I'm a dyed in the merino wool J.Crew guy. Over 75% of what I own and wear comes from the mother-ship. But even I have to admit that BR does do a few things better.Another fantastic review! "Thanks!" again to J.Crew Guy In Canada for his view on BR versus J.Crew.
Shorts are more than pants with less length. They more casual, less buttoned down and for many of us a sign of time off. J.Crew makes some good ones, but I find the ones getting the most wear time with me are from BR. Jenna and Frank have many options including the very good broken in chino short #67140 and the utility corduroy short #64198. Over at BR the solid short with a regular price of $49.50 is a winner. Soft cotton, good colour choice and even some patterns. Current favorite is the burgundy plaid short. More washed dark red than burgundy, they look killer with a white oxford or denim shirt. And they are cheaper than the ones at 'crew.
Speaking of denim shirts this is another area I'm constantly looking for the 'one'. Denim shirts seem to be tough to pull off properly. They are either too heavy a fabric, cut too full or just a little too full on cowboy. I have a Polo button down in a washed denim, and the possibly over exposed chambray from J.Crew. The selvedge chambray utility shirt #84018 has great fabric, but has been around for several seasons. Both of these are alright. As previously mentioned in another post the button pockets on the J.Crew option are not working for me. But the BR Heritage chambray for $89 is slimmer and a heavier weight cotton without feeling like you're wearing a pair of jean as a shirt. The colour is dark and rich and a hands down winner. And is $25 less.
This doesn't mean I'm jumping ship, it's just means I'm honest. The J.Crew boxes will continue to outnumber the ones from Banana and company, but they won't be the only ones on my doorstep.
There are definitely a few pieces from Banana Republic that I find are much better at holding up than J.Crew's alternative. (I remember picking up a peplum sweater from BR that has held up quite well in the wash. Something I don't take lightly with J.Crew's sweaters.) However, as a whole, I love J.Crew's cut, fit, and styles much more. That is where my heart (and wallet) are at!
What are your thoughts on post? Are there items from Banana Republic that are better (in terms of quality, fit, etc) than J.Crew? If so, please share! :)
Great review as always! I'm going to have to check out the BR shorts for hubby now.
ReplyDeleteHe pretty much has only jcrew shorts -cargos, broken in chino, some dressier ones. I'd like to see what BR is offering.
As a guy shopping both stores frequently, i think the biggest advantage BR has over JC is the fairly consistent 40% off promotion (although JC is doing more promotions themselves than before).
ReplyDeleteI like the new performance line from BR, where JC has nothing in that area.
I love JC Guy in Canada reviews, however, I still prefer Stanton 9 inchers over BR shorts (if I can find them at comparable price point, and I just found 2 of them for $20 each at brick and mortar JC store). Quality wise, they are really close, so advantage BR because of the better price point on most of their men's shorts and shirts.
Thanks for another detailed review JC Guy in Canada. Further to Sanel's comments, I think BR overall has the better polo collection than JC in terms of more styling options as well as the performance line. I really like their luxe-line and as Sanel mentioned I just wait for the 40% off.
ReplyDeleteOverall, I think this is the Year of the Polos! Man, I can't believe the styling options this year. From what I've seen online and GQ----Michael Bastian + Uniqlo collab rocks!!! Can't beat the styling for $ 20-25. Unfortunately I live in Canada too and we don't have a Uniqlo store here. I checked online and contemplated on going to NY but a lot of the ones I like are out of stock or low inventory with only XS size left.
Another polo to check out apart from the usual suspects (Lacoste and RL) is the Original Penguin. Love the retro styling and etc. However, the prices are nowhere close Uniqlos.