RRP vs. price war for new or nearly new qualitative garments on the market

[Marc mndt]

I also know people working in Savile Row who have lost jobs; I'm guessing the issue there is less clientele not having the money, more the lack of need of a new suit if they're not in the office / going out.

I used to wear a suit every day when going to the office. I haven't seen the office since March 2020 because of Covid, which also means I haven't worn a suit since.

I like nice suits but as opposed to nice jackets I don't wear/buy them as a hobby. Therefore there's no reason to buy them anymore. I guess this holds for a lot of people with office/sales jobs.

 

[Edward]

I used to wear a suit every day when going to the office. I haven't seen the office since March 2020 because of Covid, which also means I haven't worn a suit since.

I like nice suits but as opposed to nice jackets I don't wear/buy them as a hobby. Therefore there's no reason to buy them anymore. I guess this holds for a lot of people with office/sales jobs.

Absolutely, this is my point. I've been holding off buying any new suits myself, not because I don't want to, but because I'm trying to shift lockdown weight first, and I'm also trying to save a bit of money and clear out a lot of old clothes. The clear out is the big challenge as none of our local charity shops are open at present and I won't bin perfectly wearable clothes, such a waste. I would happily wear a suit at home; I still regularly wear a tie (of course, in the University we don't have a dress code as such, many of my senior colleagues never wear a tie if they can avoid it, including one who was a partner in several major firms for many years before coming to work with us, and who takes a child like glee in not wearing a tie to work since joining us). I know that's not the "norm" though, and I've definitely see it in action. I get the Charles Tyrwhitt catalogue in the door every few months, and their whole focus has shifted to what was previously their "weekend" collection. I don't even think there was a single suit in the last one.

 

[bn1966]

Good thread.....

Spoke to one of the leather jacket big guns recently & they said business is booming....no sales there.

On the flip side I’ve been getting lots of sales items recently at as low as a quarter of the RRP (£200 Textile bike jacket for £50). Just visited the SJC sale for a fetching sweater at under half price.

Without the usual outlets for my $$$$$ there’s been more disposable than usual which has seen a wardrobe overhaul inc 2 new leather jackets (5*) and lots of other clobber mainly from Pike Brothers.

Have been selling on the bay a little to clear wardrobe space and create more funds. Shifted 2 Pike T shirts & an Alpha B-15 at around half of their original RRP.

It was so cold this morning that the ELC RAF sweater came out, I’ve only worn it about twice since purchasing & then briefly. On getting home with said sweater I took it off an noticed a rash on my neck. The RAF is now on eBay for just over half RRP on a BIN, will lower it to half in a couple of days if it’s not sold.

 

[jchance]

I like paying a fraction (usually around 35%) of the retail price for a second-handed piece, just in case it doesn't fit that well in person and I can recoup most, if not all, of what I paid for to try it on. eBay's pricing (as well as other places like etsy) has been insane in the past few years, and I tend to avoid them if I can. Instead, I frequent JP sites, shopgoodwill, poshmark, facebook marketplace, and local thrift shops for affordable pieces.