Uniqlo > Rugby > J.Crew > H&M > BR > A&F > Gap ...

[mtmindc]

If Uniqlo with one US branch is on the list, then Reiss needs to be here and in the top 3.

1. Uniqlo: l/s tops fit weird, but great chinos, knits, Ts, and accessories. The price point is practically a bonus given how well some of the stuff fits me. The colors are almost exactly what I'm looking for every time I'm there.
2. J. Crew: almost in spite of itself, it's this high on my list. I get the damn catalogs in the mail and can't stand the preppy costuming. Then I find myself in a store picking up a $20 shirt that turns out to be one of my go-to casual button-downs, along with all the other J. Crew sale pickups in my closet.
3. Reiss: European style but not H&M/Zara over-the-top or disposable (with prices befitting).
4. BR: Great buys for accessories and outerwear on sale, which is frequently.
5. Club Monaco: used to be #1 for me -- three years ago, they would've been #1, but their cuts seem much less fitted these days and the sales are less stocked)
6. United Colors of Benetton: borderline Euro-trash, but basic business wear is a good value.
7. Gap: great for Ts. Size down.

Any takes on Martin & Osa?

I prefer the store experience at J. Crew to Rugby and the branding around both lines is so similar that they read practically identically to the untrained observer. Aside from that, I'll stick with RLPL on sale and RRL on eBay at those price points. It's been a long time since I've shopped Express, ON, and Target for clothes (though Target has a decent selection of bamboo socks). Just say no to Aeropostale, American Eagle, and Abercrombie.

 

[bluemagic]

Martin + Osa seems like a straight-up J. Crew rip-off, at similar prices.

 

[TheDroog]

Originally Posted by Marcus Brody

Express - 65/100 - there was a period in college where about half my wardrobe came from Structure (which became express during this period). They always had great sales, so this rating is basically predicated on the assumption of never paying anything close to retail. I liked the style a bit more during the Structure years, but I haven't been there recently, so I don't know what they are doing at the moment.

Oh man, I thought I was the only one who remembered Structure! I really liked that store back in the day. For those who are too young to remember, Structure was kind of like A&F before A&F existed (I'm talking about teen-focused A&F, not Theodore Roosevelt hunting gear A&F), but it was tempered, a bit more respectable looking. Maybe A&F meets J.Crew? Anyway, the quality was great -- nice thick cloth, thick buttons, and better designs than what you'd find at BR for 25% less. Some wacky designs too, like a polo with 6 buttons instead of 3. Or a button down shirt with 4 different color quadrants (ie. top left is green, lower left is red, top right is blue, bottom right is white). You can't find crazy **** like that anymore.

If they were still around, for nostalgia's sake, I'd put them between J.Crew and H&M.

 

[Johnathan]

Originally Posted by TheDroog

Oh man, I thought I was the only one who remembered Structure! I really liked that store back in the day. For those who are too young to remember, Structure was kind of like A&F before A&F existed (I'm talking about teen-focused A&F, not Theodore Roosevelt hunting gear A&F), but it was tempered, a bit more respectable looking. Maybe A&F meets J.Crew? Anyway, the quality was great -- nice thick cloth, thick buttons, and better designs than what you'd find at BR for 25% less. Some wacky designs too, like a polo with 6 buttons instead of 3. Or a button down shirt with 4 different color quadrants (ie. top left is green, lower left is red, top right is blue, bottom right is white). You can't find crazy **** like that anymore.

If they were still around, for nostalgia's sake, I'd put them between J.Crew and H&M.
I still have some Structure shirts laying around that belonged to my brother ages ago.

 

[Robert]

Originally Posted by mtmindc

4. BR: Great buys for accessories and outerwear on sale, which is frequently.
.


Seriously. The 250 pea coat was recently on sale for 175, and it's truly one of the best quality peas I've seen out there below $400.

They do a nice job with the short zip jacket and other coats, too. I was very torn between the car coat and the pea, but the car was just a tad generic looking.

 

[msmith]

what about american apparel? decent cardigans.

 

[bluemagic]

Originally Posted by msmith

what about american apparel? decent cardigans.

See my list.

 

[perusingnature]

american apparel rates highly on my list for basics all around shirt-wise and nice slim fitting jackets. however, their bottoms are utter rubbish with little to no sizing variations. i also find their price is unattractive for the quality which is on the cheaper/thinner side.

american eagle is also good for a few shirts here and there, but most things should be avoided. some good accessories too.

uniqlo is a one city pony.

club monaco is definitely underrated by the op. price? sure it's steep but the clothes are definitely worth checking out.

 

[toothsomesound]

I think Club Monaco's sale stuff is phenomenal. There are very few things I would buy without a discount, but certainly head and shoulder above everything else in most malls.

BR has always been a staple for me (find one of their outlets, it's hard not to go nuts on cheap sweaters and slacks), though some of their button-ups are pretty boxy, the custom/tailored fit shirts are excellent.

I guess a lot of malls don't have a Reiss, but they deserve some kind of award. There is nothing better than going into that store and throwing yourself a party when stuff gets marked down fifty or seventy-five percent. It's not often, but there are beautiful clothes in Reiss, and they can be had for pretty affordable prices if you're careful.

 

[flashback]

wow 6 pages and not one mention of my beloved benetton ???

I know their presence in the US has really diminished, and maybe abroad as well - even the mens sections in the stores keep getting smaller and smaller (some stores eliminating the mens sections entirely)... still though I find myself loving some of the stuff I find there. The fits are good, the prices usually pretty decent, they have a great brand legacy + international heritage, and I also enjoy the fact that they are much more obscure than the other "mall brands" (good luck finding one in a mall!). Additionally on the sale factor, they rank very highly. I went to the one on Armitage in Chicago last summer and while it was EXTREMELY hot inside the store, I was treated to great service (the store manager attended to me and brought me a Pepsi - my favorite soft drink

- I left the store with said Pepsi, a great fitting dress shirt, 1 grey & 1 black v-neck sweater for a total of $25. I'll mention that they always seem to have crap that I don't like at all, but then again so do most of these aforementioned stores.

onto the others that I have experience with in order of preference:

Club Monaco - I mentioned in a thread the other day, they have some new logo that they have been putting on their clothes lately that to me looks very amjack. If you stay away from these items the rest of the stuff is pretty consistent. Yes, its expensive, but I haven't had any quality issues with them and they do have sales. Overall I think this store has some of the best fits & styling of the others (at least for this modern, minimalist look).

J. Crew - as others have noticed, JCrew just seems to be getting better and better. My style kinda treads the line between these three stores and I find myself going in here a lot more than I used to. Prices are reasonable to me and I think the "bang for the buck" factor is very high.

Brooks - obviously, a classic. Just too dressy for my everyday attire.

BR - I don't even visit their stores regularly anymore (although in college this was probably my favorite). Still, I have found some good pieces here in the last couple years (just not many).

the other stores listed I wont even go in. AE, Gap, AeroPostale ??? YUCK... ok maybe I'm a little snobby here, but these stores do nothing for me.

I've never been into an H & M, they always struck me as being very cheap, and having clothes strewn about everywhere. Reminded me of a cheap trashy womens store like Forever 21.

AF - I used to work here in college - I did it for the chicks. Their classic stuff like shirts & sweaters are well made, but then they have all that crap clothing where they just go way overboard with the branding & logos. Very tacky. Plus the high prices & shopping experience which is SO unpleasant, its just not even worth the hassle.

AA... not really into their vibe. It's just too much for me, and while I do love simple & comfortable clothes, I'm just not into the brand or their founder. Plus I hate being around hipster kids.

UO - this one is kind of a guilty pleasure. Like I said I hate being around hipsters and this store is basically all about exploiting counter-culture which I find kind of lame, BUT I'll admit they have some decent stuff occasionally. I must say their stores outside the US seem to have much cooler stuff, its almost like a entirely different selection.

 

[acidboy]

last time i bought stuff from benetton, which was 2 years ago the quality was ****.

 

[drizzt3117]

I'm actually a really big fan of zara for basics. The quality seems good to me, things have held up pretty well even with washing and some of my favorite dress/casual shirts are Zara which have a nice spread collar. I have spent a decent amount of time in the Uniqlo flagship store in NY and their london stores and just haven't come away with anything I really like, at least from last year's S/S. Two uniqlo pieces I own/have owned have been great, a solid white dress shirt and a pair of the greenline selvage jeans. Other than that, nothing. I have dozens of Zara pieces. As long as you stay away from the crazy edgy stuff that you'll never wear after one season, the rest of their stuff is good, especially their footwear (boots, to be sure)

 

[Meis]

Originally Posted by acidicboy

last time i bought stuff from benetton, which was 2 years ago the quality was ****.

Agreed...I went the Armitage benetton yesterday and the whole store was 50% off, but even with the discount alot of the stuff seemed expensive for what it was. Additionally the fit of their stuff varies alot- i tried on one sweater and it was quite baggy, a different sweater in the same size was noticeably less baggy but still not very fitted, then a cardigan in the same size was so tiny it looked like I was trying on little kids clothes (which is really saying something b/c im 5'8" w/ a 35 chest).

 

[TheDroog]

Flashback, I'm glad you brought up Benetton and Urban Outfitters, I totally forgot about these two.

Back in high school, I thought Benetton was the best store ever. Nice fabrics and slimmer cuts than what was available at Gap. But everything cost at $70+, so I actually never bought anything. Nowadays it's rare to come across Benetton in the US, let alone one that bothers to stock men's clothing. It's a shame, that's one store I'd like to take a second look at. Anyone know why they've become a primarily female line?

And I can't believe I forgot Urban Outfitters on my initial list. I really like this store. Unlike so many other mall brands, UO knows exactly who their targeting and has defined an entire ironic hipster vibe around it. They're cheesy and trashy, and they love it. I have a penchant for picking up ugly clothes that no one in their right mind should ever wear, and 80% of it comes from UO. I have t-shirts of someone pouring beer on their head ($2), a zip hoody with black arms, green body, and yellow racing stripes all over the chest ($9), and a pair of neon green Kangaroos ($10). Awesome.

 

[acidboy]

Originally Posted by drizzt3117

I'm actually a really big fan of zara for basics. The quality seems good to me, things have held up pretty well even with washing and some of my favorite dress/casual shirts are Zara which have a nice spread collar. I have spent a decent amount of time in the Uniqlo flagship store in NY and their london stores and just haven't come away with anything I really like, at least from last year's S/S. Two uniqlo pieces I own/have owned have been great, a solid white dress shirt and a pair of the greenline selvage jeans. Other than that, nothing. I have dozens of Zara pieces. As long as you stay away from the crazy edgy stuff that you'll never wear after one season, the rest of their stuff is good, especially their footwear (boots, to be sure)

From what I see around here, Zara's line is slowly creeping into the Euro disco look with shiny fabrics, super tight fit, etc... the old Zara look is now the new Massimo Dutti look.