Uniqlo > Rugby > J.Crew > H&M > BR > A&F > Gap ... - Page 3

There's also Forever 21 - they have some decent looking stuff, but the sizes are incredibly inconsistent and the quality is sub-H&M.

Club Monaco def needs to be above BR etc someone with a good eye and a good tailor could dress exclusively from CM and look pretty good

Sorry if this is getting off topic, but what do people on this forum mean when they talk about "mall brands?" I've never seen a Target inside a mall and Old Navys are usually standalone stores or located in strip centers too. Would stuff like Levi's and Converse Chuck Taylors be considered mall brands because stores in malls sell them? Or are "mall brands" only labels that are exclusive to a particular store like GAP, J Crew, BR, etc.

fixed that for you

Don't take the "mall" part too literally. It's just chain clothing stores. And it only applies to in-house items.

Strangely, when people here talk about "mall jeans", they usually means brands like 7 and TR sold at department store mall anchors, not in-house A&F/AE/BR/etc. brand jeans.

That's true. I guess I didn't think of that. So I guess I take back my previous last sentence.

After having tried on peacoats by ON (complete junk), various generic USN ones at army surplus stores (all crappy fitting except the Alpha), the melton by RL (a joke for the money) and Jcrew's (with its awkwardly tight shoulders and wide body), the "piece of shit" peacoat by AE is better than all of them.

gotta agree with somatoform... i've found that american eagle, and abercrombie especially have very well made clothes, especially the outerwear the "mall brand" discussion is kind of like the "pop music vs no name indie music" discussion, sure the pop music might be unoriginal and bland sounding, but you need to admit that it is much better produced in the same vein, the factories that make mall brands probably have great economies of scale and very good machines, even if the designs and details are lacking

Maybe I just went at a bad time, but the only thing I saw in Uniqlo worth buying were the socks. Rugby would be good if 90% of the designs weren't extremely ugly. J Crew beats them both.

I love rugby's aesthetic, I just wish they'd stop making sweatpants, and modeling them with sport jackets. also the hoodies and tees go into A&F territory. I understand they're trying to wean the A&F kids off that market with this shit, but please, it takes up too much of the store.

I haven't tried on a lot of A&F, Gap, AE or ON stuff, mainly because there aren't any retail outlets close to where I live (or rather close enough for it to be worthwhile). I'm a total RL whore, not because all their Polo stuff is of great value, but because I've figured out my size and buying from there I know I get decent quality stuff that fits well. The polo.com online store is excellent and buying during sales you get a pretty good bang for your buck. I also figured out my J Crew sizing and while I can't seem to wear their sport coats and outerwear, their sweaters fit me very well. When RL Rugby went online earlier this fall, I also began buying from them (like their outerwear, pants and wool sweaters--awful rugbys, shirts and fleece stuff). I could probably save big bucks if I could expand my options to include some of the mall brands discussed here, it's just hard to begin exploring a new brand and when things look similar I am tempted to take the easy route and go with what I know... even if that means spending twice the money. I guess I shared my preferences because I am sure there are others out there who do the majority of their shopping online and thus overlook/exclude brands they're unfamiliar with due to the hassle of returns, etc.

I would love it if it were more like a slim-cut Polo instead of a slim-cut caricature of Polo. The WASPy motifs are so exaggerated on a lot of their clothes it's ridiculous. They definitely have some good stuff but most of the line I would not wear.

GASP! Yeah! That's IT! It's like you've been going into the fitting rooms right alongside me or something. Truly uncanny!

Sorry, I was a bit intemperate with the AE coat bashing. Just goes to show, to each their own, you know? Maybe I could chalk it up to an age gap. Maybe my impression was that it was not as simple as a man my age should wear. It seemed to have too much going on, whereas I like my clothes to look a little simpler and more traditional.

I'm sorry, but I found the texture and hand of the fabric odd--the lines running diagonal and all that. And the collar seems large. As I recall, the quilted lining wasn't to my liking either. And I'm sorry, but I cannot wear clothing with brands emblazoned on them. I just can't.