Luke Roper · Articles
Buying Designer Menswear Online
Buying Designer Menswear Online
FASHION · GLOBAL
Buying Designer Menswear Online
Sizing between brands, fabric and construction, sale timing and authenticity
Designer menswear at full price is expensive and at the right moment is not, and the difference between the two is mostly timing and knowing your measurements.
Sizing is not standardised
A medium varies enormously between brands and between a brand's own ranges. Measure a garment you own that fits well, laid flat, and compare against the listed measurements rather than the size letter.
Note that Italian, UK and US sizing differ, and that brands frequently cut differently for different markets.
What justifies the price
Fabric quality, pattern cutting and finishing. Look at the composition field, the lining, whether seams are finished and whether there is enough allowance to alter.
A logo is not construction. Plenty of expensive garments are ordinary clothing with a name on.
Sale timing
Menswear goes on sale predictably — typically late December and late June, with further reductions weeks later. Waiting one cycle on anything not urgent saves a substantial amount.
End-of-season outerwear in particular falls hardest, and nothing about the coat changes in the meantime.
Authenticity
Buy from the brand or a retailer it lists as authorised. Check labels, stitching, hardware weight and the product code against the brand's own listing.
A new-season item at a fraction of retail is not genuine, and convincing fakes are also sold near full price.
Alterations
Budget around ten percent for tailoring. Sleeve length, waist and hem are routine; shoulders are not.
Care
Read the care label before buying rather than afterwards, since dry-clean-only is an ongoing cost. Wash wool and technical fabrics with the correct detergent and never with fabric softener, which coats the fibres.
Hang jackets on broad shaped hangers and rest them for a day between wears.
Buying second-hand
Designer resale platforms hold a great deal of barely worn stock at a fraction of retail. Check the measurements given in the listing rather than the size label, and use platforms that offer authentication.
What lasts
Natural fibres in a decent weight, proper linings and construction that can be altered. A small amount of elastane adds comfort and shortens the garment's life considerably.
Buy a second of anything that fits particularly well, since makers revise their patterns without notice.
Sale strategy
Make a list of what you actually need before a sale rather than during it, since a discount on something you would never otherwise have bought is not a saving at all.
Cost per wear
A jacket worn weekly for five years costs very little per wear. Ask honestly whether it works with at least three things you already own.
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