Thoughts on Hugo Boss Shirts/Suits

[teddieriley]

Hi,

Just wondering what the general consensus is on Hugo Boss dress shirts. I have about 10 of them in my wardrobe because I like the fit, design, and the quality of the fabric (depending on the model of the shirt).

Secondly, what suggestions do you have for tailoring a shirt where the sleeve length is too long? Basically I bought a Hugo Boss shirt size 17 (43), but it's the "higher end" shirt (costing $175), and when Hugo Boss sizes the shirts without sleeve length, the sleeve length increases propotionally with neck size and overall body size. Although I have a 16 neck, I have a big chest since i workout, and most cuts of Hugo Boss necessitate I buy 17 (the neck is just a tad loose when I wear a tie, but I usually wouldn't wear the shirt with a tie since my job doesn't require it, although, because of the looser neck, I probably wouldn't wear this shirt if the occasion did call for a tie). One option is just having the buttons on the barrel moved so the cuff sits tighter at the meat of my thumb, but the problem is that with the slightly longer sleeve, it bunches more. Any suggestions?

Or should I just return the damn shirt considering all the above?

Thanks. Style forum rocks!

 

[VMan]

Hugo Boss (we'll assume you're talking about the black label, not any of the other lines) seems to make two lines of dress shirts - cheaper ones $85 to $125, made in Asia, and the better Italian made shirts that are $160 to $225 or so.

I have been mostly unimpressed with the cheaper line of Boss shirts. Somewhat decent fabrics, decent shell buttons, but fit terribly.

The higher-end made in Italy line seems to use some interesting fabrics though, at times. Also, I'd assume they fit a little better, though I haven't tried them on.

As far as tailoring the shirt, a tailor can shorten the sleeve for you - not sure if they do it at the shoulder or cuff. At any rate, it probably wouldn't be too expensive to do.

 

[drake]

Shortening a sleeve can be easily done for not much money, if the placket needs to be moved up expect to pay a bit more.

The bigger worry here is an extra inch in the neck, that's not a little bit bigger, that's a whole lot bigger. Have you thought about going bespoke for shirts? At the prices you are paying ($200/shirt) you can get a much better fit and fabric from a bespoke tailor.

 

[Flame]

Is there a difference in Boss Black suits being sold in US as compared to Asia or Canada?

I find the fit of their items is quite horrible, boxy and un-shapely. Mostly fused suits too, but I heard on here they make some canvassed.

 

[The False Prophet]

In terms of suits, Boss actually does some pretty nice cuts, though for about the same money, Z Zegna are similar but nicer, as well as featuring better fabric and construction, to the Black Label stuff.

Baldessarini are really attractive garments, though at a somewhat unattractive price. Boss Selection are a midpoint, costing more than Black Label and with a small amount of handwork. I'd say they're not worth it. Baldessarini are also maybe not worth the money (even on sale), as you can get better quality at the same price point if not less (Zegna Sartorial springs immediately to mind). But they are in no way *bad* garments.

I hate the styling on almost every Boss shirt I've seen. All too boxy, and the construction even on the Baldessarinis doesn't seem up to scratch. I'm not impressed by their ties either.

I visited a Boss store the other month who were moving, and offering discounts of sometimes as much as 75% off retail. I was open-minded about finding something I might like, but left empty-handed. Even at reduced prices, the quality disappointed me, and I'd rather have one shirt I love that will last than two or three that won't.

Finally, I do own a pair of Black Label shoes, which I really like. They've not stood up to age nearly as well as they ought to for the money, but they're really sleek and attractive plain toe black derbies. As above, probably not worth what I paid, but not *bad* shoes. That said, the majority one sees are square-toed topstitched monstrosities..

 

[VMan]

Boss suits are o.k. if you really need a suit soon, and have a budget around $600-800, and want something that is cut differently than, say, HSM at around the same price range.

They are, of course, fused, but the fabrics are decent (I've seen several with Loro Piana fabrics) and the cuts are less boring than other suits in the same price range.

I personally wouldn't buy a Hugo Boss suit at full retail - as the same amount of money could be used to purchase 4 lightly used Zegna suits on ebay, or two NWT Canali/Corneliani suits. However, if you really need a suit at the moment, and want it to be a bit fashion-forward, Boss is a decent solution. They seem to be found quite often at $200-350 - if you only wear a suit a few times a year, you can probably find a suit by Boss that is pretty much a classic style that will suit your needs for a few years.

 

[hermes]

hugo boss shirts for the most part are very boxy

in addition to the asian made one, and the italian made ones, black label does offer (or did) a boxed shirt that is made in switzerland, where all the baldessarini shirts are made, leading me to follow a hint by a salesman that the baldessarini overruns are rebranded as boss black label shirts (although no one has ever confirmed this to me, upon review, they are the same fitted "shaped" fit as the standard baldessarini shirts which are not boxy)

as for your sleeve problem, if you can get it altered at a reasonable price, i'd alter it or just learn to live with it as is

i agree with versaceman on suits, they are fused, save for some selection label ones which are half canvassed, and should only be purchased on sale provided you like their fashion fit look

as far as i know, although hugo boss usa is a separate company from hugo boss canada, overall, the fit is similar between the goods offered by the two companies as they fit the north american aesthetic v the more slimming fits of the offerings of hugo boss in europe and asia

 

[SGladwell]

There seems to be a big difference between HB shirts for the US market and for the European market. I have five HB shirts, all made in Hong Kong and bought between 2002 and 2003. Two are US market and three are European. The US shirts have plastic buttons and a boxier cut. Two of the Euro shirts have nicely sculpted MOP buttons; the third has Banana Republic style dark shell buttons. All of them were in the same price range, about $80-100.

 

[MilanoStyle]

i used to be a big Hugo Boss fan. But once I discovered this site, ... Well .. I sold all of my hugo boss suits/sportscoat on eBay and have not bought Boss stuff for like 2.5 years!

 

[Flame]

Haha nice to see the love for Bebop on here.

Ever since Baldersarrini was abandoned, I have seen alot of their shirts and jackets on 60-70% sales. however most of the shirts have weird features, like 2 buttons on the cuff or something else.

 

[The False Prophet]

Forgive my ignorance, but what happened to Baldessarini?

 

[Flame]

Its ownership changed hands due to Black label far out-doing Baldersarrini in sales. Much of the older stock sells for great prices, I just got 2 FCs in their shaped fit for $130.

 

[hermes]

hugo boss still owns baldessarini, however, it will discontinue the line as of the spring/summer 2007 collection

the season before last, they tried to differentiate the line from the rest of the hugo boss lines by dropping the "hugo boss" from the name "baldessarini hugo boss" and it just became "baldessarini"

however, the line still has not performed well and there was a recent press release in january 2006 that the baldessarini line will be discontinued with the delivery of the spring/summer 2007 collection:

Discontinuation of BALDESSARINI men's fashion collection

Metzingen. The Managing Board of HUGO BOSS AG is announcing that the production and sales of the BALDESSARINI brand menswear collection will be discontinued following the delivery of the 2007 Spring/Summer collection to the stores. The fragrances marketed by Procter & Gamble under the brand name BALDESSARINI are not affected. The BALDESSARINI brand posted sales of 17 million EUR during 2005.

BOSS Selection will be the premium quality line at HUGO BOSS in the future. During its first year, BOSS Selection generated sales of 20 million EUR. The goal is to double this figure to 40 million EUR within three years.

http://group.hugoboss.com/en/pressem...n_2006_344.htm

 

[Beckwith]

Question about Boss. I purchased a Boss sport coat around 5 years ago at Barney's in NY. I recently looked at the tags, and it says made in U.S.A, would anyone know who in the US made this? I can't imagine it was Boss.

 

[hermes]

hugo boss owns a manufacturing company called "hugo boss cleveland inc." located somewhere in ohio i think, which is a wholely owned subsidiary of "the joseph and feiss company" which is a long-established men's and boy's clothing manufacturer (which in turn is a wholely owned subsidiary of "hugo boss usa")

as such, it was either made by "hugo boss cleveland" or "the joseph and feiss"