Zara

[gregory]

Hi guys,

Has anyone been to Zara lately? I was just at the newly opened Fifth Avenue store. I picked up two of their shirts. I thought their shirts were very tasteful -- their fabric looked significantly more expensive than their price tags ($55) would suggest, although there were neither pattern matching at the seams nor premium buttons.

I also bought some H&M shirts, very nice patterns, for $39, although I didn't think their fabric came close to Zara.

So what happened to my Jantzen/MTM obsession? I tried on a H&M shirt in small the other day and was surprised to discover that the H&M fit me better than my Jantzen shirts. Therefore, I guess I should not rule out off-the-rack items now. Plus, Zara had some truly interesting fabrics that I didn't think shirtmakers would have.

Any thoughts on Zara and H&M shirts? Are there other brands carrying similar items? (Banana Republic is distasteful and disgraceful this season; JCrew is too bland. GANT is pretty good.)

Cheers

 

[drizzt3117]

Zara is pretty good quality, not too bad at all, although it's not as good as T&A, Thomas Pink, etc. It is quite a bit better than Hugo or Banana Republic.

 

[ernest]

Zara is only ok for women that means for garments you will wear 10 times...

 

[Shirtmaven]

Zara is excellent for smaller slimmer guys.

I barely fit into their XL garments and I am only a 44/46.

H& M is disposable clothing. You can't go wrong at those prices.

Today's man is long gone, but they had the best $25.00 pinpoint oxford shirt around. Was it grea? no. but at that price you weren't embarrassed wearing it either.

I just find walking into H & M daunting unless it is first thing in the morningbefore the store has been torn apart. Zara is neat and orderly and the sales staff is usually helpful.

 

[ernest]

Hi guys,

Has anyone been to Zara lately? I was just at the newly opened Fifth Avenue store. I picked up two of their shirts. I thought their shirts were very tasteful -- their fabric looked significantly more expensive than their price tags ($55) would suggest, although there were neither pattern matching at the seams nor premium buttons.

I also bought some H&M shirts, very nice patterns, for $39, although I didn't think their fabric came close to Zara.

So what happened to my Jantzen/MTM obsession? I tried on a H&M shirt in small the other day and was surprised to discover that the H&M fit me better than my Jantzen shirts. Therefore, I guess I should not rule out off-the-rack items now. Plus, Zara had some truly interesting fabrics that I didn't think shirtmakers would have.

Any thoughts on Zara and H&M shirts? Are there other brands carrying similar items? (Banana Republic is distasteful and disgraceful this season; JCrew is too bland. GANT is pretty good.)

Cheers

USD 55 for a Zara shirt = exepensive

For 67 euros during sales you can buy an Hilditch...

 

[T4phage]

Originally posted by Ernest:

USD 55 for a Zara shirt = exepensive

For 67 euros during sales you can buy an Hilditch...

Ernest, you must remember that they are in the U.S and will have to pay extra, like the shipping and import duties..... We in Europe don't .

 

[ernest]

Originally posted by Ernest:
Quote:

USD 55 for a Zara shirt = exepensive For 67 euros during sales you can buy an Hilditch...
Ernest, you must remember that they are in the U.S and will have to pay extra, like the shipping and import duties..... Â We in Europe don't .
People in US have not the right to travel in Europe? You pay also shipping fees for Europe. Taxes would be lower in US.

 

[dorian]

aaaah, Ernest....

 

[bryce330]

I am also a fan of Zara for cheap, disposable casual clothes. Their stuff is much more stylish than American mall stores such as BR or Express, but it doesn't cross over into Eurotrash as often as H&M or Club Monaco. It's also decently well-made for the price bracket.

 

[funkyprez]

Of the stores that try to bring Euro trends to the masses (H&M, Club Monaco, etc) Zara is your best "bang for your buck", as they say. Daffy's does have amazing Euro finds at good prices too, but these were clothes that were actually made for Europe.

I have a charcoal wool overcoat that I bought 3 years ago from Zara that is an excellent style -- not too boxy or dowdy. However, I would never wear Zara head to toe, otherwise it would fall into the "trying too hard" category.

 

[drizzt3117]

Zara clothes are made for Europe, they only recently entered the US Market. Also, I think their items are fairly high quality, especially for the price. I shopped at Zara and H&M all the time while in Europe, as did a large portion of European teens and twentysomethings.

 

[regularjoe]

I think Zara is decent casual wear. I have a brown/blue wide-checked shirt that I'm particularly fond of. Maybe I'll send the picture to our favorite Frenchman....

 

[Shirtmaven]

Ernest
On sale you could buy Zara shirts for $30.00.
that is quite fair. Also the H & K shirts are quite traditional while Zara is more stylish and au current.

 

[dorian]

Welcome, Mack... NYT article?

 

[itzamazing]

I was in the new 5th ave store as well (very nice BTW&#33

, but the quality is just not there. They really aren't that cheap at full retail considering the quality. Zara does a nice job of responding to current season trends (as opposed to BR who is always 2 yrs late). The pants are so coarse, the shoes are so cheap, but I do admit they always have a few items which I like. I've always heard that ZARA is much cheaper in Europe. Is that true? Wait till their 50% off sales towards the end of the season.