No Hoodies!

The Big Guy hates hooded sweatshirts.  He also only wants to wear 100% cotton -- which is understandable since blends pill.  The problem is that it's almost impossible to find all-cotton crew-neck sweats.  After hunting through rack after rack at retail, it became obvious that the second-hand market would be a better bet.  A trip to the Salvation Army turned up three pieces that were both hoodless and void of polyester.

While I normally try to stick with reduced price tags, in this instance, I'll pay full thrift retail.  It's a stroke of luck to find anything, insisting on a mark-down is being greedy and unappreciative of the thrifting Gods.  Maybe the karma was what also turned up the Captain America cap?  The tops were five bucks a piece and the cap was behind the register.  I asked about it at the checkout and found it was $2.99.  Say no more!

 This 100% Italian merino wool sweater was half priced.  It was impossible to walk away from something of this quality that only cost two bucks.  Along with the cashmere sweater I found for him last month,  he's now got two more really good quality wool sweaters that just happened to cross my bargain-hunting path.

My guess is that while the sweater appears to be never or hardly worn, this is an older brand.  While I'm not really a follower of current fashion, I'm pretty adept at knowing what brands are quality -- and I don't recognize this one.  I like it when I can find better made pieces for him to wear when he goes out, since he spends his work days in sweatshirts and jeans, getting grime all over himself.

Another find, the prior week, was this zip-up top.  While it's not a traditional sweatshirt, it's close enough.  Amvets gives a 25% senior discount, which yours truly is eligible for -- so I had been checking in there regularly as well.   The problem with this one, is that it's kind of short.  Many brands equate large with fat -- and he is an extra large.  Sometimes I'll buy an XXL just so it is long enough -- but he doesn't like baggy clothes and they don't suit him well.

Whenever I come across a piece that is the right material, doesn't have a huge logo or graphic on it, and that has a very basic style... I buy it.  Since it's so hard to find crew-neck sweatshirts, my philosophy is that if I see one, I need to grab it!