Shopping for decent men's clothes

lufties

Does anyone know of a brand/shop/department store for decent men's clothes for a medium to high price range. I have shopped in Zara, H&M, Topman etc and find most of their stuff poor quality, disposable, don't really go with my age bracket (early 30s) and ultimately a waste of hard earned cash.
My style generally is simple plain, t-shirts/jeans/shirts/crew neck, v-neck wool jumpers. A good fit is very important(to hide my short legs:eek:) No tacky designs or numbers.
I'm not earning enough to splash out on Diesel, RL, Boss etc but am looking for an alternative brand to the aforementioned.Perhaps something in between.

Thanks:)

Celly Smunt

If you dont mind spending a little extra then Ted Baker is probably the way to go.

baby and crumble

Somewhere in between the two level you do have another type of high street store- I find Next jumpers in particular to be very good quality as are River Island tops/ tees.

lufties

baby and crumble wrote: »

Somewhere in between the two level you do have another type of high street store- I find Next jumpers in particular to be very good quality as are River Island tops/ tees.

cheers, yea i've never tried those two. I bought an odd garment in m&s recently but they're hit and miss. Had a quick gander in next a few months ago, must go back again.

lufties

Celly Smunt wrote: »

If you dont mind spending a little extra then Ted Baker is probably the way to go.

for jeans or what? Is Ted baker as expensive as diesel etc?

JoeA3

Ted Baker do lovely stuff but they are expensive, probably more so than Diesel actually!... €60-70 for a polo shirt, €100 for a shirt / jumper...
The quality and fit is very good though.

lufties

JoeA3 wrote: »

Ted Baker do lovely stuff but they are expensive, probably more so than Diesel actually!... €60-70 for a polo shirt, €100 for a shirt / jumper...
The quality and fit is very good though.

I'll have a look, seems a bit steep, jeans would probably be double that again. I'm moving to london in a few weeks so there should be plenty of options there. I bloody hate trailing through shops though. It'd be nice to just know where your target ones are.

chopster

I've bought the odd item from http://www.reemclothing.com/ think this may be the kind of stuff you may be interested in.

miss-p

Gap can be quite good, affordable and good quality.

lufties

miss-p wrote: »

Gap can be quite good, affordable and good quality.

I have some gap stuff...was in m&s yesterday and they have some nice simple men's clothes..nice fit, 100% cotton or merino crew neck jumpers. Quite expensive too though, shoes over 100 euro.

miss-p

I think clarks and aldo have some nice shoes...clarks especially has gotten a lot better recently, not just school shoes anymore

lufties

miss-p wrote: »

I think clarks and aldo have some nice shoes...clarks especially has gotten a lot better recently, not just school shoes anymore

Deadly, I'm actually in Asia at the moment but moving to london in a few weeks so tryin to suss out whats good. Plain clothes of good quality with a very good fit is what I'm looking for Hate all them clothes with the tacky designs or abercrombie and such plastered all over them

miss-p

M&S is also one of these places that don't do a great exchange rate, so they are definitely not as expensive in the UK. But for plain clothes with good quality/fit I'd say gap, m&s and next are all good places to go

lufties

miss-p wrote: »

M&S is also one of these places that don't do a great exchange rate, so they are definitely not as expensive in the UK. But for plain clothes with good quality/fit I'd say gap, m&s and next are all good places to go

Thank you miss-p, very much appreciated

Bacchus

lufties wrote: »

Does anyone know of a brand/shop/department store for decent men's clothes for a medium to high price range. I have shopped in Zara, H&M, Topman etc and find most of their stuff poor quality, disposable, don't really go with my age bracket (early 30s) and ultimately a waste of hard earned cash.
My style generally is simple plain, t-shirts/jeans/shirts/crew neck, v-neck wool jumpers. A good fit is very important(to hide my short legs:eek:) No tacky designs or numbers.
I'm not earning enough to splash out on Diesel, RL, Boss etc but am looking for an alternative brand to the aforementioned.Perhaps something in between.

Thanks:)

I just spotted this thread on the boards main page and it piqued my interest. TBH, I'd be recommending Zara. I think the quality is great (better than TopShop or H&M) and fits the style (and age) you describe. Their plain T-shirts are the best quality I can find without going into crazy prices.

Gap are good for jeans but not much else. Selected Homme (in BT) is reasonably priced too (for a BT brand). Penguin seem decent too, though never bought anything of theirs.

lufties

Bacchus wrote: »

I just spotted this thread on the boards main page and it piqued my interest. TBH, I'd be recommending Zara. I think the quality is great (better than TopShop or H&M) and fits the style (and age) you describe. Their plain T-shirts are the best quality I can find without going into crazy prices.

Gap are good for jeans but not much else. Selected Homme (in BT) is reasonably priced too (for a BT brand). Penguin seem decent too, though never bought anything of theirs.

Its hard to know whether to splash out on expensive stuff like ted baker and penguin, I bought 2 pairs of diesel jeans over 5 years ago for over 200 euro each :eek:(I know, I know)... 1 of them I still wear. The fit was quite good too. Zara are ok but honestly I think their stuff is a bit disposable like topman. The t-shirts are a pretty good fit in Zara though, I bought 1 or 2 but they shrunk eventually.

jr22

This is a good site for jeans, I've only bought Levis from them. If you take a trip to a Levi's shop in London and find a cut and size that you like then you can keep an eye on this site and you'll find a decent bargain. http://www.sojeans.co.uk/mens/jeans

I've bought all the jeans I own from here in the past four years


As well as Gap and M&S, Fat Face also has decent quality stuff that isn't covered in logos.

baby and crumble

Actually op you should give debenhams a look. They have a really good range of menswear and the quality is great across the board. They carry a fair amount of 'brands' as well as their own lines. Their sales are brilliant, I picked up an awesome jumper for €20 down from €80 once!!!

Thomas D

House of Fraser's "linea" line.

Twee.

When you get to London have a look at Uniqlo. Very well priced for good quality, plain, easy to match clothes.

I think for jeans Levi's and Nudie are the best for men. Yes they're expensive but if you look after them you'll have them ages. Levi's should be washed on cool and inside out. Nudie are raw denim so you should wash them like every 6 months.

On Asos you can shop by brand or price range, it can help filter out the cheaper and lesser quality stuff. Sign up to their newsletter as they're always sending out discount codes.

American Apparel make excellent t shirts, long lasting and loads of colours. If you buy online you can get multi-buy discounts.

Big plus one for Clark's shoes, and Kurt Geiger during the sales.

My OH mainly wears Penguin and Reiss shirts for nights out, with dark nudie jeans and boots. He also has a good few chunky cardigans that are nice with just a tee inside for day time.

Wibbs

Twee. wrote: »

I think for jeans Levi's and Nudie are the best for men.

+ 1 I'd add Lee to that list, though only their 101j jeans(same jeans James Dean wore). There are other small makers who turn out jeans on Japanese selvedge denim woven on hand looms by virginal monks in monasteries but then you're into nutter aficionado territory. There are also a large range of fits too. Levis 501's would be average fit(depending on vintage and model), whereas 511's are for the more snake hipped among us. So as suggested try before you buy. If you want to get even more anal, check out the label inside the Levis to see where they're made. Turkey seems to be regarded as the best factory. Better denim and double stitched on the seams.

Levi's should be washed on cool and inside out.

+1 and if you want them to keep them even longer a bottle of black woolite rather than washing podwer is your only man.

Nudie are raw denim so you should wash them like every 6 months.

Some don't wash them for years looking for the right fades when finally they're washed. They stick them in freezers apparently to kill the funk. Hardcore or nuts, delete as applicable. Plus bear in mind raw denim is a different beast. It's not preshrunk so add a few inches to your normal measurements, because they can go down a fair bit in size after a wash. If you go for the baggy with cuffs vibe then less an issue. Black woolite again IMHO.

If you know what size you want and what fit/style and are patient then ebay can be a very fertile ground for bargains. IE I got two pair of 501's brand new with labels for 30 quid inc shipping. That's for both, not each(two diff sellers) and a brand new pair of 511's for 15 quid. Fair bit of a saving there, so might be worth a look.

jr22

Totally agree about the Levis maintenance. Woolite is mighty stuff, I use the regular pink one. Jeans inside out and I also zip and button them up so the spin doesn't stretch out the waist. Leave them to dry on the clothes horse or bannister. I've gotten into the habit of doing this. They stay looking new and last for years as a result.

I really like Levis 504's, nice and tight but not overly skinny.

Also, 505's are great. They are very similar to 501's but far cheaper. 505's have a zip instead of buttons and very slightly different taper in the leg but you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference when they're on.

lufties

Twee. wrote: »

When you get to London have a look at Uniqlo. Very well priced for good quality, plain, easy to match clothes.

I think for jeans Levi's and Nudie are the best for men. Yes they're expensive but if you look after them you'll have them ages. Levi's should be washed on cool and inside out. Nudie are raw denim so you should wash them like every 6 months.

On Asos you can shop by brand or price range, it can help filter out the cheaper and lesser quality stuff. Sign up to their newsletter as they're always sending out discount codes.

American Apparel make excellent t shirts, long lasting and loads of colours. If you buy online you can get multi-buy discounts.

Big plus one for Clark's shoes, and Kurt Geiger during the sales.

My OH mainly wears Penguin and Reiss shirts for nights out, with dark nudie jeans and boots. He also has a good few chunky cardigans that are nice with just a tee inside for day time.

Thanks fo that Twee. I bought a pair of 501s(in a poper Levis store) here in hong kong, and the fit is terrible for some reason. They're really baggy at the crotch and hips, with a straight leg then that needed turning up. I'll give them away to charity(I think Angela Kerins could do with an extra pair ). Seriously though, they have that bad fit that Americans usually wear, you know the type.. Perhaps, I'll find a better fit in London. As for the Nudie Jeans, If your not supposed to wash them, how can you keep them clean?

Regarding the other brands I'll check them out. I also want to get a sort of casual wool peacoat/trench, but I'm sure they will be aplenty in Enger-land.

This website is really a hive of helpful info sometimes

baby and crumble

lufties wrote: »

As for the Nudie Jeans, If your not supposed to wash them, how can you keep them clean?

You freeze them. Honestly, look up no wash method for jeans. The freezer kills the bacteria and resultant smells, so unless it's stained you just do that.

sawdoubters

top of grafton st

Cartel Mike

baby and crumble wrote: »

You freeze them. Honestly, look up no wash method for jeans. The freezer kills the bacteria and resultant smells, so unless it's stained you just do that.

Bought a pair in Derry before Christmas. They're ok I guess.
Didn't know they were raw until I got home and read the 6 month instructions on the inside. I was just looking for a dark jeans .

Anyway, looked up the company online and came across this. I choked on a mouthful of coffee when I read this page ........it was that funny.

check out posts 7 & 14 ...ha ha


http://f.redflagdeals.com/showthread.php?t=952201&mobile_type=touch

LurkerNo1

Nudie is the brand name, they make washed as well as raw denim. Their raw is likely sanforized so shrinkage will be minimal if any with a wash. Unless you are very active or work in the likes of construction your unlikely to get good fading, I wouldn't get too caught up on how they are washed. Raws are annoying, you buy them snug and wear them hard and 6 months down the line they stretch out too much and fit horribly, better off going for a wash with some stretch at least they hold their shape.
In relation to Levi's they are pretty bad quality wise to be honest and their cuts are boring and they fade badly when washed. Levi's Vintage is decent quality.

Wibbs

lufties wrote: »

Thanks fo that Twee. I bought a pair of 501s(in a poper Levis store) here in hong kong, and the fit is terrible for some reason.

They seem to vary much more depending on market and factory than they used to 20 years ago. They used to be pretty consistent. If you bought one pair and they fitted you then you could take a punt on another pair without trying them on and you'd be fine.

LurkerNo1 wrote: »

]Raws are annoying,

+1. It makes your life harder than it needs to be. Never mind that not washing them makes them wear out faster. Washing tightens up the fibres. Plus if you want "fades" you can still get them with non raw denim. Just pick the darkest indigo and don't wash them and they'll get fades. After all the fades that the hip and trendy are trying to get are emulating fades on old denim that was sanforized and preshrunk for the most part. Indeed that's the irony, the vintage stuff advertised sanforized and preshrunk non raw denim as a good thing. and charged more for the privilege and now today the reverse is true. You pay three times more for them doing less.

In relation to Levi's they are pretty bad quality wise to be honest and their cuts are boring and they fade badly when washed.

Depends on the model and where they were made. Turkish 501's are very well bolted together, with solid material as a base and extra stitching. UK ones were very good before they closed the factory. Japanese stuff is good too. As for cut, that would be a fashion thing and down to individual body shape too. For me Levi's(501/511) sit on me like a glove and are comfortable(though I'm a weird shape so..). Plus as a middle aged fart funky cuts with fancy seams and back pockets ending somewhere behind the knees would make me arrestable for crimes against god. So no designer jeans for me, I'm afraid.

Levi's Vintage is decent quality.

Bloody pricey though and IMH not that great a quality diff compared to standard stuff, or it varies. Cuts can be all over the place too, though they claim they're the same patterns as original. EG Levi's type 2 denim jacket originally from the 1950's. The LVC one is a very odd fit in the arm region and different to the original, whereas the reissue non vintage one from the late 90's is much more like the original. I suspect the modern cuts reflect changing bodyshapes getting chunkier. A 50's medium is more like a small today.

downwithit

I think you need to have another look in Zara, it's a different level to Topman and H&M mind you some nice up to date bits can be found in H&M. Debenhams and M&S are Ok if you were twenty years older than you are. Don't know if you are in Dublin but House of Fraser probably has the best range for you. I don't see any problem paying €200 for a pair of good jeans as you say your still wearing them five years later

lufties

downwithit wrote: »

I think you need to have another look in Zara, it's a different level to Topman and H&M mind you some nice up to date bits can be found in H&M. Debenhams and M&S are Ok if you were twenty years older than you are. Don't know if you are in Dublin but House of Fraser probably has the best range for you. I don't see any problem paying €200 for a pair of good jeans as you say your still wearing them five years later

Cheers, Yeah I might give zara a go again, but here in Hong Kong the stuff isn't great..I'm heading to London next week so will have more options

eviltimeban

Not sure if you're in Ireland at all OP, but the Kildare Village outlet shop has a Ted Baker shop - and Levis, and a good few other brands too. Worth a trip out as you can get good deals.

I too would also "+1" the idea of getting a decent pair of jeans - I've gone through Topman and H&M phases but nothing beats a proper pair, and you do have to pay. I have two pairs of Diesel jeans and I'll never buy another brand again. They wear and wash well and fit me just right.

If you're anywhere near in the summer then the sales can be pretty good, especially near the end, when things are going down in price.

Another option could be Reiss?

TK Max as well for the odd thing but you might get some nice shirts / knitwear there for half the price you'd pay normally.

LurkerNo1

lufties wrote: »

Cheers, Yeah I might give zara a go again, but here in Hong Kong the stuff isn't great..I'm heading to London next week so will have more options

If your in that neck of the woods and you want quality why don't you just take a trip to Japan ? I'd rather shop in Japan any day of the week over London.

copacetic

Anyone have ideas for a slim fit dark jean with a little but of stretch built in to them?

lufties

LurkerNo1 wrote: »

If your in that neck of the woods and you want quality why don't you just take a trip to Japan ? I'd rather shop in Japan any day of the week over London.

Its a bit late knowing that now unfortunately, thanks for the info though.

Ideo

copacetic wrote: »

Anyone have ideas for a slim fit dark jean with a little but of stretch built in to them?

levi 511/513s

lufties

eviltimeban wrote: »

Not sure if you're in Ireland at all OP, but the Kildare Village outlet shop has a Ted Baker shop - and Levis, and a good few other brands too. Worth a trip out as you can get good deals.

I too would also "+1" the idea of getting a decent pair of jeans - I've gone through Topman and H&M phases but nothing beats a proper pair, and you do have to pay. I have two pairs of Diesel jeans and I'll never buy another brand again. They wear and wash well and fit me just right.

If you're anywhere near in the summer then the sales can be pretty good, especially near the end, when things are going down in price.

Another option could be Reiss?

TK Max as well for the odd thing but you might get some nice shirts / knitwear there for half the price you'd pay normally.

Sorry dude, i didn't see your post. Yeah, I'll probably be back in April. I reckon Diesel are good as I bought a few pairs a few years ago and they wore and fitted well. They cost over 200 feckin euro each though. I suppose that's what you'll pay for quality these days.

I'll keep KV in mind, thanks for the tip , I'll also look into that Reiss brand as another poster recommended it also.

asteroids over berlin

Zara is dreadful, as is river island, gap, h&m, abercrappie etc etc

save your cash and buy Boss - particularly orange and their dress clothes, the green and red label are a bit meh. Nothing comes close in their price range!

shout out to gstar - can do some nice unique pieces, only the ones without the stupid oversized gstar writing though!

lufties

asteroids over berlin wrote: »

Zara is dreadful, as is river island, gap, h&m, abercrappie etc etc

save your cash and buy Boss - particularly orange and their dress clothes, the green and red label are a bit meh. Nothing comes close in their price range!

shout out to gstar - can do some nice unique pieces, only the ones without the stupid oversized gstar writing though!

boss orange, are they not super-expensive?

Leopold.

lufties wrote: »

Sorry dude, i didn't see your post. Yeah, I'll probably be back in April. I reckon Diesel are good as I bought a few pairs a few years ago and they wore and fitted well. They cost over 200 feckin euro each though. I suppose that's what you'll pay for quality these days.

I'll keep KV in mind, thanks for the tip , I'll also look into that Reiss brand as another poster recommended it also.

Diesel are bland and crap looking, i'd say you pair them with your white tea stained Gstar tshirt

eviltimeban

lufties wrote: »

I'll keep KV in mind, thanks for the tip , I'll also look into that Reiss brand as another poster recommended it also.

And there's a Reiss shop in KV too! :-)

KV can be hit and miss but occasionally very good too.

razorblunt

Crew clothing is decent if not a bit preppy, handy for a decent jumper though and the fit is great. Their shirts are a bit picnic blankety but you'd find something decent in there.