Shopping in Raleigh, Durham, Cary

[KaiserSose]

I'm going to be in this area for Christmas and am wondering if there are any stores I should check out. Are the Nordstrom & Saks any good?

 

[js4design]

Raleigh
in North Hills outdoor mall, I'd try these two
Liles Clothing Studio [www.lilesclothingstudio.com 4350 Lassiter At N Hills # 106 Raleigh, NC 27609 (919) 510-5556] designer menswear with normally knowledgeable staff and good selection.
NV Clothes [www.nvclothes.com The Alexan at North Hills 4209-134 Lassiter Mill Rd., Raleigh, NC 27609 (919) 787-3038] more casual and trendy, but worth a look while you're here.

Triangle Town Center
Saks [7700 Old Wake Forest Rd, Raleigh - (919) 792-9100] not bad, decent selection considering the area. not too much else in the mall (in my opinion) besides a nice sized Orvis [3701 Sumner Blvd # 100 Raleigh, NC 27616 (919) 792-9200]

Crabtree Valley Mall
[www.crabtree-valley-mall.com 4325 Glenwood Ave # 2115 Raleigh, NC 27612 (919) 787-8993]
no huge standouts, but there a few nice boutiques and a decent Brooks Brothers [4325 Glenwood Ave, Raleigh - (919) 783-9050] that i always have good luck at. The Banana Republic here is much better for men's than the J. Crew.

Durham
South Point Nordstrom [6910 Fayetteville Road Suite 500 Durham, NC 27713 (919) 806-3700] isn't bad depending on what you're used to. The J. Crew here is better in my opinion than the one at Crabtree. A few other places in the mall, but nothing stands out in my mind at the moment. And there is a Saks Off Fifth between Raleigh and here that might be worth a stop [1001 Airport Blvd # 100, Morrisville - (919) 467-5054]

That is about all i can think of at the moment, i have visited recently but not lived there in 8 months or so. Now, if you want some advice about good food and drink, then i can be of more help

 

[Big A]

That pretty much covers it - there are four other places worth mentioning. Nowells and Chockeys are the first 2 - They are within 250 yards of each other in North Ralegh. Nowells has been disappointing lately - except for a big selection of interesting pocket squares there isn't much there.

Chockeys has a smaller selection, sometimes has a good deal on Brioni coats - very limited selection overall.

Varsity Menswear is in the Crabtree Valley Mall. Trad to the max. Knowledgeable staff. Other than Alden there's not much to recommend.

Julian's (as in Alexander Julian) kid in Chapel Hill. Some interesting ties and sqares - otherwise a lot of Coppely and Alexander Julian, of course. I was there a couple of nights ago, they had some interesting stuff but nothing to get real excited about.

Of every place mentioned in the posts above I'd say Liles is the only place that warrants a visit. There is an odd mix in there but they have some sick deals occasionally (I got some sutor monks for $300) and they carry barker black, truzzi, and etro in limited amounts

 

[Lawman]

I would add Norman Stockton in Meadowmont, Chapel Hill. They have Canali suits and jackets, Hickey Freeman, Alden, Burberry overcoats, Bills Khakis, Talbott shirts, some nice ties, Pantherella socks. They have some nice sales, likely one after Christmas. Ask for Seth (I think I have that right -- a graduate student from Jersey). He knows his stuff.

There is also a little mens shop called O'Neil's in University Mall in Chapel Hill where you can find some nice deals. They have Zanella trousers, Samuelsohn [sic], nice assortment of pocket squares. I have heard that Roy Williams get his clothes there, which may not be the best endorsement the shop could hope for.

 

[crazyquik]

Roy used to get all his clothes, for free, from Julian's. As did Coach Doh and before that, Dean. I would be surprised if he gets them somewhere else now, but I guess its possible.

I'll have to try out the place in Meadowmonster.

 

[CunningSmeagol]

Teh argyle is a Julian design, no?

 

[crazyquik]

Si, Julian put argyle on the hoops uniforms. He also designed the old Charlotte Hornet's uniforms (and used to have one on a torso-form way up on a shelf in the old shop, before they moved into the old RL Rugby store).

The Hornets unis were considered one of the top 10 worst sports uniforms ever by ESPN. However, ESPN noted that purple or teal was picked up by 10 expansion or relocation teams after the Hornets used them.

I think most of his own designs are . . . not for me. $125-200 for stripey or paisley shirts I wouldn't think about wearing. www.julianstyle.com

I do, however, carry his bottle-opener on my keychain. Because I'm a declasse guy. It seems like the store is getting farther away from its roots, and farther away from selling clothes for business professionals, and more towards the trendy alum set. They still do a pretty solid business renting evening wear for the undergraduates who don't own (including white tie + tails). At least, did a few years ago. I'm surprised if they break even though.

 

[JR_Rider]

Originally Posted by js4design

Raleigh
in North Hills outdoor mall, I'd try these two
Liles Clothing Studio [www.lilesclothingstudio.com 4350 Lassiter At N Hills # 106 Raleigh, NC 27609 (919) 510-5556] designer menswear with normally knowledgeable staff and good selection.
NV Clothes [www.nvclothes.com The Alexan at North Hills 4209-134 Lassiter Mill Rd., Raleigh, NC 27609 (919) 787-3038] more casual and trendy, but worth a look while you're here.

Triangle Town Center
Saks [7700 Old Wake Forest Rd, Raleigh - (919) 792-9100] not bad, decent selection considering the area. not too much else in the mall (in my opinion) besides a nice sized Orvis [3701 Sumner Blvd # 100 Raleigh, NC 27616 (919) 792-9200]

Crabtree Valley Mall
[www.crabtree-valley-mall.com 4325 Glenwood Ave # 2115 Raleigh, NC 27612 (919) 787-8993]
no huge standouts, but there a few nice boutiques and a decent Brooks Brothers [4325 Glenwood Ave, Raleigh - (919) 783-9050] that i always have good luck at. The Banana Republic here is much better for men's than the J. Crew.

Durham
South Point Nordstrom [6910 Fayetteville Road Suite 500 Durham, NC 27713 (919) 806-3700] isn't bad depending on what you're used to. The J. Crew here is better in my opinion than the one at Crabtree. A few other places in the mall, but nothing stands out in my mind at the moment. And there is a Saks Off Fifth between Raleigh and here that might be worth a stop [1001 Airport Blvd # 100, Morrisville - (919) 467-5054]

That is about all i can think of at the moment, i have visited recently but not lived there in 8 months or so. Now, if you want some advice about good food and drink, then i can be of more help

This is a very comprehensive list!! All the places that came to mind you mentioned here. Liles and Alexander Julians are my two favorites.

 

[KaiserSose]

Yah thanks a lot guys. Glad someone bumped it before I forgot to show my appreciation.

 

[Jokerman]

Wow I live in Chapel Hill and had no idea about the Off 5th. Also its says on the saks site that there is a Saks in Triangle Town Center Raleigh is that so? What kind of brands do they carry and is there a larges mens selection? Thankys

 

[pscolari]

Save some stuff for me, I'll be down by 6 tomorrow night.

I think the only one I haven't been to is Liles and it sounds the most interesting. My father-in-law shops exclusively at O'Neil's, and I think they have a pretty good selection for the middle-age guy who is probably a professor at UNC or affiliated in some way.

Can't wait for my first hoops game on Sunday.

 

[jkennett]

Saks in Triangle is not good. The mall actually doesn't charge rent from what I've heard, so that is why they haven't left. I visited a couple times to get Bond #9 and Creed off them.

Off 5th is like a thrift store where you might find one decent piece in the whole place... The menswear is just really bad... a lot of True Religion and Ed Hardy shirts. I found a nice pair of Oliver Peoples shades and a John Varvatos blazer over the span of 5 visits.

Honestly... I used to just travel up to D.C. and Chevy Chase, MD to go shopping when I lived in Raleigh.

In retrospect, the strength of Raleigh is probably the food and cheap beer. I'd concentrate on those while there.

Disclaimer: I didn't check out these menswear stores in Chapel Hill. They sound intriguing.

 

[crazyquik]

I've lived my whole life in NC and I'm still not sure what fuels the economy of Raleigh, other than state agencies and politicians. Cary has the highest per capita PhDs in the country. Neither group are known for being great dressers.

 

[Jokerman]

I was in Alexander Julians the other day and was not impressed with Jr's Designs as far as shirts go. They where tacky and looked as if he was trying to hard to make an original design. His fathers shirts where really nice though. My grandpa used to wear his shirts exclusivly.

 

[Big A]

I got a shirt made at Liles as a test - I'm picking it up tomorrow so I'll report back on the fit / quality / etc. I also forgot to mention that Liles just picked up Oxxford MTM. I had some Adrian Jules stuff made there and was not terribly impressed, though I'm not sure if I should blame Liles or AJ.

They had a "new" Oxxford silhouette that was pretty appealing - slimmer cut than what I have seen. The sizing seemed way way off, however - they had a 44 jacket there and it fit me great in the shoulders, and I'm a 40/41.