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Best store for basics? (no uniglo available)

zerostyle

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Hi All,

I'm looking for suggestions for your favorite store (preferably b&m, but online ok as well) for basics.

Here are the conditions I'm looking to meet:
- Clothes run generally slim
- Materials aren't super flimsy/will fall apart in a year ( but don't have to be super high end )
- Cost should be quite low

The items I'm looking to stock up on:

- Crew-neck sweaters
- V-neck sweaters
- Henleys
- Solid t-shirts

Possibly:
- Chinos
- Button-downs


Land's End Canvas looks like they may be a good option?
H&M fits me great, but quality seems a bit sketchy
Express - same as H&M
Banana Republic - pants fit me well, shirts not at all. I do get good deals though w/ 40% off.
Uniqlo - not an option, I'm in DC
JCrew - too expensive, unless I'm missing some sneaky way to get good sales
 

zerostyle

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Fixed
smile.gif
 

Ivar

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You requirements are a bit incompatible with one another, I'm afraid. And it's not like the globe is overflowing with alternatives to Uniqlo and H&M. If you're ready to spend some extra dollars, I would suggest you give this site a try:

www.ssense.com
 

Steve Thomas

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I tell everyone to go to Macys. Yeah, you've gotta dig through a bunch of ****, but there are definitely great finds. And be on the look out for sales and coupons. Some of the higher end stuff (RL, Hilfiger, Lacoste) doesn't go on sale as often, but if you play your cards right 40-60% off is almost a daily occurrence.
 

GraphicNovelty

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Target makes really slim stuff in their mossimo and converse one star lines, quality is meh, but it's cheap and better than h&m (really high bar there)
 

Lane

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Originally Posted by Steve Thomas
I tell everyone to go to Macys. Yeah, you've gotta dig through a bunch of ****, but there are definitely great finds. And be on the look out for sales and coupons. Some of the higher end stuff (RL, Hilfiger, Lacoste) doesn't go on sale as often, but if you play your cards right 40-60% off is almost a daily occurrence.

don't do this.....

lol higher end


Yah, if you live in DC just get on some chinatown bus and head to NYC for the weekend for christ sake. H&M according to this forum is hit or miss, but if you don't wanna travel it seems like your best bet. Plus, cheap **** isn't always gonna "last." However, some here have had some H&M stuff last a bit, and others fall apart a few days/weeks later.
 

slack tide

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I am also from the DMV. It seems there are a lot of SF members from this area after observing people's locations. Shopping is so damn limited. I mean Tyson's, Galleria. Bethesda. Denim Bar in Crystal City and Maryland. Farinelli's in Arlington before they unfortunately closed their brick & mortar (to my knowledge).

I have to do the vast majority of my shopping online.

Nordstrom's at Tysons 1 used to be my go to, as that is where I went as a kid, and as a teen, and through college. But then I realized I was spending $150-$200 on clothing that was A) incredibly pedestrian and B) for the most part, fit like **** -- "For the over sized mall dad" as I've read people refer to. Which I think is a great description. I used to be big on Facconable, which was a Nordstroms house label (which they acquired) until they sold it a year or two back. All of my work clothing was Facconable (if anyone wants a ton of gently used Facco dress shirts in size S and M, PM me - great deal if purchased in a lot).

Then there is the Galleria. Saks and Neimans. Get your over priced Eli Tahari. And Theory. And Zegna (the Zegna store is very, very nice. But the only people I've seen actually purchase something there are the guys visiting on business, stumbling in from the Ritz, plopping some jacket down on the counter without even looking at the price tag. Purple label at Neimans. $3,000 coats. Things the like. Just not my cup of tea. The only thing worthwhile at the Galleria is...:::Gasp:::.......J. Crew.

Which brings me to my only recommendation for reasonably priced, faux slim fitting apparel in the District, Maryland, Virginia: J. Crew. The chinos are fine. If you need below a waist size 30", you need to order online. But everything else is stocked pretty well. Including a decent selection of XS in some garments. They are even starting to carry some of the collabs (mostly web purchased, store returns which are then displayed on the shelves).

So B&M shopping is nil in my opinion in DC. Barney's in Bethesda. Lost Boys in Georgetown. If anyone knows anything I'm missing, please let me know. I would love to get off the internet and hit some real shops in the DMV. Versus playing the guess my flippin' size, pray, wait 2 weeks as the buyers remorse continues to set in, and then open some box only to find some shirt in size small fits like a GD smock.

This post wasn't helpful, I understand -- but just venting on DMV's lack of B&M's (that I am aware of).

remember ebay for everything. For a casual sweatshirt go find a nice champion reverse weave for like 20 or 30 bucks. Remember Nordstroms Rack for crew neck sweaters. They carry some nice cashmere from time to time as well. And Brooks Brothers if that's your thing. They have a store in Tysons 1 and I would guess in the city as well.

I would recommend the LL Bean flagship but in my very own personal opinion, the signature series looks and fits like ****. And yes, I have been there many, many times. And tried on a ton of it. Good intents, poorly executed. My only recommendation from LLB is the bean boot and the cotton belt. Coincidentally, both manufactured in the US. The belt is awesome.
 

Lel

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Originally Posted by I<3Bacon
Get on a bus. Go see Manhattan. Do some shopping. Get something good to eat and drink. Go home. Success.

+100

Lol at Uniqlo "not being an option", you're closer to it than the vast majority of the U.S.
 

toothsomesound

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Originally Posted by I<3Bacon
Get on a bus. Go see Manhattan. Do some shopping. Get something good to eat and drink. Go home. Success.

/thread.

Cheap basics are cheap, there is no magic middle-ground. Some cheap stuff will last a while and hold up great, other stuff will implode fast. You never know. Designer stuff isn't that different.
 

canstyleace

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Originally Posted by Steve Thomas
I tell everyone to go to Macys. Yeah, you've gotta dig through a bunch of ****, but there are definitely great finds. And be on the look out for sales and coupons. Some of the higher end stuff (RL, Hilfiger, Lacoste) doesn't go on sale as often, but if you play your cards right 40-60% off is almost a daily occurrence.


You do mean higher end within Macy's offerings, right? because I dont think that statement would apply in general terms.
 

whodini

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Originally Posted by zerostyle
Here are the conditions I'm looking to meet:

- Materials aren't super flimsy/will fall apart in a year ( but don't have to be super high end )
- Cost should be quite low

We'd all like pet unicorns, wouldn't we, gang?
Originally Posted by zerostyle
Uniqlo - not an option, I'm in DC

Wait, what? You mean in that Uniqlo thread where people talk repeatedly about how they do phone orders?
 

zerostyle

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Ok,

I get the point - I'll try to do Uniqlo. It's certainly an option when I plan on heading up to new york, but for the moment, I'm not about to take a 4.5 hour bus ride to pickup a sweater.

Also, for the person who said phone orders - well, that's great, except I have no idea what my size is.
 

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