Expanding one's brand horizons...

[CJJ]

So, there was a fantastic question asked in the "What Should a Beginning Thrifter Know?" topic that was posted today. What brands should one keep an eye out for in addition to the "old stand-bys", J Crew and Brooks Brothers, etc...


Names that I've seen trolling around Ebay and know nothing about are Alan Flusser, Cerruti, Loro Piana, Daniel Cremieux, and Zanetti, to name a few.


JC, has mentioned putthison.com and its a great resource. I think it would be helpful to share personal experiences with the less known brands, which ones are winners, which to stay away from, etc...

[jason_carreira]

Loro Piana is a great brand, but you have to be careful what you're talking about. Loro Piana is one of the 2 best fabric mills in the world. They also make some RTW finished clothing. Their finished clothing is of very high quality. Their cloth is of very high quality. However, not all clothing made from their cloth is of good quality.


The same goes for Zegna. They're the other of the 2 best fabric mills, and the same goes for them. Zegna has multiple lines of RTW clothing:


"Couture" or "Napoli Couture" is their best line, and is on par with the best in the world

"su misura" is their MTM line, and is better than the rest of their RTW lines

"Ermengildo Zegna" is their top regular RTW line

"Zegna Soft" is an older lower line, still well made but not as good as the above

"Z Zegna" took over for Zegna Soft but is of lower quality... These may be fused rather than canvassed

"Zegna Sport" is their lowest line and is for non-tailored clothing like polos, etc.

[alan]

Daniel Cremieux is a Dillards brand. They refer to him as a "exclusive" designer for them, though I don't see how that's any different from a house brand. Maybe it's independently owned. Regardless, they make middle-of-the-road stuff. Daniel Cremieux is the designer, and all the production is outsourced AFAIA. So whether or not you're getting something decent depends on who's making it. As far as store brands go, though, it's one of the better ones.


Generally, their men's clothes hold up well. If you find a Daniel Cremieux item on a thrift store rack that you like, don't be afraid to buy it. But don't expect to flip it. And if you find one on ebay, don't be afraid to bid, but don't bid too much.

[jason_carreira]

Anyone know where Grant Thomas comes from? Some of it is meh, but some is good. I picked up a nice Grant Thomas purple linen shirt with MOP buttons that's very nice.


Alan Flusser wrote one of the go-to style guides back in the 80's and did the styling for the Gordon Gecko character in Wall Street. Now he does bespoke tailoring, but his name is also licensed to make middle of the road RTW clothing.

[CJJ]

@ JC, apparently Grant Thomas was a Lord and Taylor house brand that was discontinued in 2009 and replaced by Black Brown 1826 (designed by Joseph Abboud).

Here is a discussion I found:

http://www.askandyaboutclothes.com/forum/showthread.php?90493-Grant-Thomas-quality


So, you have any Alan Flusser stuff? I am looking at a couple of linen blazers on Ebay, I haven found anything to relevant online regarding quality and fit of clothing. Most info is regarding his books and advice.

[jason_carreira]

I don't have any, no. I've seen them in thrift stores and they're okay, but not something I'd pick up usually.

[CJJ]

Anyone have any experience with Michael Kors Blazers?

[CJJ]

This might already be mentioned somewhere around here but PUTTHISON.COM has a great link on this page that has a great Ebay query for quality suits and shoes.


http://putthison.com/post/1118435096...-shoes-on-ebay

[nikeairmax01]

nike air max 95 simple comfortable color, making the product the appearance of the high scores. To begin with organized up with image! the Nike dunks utilized to be pessimistic framework isolated and foam constructed. nike air max Blazer Mid AB recently launched its new creation, Maharam combined together to build, brown and black corduroy shoes. with the already classic Nike Blazer Mid AB series of heritage, making the product gleaming brilliance, be sure to focus.