Post: #1

What are your thoughts on designer clothes like philipp plein, dsquared, burberry and similiar?

Do you buy that kind of clothes?

Post: #2

Philipp Plein is a bit too blingy for me, all sequins and dollars. I like the jeans and t shirts from dsquared.
Wouldn't go near Burberry, it's associated with the 'chav' culture in the UK.

Post: #3

I don't think many people care about designers nowadays. Certainly not the made-in-China designers like RL, Tommy Hilfiger etc.

Vintage, heritage brands and small independent makers replaced designer clothes about 5 years ago, now it's just Arabs with oil money and other money-but-no-class types who buy up designers.

That said, anything made in Europe with real quality will always have value, so Burberry is here to stay, along with LV, Prada and others. Burberry coats are big, and probably always will be, with small style details changing here and there.

Post: #4

Any thoughts on DKNY? That and Johnston&Murphy are my goto brands.

Ha, I guess that puts me in the money-no-style category. How can I get in on this vintage/heritage stuff? Datasheet, Surryman?

Post: #5

I always look for designer stuff, not because I want to be cool but because it's made better. A suit from a random label will last maybe wearing two or three times before it's falling apart no matter what I do. A suit from Hugo boss will last me as long as I take care of it.

Same goes for shirts and jeans, I've had a couple pairs of armani jeans since middle school...

Post: #6

There is a difference in the quality of the fabric between designer/custom-made and the cheaper off-the-rack. This past weekend I was out in my new, custom-made Italian wool suit and smoked a couple of cigars and was around cigarette smoke the whole night. I hung up the suit in the spare bedroom after I got home and 24 hours later I couldn't smell any smoke on it at all. No odor whatsoever. It looked as good as new as I put it back in its sheath waiting for next weekend.

With my J.Crew or BananaRepublic wool blazers is would take a week to get the smoke smell out. They would also only last a couple of years before the linings inside would start coming loose and making them lose shape, even though I avoided cleaning them that much.

Designer or custom-made clothes do cost five times as much, but they look much better and last five-times or more longer. It's worth the investment in the long run if you stay with the quality brands or tailors. If you have a limited budget, then carefully study and buy staple/the basics items from designer brands and gradually over the years you will gain a full wardrobe of quality clothes.

Post: #7

You get what you pay for.....

Post: #8

(05-22-2015 06:16 AM)Carlos100 Wrote:  Designer or custom-made clothes do cost five times as much, but they look much better and last five-times or more longer. It's worth the investment in the long run if you stay with the quality brands or tailors. If you have a limited budget, then carefully study and buy staple/the basics items from designer brands and gradually over the years you will gain a full wardrobe of quality clothes.

I agree - so long as it's not some rip-off price in no relation to the quality it's worth it.

Custom or designer suits, shirts and shoes are almost always worth it for men. Some shoes can last 50 years after a 700-2000$ investment. I would say that it's a fair price. The same goes for quality shirts and suits. Even the regular normal-looking white T-shirts are often better when buying Designer brands.

If you afford it, then go for it.

Post: #9

Spend the extra money for a custom suit, its worth it.

Now, I'm not saying you have to go all the way up to a designer like Tom Ford. One quick look at their website store will give you a sense of what you would need to pay for a suit (A simple Tom Ford shirt is approximately $500), but you should have no problem investing around a thousand bucks on a nice, high quality suit.

For everything else (t-shirts, pants, etc.), I don't think it really matters.

Post: #10

When I was younger, I never cared for designer clothes would buy stuff and wear it till it went ragged rinse/repeat.

These days I buy quality when I can see myself using it for years. On top of feeling significantly better, they're so much more durable than the generic clothing. As long as you know what you are buying, you generally do get what you pay for.

Post: #11

For suit, one of the best quality/price in Europe : suitsupply. If you are living in Asia, you should definitely buy a tailor made suit for few hundred $, it's better quality, sizing, than any suit you can buy at any pretigious luxurious brand ( like De Fursac, Margiela, D&G, Burberry, etc ).

As for casual clothes, you don't really NEED to buy luxurious brand to be elegant and have style. Sure a lot of designer clothes are better quality and better design, but it's not about how much money you pay your clothes that give you style, but about your own style. ( Some people can be more stylish than most of the people with 5x less budget for a full wardrobe ).

I think that sizing, matches colors and harmony of the silhouette is more important than the brand of clothes. Of course quality also.

Post: #12

I like Dsquared, two Canadian boys plying their trade in Italy. Sadly, it is far too expensive for my budget.

I use to buy a lot of Zegna through a wholesaler and that stuff is pure quality.

When buying designer goods, I check where it is made. If it is made in China I will not pay the big bucks they ask, it usually ends up going on sale.

Hugo Boss is now selling cheap quality at the same prices, most of it is not made in Germany. Usually it is made in Turkey or some Asian country.