J. Crew vs. Thrift Stores – #StoreWars Rd. 1

STORE WARS: J. Crew vs. Thrift Stores

Starting March 19th and running through April 8th, Dappered.com is hosting a bracket based tournament with the purpose of eventually crowning the all around Affordable Men’s Style Retail Champ for 2013.  For a full introduction see this post.  The bracket on the right will be updated as the tournament progresses.  Click on it for the full size.  Make a case for your preferred competitor in the comments section, but don’t forget to vote at the bottom of each match up. On with today’s showdown:

Strengths: The leader.  Out of all of the competitors, J. Crew has most likely had the most influence on how a guy’s clothes should fit (and therefore look) in the 21st century.  And they’ve done a hell of a job.  Esquire recently summed it up this way: “Everyone Wears J. Crew“.  The construction of their suits and blazers is phenomenal, and if you catch a sale, a fused-suit budget can snag a piece of the canvassed & quality-chest-piece high life.  Their “in good company” curation and collaborations with brands like Red Wing, Danner, Billykirk, and Barbour.  Their slim fit section trims up their already well fitting stuff for those who are on the real slim side.  Many of their own in-house shoes are made in Italy with stitched soles.  Their outerwear, like the Mayfair Topcoat and University Coat.

Weaknesses:  Prices.  They’re up there, and a lot of their goods are just flat out of reach until they hit the sale section.  Sometimes it feels like they take themselves a little too seriously (see how soaring and over the top the language can get in many of their item descriptions).  The price of their Quartz watches.  Dress shirts can get expensive.  The heck is Wallace & Barnes anyway?

Strengths:  There are diamonds in that rough, and when you find one, it’s incredible.  In our world where most affordable new clothes are made with some level of disposability in mind, you can still find extremely well made, built to last goods lurking in the racks and on the shelves of thrift stores.  From furniture to cars, the variety of desirable, great-looking stuff can be tremendous. 

Weaknesses: Not all cities have the same level of thrift shopping and plenty of areas are just duds.  So no matter how many terrific guides to thrifting you read, you still might be wandering in a second-hand desert.  You can also waste a ton of time in thrift shops, hoping to strike it stylistically rich.  Like golf, fishing, and gambling, you hit the jackpot once and the risk is you’ll keep coming back… even if it’s more or less hopeless.

Your votes determine who goes on to the next round.  Cast your ballot below.  Voting closes at midnight ET.

UPDATE:  J. Crew with the decisive victory.