Which type of brand do you most like to wear

[LabelKing]

I had the opportunity to purchase a whackload of JPG recently at about 95% off retail and didn't buy a single piece. The stuff is way, way too out there for almost anyone.

What was there?

I don't like that JPG lower line stuff but the main line has some fine things. Especially some of the waistcoats, and suits.

 

[matadorpoeta]

i love the french so i voted for them. after hearing mr. kabbaz state that lanvin makes the best shirts (other than his own) my interest has been sparked in this brand. i also like their "l'homme" cologne very much. i'll be sure to go to their store when i finally make it to paris. charvet and hermes will also be on my list.

if money and time were no object, i'd also love to have a suit made by luigi cimmino in naples, and perhaps some bespoke shoes in naples as well. they would fall under the 'local' category.

as for what i actually wear, most of the time it's in the jantzen category. i have a connection with a local custom tailor who makes me suits at a good discount. i also had a connection with a local shirtmaker before i found jantzen through this site.

 

[Alias]

I voted for that Tailored and Cheap choice.

Today I discovered that one of my suits, made at an extreme discount, was made with fabric that usually runs at $1000 and upwards for a two-piece. I didn't pay even half that much. That made me feel happy.

 

[bryce330]

I think these categories are a bit off, particularly the "middle of the road" category which lists four brands that have almost nothing in common (leaving aside the fact that Ted Baker is a third-rate Paul Smith ripoff). I would put Zegna in a category with Canali, Barbera, etc., and Hugo Boss and Ted Baker are basically high street clothes at inflated prices. It's hard to know where to fit Paul Smith - maybe a "New Brit" category with Richard James, etc.

 

[imageWIS]

Where would Ralph Lauren Purple Label fit in the categories? There are of course the English-made items (Savile Row), from an earlier time in RLPL's history and then there are the new Italian-made items, thus would I wager it would be best to put them altogether and see in which category they fit.

As well, in which category would Zegna Napoli Couture go into?

Jon.

 

[kalra2411]

Ralph Lauren Purple Label would probabaly go into the middle of the road group, being that the quality and price is about on par with Zegna.

Though I would agree with Bryce in that, that is not a very well defined group, and there could be many subsections.

I think you are very wrong in saying that Boss, PS, TB, and Zegna have nothing in common, perhaps the fact of the matter is that you like the Italian cut, and therefore you find the others inferior, but in actual fact the quality of a Boss suit is the same as an equaly priced Zegna, it is just that the Italian cut is favoured by most (me included, but I will not put Boss down just because the cut does not suit me - as many do). To the best of my knowledge PS is not much older than TB, so I find it odd that you say this, also I have never seen similar TB and PS items. Canali would also easily fit into this group.

Zegna Napoli, perhaps a new group for brands, which have a high end range, as Armani Classico

 

[LA Guy]

I think a more useful poll might have asked forum members how they described their style (Tailored, designer, casual, "alternative," and so on) with examples of designers for each category. This poll is not particularly well designed - distinguishing between Savile Row and Italian tailors while putting a disparate group of labels (both in terms of style and cost) all into the "middle of the road" category. So the results of the poll will not yield any really interesting data for discussion.

 

[kalra2411]

I think you are missing the point; what I conceivably was trying to show is that, although some charge more for an item, e.g. Brioni, it does not necessarily mean that it is as good as a small independent or cutting-edge designer, in that the quality of the independent will be higher, but the design may not be as contemporary and up to the minute, and the cutting-edge designer will be far more fashionable but the material may be of a lower quality. Thus, people may prefer to wear different types of brand for that very raison d'être.

The fact that you say that the middle of the road brands are dissimilar seems very peculiar to me, apart from the fact that they are from different countries, they are very similar, prices are the same, they are sold in the same strain of shops, and quality is analogous.

Though clearly, every brand is different, and consequently any grouping would be wrong, as far as I could say, they are very much the same for such purposes.

 

[LA Guy]

I think that my suggested poll would be much more likely to yield the type of data you are interested in than would the current one. For example, someone who buys Zegna because they cannot afford Brioni would be in the "tailored" category, and someone who would rather buy from Urban Outfitters, would, in all likehood, rather buy pieces from Cloak or Great China Wall if it were financially viable. Your poll seeks to answer two different questions, one about style, the other about pricepoint, and the way the poll is constructed, neither question will be particularly well answered. That's all.

 

[kalra2411]

In point of fact, as I said in my preceding post, in lesser a word, I am not interested in what other people's styles are. I am merely attempting to observe, if people are more so conscious of current trends, quality, fit or repute. However, I feel that in grouping into the categories, which I did, I have fashioned a demographic of the Styleforum, grouping as to say into (in the array that they are given in the poll): Tailored, (but actually has no true appreciation for the quality, and plainly relies on the price to ensure a quality product) Tailored, (and appreciates the joys of a well-made item, to fit perfectly, and does not rely on just paying more to get a quality product, and is willing to do some work to find that product) Saville Row, (may or may not appreciate the quality, but relies on the fact that it is established area for quality suit making, in order to ensure the quality of the product, which they purchase) Lux Designer (is somewhat into fashion and current trends, but also appreciates a degree of quality) Middle of the Road, (Enjoys the quality wholeheartedly, but realises that due to the price they are getting a good deal, but not necessarily the highest quality) NB. I was expecting the least response for this, because the poll question was: Which type of brand do you most like to wear? Meaning, quite obviously that price is of no object, and it is what you feel best wearing.

For example, someone who buys Zegna because they cannot afford Brioni would be in the "tailored" category, and someone who would rather buy from Urban Outfitters, would, in all likehood, rather buy pieces from Cloak or Great China Wall if it were financially viable.

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Cutting-Edge, (Very immersed in Fashion, quality is not an issue if it is at the expense of not being up to the minute. French, (either the have a penchant for the French

or they value high quality, but also to some extent rely on the fact that France is associated with high quality products, not dissimilar from the first tailored group) Small Local, (The person has a true appreciation for high quality, and is not bothered with brand recognition etc. Because people will be able to see the quality anyway) Evidently, as I did not refer to my reasoning for the poll, you missed the point, you are making things awfully basic.

 

[LA Guy]

Tailored, (but actually has no true appreciation for the quality, and plainly relies on the price to ensure a quality product)

Tailored, (and appreciates the joys of a well-made item, to fit perfectly, and does not rely on just paying more to get a quality product, and is willing to do some work to find that product)

Saville Row, (may or may not appreciate the quality, but relies on the fact that it is established area for quality suit making, in order to ensure the quality of the product, which they purchase)

I guess that I'm just not convinced that your poll distinguishes between these demographics. For example, if someone chooses, say, the Kiton category over the Jantzen or Savile Row category - they may do so because they

1) Appreciate quality as much as the next guy, but prefers Italian over English styling
2) Are unconvinced by the testimonials of other forum members about Jantzen, and are unwilling to experiment (this would put them in your "Savile Row" category,
3) Have tried Jantzen, and perhaps other makers, and were dissatisfied with the results compared to, say, Kiton MTM.

All these (and there are many more examples) are legitimate reasons for choosing Kiton over the others, and do not put the voter in the first demographic you mentioned. Similarly, neither does choosing Savile Row put that voter in your Savile Row demographic. The voter choosing Jantzen may be giving a little more information, but even that is ambiguous. I think that you are trying to get too much, and the wrong, information, out of the poll.

 

[thc]

I voted for Lux Designer. My favorite designer/brands all have a similar look: Jil Sander, Helmut Lang, and Calvin Klein. I'm a big fan of John Varvatos too.

 

[LabelKing]

Cutting-Edge, (Very immersed in Fashion, quality is not an issue if it is at the expense of not being up to the minute.

The brands that were mentioned, i.e. Dior Homme, Comme des Garcons tends to be less trendy as opposed to avant-garde. And the quality be damned issue doesn't take well with say, Carol Christian Poell.

 

[ernest]

English garments

or french classik one (Dior, Lanvin,Faconnable...)

 

[kalra2411]

Ernest, do you mean Chritian Dior Monsiour, the old stuff?