Abboud at Nordstrom Rack

Is Abboud a Rack specific brand? What's the verdict on the suit quality?

I bought one just because it was priced right (under $300) and fit me rather well. Much better then the $900 Armani that was there too, which fit more like a 38 then 42.

I forgot to mention, I wear suites maybe a dozen times a year so durability isn't the biggest concern for me. I just like to do my research before committing and found myself here.

They carry Abboud in the retail store. You probably got what you paid for it.

Which is probably why my local Nordstrom Rack is full of them along with Hugo Boss.

Hopefully it works out for me. It was either this or Mens Wearhouse but thanks to some reading on here I'm trying to move towards better quality, though my wallet is hesitant to follow.

Do you need a suit this minute (for an event, interview, etc.) or was this just an "it looks like a good deal and I could use a suit" purchase? If the latter, spend a little more time poking around here, then next week hit some of the sales. Guarantee you'll find a better suit for $300.

What size are you? Brooks Bros. is running some pretty good clearance deals (but only odd sizes for the most part). Or check out Jos. A Bank. I know, it's pretty hated hear, and the quality isn't great, but you'll get something as good (or maybe a bit better than) the Abboud you purchased for about half the price. And you can buy a lot of their suits as separates if you're bigger on top and want to save on trouser alterations.

However, if you have some time, $300 isn't your absolute limit, and you're in/near a major urban center, I'm sure you can find something at Bloomingdale's, Nordstrom (regular store) or Brooks Brothers for that price and you could probably find some suits at Saks or Barney's that are in range as well.

Lastly, when it comes to discount retailers, I find Loehman's/Off 5th get the best stuff, and usually it's considerably better than Nordie's Rack.

Originally Posted by TimelesStyle

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Do you need a suit this minute (for an event, interview, etc.) or was this just an "it looks like a good deal and I could use a suit" purchase? If the latter, spend a little more time poking around here, then next week hit some of the sales. Guarantee you'll find a better suit for $300.

What size are you? Brooks Bros. is running some pretty good clearance deals (but only odd sizes for the most part). Or check out Jos. A Bank. I know, it's pretty hated hear, and the quality isn't great, but you'll get something as good (or maybe a bit better than) the Abboud you purchased for about half the price. And you can buy a lot of their suits as separates if you're bigger on top and want to save on trouser alterations.

However, if you have some time, $300 isn't your absolute limit, and you're in/near a major urban center, I'm sure you can find something at Bloomingdale's, Nordstrom (regular store) or Brooks Brothers for that price and you could probably find some suits at Saks or Barney's that are in range as well.

Lastly, when it comes to discount retailers, I find Loehman's/Off 5th get the best stuff, and usually it's considerably better than Nordie's Rack.

I wouldn't consider Jos A Bank to be equivalent or better than Abboud. Jos A Bank is some of the worst tailored clothing out there.

I do agree that the sales will yield better products though.

Originally Posted by btinl

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I wouldn't consider Jos A Bank to be equivalent or better than Abboud. Jos A Bank is some of the worst tailored clothing out there.

I do agree that the sales will yield better products though.

I was more commenting on the lack of quality of Abboud than the surplus of quality at JAB. I certainly wouldn't pay twice what I'd pay for a JAB suit for an Abboud one.

Originally Posted by TimelesStyle

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Do you need a suit this minute (for an event, interview, etc.) or was this just an "it looks like a good deal and I could use a suit" purchase? If the latter, spend a little more time poking around here, then next week hit some of the sales. Guarantee you'll find a better suit for $300.

What size are you? Brooks Bros. is running some pretty good clearance deals (but only odd sizes for the most part). Or check out Jos. A Bank. I know, it's pretty hated hear, and the quality isn't great, but you'll get something as good (or maybe a bit better than) the Abboud you purchased for about half the price. And you can buy a lot of their suits as separates if you're bigger on top and want to save on trouser alterations.

However, if you have some time, $300 isn't your absolute limit, and you're in/near a major urban center, I'm sure you can find something at Bloomingdale's, Nordstrom (regular store) or Brooks Brothers for that price and you could probably find some suits at Saks or Barney's that are in range as well.

Lastly, when it comes to discount retailers, I find Loehman's/Off 5th get the best stuff, and usually it's considerably better than Nordie's Rack.

I'm a 42L/36. I did look at Brooks Bros. and they don't have my size in any suit sale under $1,000. My budget max is $500.

I can still take the suit back. I have an event coming up where I will need to wear a suit on two different nights and currently only have one suit (it's a black three button Jones New York I bought 4 years ago).

I can go look at Nordstroms tomorrow but I don't know the brands so not sure what to even look to buy. I'll look around here some more and see if I can decipher what are good brands for a $500 suit but any advice is much appreciated!

Originally Posted by Gibberish

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I'm a 42L/36. I did look at Brooks Bros. and they don't have my size in any suit sale under $1,000. My budget max is $500.

I can still take the suit back. I have an event coming up where I will need to wear a suit on two different nights and currently only have one suit (it's a black three button Jones New York I bought 4 years ago).

I can go look at Nordstroms tomorrow but I don't know the brands so not sure what to even look to buy. I'll look around here some more and see if I can decipher what are good brands for a $500 suit but any advice is much appreciated!

Your best bet will be to go into the actual stores. Now that I think about it, Nordstrom doesn't do their sales on the same schedule as others, but Bloomingdale's is a good bet. As is Brooks' B&M stores. Also, the vast majority of guys out there are buying their suits too big. make sure you're really a 42L, not a 42R, 40L or even 40R.

There was a time, in the not too distant past, that I looked at 42L suits. I am actually much better suited to a 40R.

Originally Posted by TimelesStyle

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Your best bet will be to go into the actual stores. Now that I think about it, Nordstrom doesn't do their sales on the same schedule as others, but Bloomingdale's is a good bet. As is Brooks' B&M stores. Also, the vast majority of guys out there are buying their suits too big. make sure you're really a 42L, not a 42R, 40L or even 40R. There was a time, in the not too distant past, that I looked at 42L suits. I am actually much better suited to a 40R.
I'll go take a look tomorrow. There is a Bloomingdale's, Neiman Marcus, and Nordstrom just down the street. Is it worth taking the Abboud back if I'll most likely only wear it 5-10 times in the next few years? I wouldn't know what my size is unless someone told me it was too big. I did try on a 40L and it fits snug on some brands and ok on others. The 42L is the only one I can move around without feeling like I might rip the suit if I extend my arms to much but also doesn't feel like I'm swimming in it. I'm 6'4 with a long torso so hopefully it works. Thanks for the advice.

Originally Posted by TimelesStyle

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Do you need a suit this minute (for an event, interview, etc.) or was this just an "it looks like a good deal and I could use a suit" purchase? If the latter, spend a little more time poking around here, then next week hit some of the sales. Guarantee you'll find a better suit for $300. What size are you? Brooks Bros. is running some pretty good clearance deals (but only odd sizes for the most part). Or check out Jos. A Bank. I know, it's pretty hated hear, and the quality isn't great, but you'll get something as good (or maybe a bit better than) the Abboud you purchased for about half the price. And you can buy a lot of their suits as separates if you're bigger on top and want to save on trouser alterations. However, if you have some time, $300 isn't your absolute limit, and you're in/near a major urban center, I'm sure you can find something at Bloomingdale's, Nordstrom (regular store) or Brooks Brothers for that price and you could probably find some suits at Saks or Barney's that are in range as well. Lastly, when it comes to discount retailers, I find Loehman's/Off 5th get the best stuff, and usually it's considerably better than Nordie's Rack.
I've checked out local Loehman's twice. Even worse than Nordstrom Rack.

Abboud is sold in a lot of places, MW, The Rack, Nordstrom, and various other mens shops. Also they are all over Overstock; but I think a lot of those are the lowest end above the "Joe" brand by Abboud.

They aren't awful by the standards of most people but on SF they aren't getting much love, then again we have some people here that are serious dressers with deep pockets. I would say you can do a hell of a lot better at the right Rack location if you look around a bit. Most people in my experience in The Rack, don't know what to shop for so a lot of good suits get left over by people who jump on the first black wool Boss or Burberry to make it downstairs (that gives away my location as it is the only Nordstrom w/a "Rack" in the country).

The best suit I picked up there was a Hickey Freeman in a glen plaid, it was $1500 retail marked down to $750 and I waited, and waited and it was still there when I had to return some ripped shoes for a $250 store credit, I figured it was time to take the plunge. To my surprise the suit was another 50% off the $750.....Needless to say with my credit and the 50% off the marked down price I walked out of that store with the best suit they had in there for pennies on the dollar.

Look for the tags hanging off the items that say "From Our Nordstrom Store". Those are items are the actual store items they didn't sell for whatever reason.

Originally Posted by Johnny24

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Abboud is sold in a lot of places, MW, The Rack, Nordstrom, and various other mens shops. Also they are all over Overstock; but I think a lot of those are the lowest end above the "Joe" brand by Abboud. They aren't awful by the standards of most people but on SF they aren't getting much love, then again we have some people here that are serious dressers with deep pockets. I would say you can do a hell of a lot better at the right Rack location if you look around a bit. Most people in my experience in The Rack, don't know what to shop for so a lot of good suits get left over by people who jump on the first black wool Boss or Burberry to make it downstairs (that gives away my location as it is the only Nordstrom w/a "Rack" in the country)..
My suit does have the tag and is "Jospeh Abboud Collections" and not JOE. From reading through many of the threads here that is what I have concluded as well, any suit below $1,000 doesn't deserve a second look. I would love to be in that class of dress but sadly I don't have the bankroll for it. I'm going to go look around a bit more but won't take the Abboud back unless I find something. One question, I've looked through all the pinned/sticky threads and didn't find a single topic on suit brands hierarchy. Many posts mention "X brand is better then Y but can't compete with Z" but has anyone with the knowledge created a hierarchy list for new enthusiasts?

I purchased a JA suit for $309 in an intricate grey with brown stripes, fabric looks just like E. Zegna, has 3.5'' lapels and shaped in the waist. Pants have 1 pleat which I don't mind, I think flat fronts is too much Banana Republic if you over do it.

I'm happy, it's conservative, fits well, probably could have gotten a better brand but it's exactly what I'm looking for. I endorse Joseph Abboud for under $300.

Originally Posted by Gibberish

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My suit does have the tag and is "Jospeh Abboud Collections" and not JOE.

From reading through many of the threads here that is what I have concluded as well, any suit below $1,000 doesn't deserve a second look. I would love to be in that class of dress but sadly I don't have the bankroll for it. I'm going to go look around a bit more but won't take the Abboud back unless I find something.

One question, I've looked through all the pinned/sticky threads and didn't find a single topic on suit brands hierarchy. Many posts mention "X brand is better then Y but can't compete with Z" but has anyone with the knowledge created a hierarchy list for new enthusiasts?

Don't really listen to the groupthink on here with brands, even more so when the bankroll can't support MTM or OTR Kiton buys. Something that is non-SF approved is most likely going to be what you end up with, and remember many of the most vocal haters of the "cheap" suits are the actual minority around here, they just have a loud voice due to their time spent on here.

There is plenty to be had for low prices if you look around, and three of my best suits are the Hickey Freeman I mentioned above, a Hickey Freeman Vanguard and a Valentino. The latter two were bought on the FS section, again for pennies on the dollar.

I am not sure what the budget you are working with is at the moment but another one to consider the Tommy Hilfiger line at Macy's. Another one that gets snobbed on here at SF but for the money they are cut sharply and decent material as long as you get a 100% wool model. The grey 3P model they sell is quite handsome IMHO. Macy's in in perpetual sale mode so the whole thing can be had for under $300 if you find the right sale, and it comes in separates which might minimize tailoring.

Personally I would look away from "brands" and look for construction like half and full canvasing, 100% wool, and blends like 95% wool and 5% cashmere. At the lower price points unless you find a deal like my HF, canvasing is going to be hard to find so you will want to focus on fit and wool. Get something with high arm holes and no synthetic fibers. Stay away from Express....some of the patterns look ok and the fit is right in the store but they die after a few cleanings. I bought one for a beater to wear to college formals and boozy events, after five trips to the cleaners in two years the shoulder bubbled so badly that it is useless.

H&M might be good as well, if you are near a larger market store where they sell full suits.

Originally Posted by Johnny24

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Look for the tags hanging off the items that say "From Our Nordstrom Store". Those are items are the actual store items they didn't sell for whatever reason.

I've had a lot of success with NRack over the years. Lots of great HF suits, Robert Talbott ties, etc. You can often find terrific bargains if you know what brand/model/size fits you. Sadly, I checked out the stock in my regular Nordstrom store a few days ago and they seem to be carrying significantly fewer HF suits. Portends slim pickins at the Rack.

BTW, I had a bad experience with a JA odd jacket (silk blend) that look horrible by the end of the first season. Gave it away to Goodwill within three months. But that's just one guy's experience with one item. Grain of salt it.