Suit Shopping NY

[Ranjeev]

Gents, I am in need of some new clothes for work (law firm).  Specifically, I need about 3-4 suits and at least one pair of dress shoes and possibly some dress shirts or ties.  For suits, I am looking for something fairly conservative in blues and grays with canvas being a must.  I am not interested in paying for Brioni or Kiton quality but one of the suits should be a very high standard (engagement party).  I am thinking of heading to Woodbury Commons in January.  Is this a good time of year to go or should I wait until February?  Since I will be already in the state of New York, should I make a trip to New York as well?  What types of prices can one expect at Filene's Basement, Century 21, etc. on suits (Sameulsohn, Canali, Vestimenta, etc)?  Before anyone says anything, I will continue to search Ebay for deals.  Thanks in advance.

 

[johnnynorman3]

Ranjeev,

First, sorry not to get back to you about the Zegna NC -- it was actually a 44L.

Anyways, I have never been to Woodbury, so I can't comment on it specifically. But you'd be wise to go there whenever it makes logistical sense for you. Baldessarini suits at Hugo Boss are cool, and sometimes they have a decent stock of them. For $500, I think that is a great deal. Zegna has Zegna blue label for similar prices. (Also, you might want to go to Nieman's and try the plain color Zegna three buttons -- a guy on Ebay sells the EXACT same suit for about 600).

Last Call is fairly high prices, I've heard, so that's one where you should find out when they are having sales. At Filene's Basement (not sure where the closest one to you is), Oxxfords go to 800 during sale times (they hold regular "suit events&quot with Hickey Freeman going down to $450. Canali suits still stay high at FB, going down only to $600 during sales. Personally, I wear my Oxxford more than any other item of clothing in my closet (I ended up buying only one) -- this is partly a function of its color, but also its styling and comfort. It comes off a bit bland at first, but a good tailoring job makes it fit a little closer and its so unpretentious looking.

 

[von Rothbart]

Go straight to Manhattan & skip Woodbury. Woodbury is over-rated nowadays. Barneys, Saks, Bergdorf, C21 and many flagships have their final reductions throughout January. The best time is between early and mid January when the selections are still relatively good.

If you still have spare time you can drop by Woodbury on your way back.