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Greenfield on Gilt

Shirtmaven

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Greenfield used to do a lot of private label for Nieman's way before Brooks brothers.

The Gilt sale is good for Greenfield. they had to fill the void left by Brooks Brothers.
Much easier cutting basic stock suits then the smaller cuttings for every oddball designer that uses Greenfield.
 

MBreinin

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Originally Posted by Bull
A few of you have asked me why I reserve such vitriol for Gilt.

Simple: they sell utter **** misrepresented as high-quality ****. An anecdote should suffice to illustrate their trickery and shady market practices.

Not long ago, I purchased a navy 2B Zegna blazer from Gilt. It was priced in the $500s, marked down from "$1650" or some such made-up, invented number.

The coat arrived, and it was fine. But plainly not up to Zegna mainline snuff. Shoulder padding was heavy and somewhat vulgar. Canvass was stiff. Handwork was at a bare, bare minimum - embarassing, I'd say, for a Zegna mainline garment.

I swung by Barneys to take a look at THEIR navy 2B blazers, and was utterly disappointed. The shoulder was graceful, soft, and pick-stitched all around in thread of the same, exact color so as not to seem ostentaious, but provided a wonderful effect that my coat did not have. Shoulders were also padded more lightly, and did not "stick out" (thereby providing the dreaded "dimple effect").

The roll to the lapel did not compare - on the Barneys Zegna blazer, I saw a soft, graceful roll - not quite like a Kiton but not as stiff as a Brioni - somewhere in between.

The cut on the Barneys Zegna was far more flattering. It hung slightly looser in exactly the right places. My Gilt Zegna blazer was "slim cut" - so it still fits fine as a 38S, but I have little room to navigate. I've come to appreciate this sort of a "Matador" fit (lol), but it's not for everyone, and I can imagine they got quite a few returns.

Insult was added to injury a mere couple weeks later when a whole size run was sold in the $200s. Yes you read that correctly. How on earth could a garment that was supposed to sell "originally" for the $1600s end up at this price point? Simple: it didn't. These coats were made for Gilt, for a price point in the $500s (for idiots like me who thought they were snagging a nifty value.)

All of this would be fine if the relevant disclaimers were provided: (1) NOT Zegna mainline quality, (2) NOT traditional Zegna fit, (3) ETC ETC. No such disclaimers were provided. I was led to believe in every respect that I was getting a Zegna mainline garment along the lines of what they produce for Neiman's/Sak's/Barneys/etc.

That is decidedly NOT what I got.

To quote Will, "lesson learned..."


I bought a blazer from them, Loden Doger, and it worked out quite well for me. I bought a Marc by Marc Jacobs that I didn't like the fit, so I sold it. A pair of Mosley Tribes glasses were as advertised, several ties, a shirt or two, three Polo belts. My biggest let-down was a pair of Topsider Chukkas that literally fell out of the flimsy ass box somewhere. I got an empty box. However, they were $25.

I buy cheap stuff there, as in under $200, and it has worked out...for the most part.

Mike
 

deveandepot1

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The sale was pretty decent. I am considering getting the blazer.
 

Bull

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Originally Posted by TRINI
Isn't this really a case of Caveat Emptor?

It sounds like you got what you paid for.


Truthfully? Very good point. You always get what you pay for, no exceptions. That doesn't mean I'm going to smile upon Gilt's material misrepresentations regarding their products, though.
 

gdl203

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Originally Posted by newinny
I'm guessing 1600 per suit.

Originally Posted by gdl203
I'm guessing half of that, maybe less

$988 for wool suits, $886 for cotton suits
 

teddieriley

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Originally Posted by Bull
Really though, how can you not? I wear mine to virtually every meeting (unless, of course, I'm already wearing a suit). Blazers don't look good until you've beat them to hell and this one is well on its way.

Did GILT advertise the blazer as mainline or did you assume that from the retail price? From what I could tell, these blazers were similar to that being sold at Off Fifth Saks a while back, and GILT's prices were a little more expensive. The blazer was nothing special. Did the blazer you were enamoured by at Barneys also have a $1650 retail price tag?

GILT is hit or miss. You have to judge what you're getting from what little information they provide you. It's a gamble, and most of the time, the ante isn't worth it.
 

sho'nuff

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Originally Posted by teddieriley
Did GILT advertise the blazer as mainline or did you assume that from the retail price? From what I could tell, these blazers were similar to that being sold at Off Fifth Saks a while back, and GILT's prices were a little more expensive. The blazer was nothing special. Did the blazer you were enamoured by at Barneys also have a $1650 retail price tag?

GILT is hit or miss. You have to judge what you're getting from what little information they provide you. It's a gamble, and most of the time, the ante isn't worth it.


definitely.
i would be scared to pay 1000 dollars for a blazer that you think youre getting and only to find out you have to return it for credit. credit you'll be hardpressed to find to spend on anything for the following months to come. eventually, you'll succumb to just picking up random items here and there just to use the credit.
 

Bull

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Originally Posted by teddieriley
Did GILT advertise the blazer as mainline or did you assume that from the retail price? From what I could tell, these blazers were similar to that being sold at Off Fifth Saks a while back, and GILT's prices were a little more expensive. The blazer was nothing special. Did the blazer you were enamoured by at Barneys also have a $1650 retail price tag?

GILT is hit or miss. You have to judge what you're getting from what little information they provide you. It's a gamble, and most of the time, the ante isn't worth it.


I wasn't enamored by the blazer at Barneys, and I definitely was enamored by the price tag. I never pay full price for RTW (probably my downfall).

Yes it was passed-off as mainline.
 

lefty

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Originally Posted by mack11211
Here is an interview with him:

http://www.valetmag.com/the-mix/0715...ndex1_top_lead


This comment was pretty good:
Oh, yippee, I can't wait to spend $900 on a suit designed by the head buyer of a discount clothing website that I can't try on and can't return for anything other than store credit! I'm counting down the seconds until 9 am!

The suits are underwhelming. Had MG designed the line they may been on to something.

lefty
 

jhva3

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I cannot believe that they are putting fake retail prices after they caught **** for it previously. I mean everyone knows that this stuff never was sold at retail. Those retail prices are likely what his suits go for if sold by an actual designer.
 

Baron

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The suits look pretty good but I agree with the consensus - would never spend that much at Gilt because of their crappy return policy. Especially with something like this where you have no idea of the fit.
 

OttoSkadelig

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Originally Posted by Bull
A few of you have asked me why I reserve such vitriol for Gilt.

Simple: they sell utter **** misrepresented as high-quality ****. An anecdote should suffice to illustrate their trickery and shady market practices.

Not long ago, I purchased a navy 2B Zegna blazer from Gilt. It was priced in the $500s, marked down from "$1650" or some such made-up, invented number.

The coat arrived, and it was fine. But plainly not up to Zegna mainline snuff. Shoulder padding was heavy and somewhat vulgar. Canvass was stiff. Handwork was at a bare, bare minimum - embarassing, I'd say, for a Zegna mainline garment.

I swung by Barneys to take a look at THEIR navy 2B blazers, and was utterly disappointed. The shoulder was graceful, soft, and pick-stitched all around in thread of the same, exact color so as not to seem ostentaious, but provided a wonderful effect that my coat did not have. Shoulders were also padded more lightly, and did not "stick out" (thereby providing the dreaded "dimple effect").

The roll to the lapel did not compare - on the Barneys Zegna blazer, I saw a soft, graceful roll - not quite like a Kiton but not as stiff as a Brioni - somewhere in between.

The cut on the Barneys Zegna was far more flattering. It hung slightly looser in exactly the right places. My Gilt Zegna blazer was "slim cut" - so it still fits fine as a 38S, but I have little room to navigate. I've come to appreciate this sort of a "Matador" fit (lol), but it's not for everyone, and I can imagine they got quite a few returns.

Insult was added to injury a mere couple weeks later when a whole size run was sold in the $200s. Yes you read that correctly. How on earth could a garment that was supposed to sell "originally" for the $1600s end up at this price point? Simple: it didn't. These coats were made for Gilt, for a price point in the $500s (for idiots like me who thought they were snagging a nifty value.)

All of this would be fine if the relevant disclaimers were provided: (1) NOT Zegna mainline quality, (2) NOT traditional Zegna fit, (3) ETC ETC. No such disclaimers were provided. I was led to believe in every respect that I was getting a Zegna mainline garment along the lines of what they produce for Neiman's/Sak's/Barneys/etc.

That is decidedly NOT what I got.

To quote Will, "lesson learned..."


wow. so you have derived your sweeping conclusion from a) one article, and b) over aesthetic choices that were made by Zegna rather than Gilt?

did gilt advertise that it was mainline? even if it did, how do you know it wasn't? are you aware that brands do change their specs? for example, armani collezioni sometimes makes fused suits, sometimes they don't. shoulder padding varies over time and by model. i could go on. how do you know that your blazer wasn't one of Zegna's more old-school cuts? or that it was an unsuccessful model for some of the stylistic reasons you mention, thereby explaining why it ended up getting dumped on gilt in the first place?

and how do you know that zegna made it specially for gilt? gilt deals primarily in low-volume remainders -- especially as far as the european luxury brands are concerned. i think it is highly unlikely, bordering on absurd, that they would commission zegna to make a small number of unfashionably-cut blazers, especially given that the overall profile of the stuff they sell is clearly leaning towards the young, trendy buyer. surely they know their customers a bit better.

and BTW, i don't think $1500-ish for a zegna canvassed blazer is absurd. have you checked zegna's pricing recently? whether or not it flatters your body is hardly relevant and i doubt zegna factored that consideration into their list pricing. maybe they designed it for a middle-aged body that needs stronger shoulders. maybe some buyers don't like a light canvas.

i have no illusions about gilt either. all they do is provide arbitrage between leftover trickles of luxury or pseudo-luxury goods from various sources and buyers that otherwise have limited access to them. everyone wins, and gilt makes a pile of money. sometimes their stuff is great, sometimes it is merely okay / meh. i recognize the value of the service they provide but am a lukewarm fan at best.

but this reaction is so ridiculously over-the-top (and more importantly, based on ONE experience and around issues that originate with the manufacturer?!) that i don't even know where to begin.

dude, i think you need to drink more decaf and unclench. and worry a bit less about jumping so energetically on the "gilt sucks" SF bandwagon. or at least, do so with a better reasoned case.
 

Pezzaturra

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Boxy , short jackets, hideous lapels with a niche name attached to the lining = I feel an insider's excitement. I am getting three.
bigstar[1].gif
 

Bull

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Originally Posted by jhva3
I cannot believe that they are putting fake retail prices after they caught **** for it previously. I mean everyone knows that this stuff never was sold at retail. Those retail prices are likely what his suits go for if sold by an actual designer.

It is astonishing how nonchalant they are about posting "retail prices" for stuff that never went to retail. This is the shadiest market practice I have ever seen. It's like those fake silver pens at the Dollar Store that go for a buck but have a tag on them (prominently displayed) that says "Suggested Retail: $49.99".
 

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