I hate malls

[whiteslashasian]

Tell me about it. I saw men looking like they're heading to the gym with sleeveless t shirts, basketball shorts and sneakers....

However I did see one older gentleman with a nice tweed jacket and paisley PS. That pretty much made my day.

 

[Xericx]

Live in areas where the malls are good. Sure, in po-dunk, flyoverville, they're going to suck. But in LA or even Vegas, you get great malls.

I love the mall, but then again, the only ones I go to are Century City, Southcoast Plaza and Fashion Show.

 

[jaytix9]

i hate malls too.

 

[doctorj!]

Paramus has a much better Century 21, and Garden State Plaza has a lot of nice stores like Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus etc. But I agree, I have a mall near me, and it is HORRIBLE!

AJ

 

[Tarmac]

I don't mind malls except for the parking. I highly enjoy food courts of all types.

 

[TheDroog]

I love malls.

Cinnabon, Kay B Toy Store, Electronics Boutique, and those candy stores where you can mix gummy bears, skittles, and toffee in a single plastic bag will forever be a part of my childhood.

As for clothes, you need get your expectations straight. Sorry, you're not going to find Brioni and John Lobbs in your typical mall. Hell, you probably won't even find Allen Edmonds or Brooks Brothers. For business wear in a snap, Macy's, Banana Republic, J.Crew, Johnston & Murphy, and Aldo are your friends.

 

[Septavius]

The high ratio of women's stores/sections to men's in malls is disheartening as well.

When I was a teenager, I enjoyed the video arcades in malls, but most of those are long gone now.

 

[Tarmac]

I have Brioni and Lobb in my mall

 

[whiteslashasian]

Originally Posted by TheDroog

I love malls.

Cinnabon, Kay B Toy Store, Electronics Boutique, and those candy stores where you can mix gummy bears, skittles, and toffee in a single plastic bag will forever be a part of my childhood.

As for clothes, you need get your expectations straight. Sorry, you're not going to find Brioni and John Lobbs in your typical mall. Hell, you probably won't even find Allen Edmonds or Brooks Brothers. For business wear in a snap, Macy's, Banana Republic, J.Crew, Johnston & Murphy, and Aldo are your friends.

Oh I knew going in that I wasn't going to find anything remotely high end. However it was just disheartening to see the limited selection even at the Macy's, J. Crew (nothing dressy, just casual), and Aldo. There wasn't even a Banana Republic or anything Johnston & Murphy. All of the "trendy" styles were very unappealing and poorly made.

I did get a delicious Cinnamon and Sugar pretzel from Auntie Anne's

Thanks for all of the alternative shopping ideas everyone!

 

[micbain]

Originally Posted by whiteslashasian

Tell me about it. I saw men looking like they're heading to the gym with sleeveless t shirts, basketball shorts and sneakers....

However I did see one older gentleman with a nice tweed jacket and paisley PS. That pretty much made my day.

That applies to men AND women. When did wearing sweatpants outside of the home or gym become acceptable?? Sweatpants! They signal to the entire world that you've given up.

 

[Spatlese]

Originally Posted by micbain

That applies to men AND women. When did wearing sweatpants outside of the home or gym become acceptable?? Sweatpants! They signal to the entire world that you've given up.

When lululemon came into being (not really sweatpants but you get the gist). Otherwise, I'm in strong agreement.

 

[whiteslashasian]

Originally Posted by micbain

That applies to men AND women. When did wearing sweatpants outside of the home or gym become acceptable?? Sweatpants! They signal to the entire world that you've given up.
The only thing that makes sweatpants worse is when women think that pairing them with Ugg boots completes the "casual college girl chic" look. Is it really so hard to wear something that looks nice? Here's a lovely example...

 

[bluemax]

Originally Posted by whiteslashasian

... to make sure he doesn't buy something truly awful such as these.

Hey, I just bought those.

Or at least some very similar. I don't think they look ugly but they be too modern for some people. But don't worry, I'm over the square-toe now and moving on to better things.

 

[JLibourel]

Well, it sounds like your pal got what he was looking for--cheap clothes with a minimum of effort, and frankly, if he got a decent-fitting, reasonably good-looking suit for $250, it sounds like he did pretty well for himself!

Sounds like it was a pretty crappy mall, but what if it were a more upscale mall? How much difference would having a Brooks, a Nordstrom's or a Bloomingdale's, much less a Saks or Neiman-Marcus, available really make? Even $650 for two pairs of Allen-Edmonds plus, say, $600 for a suit at Nordstrom's might have struck the lad as very excessive if he was looking to $400 for such items.

Even at South Coast Plaza, surely the finest mall in the region and probably one of the most high-end in the country, although I enjoy browsing the shops, I spend very little on myself there these days (much more for my wife).

Largely through knowledge gained on Style Forum and some other menswear fora, I have come to consider most quality menswear frightfully overpriced at full retail. These days, for quality, tailored menswear, I rely exclusively on W.W. Chan of Kowloon (discovered via Style Forum); for accessories (principally neckties and squares) a nearby Saks Off-5th (got a Kiton tie there for only $29 the other day), for shoes the Allen-Edmonds Cabazon outlet, and for the rest economical sources like Costco, Land's End, Target and L.L. Bean.

 

[GiltEdge]

I suggested we just hop on the train to NYC as there would a much larger selection of men's wear but he was adamant about staying close to home (Northern NJ). I seriously think he's afraid of the big city as he tries to avoid it./QUOTE]

Short Hills isn't good enough, there is a Nieman Marcus in Northern NJ, all that isn't good enough?