The Official-ish DC Thread

[mak1277]

Are there any good vintage stores for menswear in DC? I’m not interested in needle-in-a-haystack thrifting…wondering if there’s anywhere with reliably good stuff.

 

[scurvyfreedman]

I'm already old. When I was a kid, White Flint was the "fancy" mall and Montgomery was the plain one. Now Montgomery and Tysons are the two top malls in the DMV.

It's nice to see Rockville Pike transitioning away from strip malls fronted by huge parking lots and toward more aesthetically pleasing shopping centers like Pike & Rose.

The biggest problem with Pike and Rose is the parking. They should have setup parking on the outskirts so people had to walk to the center area. Instead, they funnel the cars toward the center to park in the two garages, but it's hard to get through to the garages b/c it's so narrow with lots of pedestrians. It can take up to 10 minutes to enter the back side of the property.

It's a nice development - much better than Mid-Pike Plaza, which preceded it. But, it could be better.

 

[Hilltern]

Pricing at Ezra Paul depends on the fabric but tends to be very close to Sartoria Carrara (mostly between $1700 and $2000 for a 2-piece suit, around $1300 for a sportcoat, which is generally what you'll see for good-quality Italian mtm).

Thanks. I’ll check them out. Do you know if you have to make an appointment or do you just walk into the store? Their website is a little hazy on that detail.

 

[professor]

The biggest problem with Pike and Rose is the parking. They should have setup parking on the outskirts so people had to walk to the center area. Instead, they funnel the cars toward the center to park in the two garages, but it's hard to get through to the garages b/c it's so narrow with lots of pedestrians. It can take up to 10 minutes to enter the back side of the property.

It's a nice development - much better than Mid-Pike Plaza, which preceded it. But, it could be better.

The big garage off of Old Georgetown is manageable. The garage at the center of the complex near the REI is the work of the devil.

 

[SpallaPerfetta]

Are there any good vintage stores for menswear in DC? I’m not interested in needle-in-a-haystack thrifting…wondering if there’s anywhere with reliably good stuff.

I too am interested in this. There’s way too much money in this area for there to not be some reliable thrift stores. I’ve been to a few estate sales but have not had much luck beyond finding nice ties in decent condition.

 

[Ambulance Chaser]

Are there any good vintage stores for menswear in DC? I’m not interested in needle-in-a-haystack thrifting…wondering if there’s anywhere with reliably good stuff.

I too am interested in this. There’s way too much money in this area for there to not be some reliable thrift stores. I’ve been to a few estate sales but have not had much luck beyond finding nice ties in decent condition.

In my experience no, unless you think the 1970s are coming back. Many years ago, I found a peak-lapel tuxedo in serviceable condition that I wore for many years until buying a new tuxedo, and an Oxxford blue blazer that I still wear. But these were needle-in-a-haystack finds. I searched a few thrift stores in downtown Bethesda that I am not sure are there anymore.

 

[Kangnamstyles]

Any of you gentlemen use a cleaning service that you all recommend?

 

[bicycleradical]

Any of you gentlemen use a cleaning service that you all recommend?

Parkway Dry Cleaning has a good reputation:

Home - Parkway Custom Dry Cleaning

or over 95 years, Parkway Custom Drycleaning has been the preferred eco-friendly, high quality dry cleaner for Washington DC, Virginia and Maryland’s most discriminating clientele and finest retailers.

www.parkwaydrycleaning.com

 

[hpreston]

Any of you gentlemen use a cleaning service that you all recommend?

Parkway Dry Cleaning has a good reputation:

Home - Parkway Custom Dry Cleaning

or over 95 years, Parkway Custom Drycleaning has been the preferred eco-friendly, high quality dry cleaner for Washington DC, Virginia and Maryland’s most discriminating clientele and finest retailers.

www.parkwaydrycleaning.com

+1 for Parkway

 

[scurvyfreedman]

+1 for Parkway

+2. I only dry-clean my suits if I buy them from eBay or if they are stained. Otherwise, I do it as rarely as possible. That said, I only use Parkway for suits, jackets, overcoats and other tailoring. I would never use them for shirt laundering or less expensive items like sweaters or odd trousers. Parkway's prices are not published and can be eye popping.

 

[armedferret]

Another parkway fan here.

ON AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT NOTE.

Jack Rose tasting this Sunday, 50 bucks gets you 5 Old Forester expressions (to include 1924 and two new single-barrel picks). I'll be yonder.

 

[TheSuitBurnsBetter]

Thanks. I’ll check them out. Do you know if you have to make an appointment or do you just walk into the store? Their website is a little hazy on that detail.

I think it's a good idea to make an appointment.

 

[smittycl]

I think it's a good idea to make an appointment.

Yeah, I always call first as they get busy. They do a pile of MTM shirts and a lot of wedding stuff.

 

[coolarrow]

Re. Arlington and the subway, it was pretty haphazard in terms of planning. Only recently did it start getting good clustered retail like around the Clarendon area. I used to work closer to the Courthouse stop and you'd have a vacuum cleaner repair place, next to a new Quiznos, next to a place teaching kids tae kwo do...This was up/down Wilson blvd.

 

[TheSuitBurnsBetter]

Yeah, I always call first as they get busy. They do a pile of MTM shirts and a lot of wedding stuff.

I've never gotten a mtm shirt from Ezra but he has a limited selection of otr dress shirts that I think are a fantastic value at $170. Obviously that's not cheap but they're excellent quality.