Armani seems a poor value these days...

[Artisan Fan]

I'm reluctant to pick on someone who has done so much for menswear but I was at Saks today and I saw the regular Collezioni suits going for $2,000 (!) and the construction quality was abysmal (machined buttonhholes that were horribly misaligned, poor collar construction.

GA really seems to be coasting although they do have a luxury line with some handmade features for $3,000. And the black label of course.

 

[LabelKing]

Armani is always a poor value.

 

[GQgeek]

Value is a very subjective term. I don't buy anything anymore unless it has value. Having said that, I still buy Armani, although not as often as before, and there are certain items of theirs that i won't touch (knits, shirts, suits).

Three years ago, almost everything I bought was Armani. Having now been educated by the forum, my tastes have changed immeasurably towards high-quality and hand-made goods. I'd never buy another armani suit, but I bought a really gorgeous black wool & angora overcoat this year. The fit is absolutely perfect (very slim) and I think it's worth every penny of the 2.5k (cdn$ with taxes) that I paid for it.

For casualwear, Armani still kicks ass in the pants department. I've got ~10 pairs of flat front, creaseless pants in my closet that I still wear quite often, even though I did a big transition to Borrelli jackets and MTM pants with an incotex cut. Average price? Probably $350 cdn. Cheap? No. Value? Yes. Btw, I've had most of these pants since 2002 and they still look great. Their shirts and knits are absolute garbage though. Even when I like their sweaters for instance, I won't buy them anymore because i know they don't last.

My worst purchase was the black MTM Armani suit I bought before I knew any better. I brought it with me to a wedding a few weeks ago and when I put it on to go to the reception, I couldn't believe how bad it looked. The shoulders were kinda lumpy and the fit just wasn't as I remembered it, or maybe I'm just more picky about fit these days. Regardless, I took it off and changed back in to what I had been wearing for the actual ceremony (borrelli jacket and incotex pants).

Every time I look at that suit I now think what a waste of money it was. I don't think that when looking at the pants or overcoat, however. GA is like any other designer, they make some nice stuff and some crap. They still produce some knock-out items imo. I bought a pleated silk & wool scarf this winter that is absolutely gorgeous. Although I felt the pain of the 450 it cost, it puts a smile on my face every time i see myself in the mirror wearing it. And I know I have the only one in montreal

 

[Artisan Fan]

I guess my concern is that many people will drop $2K on these poorly made suits thinking they "got the best" and be really unhappy over the long term. It's got to hurt GA's brand. I notice that no one really buys anything from the GA shop within a shop at the Atlanta Saks. It's a ghost town even on Saturdays. Same at NM for the most part.

 

[DGP]

Originally Posted by Artisan Fan

I guess my concern is that many people will drop $2K on these poorly made suits thinking they "got the best" and be really unhappy over the long term. It's got to hurt GA's brand. I notice that no one really buys anything from the GA shop within a shop at the Atlanta Saks. It's a ghost town even on Saturdays. Same at NM for the most part.


It's like the people who buy a Rolex and think they have the best watch in the world. Most well known? Sure. Best? Not by a country mile.

 

[Soph]

Armani is pretty poor especially after you know better you realize how big of a 'scam' it is. Armani is the red bull of beverages, it contains nothing but sugar water with less caffiene than a cup of coffee yet they have "BRANDED" the product so well than people pay ridiculous money for the perceived "branded' attributes. Rolex actually makes a decent watch I can't say that *decent* about Armani suits

 

[VMan]

I remember a guy in Filene's Basement (Chicago) with an arm full of Armani Collezioni shirts - when the checkout clerk told him "nice choice" he responded with "only the best for me" - I almost laughed seeing as there was a rack full of marked down Charvet, Borrelli, and Domenico Vacca goods that he must have "mistakenly passed up".

 

[kitonbrioni]

The conventionla wisdom here is that Armani is over-priced and under-quality. I agree. I've got a nice black label Armani leather overcoat and several sweater plus a lot of socks and a wool sportscoat. I got rid of all my Armani shirts, except for one or two.

 

[stach]

I have a feeling he's licensed out so many of his lines that he's lost quality control. Plus he's perceived in the fashion world as being pretty creaky at this point. He had a very good run though.