Century 21

[Histrion]

Hi all,

I am due for a little trip to New York City, perhaps in late April or May, and I hope to do some shopping. C-21 has appeared as a place where you can get some really good prices on items. Can someone tell me what good brands (for both suits and casual wear) we can find there and how good the discounts are if we compare to the other seller of these brands?

Thanks a lot!

 

[Edward Appleby]

I was just there last Wednesday on a trip. Great selection of ties, Dunhill, Zegna, Battistoni and Duchamp for $30-$40. Didn't really check out the prices on the shirts, but they had RLPL and Zegna, among others.

Suits, they've got lower-end Luciano Barbera for ~$600, Gianluca Isaia (that's the good line) for ~$1000, Brioni for ~$2000, and so on. The best deals seem to be on one-off things, rather than the racks that I just mentioned. For example, I saw a lovely houndstooth Zenga Napoli Couture jacket in a silk/cashmere blend for $499. Also, there were some kind of offbeat, but really cool and summery Sartoria Partenopea jackets for ~$200, if memory serves.

Streetwear, there's lots of interesting stuff amid the Hugo Boss and low-end Versace. I got a British khaki poplin military-influenced Greige jacket for $80, for instance.

Overall, I recommend it highly. Happy hunting.

However, the best buy I got on that trip was a seersucker LB Sartoriale jacket for $90 at a Marshalls in Boston.

 

[pgoat]

try not to go right at lunchtime (12 noon-2 pm or so); it's a bit insane then.....much more pleasant earlier or later in the day.

 

[StevenRocks]

I've only been to Century 21 once, but if you like deals, you're gonna love it. I plan on going back soon.

 

[Tomasso]

Check out http://www.daffys.com/ and http://www.loehmanns.com/site.cfm?nav=where&ST=NY

 

[Arethusa]

I went once and hated it. Insanely busy, the selection was a mess, and I wasn't all that impressed by the discounts. If you cross Bluefly with the running of the bulls, you basically have Century 21.

 

[aportnoy]

Originally Posted by Arethusa

If you cross Bluefly with the running of the bulls, you basically have Century 21.

LOL.

And so true.

 

[chorse123]

Try to go on a weekday morning. It's much more serene. As for the discounts, some things are always available at a good price, like the ties mentioned above, while others only really become bargains during their seasonal sales, when they take as much as 75% off the Century 21 sales.

That Zegna jacket is gorgeous. The Sartoria Partenopea jackets are closer to $300, but still fantastic. Check out casual pants, jeans, socks, ties. Shoes are almost always a miss, same with outerwear.

 

[RJman]

On var occasions at C21, after an hour of fruitless searching and as I'm considering leaving, I've found things like a shelf stuffed with Ballantyne cashmere from $150-$200 (for really thick stuff), Brunello Cucinelli cashmere sweaters for $50 and some really interesting Pantherellas.

 

[rssmsvc]

"lower-end Luciano Barbera"

How do you tell the lower end from the better stuff, is the lower end just the LB Club ?

 

[Histrion]

Originally Posted by Tomasso

Check out http://www.daffys.com/ and http://www.loehmanns.com/site.cfm?nav=where&ST=NY

What brands can you find there? I've looked at their websites and googled it but couldn't find much thing relevent for menswear brands...

 

[Ambulance Chaser]

Originally Posted by Histrion

What brands can you find there? I've looked at their websites and googled it but couldn't find much thing relevent for menswear brands...
The Loehmanns in the DC area gets lots and lots of Marc Jacobs and Polo. Suits tend to be along the lines of Boss, DKNY, and Calvin Klein. Occasionally, it will receive a shipment of Corneliani suits and sportscoats priced very competitively compared to Filene's Basement.

 

[Edward Appleby]

Originally Posted by rssmsvc

"lower-end Luciano Barbera"

How do you tell the lower end from the better stuff, is the lower end just the LB Club ?
Think so. Good deal less handwork, as I recall. Don't know about the canvas status.

 

[montmorency]

Be careful at Century 21. When I used to work in downtown Manhattan, I shopped there a lot and found that a fair number of items had defects. You should be especially cautious with their ties. They may not have started out being defective, but they get handled by so many people that I have found that a good deal of them have pulls or the fabric is twisted or some other problem.

 

[Arethusa]

Yeah, I don't know about anyof their stuff starting out as defective, but by the time much of it gets to you, it might as well have. See what I said about the running of the bulls.