Your Best & Worst Purchases of 2010

[El Argentino]

Best:

• LVC ' 47 501 - Could fit under worst and best, but currently it's here. Originally purchased too large (hence waisting some $200), but later in the year was able to go TTS. Denim feels great, fit is extremely flattering. Can't wait until these start to really show some serious wear inasmuch as I've probably been coddling them a bit too much. Personally, an aspect I love about LVC is the ability to phase between denimheads, hipsters, and blue collars (as long as they don't know how much it cost).
  
• Barbour International - Picked up NWT from B/S. Love it - warm enough to deal with all winter as of yet while away at school. Waist cinch was something new, but quickly came to enjoy it.
• Levi's raw 514 - used as my go-to jean for about nine months of the year (until I got the '47s finally sorted out). Picked up for like 70% off from the Vegas Levi's store, and had been worn every day since. Fit well, held up to everything, nice fading coming in. Conveniently, my baby managed to soil them as the '47s arrived, so I gave them their first wash at around 9 months.

Worst:

• Oversized LVC - Student budget, gotta make every dollar count.
  
• Adidas F50i Boots - ok, not SW&D dealings, but bought these new about 3 months before the F50 Adizero hit stores for the WC. Was initially displeased because they discontinued the customization aspects of each progressive model, and then even more displeased because of how bloody light and comfortable the Adizeros were in comparison.
  Eh... nothing else really stands out as a major blow to my wallet. The majority of my kops fall into the "passable" category, I guess.

 

[toothsomesound]

Best:
TOJ fishtail (this is a prediction, has not arrived yet but I ordered almost 3 weeks ago so it probably counts, not expecting it to arrive till after new years though)
all black Rafstro's
grey cp hi's
Jil burgundy tneck from fw09 (thanks Kelv!)
Raf FW07 metallic robo knit
bunch of Silent tee's

worst:
raf x raf sweatpants
uniqlo buttondowns
Filippa K FW08 boots in sangria, those things were sick but were way big on me

 

[PorterInjax]

Best:
Epaulet Alden Brixton boot in ravello
Leathersoul Alden shortwing in ravello (bought used on BS)
Context Alden Tanker boot in #8 shell (actually tried to sell these, glad I kept them)
Canali sport coat
Omega Railmaster watch

Can't think of anything on the worst list. Just a few things that were okay but not crap.

 

[AR_Six]

Hopefully my 2010 winner will be the Miharayasuhiro boots I'm winding up to take a swing at right now.

But if I had to give a first place price it might be for my Yigal Azrouel bomber, http://www.styleforum.net/showpost.p...&postcount=756

the only thing preventing me from that determination is I haven't worn it enough, it's damned heavy. If I was going solely by what I wear most it would probably be my Spurr pipe legs which have become my only pair of raw denim that I actually wear anymore; I'm wearing them now. Additional honourable mentions go to black / white rafstros, which is now my favourite astro colourway besides blue / black suede, my 5zip, and my MMM carryall which has served me really well as a weekender on a bunch of trips.

In terms of worsts - there were some McQueen items I bought while I was losing weight that I never even got a chance to wear because by the time I got them, or in some cases got them back from the tailor, I had shrunk a size. That was pretty stupid, but I lost weight faster than I thought I would. Many are for sale now. Also a candidate are my 09 special edition achilles which I like, but would like better one size smaller and I paid more than I should have for them on a whim. I should have got my cranberry stark in size S rather than M but that's not really a worst purchase, just something I could have improved on.

Oh, I have some patent blue McQueen shoes in B&S that don't fit me right. That was a heartbreaker because I really wanted a pair of well-made, sleek navy patent leather shoes and have ever since a labelking fit of like 2 years ago and they're perfect, but they just don't fit my foot. I dub that one most painful error of the year.

 

[zissou]

Best:
Mister Freedom Midnight pea coat
ConexRoy contest jeans
Mister Freedom Mulholland Master
Inverallan cardi
Universal Works Donegal tweed rollneck
National Anthem tees

Worst:
some ****** J Crew fleece shirt that doesn't fit
I've done pretty well to not buy stuff that could end up in this list.

 

[shoreman1782]

Best:

Our Legacy shirt--great pattern, wore all the time in the summer.

SNS Herning fishermans turtleneck--just enough of a reach for me. Versatile, very warm; and I like embarrassing my lady by wearing it with a sportcoat. I got a stark too but this gets more wear.

Supreme M51--got a ton of wear this fall. Doesn't look like anything special, but fits perfect.

Tricker's tan suede buck/brogues.

Worst:

St James striped l/s shirt--talked myself into this one and regret it. The slight boat neck is not good for me. Might have worked better if I'd sized it differently, but I did not.

Supreme camo crusher--felt like a ballpark giveaway; laughably cheap.

Steven Alan parka--what can I say; should've listened to jet. (really not a bad jacket, just didn't fit well and was an impulse buy I had no need for)

 

[toothsomesound]

^Always loved that OL shirt, need to find one for this summer.

 

[Big Pun]

Best:

No pics, everyone has seen all these. Diors and Margiela were bought less than a month ago haha.

Raf T-neck from FW 08 ( not very versatile however)

CP BBall Hi's in white:
Awesome feeling leather, they work tucked or untucked, kind of a place holder till I find some MMM hightops however.

Dior 19cms in raw black:
Finally discovered the hype behind the fit.

Margiela suede bomber with fur collar:
Badass to the max. More of a fall jacket though.

Worst, oh god where do I begin?

A bunch of Rick Owens, didnt work for my body type and I bought the wrong sizes to boot. I discovered you must fully immerse yourself into the RO look, doesnt work with my other stuff. Bought like 3 sweaters from Dressspace, sold em all for a fraction of price.

Silent hoodie, too damn big. (Regrettable Gilt purchase #17)

Neil Barrett sweater from Yoox:
Shady lighting made navy and black look like one color, this thing was ugly and felt like a dishcloth

N&F weird guys in grey:
OK these just plain sucked ass.

 

[husbands]

Originally Posted by brianoh

Dammit. I just got the Tokihto Horse Riding Jkt (for 378!). You really didn't like it? Should I refuse delivery, it's that bad?

It's not terrible, but I was expecting waxed cotton, and this is a weird cotton/poly blend. And I think the new horse riding jacket is way, way better - it's waxed cotton with a hood AND removable vest liner. If you can swing the $500, do it. It's also available in small for $370 here: http://www.aaronsofeastham.com/cpoin...logStyleId=716

 

[brianoh]

Originally Posted by husbands

It's not terrible, but I was expecting waxed cotton, and this is a weird cotton/poly blend. And I think the new horse riding jacket is way, way better - it's waxed cotton with a hood AND removable vest liner. If you can swing the $500, do it. It's also available in small for $370 here: http://www.aaronsofeastham.com/cpoin...logStyleId=716

That's the exact one I got. The one you posted up a photo of is the same one, isn't it?

 

[zissou]

Shoreman- I want that Fisherman, but I am holding out until next year to see if they do it in ecru.

 

[Wackadoodle]

Best
-Steven Alan shirts: got all at sample sales, great deals and great shirts.
-Hickey Freeman suits off Gilt: Threaded the needle perfectly, Good fit, good price, good quality. Besides hemming the pants and reducing the shoulders a bit it was perfect out of the box.
-Univesal Works Heskin sweatshirt: Great fit and quality, took forever to find in my size in the olive/"khaki" color.
-Albam Chinos: Got in navy and wore them literally everyday this summer. They wore cool even in Baltimore's scorching summer, fit great and have held up great. Very little fading, no holes, virtually everything I've gotten from Albam has been perfect. Except...

Worst
-Albam Grey Utiliy Jacket: Was too small for me and fit weird. I should have just returned it but I convinced myself that I liked it. Wore it once and was told I looked like a dork by the GF, sold for modest loss.
-Acne blazer: Got on sale from Opening Ceremony, texture was weird, fit was weird, and I got pissed off that I'd paid as much as I did (even on sale) for something made in Romania. Sold.
-Grey Chinos from places that were not Albam : Tried pairs from Lands End Canvas, J. Crew and Urban Outfitters and was disappointed by all. Should have just bitten the bullet and forked over the extra cash for another pair of Albams. All of the above were returned.
-Rogues Gallery canvas blazer- I don't even know why I got this, it looks like a less edgy LL Bean Signature blazer. Less edgy than LL Bean?? What has happened to RG?
-Urban Outfitters wingtips: I was planning a birthday trip for the GF and realized I had no decent black shoes for a night out to a fancy restaurant and then out on the town. Bought these as a stop-gap and two days after I received them and threw away the box and the reciept, a pair of Alden black wingtips went up on eBay for $150. I snagged those instead and never wore the UO's. I wasn't under any misapprehensions about the quality of the UO shoes, they're actually pretty decent for $50, but I guess I'll just eat the cost and give them to Goodwill.

 

[100 yrs]

Best:
- Obey M65 style jacket - Fits me great, comfortable, warm, and i get a lot of compliments
- LVC 501 1966 - Got from Sid Mashburn, and they hemmed them a touch shorter than i wanted, but the cut works great for me
- Filson 257 - Fits my needs perfectly, used it for work (laptop + papers) and for overnight bag (clothes + toiletries)
- J Crew MacCalister Boots Suede - I know a lot of people knock on these, and they're aren't super quality for the $135 they cost, but they're easily the shoe i've worn the most this year. They go well with my style and are comfortable.

Worst:
- Alden 403 - These are only in the worst cause i messed up sizing... twice. Beautiful boot but just couldn't make them work.

 

[robbie]

best -
cone x roy contest jean- epic!
BR sweatshirt


worst -
(my fault)- LVC 47's... they were a steal @ 98$ but way too small.

 

[husbands]

Originally Posted by brianoh

That's the exact one I got. The one you posted up a photo of is the same one, isn't it?

there is a sage green one, in 6oz sylkoil waxed cotton, and a brown one. the brown one is what I have, and don't like, and the green one is the one I linked to. I have tried on both and the fit is basically the same, though the sage green one has a little more heft