oz.
Chest: 25 ”
Front: 30 1/2 ”
Back: 31 1/2 ”
Early 1990s Brooks Brothers OCBD

Early 1990’s Brooks Brothers Yellow w/ Blue Track Stripe OCBD

7 button front.
Collar: 3 1/4″
Weight: 11.22 oz.
Chest: 24 3/4 ”
Front: 28 3/4 ”
Back: 30  ”

Mid 1990s Brooks Brothers OCBD

Mid 1990’s Brooks Brothers Ecru OCBD

7 button front.
Collar: 3 3/8″
Weight: 12.10 oz.
Chest: 24 1/4 ”
Front: 28 1/4 ”
Back: 30 1/2  ”
2008 Brooks Brothers OCBD

2008 Brooks Brothers Pink OCBD

7 button front. Lined. Note the weight.
Collar: 3 3/8″
Weight: 13.76 oz.
Chest: 24 1/2 ”
Front: 29 1/2 ”
Back: 31 1/4  ”

2016 Brooks Brothers OCBD

2016 Brooks Brothers Helio Stripe OCBD

7 button front. Gussets. No pocket. The Madison cut is the nearest to the now discontinued Traditional cut.
Collar: 3 7/16″
Weight: 12.14 oz.
Chest: 23 1/2 ”
Front: 28  ”
Back: 30 1/4  “

Look What Mercer Just Did

Rarely does it feel like I am writing about timely current events, but this time it’s different. This is BIG. Ivy trad legends Mercer & Sons shirtmakers renown for “Distinctive full roll of our unlined 3 7/16″ button down…”, full shirts, and very old school ways of doing business is changing.

Don’t worry they haven’t changed their collar, baggy is better fit, or most of their old school ways. What they have changed is their website. What used to require a phone call or several emails (I believe you could also fax) can now be accomplished online. That’s right they have made the leap to ecommerce.

I feel like a fraud for saying it. Even after having been in the space for 15 years or so I still haven’t tried a Mercer shirt. Even though I’ve always been a big fan (Mercer Says). Now that they have made the purchase process a little easier and little more impulsive that may just change. This is post is a good reminder for us trads stuck in the past that sometimes change can be good. Lastly their shirts aren’t cheap, but first timers can get 1 OCBD for $168.75 instead of $225 (see here).

A Few eBay Wins

Piggybacking off last weeks blog post (Missing the Thrift) I thought that I’d share a few of my recent eBay wins. If you know me you know that I’ve never been big on eBay. I took a lot of losses early on (years and years ago) and it really deterred me. It was a rough start, but I’ve learned too apply those lessons, and it has definitely improved my eBaying experience. Now let’s get to the good stuff.

Below are the goods that I’ve scored. Nothing here cost too much. The highest price item was the vintage canvas field jacket which I love. It was $35 shipped. I mentioned piggybacking on an old blog post above, but there is more piggybacking here as well. I copped this vintage Ralph Lauren Country flannel (See my Country Flannel post) and two chambray work shirts. The chambray shirts are from Stronghold LA and the cotton/linen one is from Express of all places. Next up is a pair of NOS flannel lined LL Bean khakis. Last but not least I got an almost NOS 90s MiUSA Eastpak backpack to replace my old backpack that finally died. Not a bad haul for a little over $100!

Vintage Field Jacket

Ralph Lauren Country Flannel Shirt

Missing the Thrift

The Spot Restaurant

Lately I have been missing thrifting. I used to thrift a lot, but that’s back when I had way more time than money. Back then I thrifted out of necessity rather than sheer pleasure. I couldn’t afford what I wanted. As my career progressed at an advertising agency I started to have more money than time so thrifting was out of the picture. Currently I have a job with a much better work/life balance, but with a young family I am in uncharted territory which is not that much spare time or spare money lol.

Why am I missing the thrift? It might be because I’ve been seeing some online friends scoring a lot of gems. I’ve also been doom scrolling eBay before bed after a few lucky wins. Whatever the case I can feel my desire growing but it’s not quite as easy to get out there with a young family. I was looking through old posts about thrifting this week and I forgot about my Main Street USA and Small Town USA thrifting posts. These posts really took me on a trip down memory lane. I remember these days spending a whole Saturday cruising the country side to visit smaller towns for the thrifts, food, and a good strong dose of Americana. It also reminded me that you come up empty handed a lot which I don’t miss. You can follow the links above or scroll down below to see these nostalgic posts. I hope you too enjoy the trip down memory lane. Good luck to all my thrifters out there thrifting!

Below are some additional posts about thrifting.

My Ralph Lauren Story

The actual title of this blog post was going to be, “Will This Be My Ralph Lauren Story?”. However that title was way too long and not nearly as catchy. This Ralph Lauren story is actually a story within a story about a flannel shirt.

It all started with an errand. My wife needed me to pick up some contacts for her at the eye doctor. I’m always up for an errand that gets me out of the house. As I was walking up to the doctor’s office I noticed that it was right next door to a Plato’s closet. Now I haven’t been in a Plato’s closet in years, but I thought I might as well stroll through. I even had something in mind that I was looking for, a country flannel.

What is a country flannel you ask? I am not quite sure how to describe what I mean, but I will give it a shot. I wanted a plaid flannel shirt that wasn’t a tartan. Something that didn’t read preppy with colors a bit more rustic. Perhaps in an ombre or shadow plaid with 2 chest pockets of some configuration and I wanted the material to be nice and thick. The type of flannel that you might see a man on a tractor wearing or an employee at RRL or Wythe. Hopefully I can score one under RRL and Wythe prices.

To my surprise I found exactly what I wanted. I tried it on and it fit. It was $10. I was sold. I headed to the counter and then noticed that it was missing 1 button, nope 2 buttons, and after a final closer examination it was missing 3 buttons in total. I was still going to buy it, but as I go to checkout there is no one to check me out. After standing around for a few minutes I left as my time was running out thinking it must not be in the cards for me.

Now here is where I think that my OCD having menswear friends will all be able to really relate. When I got home all I could think about was that shirt. I kicked myself for not sticking around and buying the shirt. I found myself looking at the pictures that I took of the flannel multiple times over the weekend. On Sunday I decided that I would trek back over there at some point next week on my lunch. That’s exactly what I did and luckily for me it was still there.

Now we’ve got to the end of the story and I bet you are wondering how this is a Ralph Lauren story. Well here’s how it ties in with Uncle Ralph. This American Eagle flannel shirt had reminded me of his infamous Kmart flannel shirt that he wore on the CBS Sunday Morning show (here). I hope that it turns out exactly the same. I hope that it becomes full of memories, that I treasure it, and that like Ralph I look good in it. This might just be my Ralph Lauren story. Happy belated birthday Uncle Ralph!

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Late 70s/Early 80s Preppy Sneakers

The Late 70s Prep Checklist post generated a lot of question about one of my favorite topics which is sneakers. I’ve been into sneakers since as long as I can remember. Actually I can remember. It was 1989, I was in the 5th grade, and the Jordan IV came out. It has been a wrap since then, but back to the topic of at hand. Here are my top 5 picks for late 70s/early 80s vibed sneakers that are currently available.


1. Nike LD-1000 – $100

Nike LD-1000

2. Adidas Country – $120

Adidas Cross Country

3. Nike Cortez – $90

Nike Cortez

4. Onitsuka Mexico 66 – $185


5. Adidas Samba Long Tongue – $90



I tried to keep the list short, but solid and most importantly available. However if you don’t love the above there are lots of other sneakers out there that can match the vibe. Adidas’s line up in particular has a ton of options that would work such as the Gazelle Indoor, SL72, and Handball Spezial to name a few. The same is true with Nike. They currently have the Blazer, Field General 82, and the Mac Attack plus a plethora of others. Whatever your favorite brand I am sure you can find a sneaker to fit the mold.

For those that find this topic interesting I suggest picking up the Lightning Nike Chronicle (1971-1980) book. It has a ton of great images of 70s-80s Nikes as well as running shirts. I dropped some images below. I’ve seen it available a few places in the past, but there are a few currently up on Ebay and Amazon Japan. Another cool resource for sneakers and how to rock sneakers that I recommend is the Trainer Spotting Instagram page.

I am going to leave you with one piece of advice before I head out. It’s actually the same advice I find myself giving about clothes. That advice is to wear your sneakers. As with clothes well worn sneakers almost always look better than clean sneakers. I am off to break in my new Nike LD-1000s!


Images from the Nike Chronicle 1971-1980