Can you give me your opinions on these brands?

[nighttrain7404]

Suits/Clothing:
Armani Le Collezioni
Canali
Brioni
Zegna
John Varvatos
Issey Miyake
Neil Barrett

Shoes:
Allen Edmonds
Johnston & Murphy
Bally
310 Motoring

I own a couple pieces of each brand and have heard things but am interested in hearing the views of other members..

Thanks for the input!

 

[Chris "Italia"]

You could search a little bit...

Armani isn't fond on this forum very well...

Zegna makes some nice things, but the Zegna Napoli line is very, very good.

Canali is a good entry level brand for suits.

Brioni is perhaps the best on your list. I think they are great, but not as good as Kiton or Attolini.

I will let others explain more about the other makes and add more information.

 

[nighttrain7404]

Originally Posted by Chris "Italia"

You could search a little bit...

Armani isn't fond on this forum very well...

Zegna makes some nice things, but the Zegna Napoli line is very, very good.

Canali is a good entry level brand for suits.

Brioni is perhaps the best on your list. I think they are great, but not as good as Kiton or Attolini.

I will let others explain more about the other makes and add more information.

Yes, sorry about not searching before posting a rehashed topic..I was quick on the trigger finger..to post =)

Thanks for your input

 

[sho'nuff]

depending on the allen edmond, from the dress or dress casual line goodyear welted , even the retail price is respectable. most are purchased on discount as high up as 50-75% off. it is a very sturdy, well made, classic or trendy dress shoe that has a well known endearingly AE last shapes.

bally if not from the top of the line Scribe, are all overpriced, outsourced quickly slapped together shoes. some glued soles , some blake i think, but the most i have seen are not even worth the 395 or 495 i have seen as retail prices for these.
wait around, bally goes on sale every once in a while and the sales are deep, but even at 200 a pair i would save my money for more useful things.

i dont like j&m. shoes ive tried on are not comfortable and are made in china.

 

[gj555]

That's the first time I have heard anyone call a Canali suit "entry level". Its not Brioni, Kiton or even Oxxford but it is in no way an entry level suit.

 

[Chris "Italia"]

Originally Posted by gj555

That's the first time I have heard anyone call a Canali suit "entry level". Its not Brioni, Kiton or even Oxxford but it is in no way an entry level suit.


I should have not said that...

My Mistake.

 

[Jovan]

Armani should be avoided at all costs. Not only because of the quality, but because the founder is very ignorant of where tailoring traditions started.

 

[Chris "Italia"]

Originally Posted by Jovan

Armani should be avoided at all costs. Not only because of the quality, but because the founder is very ignorant of where tailoring traditions started.


What he said is what I fully agree with.

I never liked Armani fits or cuts, or ties.

yet, common people think it's one of the great brands...

Armani is like Rolex.

Kiton is like a Chopard.

 

[lawyerdad]

Well, I think you have to begin by distinguishing between brands that actually make their own stuff -- such as Allen Edmonds -- and those that just slap a label on stuff they've sourced elsewhere -- like Johston & Murphy.

 

[Sator]

Originally Posted by Jovan

Armani should be avoided at all costs. Not only because of the quality, but because the founder is very ignorant of where tailoring traditions started.

Very true. They have figured out that it you invest heavily enough in marketing and have glitzy looking shop fronts that they can then sell their junk for inflationary prices.

 

[rach2jlc]

I'll speak about Miyake and Barrett, as of that group they are the ones with which I've had the most experience.

Both are very well regarded fashion designers, but keep in mind that they are interested in fashion-forward designs that change by the season. I've never quite seen them in a list along with Brioni and Canali since it's like apples and oranges.

Quality on both is fair, but not outstanding. Both are interested in design and idea more than they are about absolute highest quality standards.

Miyake would be better quality than Barrett, I would say (but, also more expensive), usually made in Japan and/or France. Miyake's cuts and styles are often quite difficult for many people to wear and are VERY avant garde, using lots of patterns and different materials (you might have a fairly full cut, oversized blazer with sequins, tassles, some polyester quilting squares, and a 2X2 inch window of clear plastic on the back). Prices are also VERY high; you could easily spend $500-1000 for a pair of pants and $1500 plus for a blazer. Again, if you want a standard, classy jacket, get Canali. Miyake is for a fashionista with money to burn. I'd put him along with Yohji Yamamoto in terms of quirkiness and price.

Barrett made his name designing sportwear and mens items at Prada and has carried this aesthetic over to his mainline. The designs are neat, but still fashion forward and definitely better for casual wear (also, they have a certain military aesthetic and he likes to use lots of zippers here and there). I don't think you'd ever wear him to the office. Also, the cuts are typically worn by younger guys and, as such, can be difficult to wear if you are not in really good physical shape or have an odd body type. Quality and style wise, I'd put him along with Prada, Helmut Lang, and especially CoSTUME NATIONAL. Jeans and pants are probably $250-400, jackets about $1000 or so. Generally made in Italy.

 

[Sator]

Originally Posted by rach2jlc

Miyake's cuts and styles are often quite difficult for many people to wear and are VERY avant garde, using lots of patterns and different materials (you might have a fairly full cut, oversized blazer with sequins, tassles, some polyester quilting squares, and a 2X2 inch window of clear plastic on the back). Prices are also VERY high; you could easily spend $500-1000 for a pair of pants and $1500 plus for a blazer. Miyake is for a fashionista with money to burn. I'd put him along with Yohji Yamamoto in terms of quirkiness and price.


In other words absurd catwalk costume guaranteed to make you look like a clown.

 

[rach2jlc]

Originally Posted by Sator

In other words absurd catwalk costume guaranteed to make you look like a clown.

Exactly. I think this is what I really wanted to say, but the latent fashion fan in me was trying to be impartial.

Or, actually, it was just the part of me that spent a lot of money trying to look good in Miyake while I was living in Japan. I failed miserably and all the stuff ended up going on ebay for pennies on the dollar.

Need an example? Here's a pretty standard Miyake design (it's not mine... just one I found on ebay).
This is from a few seasons back and I remember is was about 40,000 yen or so (about $360) when I saw it in Tokyo. It's now being sold for 29.99:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Issey-Miyake-men...QQcmdZViewItem

 

[nighttrain7404]

Originally Posted by rach2jlc

Exactly. I think this is what I really wanted to say, but the latent fashion fan in me was trying to be impartial.

Or, actually, it was just the part of me that spent a lot of money trying to look good in Miyake while I was living in Japan. I failed miserably and all the stuff ended up going on ebay for pennies on the dollar.

Need an example? Here's a pretty standard Miyake design (it's not mine... just one I found on ebay).
This is from a few seasons back and I remember is was about 40,000 yen or so (about $360) when I saw it in Tokyo. It's now being sold for 29.99:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Issey-Miyake-men...QQcmdZViewItem

I've picked up some Varvatos stuff (blazer, suit) and both were hand made italian and rivaled the quality of the zegna suite, and (gasp) armani suit I have.

It seems there is a plateau of quality from mass produced crap(claiborne, etc..), exclusive mass produced decent stuff (zegna, etc), high end mass produced (canali, brioni, kiton, etc)..and then down to one off suits.

 

[rach2jlc]

Originally Posted by nighttrain7404

I've picked up some Varvatos stuff (blazer, suit) and both were hand made italian and rivaled the quality of the zegna suite, and (gasp) armani suit I have.

It seems there is a plateau of quality from mass produced crap(claiborne, etc..), exclusive mass produced decent stuff (zegna, etc), high end mass produced (canali, brioni, kiton, etc)..and then down to one off suits.

That's very true, not to mention that there is also a plateau in regards to the intent of the respective designers themselves. For example, Miu Miu, Yohji Yamamoto, Neil Barrett, and designers of that crowd certainly don't want to produce Liz Claiborne quality stuff, but they also see that there is no reason for them to spring for Kiton-like quality.

While consumers won't pay $600 for a pair of Yohji pants constructed just like $45 Claibornes, they WILL pay it for $600 pants constructed much more poorly than equally expensive Kiton's. In short, the consumer wants a DESIGN that looks nice and is fairly well-constructed and quality is secondary.

It is for this reason that Prada still sells tons of crappy shoes at $500+ even though equally priced Crockett & Jones will far better interms of quality. They know that their consumer isn't searching superlative quality, but superlative design.