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Very surprised to find that no thread exists where fellow BHPians discuss the various brands of clothes they prefer.

Any particular brands which are known for their good quality even after a few years of usage? This might be product specific as well, for instance Shirts from Brand X are good, but Trousers from brand Y etc.

Besides the off season sale is around the corner, so we can update on the various offers, discounts being offered. Have noticed a lot of BHPians mention that they prefer buying clothes from abroad, but sadly this is not an option for all of us.please:

Online shopping is quite tempting, but you are never assured how the product will fare over a period of time. Any suggestions on this front would be most welcome.

(Mods, please delete/merge if a suitable thread already exists. I could not locate one despite numerous attemps)

Interesting topic. I am not a very involved shopper for clothes. Generally visit only one place 'Shoppers Stop' and pick up stuff and shopping is done within 15 min. :D

Would be interested to read the views of fellow BHPians and get some tips on some good brands for the next purchase. :)

Generally have found Louis Phillipe in formals to be a good buy. Jeans, have worn only Levis so no idea about other brands.

Ditto for me with Jeans. In fact, L531 is the only model I have for all my Jeans. But I mentioned to my friend two days back that Levis doesn't seem to be a good brand anymore, and then stumbled on this:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/shifti...at-used-7.html

And Echo your thoughts, I too just go to some mall etc and buy whatever looks nice. Sadly it has happened quite often with me that the stuff doesn't even lastan year of normal usage, so don't want to make the same mistake again and be better informed from now onwards.

Over the weekend looked at Hilfiger T-shirts. The material was not dense as usual. Saw the price and it was cheaper. I think they are making something cheaper but it shows.

Denims always buy levis as Ive learnt from experience. They may cost more but last you a life time.
Formals Park Avenue, Van Heusens and Louis Philip. Allen solly is also a good brand but ive no experience with them.

Casuals UCB shirts, FCUK tees and other sports brands.

Shoes formals for daily wear i find Batas most comfortable for my feet as ive to do a lot of walking around.
Casuals i prefer Air Force Ones from Nike. The comfiest shoes ive ever worn. Even though i recently bought a few Adidases but nothing matches the Nike comfort level. Air force ones are now available in India but only plain designs. Try them once. Maybe you'll love them too.

Can someone recommend some good readymade suits brand? How is Boggi Milano? And some good brand for formal shoes? Just for occasional wear i suppose.

Regards.

Amit, have you tried Van Heusen.on Paud Rd opp. Vanaz. The guys there are very helpful

For Jeans, I have found LEE, Levi's, Wrangler and Pepe to be top notch in quality over the last 25 years of use. At the same time, I would never buy them for 3-4k MRP in their regular stores, always wait for discounts from 40-50% to buy them.

For shirts, from my personal experience, stay away from colour plus. I have bought them in company showrooms as well as in discount stores. Their designs and colours are great but hardly last a few washes. Louis Phillipe and Allen Solly have been my favourites for 18 + years not to mention Arrow. They have quality as well as style, worth the paisa you pay.

I have a Van Heusen shirt that's 18 (yes, eighteen) years old. No color fade, not a stitch has come loose and the fabric is still very smooth after countless number of washes. Sadly, can't say the same about the Van Huesens that I've bought later.

That is probably because now you are buying Van Hussains and not the real Van Heusen. :)

A sad fact about jeans in India. No matter the brand, Lee, Levi's, seems that the minimum inseam length is 32in. Everywhere I look, people are about the same height as me, and I use 30in inseam. So, either I am not seeing tall people, or something's not right.

What is the point in altering jeans, if you dont get a washed cuff that matches the rest of the seams?

Is it just me who feels this way?

Anyway, the solution I found a long time ago, and works like a champ:

Eddie Bauer | Outerwear, Clothing, Shoes & Gear for Men & Women

Even with shipping to India, works out cheaper than some Levi's you get here. And you can get custom fit for just about any inseam length. They last forever, and you can get some regular old blue jeans without all the wrinkling and fading and all that new age nonsense.

Cheers

Eddie Bauer and all those US brands are indeed great. I am slightly surprised when you say they are cheaper despite import. The reason I say this is because when you compare like for like, this cannot be the case. If, however you compare an expensive Lee or Levi's jean with a relatively inexpensive Eddie Bauer, then I guess the import duty on the Eddie Bauer will off set the higher price of the expensive Lee or Levi's.

For example I shop now and then for Dockers D3 Classic Khaki pants from the US and have them delivered here by air and pay the duty too. The typical 36 dollar khaki costs me Rs 3500 odd by the time it reaches me here including shipping and courier costs as well as duties. Delivered by a web engine called 20 North .com who as of the last 6 to 8 months appear to be dysfunctional. More's the pity.

Ref the jeans you buy here in India, in my experience at the Exclusive brand stores they will always alter the jeans to fit your exact requirement of length, leave alone 30 inches! They will also alter it in such a way as to use the washed, puckered trouser bottom so as NOT to detract from the washed jeans look. Do check. My wife has a similar special in seam length need which is totally non- standard and all her jeans have the washed look trouser bottoms perfectly preserved!

Yes there is a reasonable requirement in India for 30 inch in seam length and as far as my experience goes, the 30 inch in seam option is indeed available. Usually the exclusive brand stores are better stocked,as are first class retailers like Shoppers Stop and Lifestyle etc.

Eddie Bauer jeans used to be always $39.95 each. Now they have gone up to ~$55, but there are always some on sale for as low as $20.

The key to make them cheaper, which I forgot to mention, is to buy at least 4-5 pairs at a time. That way, the shipping and taxes will work itself lower per pair, and usually I can get a pair for less than INR3000 each. Lately I have got some buddies hooked on these jeans, and so we do a group buy, and it works out really well.

We buy direct from Eddie Bauer.com and their service is excellent.

Honestly, I have not found 30 inseam jeans in any major outlet in a few metros I have checked.

Cheers.

Surprised by this reduction in quality of Color Plus. A decade back all my dark coloured shirts were from Color Plus, bought just for the reason that they don't fade. After shifting to Chennai, have almost stopped wearing shirts and shifted to T-shirts because of the heat & humidity.

LEVIS JEANS / DENIMS ARE GREAT.
M&S - TROUSERS / CORDRUOY'S

SHIRTS - S OLIVER, PROVOGUE ( NOW THEY HAVE GONE THE DRAIN ), US POLO ASSOCIATION, INDIAN TERRAIN.

TSHIRTS - US POLO, UCLA.

SPORT WEAR - PUMA ADIDAS.

The best store in Delhi which offers everything in my opinion is the LIFESTYLE stores. Specially the one in GIP Noida. Select City Walk / Promenade are also good places for multi brands.

US POLO ASSOCIATION is the fastest rising brand at the moment in India. Belongs to ARVIND.

A small example of their Service - I bought a Jeans for 2499 and must have worn it 2-3 times and it had a very small whitish / worn out look in the are where the seam joins ( inner legs - just below the zip where the fabric stretches if you expand your legs ) and everytime I used to sit and where there was a slight stretch the area looked even whiter and I could fear of it starting to tear in a day or two.

I took it back and before I could even explain what the problem is I was offered either a refund or could pick out anything else !! I did not even take the original bill with me.

I am customer for life :)

Spot on with USPA. I have purchased two shirts till date, and these must be the best of the lot. Not degraded after an year of use.
Will check out their Jeans as well.

Although, don't have a very great experience with Indian Terrain. A trouser faded after 3-4 months of normal usage.

Noob question, what's M&S? Marks and Spencers? Isn't it quite expensive?