Who makes the stuff from Barney's at the Downtown Crossing Filene's Basement?

Haha, I was there yesterday looking at some suede oxfords. Barney's House Brand aggravates me for exactly this reason. There's no way of knowing who the actual source is. I, for one, am wary of trusting logos: "Well, if Barney's put their name on it..." No Thanks.

I have a Barney's label cashmere scarf which was a good deal, and which has held up relatively well.

Gran Sasso is supposed to be good, though I have none of their sweaters.

Haha, I was there yesterday as well! Found a brown suede Polo belt (made in England) that looked very nice for $39.

With Barney's house label, my rule is simple: don't touch pants, dress shirts or shoes. They are all equally bad. In accessories, you might find something interesting sometimes. The original price might be a good indicator for quality - a Barney's scarf that originally cost twice as much as another probably comes from a better maker or is of higher quality Isince it's not branded, Barney's price should be a direct indicator of cost to them). Otherwise, you really have to judge quality for yourself.

I have a made-in-Italy shirt from Barney's that is well-made, looks great, and has held up well.
Can't speak to the other items mentioned, but I'll buy 10 more of those shirts if I get the chance.

I think you can get decent house label shoes, if you are very careful. I picked up a pair of suede moccassin toe bluchers that are very light, and have been useful this summer. Granted, they were around $35, but that should last two summers. I think they were originally around $300.

My experience with Barney's shoes goes 3-4 years back. I bought two pairs for $30 to 60 each. Those that were selling originally in the $150 range were truly unwearable rubbish - hard and nasty. Those that were originally in the $250 range were nice looking and decent to wear, but the quality was really sub-par considering that $250 will get you AE. For example, the sole was made of multiple layers of thin leather glued together, like plywood (plyleather?). After a few wearings, you could see rings in the worn areas, like in a cut-down tree.

Barney's wool pants that I bought had a cheap plastic zipper that at one point started to come apart spontaneously. For $100, I would say it was abad deal.

The dress shorts are not bad, but are nothing special either. For $30 or so they're not a bad deal.