Help a Noob - Brands by Price/Quality (Value)

[rainynite]

Hi all - been browsing this site for about 6 months now and learned a lot but still haven't found exactly what I'm looking for. A little background - I'm looking for a new way to replenish my work wardrobe (suits, shirts, sportcoats, pants, etc.).

Historically I my wardrobe have been made up of Banana Republic sprinkled with some HK shirts whenever I visit once every 4-5 years. I have found that with BR is that prices have escalated year-over-year, while quality has slowly decreased to the point where I cannot shop there anymore. The problem is that now I don't know where to shop. I don't mind paying more if I believe the quality is worth it; but I think I may feel more comfortable taking it steps as I learn more about quality at the higher price points.

Would you be able to give me some ideas of the brands out there that I should consider and the price points? wouldn't mind gathering a nice list of cheapest -> most expensive and somehow gauging overall "value" across the list? I'm sure others may find this interesting as well?

 

[GBR]

Pay more attention to your reading. Your questions will be readily answered without the need to start a new thread.

'Search' is a useful function to be used as well.

 

[Beav]

I'm a newbie too, but I just found lurking for a couple weeks gave me a really good idea of what I was looking for. The problem with your question is that you'll get a whole wide variety of answers, and even these will be few because most posts will be really snarky.

But for an easy answer, Brooks Brothers for most things is a good bet. Or just lurk and look at people's pictures, you'll get a sense of what is good value for you.

 

[Superfluous]

are you talking about retail or discount/outlet/online?

 

[Klobber]

A list would take too long to compile and would be non unique, i.e. Brooks Brothers has a spectrum of clothing ranging from low end to high end.

Just go to any good department store(s), visit outlets etc and buy decent quality stuff you like. Look past the brands.

As far as Im concerned brands are only important when ordering online - i.e. having brand familiarity helps weed out the well fitting stuff from poor fitted stuff, and also helps when you have a certain quality threshold and can weed out the crap.

But in store with item in hands yields a different perspective entirely. Familiarize yourself with brands/labels/sub-labels that way - where you can try them on, check quality / styling etc. Find out what you like, not what another man likes.

Dont take our words for it, one mans meat is another's poison here.

 

[tacobender]

I would re-work your question a bit so we can help you. Price versus value can't always be your concern.

Think about things like:
I make X amount of dollars, here is what I am used to spending on my wardrobe, here is what I am willing to spend on each item, say 100 dollars a shirt, 75 dollars for pants, etc...

If I spend over x amount of dollars on something I expect it to last this amount of time.

I have the following items, here is what I think I need versus: This item is a great value but I will never wear it.

My reason for putting things in these terms is you are going to suggest that some things are a great value, but who are they a value to?

I could offer you a fantastically outlandish Etro suit with a retail price of 2k (which is not a great value) for 150 dollars (a bargain!) but if you work in a conservative environment and will likely never wear it, what have you gained?

If you are used to shopping at BR, it would seem reasonable to me to suggest Brooks Brothers or Jcrew. I might be hesitant to suggest Incotex pants, which I find to be a bargain when on sale (100-150 dollars for a 375-400 pant).

Hope this helps narrow down your search.