The Best, vs. Best Bargain

Obviously not everyone here can afford to trick themselves out in bespoke Gaziano & Girling or $5,000 suits every day. I'm intrigued as to members' take on what the gold standard for any given clothing item is, and then what they consider the best bargain.

For instance, among shoes, the gold standard seems to be John Lobb (or G & G, or Vass):



Considering that ready-to-wear Lobbs cost $1,200, I don't foresee myself owning Lobbs at any point in the near future.

The best bargain, on the other hand, seems to be Meermin or (a more recent entrant, and Style Forum affiliate) Andrew Lock:



Similarly, with trousers, Incotex seems to have pride of place. But for $500-600 retail (unless you can be patient and find them on B&S here), that's also a stretch for most budgets. Howard Yount trousers, however, hit the sweet spot of quality and price at around $175. Having just gotten my first pair, I'm very impressed.



I'd be interested in hearing people's thoughts or picks for best/best bargain in various categories, including but not limited to:

Suits

Shoes

Trousers

Dress Shirts

Ties

Pocket Squares

Briefcase/Leather Goods

for suits, I think the best value is Samuelsohn. You can get a fully canvassed, super 120's suit made in the first world for $1300 retail.

I would agree - I think Samuelsohn MTM is the best value for your dollar.

Trousers: Howard Yount because they come in around $60 lower than a lot of their counterparts for very similar quality pants

Shoes: I'd say Carmina, although it probably isn't technically a "bargain" based on what you'll still pay. But I think they produce shoes just as fine as other brands charging 50% more.

We are talking about retail prices right?

I'd agree with Samuelsohn having a lot of bang for your buck. Off the Rack suits can be around $900-1,000 and sometimes cheaper, fully canvassed with the Gable fit being pretty SF approved. I own one and really like it.