It does not cost an arm and a leg to dress well in our style. I know I am a broken record on this point. I know I drive it home often, but because it is such a key pillar of this project and my sartorial philosophy, I must keep saying it. Our style is not about signaling how much money you spent on something. It is about dressing in a way which exemplifies and affirms a sense of masculine dignity befitting the Western modern man. Sometimes the right shirt is $135, sometimes it is $3.99. The shirt found in the photo above was $3.99. This is a (slightly older) Brooks Brothers madras. I found it 2 years ago at a thrift store. It is in fantastic condition and the colors are beautiful. The general appearance of this shirt is so gentle and soft on the eyes. I love it.
The key to building a wardrobe with the help of thrift stores is waiting. It takes time. You are not going to be able to walk in and have the same choices you have when buying new. It is about sifting through the garbage to find the gems. It is about taking time and not buying anything you don't love. You make a visit to the thrift store once a week and maybe three weeks in a row and you leave with nothing. Maybe the fourth week you leave with ten things or maybe only two. Thrifting is not consistent. It is about time. If you have more money than time, you may buy something new. If you have more time than money, you may be more likely to search the thrift. However, even if you don't have more time than money, it is worth it to search the thrift. Many of the nice items you find at a thrift store will be older and because many things were just made better longer ago, these thrift items often may be nicer than that which you find new. The point is not how much money you spent on something, the point isn't the name of the maker. The point is how it looks, how it feels, how it wears.