Why don't people at SF like Hugo Boss?

[Xenon]

I have many many Boss items including a host of suits. Not a single one of them has any synthetic exterior. Many of the suits use Loro Piana Summer Tasmanian 120, winter tasmanian or Four Seasons. as well as VBC. There is nothing cheap or low grade about this cloth (obviously not the ultimate though). Most are in the super 110s and above and upto 140 every single one uses real horn buttons everywhere and are every step as good as any other fused suit at any price- and I would say the cut is substantially better than most.

At full retail all RTW is overpriced and not any less so than Boss. Zegna Z is no better. Boss also makes the suits with less shoulder slope than most.

All of this is based on items 3 years or older and I would always wait for 40% off or more. I recently looked at some Boss and allthough the Selection line is similar to the old Baldessarini, the lower lines seem to have dropped quality. The cloths seem cheaper and gone is the presence of any horn. Of course this is no different than other brands mentioned here.

Can you get a much better fully canvassed suit at a price silmilar to Boss at full retail or less - you bet, but it won't be RTW and you will have put in a lot more research and effort. Obviously if you are very very lucky and put in countless hours of searching all the last calls you may be able to find that elusive brioni for $400 but in you size the waist will be 10 inches too big LOL!!

 

[EzraPaul]

Until recently most HB cuts were barrel-chested, deep-armholed, and extraordinarily poor quality for the price. Last I checked about three years ago, they had 26 different cuts available, and 25 of the were ill-fitting, and one was decent. The shoulders were too narrow for the body on this one (and I am built this way), and yet this was their best option. They are all machine made and fused as well.

 

[GBer]

Have only one suit. The quality is low. The price is quite high for what you pay. You can get better for the same money if you just look a bit. Talk to a tailor and get their perspective.

 

[ny2dc]

anybody have suggestions for the $400-500 range for single breasted navy suits?

 

[taxgenius]

Originally Posted by ny2dc

anybody have suggestions for the $400-500 range for single breasted navy suits?

Doesn't sound like a tall order? Are you some weird size? There's tons of stuff on the B&S.

 

[ChicagoMediaMan]

I own 4 HB black label slim fit dress shirts and never paid more than $50 for each of them. They are some of the slimmest OTR dress shirts out there, but certainly aren't worth the $150+ full retail price.

 

[gregor]

Originally Posted by ChicagoMediaMan-27

I own 4 HB black label slim fit dress shirts and never paid more than $50 for each of them. They are some of the slimmest OTR dress shirts out there, but certainly aren't worth the $150+ full retail price.
Where'd you find them that cheap? I have one and i love the fit w/o any alterations at all.

I like my HB t-shirts, in fact I have one on now. A bit overpriced but they are great fit and well made.

Gregor

 

[GBer]

BTW for those interested, HB is on sale at Beyond the Rack

 

[Neb]

I actually really like my HB suit. I did end up paying full price for it

well my insurance did as I had suits stolen (but that's another story). I got a 3 piece Super 120 100% wool suit. Paid $1200 Canadian for it. The fit is almost dead on, I didn't make any adjustments to the coat, only hemmed the pants a bit. I'm not restricted from any movements in the suit whatsoever. As you can see in the pic the shoulders are a bit wide though. I'd get another one (but not pay full price) And yes I have a massive windsor knot

 

[Gus]

I'm puzzled by the extreme negative comments posted in this thread. There are other options to HB but HB, in general really isn't that bad. I wonder how many people who posted negative comments have even owned one much less tried one on?

I bought my son a navy HB suit for a wedding 7 years ago. It looked fantastic on him and he got a lot of good hard wear out of it. It was, the best overall suit I could find, at the time, without the benefit of finding a sale price. However, I did have a lot to compare it too since we live near San Francisco.

The finest oxford cloth shirt I have ever owned was made by HB, but then again that was in 1986 and it was made in Switzerland. I wish I had a dozen of them! (make that 3 dozen in assorted colors).

And, speaking of things SF loves to hate, my wife's all-time favorite suit on me was a navy Prada I bought about 4 or 5 years ago. I got more compliments on it than any Borrelli, Barbera, etc. that I've owned.

I think both Prada and HB have a certain "crisp" cut and style to them that many people and especially women seem to like on men (or at least did). Times, styles, cuts and overall looks do change and we do seem to be heading into a more relaxed tailored look that might be hard for Prada or HB to emulate.

 

[Butter]

Originally Posted by pocketsquareguy

And, speaking of things SF loves to hate, my wife's all-time favorite suit on me was a navy Prada I bought about 4 or 5 years ago. I got more compliments on it than any Borrelli, Barbera, etc. that I've owned. I think both Prada and HB have a certain "crisp" cut and style to them that many people and especially women seem to like on men (or at least did). Times, styles, cuts and overall looks do change and we do seem to be heading into a more relaxed tailored look that might be hard for Prada or HB to emulate.
Same experience with me. I get more compliments from Boss off the rack stuff because they seem to fit quite well without any tailoring. To be fair with Boss, they are targeting the 21-35 market and doing a good job with the pricing and style (when comparing MSRP to MSRP and sale to sale prices that is). They're not trying to be the suits experts, just the young professional, entry/mid level suit brand.

 

[sho'nuff]

Originally Posted by Neb

since you posted your pic publicly, my opinion of the fit and your overall look is

 

[Neb]

that's ok, I'm open to suggestions on how to make it better

 

[Viral]

Originally Posted by pocketsquareguy

I'm puzzled by the extreme negative comments posted in this thread. There are other options to HB but HB, in general really isn't that bad. I wonder how many people who posted negative comments have even owned one much less tried one on?

I bought my son a navy HB suit for a wedding 7 years ago. It looked fantastic on him and he got a lot of good hard wear out of it. It was, the best overall suit I could find, at the time, without the benefit of finding a sale price. However, I did have a lot to compare it too since we live near San Francisco.

The finest oxford cloth shirt I have ever owned was made by HB, but then again that was in 1986 and it was made in Switzerland. I wish I had a dozen of them! (make that 3 dozen in assorted colors).

And, speaking of things SF loves to hate, my wife's all-time favorite suit on me was a navy Prada I bought about 4 or 5 years ago. I got more compliments on it than any Borrelli, Barbera, etc. that I've owned.

I think both Prada and HB have a certain "crisp" cut and style to them that many people and especially women seem to like on men (or at least did). Times, styles, cuts and overall looks do change and we do seem to be heading into a more relaxed tailored look that might be hard for Prada or HB to emulate.

it amazes me as well.........I would LOVE to see all the haters on this board before they found SF. They learned how to tie a knot and pronounce a few high-end names and all of a sudden they're too good for their Aeropostal shirts and Aldo shoes?

For the record, HB is a great value when bought on sale.

 

[ChicagoMediaMan]

Originally Posted by gregor

Where'd you find them that cheap? I have one and i love the fit w/o any alterations at all.


I've purchased 2 on ebay, 1 other one was 75% off at Bloomingdales, and 1 at Nordstrom Rack. Actually, I think the one I bought at Nordstrom Rack was $59 or so. My mistake.

I agree that the cut is nearly perfect without any alterations. Dress shirts are all I own from HB.