Any thoughts on Jos A Bank suits? Their suit sale is running through Saturday. Brooks Brothers is blown out of my size and don't have a local store. Is JAB a step up from Men's Wearhouse type suits?
Jos A Bank suits?
- Thread starter Dennis
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I know nothing about the quality of their suits, but they should change their motto to:
"Joseph A Banks, If you buy something at full price your an idiot!"
That place has some killer deals, everyday!
"Joseph A Banks, If you buy something at full price your an idiot!"
That place has some killer deals, everyday!
I have one of their suits which I don't wear that often, maybe once a month. But, it has held up well over the last 3 years. They have some great deals, but I've found their customer service/knowledge of their salespeople a bit spotty. Ditto for their tailoring.
bought several, like em all
I haven't bought a JAB suit but I do own 2 of their sport coats, several pairs of gabardine slacks and about a dozen of their dress shirts. All good quality stuff, but like Rich says their tailoring is spotty.
Another drawback, the drop on their suits is like 4". If you're tall and skinny you can buy a suit in the store. If you are short and fat like me you have to buy the suit separates which they hardly have in stock and then get fitted when the arrive at the store.
Another drawback, the drop on their suits is like 4". If you're tall and skinny you can buy a suit in the store. If you are short and fat like me you have to buy the suit separates which they hardly have in stock and then get fitted when the arrive at the store.
I have 2 suits and 3 pairs of trousers in regular rotation, all good quality.
They run a lot of phony sales (ie, jack the regular price up 3x and then have a 60% off special) so you need to watch the actual prices and know whether it's really a good deal or no.
They run a lot of phony sales (ie, jack the regular price up 3x and then have a 60% off special) so you need to watch the actual prices and know whether it's really a good deal or no.
They're a step up from MW, but if you can afford it then wait for their next sale and get the BB suit and get it properly tailored for you.
If you don't like thick shoulder pads you won't like JAB suits. They look fine on some guys but about half or more of the people I see with them look ridiculous because the shoulders are so built up and ill-suited to the wearer. Don't worry about not making the sale, they will just have another one in a couple weeks.
Have one that I bought about a year ago. The "drop" is a problem with my physique - they got separates that solved the problem beautifully. Tailoring at my store was excellent. And, yes, watch for the sales - one every other week or less! Quality, well, they aren't expensive so they aren't full or even partially canvased. Certainly as nice as Penney's. I have a nice, dark blue suit very suitable for wearing to the symphony once a month. I will go back to JA Banks.
They have some very nice suits in the upper price ranges - the Platinum and Signature Gold lines are the two top end lines.
I have several of their suits in a range of lines, from the Signature Gold down to a seersucker. IMHO, the value is better than Mens Warehouse, and, generally, the salespeople are more knowledgeable.
They stand behind their merchandise. Twice, I've returned altered suits for full refunds (not credits).
I'm not too thrilled with the alterations, so I now take the unaltered suit or sports coat to an outside tailor.
I have several of their suits in a range of lines, from the Signature Gold down to a seersucker. IMHO, the value is better than Mens Warehouse, and, generally, the salespeople are more knowledgeable.
They stand behind their merchandise. Twice, I've returned altered suits for full refunds (not credits).
I'm not too thrilled with the alterations, so I now take the unaltered suit or sports coat to an outside tailor.
I have three, picked up during one of their buy 1, get 2 free sales. $600 got me three very nicely made suits needing only minor tailoring to be perfect. Even my tailor was impressed.
Yes. But MW is at the bottom of totem pole. Right along with Macy's and JC Penny. Well, maybe JC Penny's is with JAB... Not sure.
Oh, and Van Heusen and the other Poly blend makers don't even make it to the list.
So... yeah. If you want a cheap suit, get a JAB.
i'm curious. how do you rate clothing retailers? by the brands they carry? price points? while I don't consider Macy's top of the line I don't think putting them alongside MW or JcPenny's warrants a comparison. I'd say Macy's is a step down from Nordstroms which carries some of the same brands like Joseph Abboud, Hart Shaffner Marx and Hugo Boss. I think Macy's straddles the middle ground because they carry both high-end and middle of the road suits (Hugo Boss, Hart Shaffner Marx, DKNY, CK, Alfani, Joseph Abboud, etc). I don't think they're great by any means but they're not bad in terms of the sales they offer.
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That doesn't make a lot of sense to me. I see cross branding of all the "low-end" suit makers at all the department store chains and MW-type stores. I was mostly interested in a 3/2 sack suit from BB, but I don't have a retail store anywhere near me (Factory stores don't carry "real" BB stuff). The annual sale going on right now has them blown out of many sizes unless I want to drop 2 grand on a suit, which I don't. Sure, I would LOVE to take AAAC clothes and get a MTM suit or what have you, but I don't have that kind of cash. I wasn't really familiar with JAB suits which is why I asked - I wasn't real happy with my last suit I got from MW. I basically need a 2 button grey suit by April. This will be part of my standard wardrobe, church on Sunday, afternoon wedding, etc...
By the brands they carry. Macy's carries only fused suits by designers who charge way more than their suits are worth. MW... Crummy quality, very disappointed in most everything I've bought from them. Think about it, they started off as an outlet to sell his father's polyester suits....
Dillard's is the step up from Macy's. They carry HF, HSM, Daniel Cremieux Gold line. Those are half and full canvas, good fabrics, generally good quality. I think they have some fused suits too.
Nordstrom's is interesting. They carry a lot of fused lines, Joseph Abboud, Boss, etc. However, those fused suits use nice fabrics and are pretty much as good as fused suits get. They also carry HSM, Burberry, & HF which are half and full respectively.
Saks Fifth is the next step up, carrying mostly full canvas items. Barney's is at the same level or better. They carry Kiton and Armani. Finally, Neiman Marcus takes the cake. They carry Isaia, Oxxford, Brioni, Armani, etc etc.
Brooks Brothers, Ralph Lauren and places like them are in their own category. BB sells half canvas suits using nice quality fabrics and also has their Golden Fleece line, which is full canvas and really nice fabrics. They also have their MTM program that is really nice. Ralph Lauren has their blue label line, which is full or half canvas, black label is damn good, and purple is even better. They also have a MTM program.
MW will overcharge you for what you get. A ***. I hate every piece of clothing I've ever bought from them. Paid too much for it, and the quality just stinks.
At least with JAB I can't complain too much because I paid so little for similar quality. Maybe a step up.
If you want to save money buy online. http://stores.ebay.com/The-Wizard-of-Aahs
I had a very bad experience there. The salesman was more interested in making a sale than earning a repeat customer. As a result one pair of pants didn't fit at all and the others were poorly tailored. They also have a practice of charging you for the suit before the suit is tailored and you've tried it on; a practice the more upscale gentlemen's stores in town do not have.
However, I was able to get a very nice camel hair sportcoat for Christmas with little trouble. It required no tailoring though and was only $100, down from over $300.
I wouldn't recommend them for suits. If there's a nice coat on sale that doesn't require the use of their tailor, I'd say it's safe.
However, I was able to get a very nice camel hair sportcoat for Christmas with little trouble. It required no tailoring though and was only $100, down from over $300.
I wouldn't recommend them for suits. If there's a nice coat on sale that doesn't require the use of their tailor, I'd say it's safe.
Playing Devil's advocate here, but you could just buy the suit there and take it somewhere else to get tailored. While you certainly expect and should get good tailoring at a men's store... They aren't exactly known for their top notch tailoring. Try Neiman Marcus for that, or see who they use for overspill.
Anyway, as I said earlier, I'm not a big fan of JAB anymore. But at least they're better than MW.
There's something to be said for getting a first-rate suit and wearing it more often. Once I got a couple of MTM suits I found myself wearing them all the time, and while the cost was a bit gulp-inducing at the time, having owned them for awhile now I feel they were the best clothing purchase I've ever made.
