Best places to buy good non-work clothes without breaking the bank

Hey fellas -- looking to upgrade my wardrobe here (maybe spend 2-3k). I'm looking to buy good clothes but not super premium (i.e. I don't want to spend $100 for a pair of pants at Lululemon). Where do you all shop for non-work clothes / any recs in this tier?

 

theAudiophile

Nordstrom Rack. 

+1

Also, I like Zara and Urban Outfitters.

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 

Isaiah_53_5 💎🙌💎🙌💎

theAudiophile

Nordstrom Rack. 

+1

Also, I like Zara and Urban Outfitters.

UO! Throwing out the oldschool on these kids. Still got special edition Pumas from there from over a decade ago.

The poster formerly known as theAudiophile. Just turned up to 11, like the stereo.
 
Sequoia

How do you think about Nordstrom Rack vs TJ Maxx?

Good clothes are good clothes, but you find way more at NR. Including their own brand. But TJ isn't bad either.

The poster formerly known as theAudiophile. Just turned up to 11, like the stereo.
 

Casual clothes, without being a prestige snob or breaking the bank

Tier 1 : Zara , H&M

Tier 2 : ??

Tier 3 : Forever 21, Shein


Personally, Not paying $75 for some stupid ass t shirt that I can buy at F21 for $7 and replace when it gets stained or starts falling apart

For work clothes I’m still cheap, but not as cheap, and get CT tier shirts, BR tier chinos/pants, and SS tier suits 

 

Banana Republic for most clothes except jeans.  Gap and Old Navy have better jeans than BR.  It has become challenging to get discounts at BR lately. They must have changed their business model

Gap for Chinos, sweatshirt jackets  and waffle knit long sleeve tees

 

I bought two pairs of BR jeans a year ago - both worn out already. Their quality for certain things have gone way, way down - sweaters are still really nice and have a few from there. A shame as I used to shop there a lot. 

I've had success recently with Levi jeans, Uniqlo for chinos and sweaters. I also took a shot on nadaam cashmere sweaters online - $75 a piece which is a pretty good deal if they live up to half of what they claim to. Otherwise Jcrew has some nice tech pants, chinos and sweaters. 

Shoes have actually been my biggest issue - I generally have cole haans but just not impressed with those lately. 

 

Addinator

I bought two pairs of BR jeans a year ago - both worn out already. Their quality for certain things have gone way, way down - sweaters are still really nice and have a few from there. A shame as I used to shop there a lot. 

I've had success recently with Levi jeans, Uniqlo for chinos and sweaters. I also took a shot on nadaam cashmere sweaters online - $75 a piece which is a pretty good deal if they live up to half of what they claim to. Otherwise Jcrew has some nice tech pants, chinos and sweaters. 

Shoes have actually been my biggest issue - I generally have cole haans but just not impressed with those lately. 

And the BR jeans are expensive!  They have nice sweaters but I do not buy many because they usually stay in my closet without being worn.  My sweater alternative is a sweat shirt jacket.  If I want to get little more dressed up,  I will toss on a long sleeve button down or polo. 
 

They also have very nice denimish jackets in non blue colors. They have a very cool looking grey one but I don’t want to pay full price for it, so I will wait!

 

I can appreciate not wanting to break the bank but you generally get what you pay for...  When I was in no financial position to do so I updated my wardrobe with a lot of Lulu Lemon, Marine Layer, et al and years later that stuff has held up extremely well.  I've also gotten plenty of H&M stuff on the cheap that was unwearable after a single wash.

I'm also very tall with an athletic build (sick brag) and often latch on to a brand when I find options that fit well (e.g. Lulu Lemon ABC pants) with less concern about price.  With a $2-3k budget, I don't think you need to resign yourself to lower tier options

 

This is how I was with Rhone. I originally wore run-of-the-mill active loungewear, until I got my first pair of Rhone sweatpants. I've never been back since - highly recommend Rhone, Lulu, Outdoor Voices, Merino, Vuori, and those. Yeah, I cringe at the thought of paying $85+ for sweatpants, but once I pull out some old Gap ones I feel like my legs are in the shredder. Maybe I'm spoiled... LOL, you get sucked in!

 

TJ Maxx, but 90% of the clothes is trash so you have to embrace the hunt a bit. When it comes to clothes only buy things you are hell yes about. When you try something on and feel meh it’s not worth it

also brands mean nothing. Guys don’t care, girls don’t care. It’s about fit and style. Clothes is one of the dumbest things to blow significant money on

 
Most Helpful

They won't win you any fashion awards, but Eddie Bauer flannels are the best bang for your buck out there. Everything cheaper falls apart and everything more expensive is marginally nicer if at all. If you're less stocky then LL Bean makes a solid flannel too - I just can't wear them because they're long and skinny for me (i.e. I'm too fat). If you're part of the "buy it once" crowd then Pendleton shirts will last a generation, but you'll pay for it.

Unfortunately, anything I can find at Cabela's / Bass Pro falls apart. Didn't used to be the case, but here we are. Really disappointed at how quickly Carhartt stuff wears out. REI used to be my go-to to find good brands but now all of it seems to be sized for wispy tech soyboys who break out in hives if it's not soft enough (looking at you, Patagonia and Faherty). Exceptions for Columbia and REI store brand, there's a reason people out in the mountains are wrapped in stuff that works and holds up and the delicate puffy slim downies can be found in the office.

Kuhl pants, Filson jackets and bags, Red Wing Heritage boots - it's all bulletproof if you take care of it, and the price per use gets pretty low.

[sir, this is an arby's / finance forum]

"Son, life is hard. But it's harder if you're stupid." - my dad
 

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"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 

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