"Lauren" by Ralph Lauren - I don't understand...

I went to Dallas last weekend and was hoping to find a cache of Polo (blue label) suits at one of Dallas' many Ralph Lauren outlets. I called one to ask if they sold suits, the SA replied in the affirmative. Not wanting to drive 30 minutes for something terrible I made sure to ask if they had Polo suits. "Yes, of course" she said. Well, I drove out there. And was very, very disappointed only to find Lauren by Ralph Lauren suit separates. What the hell? I was under the impression that brand isn't even owned by RL. Why are they at the stores?

Also, more importantly, where do these B&S forum people find these huge stock piles of Polo suits?

outlet stores rarely stock retail blue, purple and black label polo suits.

An exception is the Woodsbury Commons outlet in NY.

You need to visit boutiques not outlets, man. Once in a while you find something nice in an outlet, but that is like once in 10 yrs, that is if you check every week.

Originally Posted by Saturdays

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You need to visit boutiques not outlets, man. Once in a while you find something nice in an outlet, but that is like once in 10 yrs, that is if you check every week.

People on here regularly get good deals at the Ralph Lauren outlet at Woodbury Commons. The Polo Ralph Lauren outlets are crap. WC has one of each. There are 3-4 Ralph Lauren (no Polo in the name) outlets scattered throughout the country.
The Brooks Brothers outlet in Garland NC has some great stuff at great prices. Evidence is here:
http://www.styleforum.net/showthread.php?t=250172

There has to be an economic incentive behind the decision to stock more Lauren. After all, most of the outlet merchandise is manufactured for the outlets and really isn't overstocks and markdowns.

The outlets have traditionally been high profit centers for the company. As a public company they must be doing everything possible to keep it that way.

Outlets have not had overstock or leftover sales items in a long time. "Outlet's" are big business these days. They are basically just like the regular stores except with cheaper crap made specifically for the outlets.

Saddest thing I've ever experienced is a friend of mine came up to me at a wedding and was showing off his Lauren by Ralph Lauren suit, which he called his Polo suit. He was told me," I got it Macy's for like $100." I then proceeded to explain to him about the error in his statement to him saying "No, no it is the same, I bought it from Macy's its not like I got it from TJ Maxx or something." And that is the reason why Lauren by Ralph Lauren suits exist, there are people cheap enough and dumb enough to buy them. To them its a steal bargain, they are getting a "Polo Ralph Lauren Suit" for $100-$150.

Originally Posted by Saturdays

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Saddest thing I've ever experienced is a friend of mine came up to me at a wedding and was showing off his Lauren by Ralph Lauren suit, which he called his Polo suit. He was told me," I got it Macy's for like $100." I then proceeded to explain to him about the error in his statement to him saying "No, no it is the same, I bought it from Macy's its not like I got it from TJ Maxx or something." And that is the reason why Lauren by Ralph Lauren suits exist, there are people cheap enough and dumb enough to buy them. To them its a steal bargain, they are getting a "Polo Ralph Lauren Suit" for $100-$150.

That's funny. I've actually seen a few real Polo suits at TJ Maxx. Never at Macy's! There's actually a lot better stuff to be found at TJ Maxx.

Originally Posted by Recoil

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Outlets have not had overstock or leftover sales items in a long time. "Outlet's" are big business these days. They are basically just like the regular stores except with cheaper crap made specifically for the outlets.

It's like going to buy clothes in Asia, only you can be home in time for dinner.

Originally Posted by KObalto

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People on here regularly get good deals at the Ralph Lauren outlet at Woodbury Commons. The Polo Ralph Lauren outlets are crap. WC has one of each. There are 3-4 Ralph Lauren (no Polo in the name) outlets scattered throughout the country.
The Brooks Brothers outlet in Garland NC has some great stuff at great prices. Evidence is here:
http://www.styleforum.net/showthread.php?t=250172

Anybody know where these "Ralph Lauren (no Polo in the name) outlets" are other than at WC?

Originally Posted by Saturdays

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Saddest thing I've ever experienced is a friend of mine came up to me at a wedding and was showing off his Lauren by Ralph Lauren suit, which he called his Polo suit. He was told me," I got it Macy's for like $100." I then proceeded to explain to him about the error in his statement to him saying "No, no it is the same, I bought it from Macy's its not like I got it from TJ Maxx or something." And that is the reason why Lauren by Ralph Lauren suits exist, there are people cheap enough and dumb enough to buy them. To them its a steal bargain, they are getting a "Polo Ralph Lauren Suit" for $100-$150.

The world is full of these people, and the outlet market caters to them.

Between the unfavorable ratio of outlets:mainline stores and people trawling for eBay worthy finds, there is often little left for the average joe.

I do my rounds at outlet shops 2-3 times a month, so I do come home with a find with some regularity. My finds at the discount department stores (TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Filene's Basement) blow away my finds at Nordstrom Rack, Saks Off 5th, Neiman Marcus LC, etc in terms of percentage off retail saved and general item calibre.

Lauren by RL is tapping the wannabes and label whores in the JC Penney/Sears/Low end Macys income bracket. It's working. Smashingly, actually.

Woodbury commons actually has two Ralph Lauren outlets, One for polo/ "lauren" / RRL with a smattering of black and then one thats only purple/black/ made in italy polo. I.e. the good ****.

Originally Posted by Patek14

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Anybody know where these "Ralph Lauren (no Polo in the name) outlets" are other than at WC?

Cabazon and Florida somewhere...

BUT

they only carry womens...

I have a blazer and an SC by LPL. I bought them because they were heavily marked down (end of season sales), so for what I paid, I got a good deal. The quality is not up to par with Polo, but I wear them because I like the patterns and the colors, and they fit me well.

and the brilliance of the TJ Maxx, etc... is that they sell things that other higher end stores could not at a discount. I have seen very good quality items there, at great prices, like purple label ties.

Originally Posted by lenahan

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I have a blazer and an SC by LPL. I bought them because they were heavily marked down (end of season sales), so for what I paid, I got a good deal. The quality is not up to par with Polo, but I wear them because I like the patterns and the colors, and they fit me well.

and the brilliance of the TJ Maxx, etc... is that they sell things that other higher end stores could not at a discount. I have seen very good quality items there, at great prices, like purple label ties.
Are you talking about TJ Maxx or Marshall's which is part of the same company? Is there a big difference between the clothing sold at TJ Maxx and Marshall's? We have a Marshall's and they don't seem to carry much higher end stuff anymore. They used to carry suits but now only seem to have a few sport coats. Usually they would have cheaper suits like you find Macy's and then they would have same higher end stuff mixed in.

In the shoe department Marshall's only has a few Cole Haan shoes but everything else is just stuff like Deer Stags, Rockport, Guess and Bostonian. They do carry Polo but not any higher end Ralph Lauren Stuff. The higher end clothing seems to be stuff like Bugatchi Shirts for $60. Usually they cost at least $125 at Nordstroms. They also have a few David Donahue dress shirts for $40 which would normally cost $125 at Nordstroms. I bought myself a CK Calvin Klein shirt for $30 at Marshall's which isn't super fancy. The nice thing is at least they don't have junky clothing like Ross.