Adventures in bargain shopping

[ccffm1]

Every once in a while I wish I lived in the US of A. This is one of these moments.

 

[gumercindo]

great job! everytime I go to that FB, I am completely underwhelemed - maybe it doesn't like me?

Anyhow, do they ever have any decent shoes there? What should one focus on while going to that FB - shirts/suits/coats?

 

[rick1977]

You rawk! Wear it in good health.

 

[amerikajinda]

Originally Posted by gumercindo

great job! everytime I go to that FB, I am completely underwhelemed - maybe it doesn't like me?

Anyhow, do they ever have any decent shoes there? What should one focus on while going to that FB - shirts/suits/coats?
No shoes whatsoever. You should focus only on the racks of clothes on the second floor that are imported from Barney's New York and Mario's and Bergdorf Goodman and other high-end department stores (Louis Boston, etc.)... sometimes the racks are marked "Famous European and American Designers" or some such but you'll know you're in the right place when you see shirts, sweaters, and pants by the likes of Borrelli, Brioni, Eton, Canali, Malo, Valentino R.E.D., Cuccinelli, Truzzi, Drake's, Zanella, Hamilton, Zegna, Incotex, etc. Also there are a few ties on the first floor by Michael Drake and Nicky and Barney's and Talbott BOC and Zegna,etc. that are also imported from various high-end dept. stores... and of course there are always racks of Oxxford suits on the second floor.

 

[amerikajinda]

Originally Posted by Ambulance Chaser

Total cost: $475 before tax, just over $500 with tax. Or approximately 89% off the original listed retail price of $4300.

If anyone's interested, the coat is also available in a size Eu52. I can't guarantee you'll get the same discount as I did, however.

Well I just had to go to the Filene's and see if I could replicate the amazing deal that Ambulance Chaser got. I quickly located the European size 52 and let me reassure you all -- it's every bit as decadent as described, and then some! This is truly the King of Coats... and the shoulders! Spalla camicia at its finest - Mama Mia!! Top quality houndstooth (herringbone?) pattern grey cashmere. Just gorgeous. So I brought it up to the register, and asked a college-aged kid what it would cost with my 20% discount. He rang it up forgetting to apply the 50% first, so that was no good... so then he applied the 50% and then he said I couldn't use the 20% coupon with the 50%-off merchandise, but if I filled out some marketing materials he could take 20% off the 50%-off price. He went through the permutations and it came to $803.69. Not bad at all... but... I informed him that "a friend of mine" had been able to get a lower price -- around $500 -- the college kid asked me when that was -- I said "just two days ago -- Saturday" and then it looked like a light went off in his head! He said, "Oh yeah! I remember!! I got in trouble for that!" And I said "What do you mean?" And he said, "The cameras saw the transaction and my manager talked to me about it!" And I said, "Gosh I hope you didn't get into any serious trouble over it" and he said "no - it wasn't a big deal". But unfortunately it was a deal this young ruffian didn't seem to want to replicate, which is perfectly understandable... so I thanked him for checking on the price and put the extraordinary coat back on the rack... I just couldn't buy it knowing that my esteemed SF colleague got the same coat for $300 less than I was about to pay...

Anyway they actually had a piece by Thom Browne! SoCal would have been pleased. It had "snow bunny" on a patch on the sleeve - it was a white cashmere jacket -- size 0? I guess he uses women's sizing? Anyway the quality was top-notch -- with some white tuxedo shirt-like pique fabric details on the insides. They also had some Fray shirts...

 

[emptym]

Wow, congratulations AC, and thanks for the follow-up AJ.

 

[Joel_Cairo]

Originally Posted by amerikajinda

Anyway they actually had a piece by Thom Browne! SoCal would have been pleased. It had "snow bunny" on a patch on the sleeve - it was a white cashmere jacket -- size 0? I guess he uses women's sizing? Anyway the quality was top-notch -- with some white tuxedo shirt-like pique fabric details on the insides. They also had some Fray shirts...

LOL! That very same suit (model, size, everything) disappeared from one of Boston's FB's a few weeks back. It's a store I frequent quite a bit and I remember wondering "who in God's name bought that?!" I wonder if maybe it was roatated to your location.. I mean, how many of those could have made it into the FB pipeline?

 

[amerikajinda]

Originally Posted by Joel_Cairo

LOL! That very same suit (model, size, everything) disappeared from one of Boston's FB's a few weeks back. It's a store I frequent quite a bit and I remember wondering "who in God's name bought that?!" I wonder if maybe it was roatated to your location.. I mean, how many of those could have made it into the FB pipeline?

Gotta be the same one! It looked like it had been handled a lot (white cashmere tells no lies!) and the very same thought ran through my mind, "who in God's name would buy that?! Oh yeah, SoCal" but nevertheless I was intrigued and gave it a good once-over... the quality and detailing were top-notch! I don't remember the price but it was pretty expensive...

 

[Joel_Cairo]

Originally Posted by amerikajinda

Gotta be the same one! It looked like it had been handled a lot (white cashmere tells no lies!) and the very same thought ran through my mind, "who in God's name would buy that?! Oh yeah, SoCal" but nevertheless I was intrigued and gave it a good once-over... the quality and detailing were top-notch! I don't remember the price but it was pretty expensive...

Yeah, it was over a grand here in Boston. I agree the construction was spot-on, but I didn't like the dense, heavy, almost velvetty cashmere, IIRC. I can't imagine it draping or breathing better than wet cardboard.

It's interesting that FB ships around stock like that. I know I often see Bergdorf stuff up here in Boston, so I know there has to be some centralized distribution apparatus, but I assumed that once an item was in a particular store, it was there to rot. Maybe someone bought it while on a road-trip shopping-bender in my 'hood, then came to their senses in yours.

 

[timeless]

Originally Posted by Ambulance Chaser

I have had my eye on this Borrelli topcoat ever since it appeared at my local Filene's Basement (Connecticut Avenue). It is double-faced cashmere, quarter lined, with patch pockets and spalla camicia shoulders. Absolutely beautiful. Filene's price was $1899.99, which was way out of my price range. The topcoat was then moved to the 30% discount rack. Still too expensive. A few weeks ago, the discount became 40% off. That was still too much until a salesman informed me that I could use a 20% discount coupon on top of the 40%, which would result in a total of 52% off, bringing the cost to under four figures. I thought a lot about pulling the trigger, but then remembered that I had overheard a salesman saying that the 40% off discount would go through November 16. I received another 20% off coupon for use from November 15 through 21, which clinched my decision to wait to see if a higher discount would kick in.

This past Saturday, I headed to Filene's bright and early in the morning armed with my 20% off coupons. Sure enough, the discount had moved from 40% to 50% off. If a salesman allowed me to use a coupon on top of the discount, I could get the coat for 60% off, which would be slightly over $800, including tax. Pretty reasonable price, I thought. I approached two young salesmen on the floor and asked them whether I could stack a 20% off coupon on top of the 50% off discount. One of them replied that I couldn't. Just as well, I thought. I really don't need the coat anyways.

The salesman then said, "We'll take 50% off the price, then take 50% off that price, which is a better discount." Um, what? The salesman was stating that the items on the discount rack were effectively 75% off! I had to verify that I understood what he said. I plucked a shirt off the rack, pointed to the price tag, and asked, "So you'll take half off this price, and then take half off again?

"Yep."

Not believing my good fortune, I quickly tried on the coat again. It fit like a dream, requiring almost no tailoring. I brought the coat to the counter (making sure I got the same salesmen to check me out), and asked again, "So you'll take half off this price and then half off again?" The salesman affirmed, and rung up the coat. Total cost: $475 before tax, just over $500 with tax. Or approximately 89% off the original listed retail price of $4300.

If anyone's interested, the coat is also available in a size Eu52. I can't guarantee you'll get the same discount as I did, however.

If anyone can find this coat in a size eu50 at their local Filenes I would be happy to pay a finder's fee.

 

[Joel_Cairo]

Originally Posted by Joel_Cairo

LOL! That very same suit (model, size, everything) disappeared from one of Boston's FB's a few weeks back. It's a store I frequent quite a bit and I remember wondering "who in God's name bought that?!" I wonder if maybe it was roatated to your location.. I mean, how many of those could have made it into the FB pipeline?

Originally Posted by amerikajinda

Gotta be the same one! It looked like it had been handled a lot (white cashmere tells no lies!) and the very same thought ran through my mind, "who in God's name would buy that?! Oh yeah, SoCal" but nevertheless I was intrigued and gave it a good once-over... the quality and detailing were top-notch! I don't remember the price but it was pretty expensive...

Originally Posted by Joel_Cairo

Yeah, it was over a grand here in Boston. I agree the construction was spot-on, but I didn't like the dense, heavy, almost velvetty cashmere, IIRC. I can't imagine it draping or breathing better than wet cardboard.

It's interesting that FB ships around stock like that. I know I often see Bergdorf stuff up here in Boston, so I know there has to be some centralized distribution apparatus, but I assumed that once an item was in a particular store, it was there to rot. Maybe someone bought it while on a road-trip shopping-bender in my 'hood, then came to their senses in yours.


This suit is now back on the rack in Boston! ~$500 now, let's see if they can get rid of it at that price

apologies for the necropost, but I saw this in the store and it cracked me up.

 

[sho'nuff]

Originally Posted by Joel_Cairo

 

[amerikajinda]

Originally Posted by Joel_Cairo

This suit is now back on the rack in Boston! ~$500 now, let's see if they can get rid of it at that price

apologies for the necropost, but I saw this in the store and it cracked me up.

We need to hide an odometer somewhere on that thing! It must have traveled over a thousand miles by now! Why don't you leave me a note in one of the pockets and then I'll reply to your note and put it back in the pocket and then you reply to that, etc. etc.

I do have my eyes on some of Tom's stuff -- his Black Fleece collection over at Brooks. Cashmere overcoats, suits...

Top-notch stuff.