4 ms·

Their menswear collection looks to be trying to compete with Banana Republic and JCrew, at least price wise. I took a look at their "experimental" women's line,

Their menswear collection looks to be trying to compete with Banana Republic and JCrew, at least price wise. I took a look at their "experimental" women's line, AYR, and it's just... I mean maybe I'm not their target demographic but for $125 I can purchase some incredible pants at Nordstrom and actually try them on in the store, not to mention have a great customer service experience and get them tailored in-house. Their women's line suffers from overly high prices for what the pieces are (simple stuff that I can buy at Ann Taylor or Loft or Nordstrom or JCrew or Banana Republic depending on my mood and what color I want it in), and the extremely narrow offering of sizes is straight up ridiculous at this point. I'm not going to drop $150 on any clothing I buy online sight-unseen unless it's a brand I already know and trust. And yes, I can return it if I don't like it or if it doesn't fit but if I'm spending $500-1000 on clothes at a time (and at Bonobos that's two pants and two shirts plus a blazer) I don't want to go through that hassle, I want everything to be perfect the first time. I imagine that for most men their desired shopping experience is even more geared towards "I want to purchase the most adequate pair of pants the very first time and minimize the time I need to spend shopping." I do have a few friends who live to shop but the vast majority of my friends, male and female alike, just want to buy things they like and have them work the first time around with a minimum of fuss. Plus, if I'm going to spend that much money on clothes that I have never purchased before (and I consider $200-400 per outfit to be a significant outlay of money for clothes, which perhaps makes me an outlier) I want an experience to go with it. I want to see what I'm getting before I pay for it, and I would like the option to consult with a salesperson about the clothing. Their men's Americano and French Cuff dress shirts are in the same price range as the least expensive shirts from an awesome independent men's store close to my house (in the DC suburbs) and every time I've been in there to shop with my husband he's treated like a king by the staff, as is every other customer that comes through there regardless of how much they spend. Again, when I shop there I know damn well that whatever I buy is going to be the absolute top quality that it can be because the owner cares about his customers and doesn't sell anything he wouldn't buy or wear himself.

andzt 11y ago
Bonobos is carried in some Nordstrom stores, not sure about AYR. I'm actually thinking of giving their pants a second shot once the Nordstrom by me re-opens and I can try enough pairs on to find ones that fit well - if the store carries them. Link: http://shop.nordstrom.com/c/bonobos-clothing http://shop.nordstrom.com/c/bonobos-clothing
- deleted 11y ago
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- SilasX 11y ago
  Yeah, I recognized the name Bonobos from my favorite shirt, and I had got it at Nordstrom's, gets a lot of compliments. It contrasts with another sweater I got there, which developed holes after four months... Had no idea Bonobos was trying to do this online-only thing, my first experience with them is in the physical world. (No, not a shill and don't normally recognize and remember clothing brands on the spot.)
mikeyouse 11y ago
I wore a Bonobos suit in my wedding and had a great experience with them. They have "Guide Shops" in many major cities[1] where you can go try on the clothes, talk to the sales associates and browse their collection in person. After your ~30 min appointment is over, they email you a size reminder for everything you tried on (so you know that your suit top should be a 40R slim and your pants should be 32 straight cut and that you wear a slightly different size in their business shirts as compared to their casual ones or whatever). 20% off the first order as well meant I paid a very reasonable amount for a well-fitting suit that I was confident would fit without excessive tailoring. The other options I was looking at either had poor-quality fabrics / seams, fit poorly, or were more expensive. [1] - https://bonobos.com/guideshop https://bonobos.com/guideshop
dplgk 11y ago
Exactly. I receive their catalog and I don't understand their angle. Is it cheaper than Banana? No. Is the quality better? I have no idea. Are the styles better? They appear to standard, possibly even more plain and boring ala J Crew. So why am I buying it? When I first heard of them I figured someone was finally making a quality shirt for say $50-$60. Seems like an good angle. But instead it's just another expensive shirt. Why?

andzt 11y ago

Bonobos is carried in some Nordstrom stores, not sure about AYR. I'm actually thinking of giving their pants a second shot once the Nordstrom by me re-opens and I can try enough pairs on to find ones that fit well - if the store carries them. Link: http://shop.nordstrom.com/c/bonobos-clothing http://shop.nordstrom.com/c/bonobos-clothing

deleted 11y ago
[deleted]
SilasX 11y ago
Yeah, I recognized the name Bonobos from my favorite shirt, and I had got it at Nordstrom's, gets a lot of compliments. It contrasts with another sweater I got there, which developed holes after four months... Had no idea Bonobos was trying to do this online-only thing, my first experience with them is in the physical world. (No, not a shill and don't normally recognize and remember clothing brands on the spot.)

mikeyouse 11y ago

I wore a Bonobos suit in my wedding and had a great experience with them. They have "Guide Shops" in many major cities[1] where you can go try on the clothes, talk to the sales associates and browse their collection in person. After your ~30 min appointment is over, they email you a size reminder for everything you tried on (so you know that your suit top should be a 40R slim and your pants should be 32 straight cut and that you wear a slightly different size in their business shirts as compared to their casual ones or whatever). 20% off the first order as well meant I paid a very reasonable amount for a well-fitting suit that I was confident would fit without excessive tailoring. The other options I was looking at either had poor-quality fabrics / seams, fit poorly, or were more expensive. [1] - https://bonobos.com/guideshop https://bonobos.com/guideshop

dplgk 11y ago

Exactly. I receive their catalog and I don't understand their angle. Is it cheaper than Banana? No. Is the quality better? I have no idea. Are the styles better? They appear to standard, possibly even more plain and boring ala J Crew. So why am I buying it? When I first heard of them I figured someone was finally making a quality shirt for say $50-$60. Seems like an good angle. But instead it's just another expensive shirt. Why?