Highs and Lows of S/S 2011 + More Sightings (Shoes & Leathers)

Been wanting to do this for a while, finally had some time to sit down and get the pics together -- These are some of my favorite finds that I've either purchased or seen from the S/S 2011 merchandise thus far, as well as some of the ghastliest items you'll ever see at Daffy's -- be sure to click on the pics for larger versions. At the end of the post, I'll have some additional updates as to what came in at the end of this week.

Best: 

1) Buffalo Plaid Check Blazer from 'Via De Medici' (produced by Copen Group) -- This blazer is just beautiful, and fits me perfectly. Working cuffs, dual-rear vent, probably half-lined (don't think much of anything Daffy's gets in is fully lined aside from the really high-end stuff that comes in from Tyrone's). Not so much a spring blazer given the material, but it's a blend of wool/silk/mohair and cashmere, for which I paid a whopping $80 at the Jersey Gardens location. An incredible steal IMHO, and I'll likely be saving it for work next fall.









2) Shoes from Tremp - I purchased the brown pair for myself at the 44th & Madison store, and saw the black pair at the Seacaucus location (unfortunately, not my size). The black pair is essentially the same construction/style as the brown pair, just in patent leather and a bit of a texture -- best fitted with a high-fashion tuxedo. I didn't take pictures of the sole or anything, but these shoes are handmade in Italy, and the quality is really beyond compare. At $60/pair, these were steals.











3) Suede Desert Boots/Chukkas from Uomo Bravo -- Normally I won't have much good to say about the Uomo Bravo merchandise. As I recently found out, it's the Daffy's house brand, and all the merchandise that gets made for the store is much lower quality than the Italian merchandise they get in. That being said, these looked nice on the shelf, I tried them on, and they fit my feet perfectly. The reason I'm listing them as a great find is because they cost me all of $36 on clearance at the Totowa store. Great for spring, though I think technically they're a leftover from late F/W. Most of the stores still have a pair or two on clearance in this very light brown color, or an olive green.


4) Blazer/Jacket from 'DB Uomo Collection' (produced by Alex & Co.) -- This was a sample I found over at the East Hanover store, though I believe there are still a few over at 34th St. in NYC last time I checked. Unfortunately, these pictures don't do this thing justice -- the detail-work is just incredible -- leather patchwork and accenting under the arms, around the cuffs, and at the back. There are buckle adjusters at the sides, and the cuffs close w/zippers for a sort of motorcycle-inspired look. Normally I'm a size 36, and this was marked as a size 50EU/40US, but I gave it a shot anyway since it was so nice, and it fit great. I believe all the others I've seen were the same size as well. If you can find these, they're $90, which is a bit pricey, but given the detail-work put into the garment it's well worth it.

5) Last, but certainly not least, likely my favorite buy of the season thus far -- a light gray leather jacket from Patrizia Pepe. I can't say enough good things about this piece - it's just beautiful, and I wish I could get some better pictures. The detailing on this jacket is simply incredible. As far as I can tell, it's the only one of its kind -- I picked it up at the Totowa store, though on the expensive side at $239. I was particularly surprised to find this jacket there as Totowa doesn't usually get much of anything special.




And now the WORST OF S/S 2011 THUS FAR...

1) Shirts from a brand called 'Hot Trend' (may have also been Hot Line, can't remember exactly). Not a great picture to show why this is so horrible, but the collar on this is not just over-sized -- it almost takes up a quarter of the shirt's size. That, along with a second material under the collar (of a different color no less) and a horrible pinstripe pattern which hasn't been in fashion since maybe 1999 makes this just ugly as sin. I've seen a few of these shirts at the Paramus, NJ store and the 57th St. east side store.

2) Unsure what to call this, but let's just call it a 'grilling shirt', as it's marked with the Weber grill logo. The Jersey Gardens store had three or four of these - thankfully no other stores have received them from what I've noticed. If you ever need a utility shirt for grilling, maybe putting up siding on a house, this would clearly work given the various snap-closure pockets on the front. Not exactly fashionable, though someone may find it useful. I believe they were all marked $13.99.


3) And by far this thing takes the cake as THE WORST ITEM OF S/S 2011 - Some sort of double-breasted blazer made entirely out of Rayon, under the name 'Motif Menswear'. This thing came straight out of the 80's and I don't have the foggiest idea where Daffy's buyers picked it up. It's certainly one-of-a-kind from what I've seen, though I don't think that really means much. Perhaps if you were going to an 80's-themed costume party this would be useful. Other than that, it's an expensive schmata and deserves to be thrown away.









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Hope everyone out there enjoyed that -- now onto the important stuff -- stuff that came in later this week:

1) More shoes from Italian manufacturer Boemos (made in Italy) -- these are some very high-quality shoes, on par with anything you'll find in the major department high-end stores -- in fact you may find a number of pairs marked for Barneys New York -- Boemos produces for both the Barneys New York and Barneys Co-Op house labels. For Barney's shoes, you'll have a better chance if you find the dark-gray boxes not marked Boemos on them. Some of the shoes were nicer than others in terms of styling, and there were a few 'what were they thinking' pairs, including some teal patent-leather loafers which were awful. But the quality is phenomenal on just about everything they produce. So don't be afraid to at least try the stuff on. Pricing varies, $50 on up depending on what you're looking at. Also look for shoes w/boxes marked 'Mo's' with a little sun logo on them.

2) Leather jackets from Uomo Bravo - As I mentioned above and in a prior post, Uomo Bravo is apparently the Daffy's house brand. The quality on these things is nothing particularly special, and they are made in India as compared w/the vast majority of their other leather-ware from Italy. The problem I have w/these things is not the quality per-say but the fact that Daffy's wants $199 for these things, when just about every other leather jacket is priced at least $20 less than them for high-quality Italian leathers. Something is just wrong about that, and until these things go on clearance, I would avoid them b/c they're simply not worth that price when you compare the other leather jackets available -- esp. Alex & Co., Compagnia Delle Pelli, Gazzarrini, Patrizia Pepe, etc...