K&Rs Mom Posted November 30, 2012 Share Posted November 30, 2012 He needs to start dressing at a higher level than he has been. He is a computer consultant - most of his work is from home but now he's getting more visible. When he has work in places like NYC, his middle-management outfits are just not quite right. The problem is, we live in a low cost-of-living area, so there aren't many stores with better stuff, at least not that we know of. Any recommendations? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatieJ Posted November 30, 2012 Share Posted November 30, 2012 Costco has really nice dress shirts for under $20.00. They don't have sport coats tho. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckymama Posted November 30, 2012 Share Posted November 30, 2012 My dh orders from LandsEnd. He likes all their various types of dress shirts. He wears their suits and sport coats as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Posted November 30, 2012 Share Posted November 30, 2012 My husband shops at JCPenny's for basic nice office wear. The selection may change with all their changes lately, but we've had good luck with clothes for him from there. Do you have a Men's Wearhouse nearby? They are great, especially for hard to fit fellas like my super tall (6'8") son. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melbotoast Posted November 30, 2012 Share Posted November 30, 2012 Men's Wearhouse has some great deals around the holidays. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiguirre Posted November 30, 2012 Share Posted November 30, 2012 Joseph Banks is dh's favorite. Their travel stuff holds up really well and doesn't wrinkle in a carry-on. They have sales all the time, so don't pay full price! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justLisa Posted November 30, 2012 Share Posted November 30, 2012 I go to Men's wear house or Nordstrom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justLisa Posted November 30, 2012 Share Posted November 30, 2012 I go to Men's wear house or Nordstrom And now I really do believe that moth's eat coats. Just make sure to hang something to deter them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Geek Posted November 30, 2012 Share Posted November 30, 2012 Lands end and LL Bean both have good quality nice looking clothes. They last well, but they are a little on the expensive side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted November 30, 2012 Share Posted November 30, 2012 costco has great prices on men's dress shirts. about $20. I also really like the Penny's stafford wrinkle-free pinpoint when I can get them on sale. oh -if you have an off-price mall with a brooks brothers, they've had some great sales on suits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K&Rs Mom Posted November 30, 2012 Author Share Posted November 30, 2012 Thanks, everyone. I need to get to Costco anyway, so I'll make him come with me. ;) He doesn't mind spending a little more if it's going to last - this isn't everyday clothing, so it's worth investing in a few nice things that will make him fit in a little more with some of his clients. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenCat Posted November 30, 2012 Share Posted November 30, 2012 Lands End, LL Bean, Mens Wearhouse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted November 30, 2012 Share Posted November 30, 2012 Didn't see this one mentioned: Brooks Bros. DH loves them, and they are so easy to iron! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nono Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 If he's going to NYC often, I wouldn't have him wearing Land's End or LL Bean. It's just not NY stylish*. I'd go to your best local retailer or department store and have the men advise you. Tell them your needs. *We live at the shore now, kind of the epitome of no style, and my dh wears Land's End regularly for clients here. When he has a Phila./North Jersey/NYC gig, he wears something from Barneys/Boyds (NYC/PHL). Here are links for the two stores for you to get a feel of what they are showing v. an LL Bean or Land's End: http://boydsphila.com/mens/clothing/ http://www.barneys.com/Clothing/mens-clothing,default,sc.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan C. Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 Nono, Those prices! :svengo: I do get the NY stylish though. Dh got a nice suit at Brooks Bros. But we live on the southeast coast where you get laughed at for wearing a suit to anything.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrappyhomeschooler Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 Dh likes Joseph Banks, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ELITEANDLOVINGIT Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 costco has great prices on men's dress shirts. about $20. I also really like the Penny's stafford wrinkle-free pinpoint when I can get them on sale. My husbands friend who does A LOT of traveling gets his shirts at Penny's too...they always look top notch!!! :iagree: oh -if you have an off-price mall with a brooks brothers, they've had some great sales on suits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 costco also has very nice italian teflon-coated wool dress slacks $50 and they even have ties. (though I will frequently pick up ties at off-price/overstock stores as I don't care if it was last years model when I'm paying $12 for a $40+ tie.\ my son picked up a *really* nice one at an overstock store. it was probably a $100 tie for $12. I'm glad to see he has my eye and NOT his dad's. :svengo: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nono Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 Susan C, they have some impressive sales now and then. I wouldn't pay full price! BTW, I hear ya on living at the coast. When I say he wears Lands End now...that would be dress shirts from there and perhaps 2 sportcoats. Mostly worn without socks. :-) Part of my job these days is to help him navigate how to dress for which client according to the job being done and the geography. Having NY and Phila. as our "inland " makes for some clothing confusion for my California raised, foreign -born husband. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatieJ Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 Thanks, everyone. I need to get to Costco anyway, so I'll make him come with me. ;) He doesn't mind spending a little more if it's going to last - this isn't everyday clothing, so it's worth investing in a few nice things that will make him fit in a little more with some of his clients. This time of year Costco has ties and belts that they don't normally carry. They always have some kind of dressier slacks (DOckers or some version of them). Costcos return policy makes their prices that much better iIMHO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K&Rs Mom Posted December 1, 2012 Author Share Posted December 1, 2012 If he's going to NYC often, I wouldn't have him wearing Land's End or LL Bean. It's just not NY stylish*. This is exactly our problem. We live in Michigan - even the salesmen at the "upscale" stores don't really know what NYC style looks like. It's not often that he goes there, but getting to be more, enough that he's noticing the differences and wants to do better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coffeemama Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 Joseph Banks is dh's favorite. Their travel stuff holds up really well and doesn't wrinkle in a carry-on. They have sales all the time, so don't pay full price! Jos A Banks has great clothes, most of my DH's wardrobe is from there...just be sure to NEVER buy anything full price in there. They are constantly having half-off sales. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 My dh has gone to wearing all Jos. A Banks. He likes that it's man-friendly. He can walk in the store and get service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 We just bought dh an entirely new wardrobe due to a new job. We had been on budget mode for about 2 years and I had not replaced any of his dress clothes in that time so they all got trashed and replaced. One of his nicer jackets came from Nordstrom Rack, his heavier sport coat came from Macys. We also bought 2 pair of very nice slacks at Norstrom to go with the jacket. I like Nordstrom for the trendier, higher end items and accessories. We visited 4 different Nordstrom Racks to find the right size/color/items we wanted. He still has 2 nice suits that weren't worn in the past 2 years so they are still nice (Men's Warehouse). He tried on so many shirts but we found that a particular Van Huessen style fit him best, so we bought all the colors in that shirt. We also found some shirts at Nordstrom that fit nice, but it is very hit and miss there. Ties came from Nordstroms and one from Macy's. For everyday, nice slacks her prefers a particular Haggar pant. He doesn't wear cotton Docker style in his current job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K&Rs Mom Posted December 1, 2012 Author Share Posted December 1, 2012 I had forgotten about Nordstrom Rack - there's one of those by us. I'll definitely have him check there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 keep in mind, just because it comes from the rack doesn't mean it is stylish or a good deal. many items are purchased specifically for the rack. I had to talk my sil out of buying a hideous suit for her husband from the rack. (she'd been living in a fairly rural farm area and really, she had no clue.) also, inspect actual nordstrom store items so save yourself hassle. I bought what should have been a very nice nordstrom label dress sweater for my son. (I assumed it was a past season item.) then i got it home . . . . I was really mad. it was dirty, needed to be dry-cleaned (as in someone spilled FOOD on it.) and it had several holes in the sleeve and the back. (it was very dark, and hard to see the holes). it had obviously been returned in an "as is" condition to the main store and shipped to the rack becasue it couldn't be resold there, but there was NO indication on the item. I have seen them place yellow tape strips next to major defects so the buyer knows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nono Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 This is exactly our problem. We live in Michigan - even the salesmen at the "upscale" stores don't really know what NYC style looks like. It's not often that he goes there, but getting to be more, enough that he's noticing the differences and wants to do better. Well if he's not going there constantly, there's not going to be an expectation for him to have a NYC look. However, there will likely be an expectation for him to have well-tailored clothes. So, I would ask around as to whom has the best tailors among your local mens & department stores and wait for their after Christmas sale and see if he can find something he likes. A well-tailored suit will give him a lot of mileage. And, if that suit works out well from a tailoring point of view, he can start to build a relationship with the store. They can keep an eye on "new" things coming in that he might think would work well with what he's seeing in NY. Oh, and SHOES. There's a whole vetting process that goes on in East Coast big cities regarding shoes in some circles. Have him buy a good quality dress shoe. The kind a shoemaker can resole! So real leather, stitched, and solid heel. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K&Rs Mom Posted December 2, 2012 Author Share Posted December 2, 2012 keep in mind, just because it comes from the rack doesn't mean it is stylish or a good deal. many items are purchased specifically for the rack. I had to talk my sil out of buying a hideous suit for her husband from the rack. (she'd been living in a fairly rural farm area and really, she had no clue.) :toetap05: That's good to know - I thought most of what NR sells was the stuff that didn't sell out at Nordstrom. Oh, and SHOES. There's a whole vetting process that goes on in East Coast big cities regarding shoes in some circles. Have him buy a good quality dress shoe. The kind a shoemaker can resole! So real leather, stitched, and solid heel. This is something we hadn't even considered. :ohmy: He's been wearing the dress shoes the Army issued him 20 years ago. I know the others he's had over the years are barely MI stylish, let alone NYC stylish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pink and Green Mom Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 My dh has gone to wearing all Jos. A Banks. He likes that it's man-friendly. He can walk in the store and get service. We lived near a Premium Outlets in VA and they had a Jos. A Banks outlet - great deals and service just like at the regular stores. That and Brooks Brothers would be my two suggestions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 How does someone living in a city THAT busy have TIME to care about someone else's shoes? This amazes me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tntgoodwin Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 The most important thing is tailoring. Also, check out (or have him check out) http://dappered.com/. Lot's of good advice on there. Brooks Brothers is a solid choice for shirts. Personally, I like to get my clothing made-to-measure online. Check out: http://www.blanklabel.com/ http://www.indochino.com/ http://moderntailor.com/ http://www.blacklapel.com/ As far as shoes, he should probably invest in some Allen Edmonds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runbikeswim Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 I second Brooks Brothers, I love their shirts on DH. They have outlet stores as well. I also love Nodies, try them the week after Christmas for some great sales. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted March 26, 2013 Share Posted March 26, 2013 Yes, I wouldn't do J.C. Penney. DH used to wear their shirts with an expensive suit or jacket. Now their shirts have gone way, way down in quality. One we bought for my oldest didn't even last six months with only weekly wear. Now they wear LL Bean dress shirts. For suits we always do Nordstroms, or I got a jacket for the oldest from Land's End that he can wear with khakis. I don't know what their schedule is now, but they used to put all of the suits on sale several times a year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted March 26, 2013 Share Posted March 26, 2013 Men's Wearhouse. They are having a buy one get one free sale now. They are AMAZING!!! You go in, they help you find the suit/sportcoat you want. Then, they help you find the accessories - shirts, ties, socks, shoes, etc. They are VERY good at this. And, if you ever need the suits tailored again, they do it for free. And, if you ever need it pressed - they do it for free. We take our kids' MW suits on vacation and have them pressed wherever we go. That said, we've also liked Joseph Banks. Our Brooks Brothers here isn't as good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cera Posted March 26, 2013 Share Posted March 26, 2013 Joseph A Banks sells good stuff that holds up well. My ex husband also like the suits from Banana Republic and J Crew (both sites often have 30-40% off sales) and Brooks Brothers (they have great sales at the outlets). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momof3littles Posted March 26, 2013 Share Posted March 26, 2013 DH tried a lot of dress shirts and he's a Brooks Brothers slim fit guy. That just looks the most tailored and fits him the best. He finds some no iron finishes annoying on his skin but doesn't mind the BB no iron. His suits came from Men's Wearhouse, although we tried higher end places like Nordstrom (Josef Aboud), Brooks Brothers, etc. He just picked up a sport coat from the Banana Republic outlet after exhausting some of the higher end options and coming up empty handed. Regular BR stores are good to check for some things too. Joseph A Banks is another option. eta: if things are looking off, has he tried various fits on suits and things? Like for example, places like Men's Wearhouse and Nordstrom may have some slimmer fit and more tailored and modern suit options. DH's body type did not seem to work as well with the more traditional options at Brooks Brothers. He pulls off a slightly more modern, slimmer, tailored look better I think. Ditto dress shirts-the slim fit at BB works well for him and it just elevates everything a notch. I'd have him try different fits to see if something more tailored might help. Agree nice shoes can help as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HollyBee Posted March 26, 2013 Share Posted March 26, 2013 Another vote for Men's Wearhouse. They have a rewards program, and they regularly do buy one, get one sales. DH has gotten some amazing deals in there, and it's great quality. And as a PP noted, they're excellent w/customer service, putting outfits together, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted March 26, 2013 Share Posted March 26, 2013 Calvin Klein is a slim fitting suit. Both my boys look GREAT in those suits! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoobie Posted March 26, 2013 Share Posted March 26, 2013 Can't go wrong with Brooks Brothers. Costco's no-iron shirts are decent quality but not overly stylish. DH's favorite business casual no-iron shirts are from Eddie Bauer (there are usually a couple of updated patterns in the mix). Nordstrom has semi-annual sales, and you can make an appointment with a personal shopper for free who will pull things and have them waiting. The sale is a good time to pick up nice shoes for a good price. Nordstrom Rack can be hit or miss. For traveling, I'd definitely stick with the no-iron shirts. They're significantly more expensive, but you'll save so much in dry cleaning! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JuanitaL Posted March 26, 2013 Share Posted March 26, 2013 My husband shops at JCPenny's for basic nice office wear. The selection may change with all their changes lately, but we've had good luck with clothes for him from there. Do you have a Men's Wearhouse nearby? They are great, especially for hard to fit fellas like my super tall (6'8") son. I second JCP. Bonus - they usually have great clearance prices. We've bought my husband 5 nice dress shirts for $10 each over the last 2 months. He's transitioned from Army to nice office wear, we started out with Goodwill and we're slowly exchanging and adding with clearance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bang!Zoom! Posted March 26, 2013 Share Posted March 26, 2013 I worked in fine men's clothing for a long time. my advice is to source a local tailor who is mega talented. if you ask, they might spend some time with you explaining fabric and fit. go to a few stores and write brand, size down. these things should not fit right off the rack, if the say they do they are full of it. there are also tons of great books on men's wardrobe building with classic cuts out there,check around and see what's at the library I could really rant here...I still keep up on it..yesterday I was reading about real clock socks in fact, but that's really getting picky, but is up my alley anyway. I just die when I find a vintage camelhair jacket at the thrift and have no need for it. just kills me the shoe thing? yep, that's a big big deal out there the suggestion for Allen's was a great one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitestavern Posted March 26, 2013 Share Posted March 26, 2013 Lands end and LL Bean both have good quality nice looking clothes. They last well, but they are a little on the expensive side. I agree, with LL Bean especially. They have a great selection and their clothes wear the best, making them a really good buy. My dh has bought from all sorts of stores and finally just goes right to Bean. Also, they have an incredible warranty--return anything damaged or worn and get a free replacement. We actually don't find LL Bean to be any more expensive than places like Kohl's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnIslandGirl Posted March 26, 2013 Share Posted March 26, 2013 Could he make an appointment with a personal shopper on his next business trip? Some of my dh's best cloths have been purchased on vacations and business trips and then tailored or monogrammed by our local tailor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tntgoodwin Posted March 26, 2013 Share Posted March 26, 2013 I worked in fine men's clothing for a long time. my advice is to source a local tailor who is mega talented. if you ask, they might spend some time with you explaining fabric and fit. go to a few stores and write brand, size down. these things should not fit right off the rack, if the say they do they are full of it. there are also tons of great books on men's wardrobe building with classic cuts out there,check around and see what's at the library I could really rant here...I still keep up on it..yesterday I was reading about real clock socks in fact, but that's really getting picky, but is up my alley anyway. I just die when I find a vintage camelhair jacket at the thrift and have no need for it. just kills me the shoe thing? yep, that's a big big deal out there the suggestion for Allen's was a great one thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.