St. John's Bay

[Night81]

What are your thoughts on the clothing brand from St. John's Bay?

 

[JLibourel]

Isn't that a J.C. Penney house brand that occupies a niche below their upper-end "Stafford" line?
Cruiser, one of the leading lights of the Ask Andy forum, is quite an authority on JCP clothing, and perhaps he could help you out.

I have a St. John Bay flannel shirt I chanced upon at Penney's and bought for $10. It is not as nice quality, predictably, as my L.L. Bean flannels costing three to four times as much, but I figure that at $10 I at least got my money's worth.

 

[whiteslashasian]

I've never tried on a St. John's Bay piece of clothing, but whenever I chance to walk through JCP they always strike me as very "grandfatherly" type clothing. Not in a good way either. However if you can find decent enough pieces for JCP sale prices, it couldn't hurt.

 

[rach2jlc]

Originally Posted by Night81

What are your thoughts on the clothing brand from St. John's Bay?

I try NOT to have thoughts about it. It's got nothing to do with the lower-end price point OR that it is at JCP, but it is dull, uninspired design with crappy materials shooting for a consumer who simply doesn't care how he dresses... but just needs SOMETHING that will work because he hates shopping.

If you want decent "entry level" clothes from a department store, Dillard's "Murano" line actually has some interesting, minimal stuff that is decent. Other than that, Perry Ellis seems to have really tried to make its wares more interesting in the past year or so... and these are available at Dillard's/macy's etc or at TJMaxx and the like.

 

[whiteslashasian]

Along with Rach's line of thought, the Merona stuff at Target can be pretty good. Just watch out for the materials used and the fit. They do offer a "fitted" line in limited styles and fabrics.

 

[rach2jlc]

Originally Posted by whiteslashasian

Along with Rach's line of thought, the Merona stuff at Target can be pretty good. Just watch out for the materials used and the fit. They do offer a "fitted" line in limited styles and fabrics.

Yeah, Merona is also good idea. I'm trying to think of the brands that seem to work best for my ESL students when they come to the states, are on a tight budget, but need cheap "decent" clothes for random events.

Where I used to work, there weren't many choices except the usual department stores... so we had to try and pick through what little was on offer. They didn't speak much English, so we'd often go together. St. John's Bay was just... yikes.

Merona and Murano were probably the best; Merona is cheaper and so probably the best bet. There were even a FEW items from Wal-Mart's George line that seemed fair for the price. Again, not great, but at least not "grandpa chic."

 

[JLibourel]

At a full retail of $20 the Merona ties seem like very good value--comparable, from all I've seen, to the Brooks offerings at twice the price, and most or at least a large percentage of the Merona ties seem to be quite tasteful.

I have the feeling that one could build quite a decent knockaround casual wardrobe at Target, excepting only the shoes.

 

[why]

At least they have a good return policy.

 

[Irond Will]

Target's store brand really does offer some decent stuff at low prices. It's a definite blip on the quality-per-cost continuum.

A friend told me that Old Navy has a policy of copying other brands' wares seam-by-seam and that they can also provide some great values if you have a good eye.

I have one St. John's Bay cotton quarter-button mockneck sweater in leaf green that was a gift from my girlfriend's mother. I wouldn't call it top-shelf quality, but it has its uses and it's not like I can get rid of it anyhow.

 

[randallr]

Originally Posted by rach2jlc

I try NOT to have thoughts about it. It's got nothing to do with the lower-end price point OR that it is at JCP, but it is dull, uninspired design with crappy materials shooting for a consumer who simply doesn't care how he dresses... but just needs SOMETHING that will work because he hates shopping.

If you want decent "entry level" clothes from a department store, Dillard's "Murano" line actually has some interesting, minimal stuff that is decent. Other than that, Perry Ellis seems to have really tried to make its wares more interesting in the past year or so... and these are available at Dillard's/macy's etc or at TJMaxx and the like.

Doesn't target have that line? Morano? Or are we thinking of something different?

 

[why]

Originally Posted by randallr

Doesn't target have that line? Morano? Or are we thinking of something different?
You're thinking of Target's Merino line.

 

[Marvin Beard]

The only jacket I ever liked was the denim jacket that was heavy weight with a hood. It zipped and buttoned up. I wore it about 3 years and loved it. It was very warm and comfortable. Everything else they have can be found anywhere under a different brand and cheaper.