Men's Business Attire?

BB

Try Belks

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I have in the past couple of years picked up some nice name brand suits at random online sales on Amazon for very little $$$. Even my seamstress was shocked at how nice they were for the price

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Which brands?

Get most of mine at Nordstrom Rack. Their inventory is sometimes hit or miss though. Not really a place you go one random Saturday and get a full closet.

Brooks Brothers when their stuff is on sale. Their quality has gone down hill and not really worth regular price. They just had all of their dress and casual shirts on sale 4 for $200.

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Brooks Brothers.

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You have one close?

Back in the day they made the best shirts on the market for use and wear.

Now label seems to matter more on pice then using good material and workmanship.

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Maybe it's just me, but normally the label (or better known) are more expensive because they are better materials and better made.

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That is the way it was before the 80's "greed is good" / make clothes in India / private equity buyout / etc mantra took hold.

Tumi made some kick arse leather goods before they sold out to private equity group. Got a new Tumi wallet about 3 years ago and it was shot in about a year or so. Talked to an old Tumi guy I know and he said they don't make it the old way and younger folks don't know the difference.

Brooks Brothers shirts were good for about 5 years, then you had the collar turned and got another 5 years. Their old boxers were 100% cotton and had such a high thread count they felt like silk after about 6 months. As for their suits, having real tailors on site was the bomb. Would never buy a man's suit from a catalog or web site.

Bally shoes were expensive but were like butter on your feet and held up really well

Probably before the time of many on this board, but in the day you had a guy that came in on the train (for smaller towns) then had them made in Hong Kong (still under British rule) so you got English work at Hong Kong prices. Throw in a Hermes tie and you looked champagne proper on a beer budget.

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You have one close?

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You have one close?

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New Orleans

The Roundtree and Yorke Gold Label shirts are as nice or nicer in some instances than the BB non-irons, so I have a few of those, too.

My only gripe with BB shirts is that they don't last nearly as long as they used to and the fabric seems to be thinner. I have about 5-6 white dress shirts in regular rotation, and have to retire 1-2 per year. One shirt might last 1.5-2 years getting worn on average once every 1.5 weeks, then washed and pressed (I still have the non-iron shirts pressed on low heat without starch).

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the fabric seems to be thinner.

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You are correct

They also have much more stitching issues

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I still have the non-iron shirts pressed on low heat without starch

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100% cotton is still the best. The problem with non-iron is they are blends and make me sweat, especially in humid climates. I love a hard pressed shirt - no starch - as it makes the shirt last about 3 times as long.

Two keys to shirts (aside from material and stitching)
#1 Always wear 100% cotton undershirt underneath
#2 Always use the best professional you can in your city to press them

Undershirt stops staining and other issues.
Good professional can make a cheap shirt look good but a bad professional can make a good shirt look awful. Good thing about the old military was understanding the "pride in grooming" thing. Catholic Church was the only place outside the military with such high spit and polish.

Men's Wearhouse.... same as J.A Bank