How I Used a Seam Ripper to Make a $17 Thrift-Store Jacket My Own

This morning I went back to a Japanese thrift store called "Marui Ichi" (Circle One) where, a couple of days ago, I'd seen three D’Urban suits priced at just 2,600 yen (about $17) each. The jackets fitted me perfectly, but the trousers were not my size. No problem - I was looking for a sports jacket to upgrade my wardrobe without emptying my wallet.

Hugo Boss Sports Jacket: $33

The first time I visited the Maru Ichi I bought a Hugo Boss jacket that was in mint condition for just $5,000 ($33).

I didn't buy the D'Urban suits even though I loved the feel and fit of the jackets because (1) I thought the arms might be a tad too long and (2) they had the previous owner's name sewn into the inside pocket, whereas the Hugo Boss jacket didn't.

Research

When I got back home I did a bit of online research about how to remove sewn-in names from a jacket, and also wanted to see if jacket sleeves that cover the shirt cuff are really such a big "no no" as some people claim.

Firstly, I discovered that the art of removing sewn-in names required a tool with a terrifying name: a "seam ripper." 😱

Next, I watched a video all about sports jackets by the "40 Over Fashion" guy which showed him wearing a sports jacket with no shirt cuff showing, no doubt because he was wearing a polo shirt!

Then, in another video I discovered the concept of the "conservative suit" which has a jacket arm cut so as not to show the shirt cuff. Incidentally, I also noticed The Donald often wears a jacket with no peeping shirt cuff.

Back to Circle One

This morning, those wonderful D'Urban suits were still on my mind, so I headed back to the thrift store and was delighted to see that all three were still on the rack. (No big surprise - there are not a lot of Japanese blokes my size who would frequent a thrift store...)

With the booty in my bag, I popped into the nearest Daiso and bought myself a 100 yen "seam ripper" and headed for home and tried on each jacket again:

A Ripping Afternoon

Here's a look at the inside, where you can see the previous owner's name tightly woven into the fabric of the inside breast pocket:

Okay, this pic shows the woven name more clearly. The thread is so tightly woven than I wondered if my seam ripper would be able to make any impression upon it:

I spent a cheerful afternoon working with the seam ripper, starting with the threads on the inside of the pocket:

I was worried I might accidentally damage the lining of the jacket, so I worked slowly and used tweezers to tease out the cut threads. It took some time and patience, but eventually, I removed all the stitching without leaving a trace of the previous owner's name in thread, just a shadow where the thread had been:

Proud Owner of a $780 Suit Jacket!

I looked up the cost of a new D’Urban suit and found that they typically sell for around 120,000 yen ($780).

Knowing that I got mine for just 2,600 ($17) yen makes me appreciate the jacket even more. (I'm going to give away or discard the trousers as they don't fit me at all. It seems the top half of the previous owner was similar in build to me, but his lower torso was far more unrestrained.)

Tomorrow I will work on removing the previous owner's name from my two other D'Urban jackets. On just those three jackets alone, it seems I saved myself $2,289 compared to buying them new!

Now to find a gent who would appreciate - and fit into - the trousers!

I hope you enjoyed my ripping yarn.

Cheers!

David Hurley
#InspiredFocus