Resale Shop Has Designer Menswear for Less
Why don’t men’s resale stores proliferate like those that sell quality women’s apparel?
One reason may be that many men wear their clothes until they are threadbare, and no resale store would want them. Another might be because men aren’t comfortable with the concept of buying gently worn clothes. (While I was covering a men’s resale store for television, the male shoppers literally ran out for fear that they might be caught on camera. Two of the men said they would have been humiliated if someone learned they purchased clothes from a resale shop.)
Or maybe it’s just that most of the male population simply hasn’t caught on to the wonders of resale shopping. Some of L. A.’s best-dressed women have been shopping this way for years. Reader Steven Zimbelman, a source of several good leads over the years, told me about Bailey’s Men’s Resale.
Monika Bailey, owner of the 2-year-old store, said she feels that men aren’t aware of resale shops, and since men’s fashions don’t change as often as women’s, they are less clothes-conscious. Bailey also said she thinks that women are more apt to be bargain hunters.
In Bailey’s rather elegant little Pasadena shop, tastefully decorated with paintings, antiques and chandeliers, one might not realize at first that most of the items have been gently worn and placed there on a 50-50 consignment basis by gentlemen who want a return on their fashion investments.
Bailey has high standards, accepting only designer-label clothing made of natural fiber and garments that are less than 3 years old.
The day we researched Bailey’s Men’s Resale, she had some pretty choice designer items. Giorgio Armani, Hugo Boss, Valentino, Ungaro and Ralph Lauren crowd the racks.
An Armani 100% wool suit was $199--it would have been $800-plus new. A smashing cashmere houndstooth blazer by Valentino that also would have originally retailed for $800 was $199. A terrific Hugo Boss linen suit was $169, contrasted with $600 new.
Almost everything on the racks is European, whether it’s resale or new. Many new items from store liquidations are tucked in among the resale items.
A new Robert Alexander silk jacket with the original $400 price tag still attached was $149.
As if all this weren’t reason enough to drop by, there’s a bargain basement downstairs where merchandise that has been on the main floor for six months is placed. Once in the basement, the price is reduced another 50%. Start here and plan on a steal if you get lucky.
Sizes range from 38 to 48.
Also be sure to check out the incredible deals on ties. For $10, you will get a tie that could land you on someone’s best-dressed list.
Bailey’s, 109 E. Union St., Old Town, Pasadena. Open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays to Saturdays. MasterCard/Visa, American Express. (818) 449-0201.
Geri Cook’s Bargains column runs every Thursday in Valley View. Questions about shopping may be sent to her, in care of Valley View, Los Angeles Times, 20000 Prairie St., Chatsworth 91311. Letters will not be answered individually, but topics of general interest will be discussed in future columns.
