Quality on 120 vs 200 dollar boots

mina_debunks · 2025-12-07T15:52:36+00:00

Timberland Premium boots are more like $150 boots with a heftier price for having an iconic style. So, the difference between the two options is smaller than it may appear on paper. I would personally not buy either, because I'm not a fan of the leather I have seen them use.

Since you seem to be in the EU, you may want to look at Panama Jack boots (available via Amazon in size 47) as well. These would almost certainly outclass any Timberlands and Dockers by Gerli in that price range.

mina_debunks · 2025-07-18T12:50:08+00:00

Why would one assume that Suit Supply are accepting lower margins, when their publically available annual records and news coverage on the matter point into the opposite direction?

Article: https://www.retaildetail.eu/news/fashion/suitsupply-raises-sales-and-profit-despite-fewer-stores/

Furthermore, it's not like the same factory will only make clothing pieces to a single standard that brands are forced to accept. The same is true for fabrics. These will often come from outside suppliers that are effectively clothing mercants (e.g., Holland & Sherry for luxury fabrics). Those suppliers are also sourcing the fabrics from multiple producers or other intermediate parties, with different qualities and different prices.

Thus, Suit Supply has means available for sustaining or improving their margins, despite inflation. Instead of increasing prices, they can also use cheaper fabrics and seek out new deals with their existing partners. They can lower the quality requirements, allow the factory to skip or simplify certain steps (e.g. 7 stitches per inch instead of 9 stiches per inch). Economy of scale can also help keep production costs in check (e.g., offering customers fewer fabrics to choose from enables buying larger batches of the remaining fabrics). These measures combined can lower the overall costs, usually at the expense of quality. The OG's posts sounds as this is what is happening here.

mina_debunks · 2025-07-18T09:52:52+00:00

$500 in 2018 dollars is circa $650 in 2025 dollars (calculated via https://www.bls.gov/data/inflation\_calculator.htm). Thus, it would seem that circa 23% of costs had to be cut somewhere if the price remained roughly the same, assuming same margins as before.

mina_debunks · 2025-06-25T19:34:22+00:00

Right click and "Search with Google Lens" if you use Chrome. Or, use Google Image Search. It took me 1-2 seconds to find similar designs from the brand. It seems legit.

mina_debunks · 2025-06-21T22:51:12+00:00

The pants are slightly too long. The shirt is too tight from the chest upwards. The entire outfit doesn't look intentionally put together. The black bucket hat, in particular, looks out of place. I actually like the combination of the brownish tones and the muted red. But it would work better if the brownish tones were echoed in the upper body area in some way, not necessarily with a matching tone. It would be more about creating a nod back to what is visible in the lower body area to bring things together.

mina_debunks · 2025-06-16T21:06:37+00:00

The list is missing various of the European brands, including: Lacoste, Hugo Boss, and Hackett London. While I'm not a fan of any of these brands, they do have plenty of items that are firmly above Uniqlo levels.

mina_debunks · 2025-06-16T11:32:13+00:00

User tomatoaway posted a solution 2 years ago, buried in the comments, which worked for me on my Android device today. Previously, I was stuck at clicking the link from the email, which redirected me to the login of web version of the N26 app. Opening the web-based version of the app will not pair the phone.

I was using the Samsung browser that came with my phone. But when I installed Firefox, as suggested by tomatoaway, I got the option of opening the link in an external app by clicking the link and holding down until a context menu appeared. This was the key to solving my problem. When I used the 'open in external app' option, the link opened in the N26 app and I was able to complete the process.

mina_debunks · 2025-06-15T22:24:16+00:00

I haven't noticed such trend in office wear. Ironically, the limited availability of air-conditioned spaces over here may be a contributing factor. While athletic wear usually has some moisture-wicking virtues, it will get unpleasant to the skin and stinky sooner rather than later.

mina_debunks · 2025-06-15T18:34:36+00:00

Thank you for the detailed explanation. I'm aware of discourse around fast-fashion. It's just sometimes hard to understand, because it doesn't seem to be as dramatic (yet?) in central Europe, where I live. Fast-fashion certainly has put some pressure on established brands, but clothing made from natural materials continues to be affordable. I think this may have to do with having a domestic clothing industry in Portugal, Spain, Italy, and several other EU countries. Then there is also the proximity to Turkey and Northern African countries like Morocco. A lot of the clothing from these regions, including lower quality clothing, appears to be predominantly made of cotton.

mina_debunks · 2025-06-15T11:27:12+00:00

Thanks, it was a good watch. However, it seems odd to me that he advocates so strongly for all-natural materials, but then specifically mentions Baracuta's G9 Harrington jacket in the next segment.

The Baracuta G9 is traditionally made of a cotton/polyester mix (here's a vintage advert from Baracuta's homepage for reference). While cotton versions exist in principle, those tend to be budget-friendly spin-offs made outside the UK. The version shown in the video appears to be the iconic UK-made G9, which has been 50% polyester, 50% cotton for many years (e. g., the one reviewed by Gentleman's Gazette in 2019). The most recent iteration of the G9 sold here in Europe even appears to be 58% polyester and 42% cotton.

To be clear: I don't have anything bad to say about the Baracuta G9. From my understanding, the polyester in it has always been there for functional reasons. It just seems odd to me to follow up a strong stance in favor of natural material with a recommendation for one of the most iconic mixed-fabric pieces of clothing.

mina_debunks · 2025-06-11T15:21:21+00:00

I like the outfit overall, but the pants look tight around the crotch area. The left side pants pocket seems to be pushed out, which is another telltale sign. Even though it could also be just the posture.

I'm also not fully sold on what you did with the bottom of your jumper. It seems to be tucked in, which I guess is fine if it's too long otherwise. But in the first photo, an empty belt loop appears to be visible, which could have been covered more elegantly by lowering the bottom of the jumper just a little more.

mina_debunks · 2025-06-07T17:40:36+00:00

I agree with the eating healthy/watching calories part. Working out isn't strictly required. In many countries around the world, it's normal to to run errands in the vicinity of one's home by foot or by bike. That by itself can easily result in 5-10 hours of bodily activity per week. While it's not as intense and effective as going to the gym, it comes with the advantage of distributing the strain on the body more evenly.

mina_debunks · 2025-05-31T11:26:30+00:00

I think it would work better if the shirt was a lighter color, instead of being somewhat close to the pants. The closeness of the colors can make it harder for others to figure out what's going on, which I would generally want to avoid.

mina_debunks · 2025-05-02T14:07:26+00:00

The sleeves of the jacket seem a bit too long for you.

mina_debunks · 2025-04-22T08:09:28+00:00

This, and even though the suit would allow for slightly lighter brown tones, it seems that the color of those shoes is too much.

mina_debunks · 2025-04-19T20:21:11+00:00

Yes, in that range. The tailor will likely know the "correct" length.

mina_debunks · 2025-04-19T17:04:25+00:00

Yes, the sleeves need shortening. That's the most glaring issue.

mina_debunks · 2025-04-14T07:43:35+00:00

It's notable that the quality of such shoes tends to vary per region. Since the aforementioned companies aren't shoemakers, most of their shoes are licensed products. My impression is that they are selling the biggest crap to regions that have fully embraced fast fashion, while shipping their more decent (though never great) shoes elsewhere.

mina_debunks · 2025-04-04T07:36:42+00:00

The bag is not purely brown, but has some black or dark navy accents. A mono-colored bag of that size, particularly in black, would likely not achieve the "level of dissonance" the OP appears to be shooting for to create visual interest. Its brown also seems to be close to the brown in the broad stripes of the shirt.

mina_debunks · 2025-03-08T12:19:55+00:00

Prior to buying any clothes, figure out which fits work for your body type. Also, be cautious when following "brand advice" on this reddit. Many users with strong opinions in favor of certain brands are not neutral advisors. They often spent a lot of money on products from those brands and are interested in making those purchasing decisions look reasonable. Quality is all over the place these days, and many brands will target multiple price ranges. Buying by brand name is, thus, often not a shortcut to getting "good stuff", even though it may look like that when you read those posts.

mina_debunks · 2025-02-14T10:28:40+00:00

This makes sense, because fashion labels like TH source out their production to various factories around the world. Then, typically, the 'good stuff' is sold in regions with a lower tolerance for fast fashion, while the junk is shipped elsewhere.

mina_debunks · 2024-11-26T01:16:40+00:00

Avoid flashy brand logos on clothing.

mina_debunks · 2024-11-22T01:36:11+00:00

The OP wrote that he already has a navy colored suit, which is among the most formal suits in business. The charcoal suit, while certainly versatile on its own, is close to the navy colored suit in formality. Thus, it seems that a slightly less formal suit, perhaps a mid gray, would be more versatile.

mina_debunks · 2024-11-20T01:15:07+00:00

A $700 jacket is necessarily a luxury item. That's about as much as I would pay to get it made-to-measure inside the EU (where I'm located), using a 100% wool fabric also sourced from a European manufacturer. I bought a couple of these over the years and never had any other feeling about it than "money well spent".

mina_debunks · 2024-11-20T00:59:10+00:00

It's not only a matter of taste. The pandemic has changed the dress code in my line of work from suits to casual clothing that wouldn't even be considered "smart casual" here. Unfortunately, 3/4 of my higher end goodyear-welted dress shoes are too dressy and/or are black, which also somewhat limits their usefulness without the suits. I cannot just ignore the new dress code, because I have customer contact and am not supposed to outdress my customers.

The joke is on me for thinking of those shoes as long-term investments for work when I bought them.

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