Other than the suits/sportcoats noted in the prior post, here's a quick rundown of what came in ---
Items from Messori (made in Italy) in a few stores -- Paramus, NJ, Jersey Gardens and 34th St. A lot of pants, especially at 34th St. Nicely made, but some of it is very gaudy, as Messori tends to be.
Shirts --- depending on which store you visit, you may see a smattering (read a dozen or so) shirts from Saitt (made in Italy) sitting around -- either on racks, or folded up in plastic --- these include Mastai Feretti and others. I know that this is far from the selection that came into the warehouse, and fully expect to see a larger quantity coming to stores in the next few weeks.
The Jersey Gardens store got about 20 suits from Copen Group (made in Italy), including a large batch of ones that were very shiny, likely Italian wedding suits.
Jackets/Coats -- more from FB (made in Italy), and a bunch of nylon jackets from Stone Fashion, most marked as Fairfield on the label. Nothing phenomenal from either of these companies, but worth a look.
Finally, a small selection (read 4-5 pairs per store) of shoes from Tremp (made in Italy) came in as well. Mostly boots in some fashion or another -- the 44th & 8th store had the most interesting ones, for lack of a better descriptor. Solid shoes, nothing extraordinary, but for $60 you can't really go wrong.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Quick Recap
Will have a more detailed recap on Monday or Tuesday, but wanted to note the awesome suits/sportcoats that came in to just about every store. They are samples from various designers, including: Cadini, Tween, Jack Olive, Hackett, Paul Smith, Andrea Neri, Simon Peet, Argento and Della Chiana. Della Chiana is actually one of my new favorites -- I had never heard of the brand before, but after seeing the sportcoats and suits this weekend, I am hooked -- sadly, the company's website, www.dellachiana.com, is just a single page and doesn't give much info. Would say to generally avoid the Andrea Neri items, but the rest is pretty good. Note that some of the items are clearly made for spring - i.e., cotton and linen blends, but I assume they were put out just to empty the warehouse. The way to tell these new items apart is w/the vendor code -- ITAL.
Thursday, July 26, 2012
LEATHERS!!!! (oh, and more shoes...)
Get to Daffy's now before this stuff is gone -- beautiful leathers from Emporio Armani/Armani Jeans, Scotch & Soda, Brogdan, RA-RE and others. Quality you will not believe at these prices. I just picked up a suede EA jacket for $69.99.
Also, even though the stores had been informed that no more shoes were coming in, that news was apparently incorrect. The Philly store has received tons of new men's shoes. Whether anything worthwhile, however, is TBD as they are slowly being put out.
And one more thing to take note of -- mixed in w/everything else was a sprinkling of items from Quintessence (made in Italy). Beautiful stuff.
Also, even though the stores had been informed that no more shoes were coming in, that news was apparently incorrect. The Philly store has received tons of new men's shoes. Whether anything worthwhile, however, is TBD as they are slowly being put out.
And one more thing to take note of -- mixed in w/everything else was a sprinkling of items from Quintessence (made in Italy). Beautiful stuff.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
What's Left
Based on some pretty solid intel, I believe this is what we will be seeing in the next few weeks while things wind down:
Shirts from Saitt (made in Italy) -- makers of Mastai Feretti, Bonser, Agho, Truzzi and lots of other random labels. This is the stuff I've actually been waiting for the most, aside from some possible wool pants, but it does not seem like Incotex, Giab's or otherwise will be making an appearance.
Suits, blazers and other items from Copen Group (made in Italy) - makers of Royal Hem, Pennesi and other random labels.
Shearlings from Owen Barry (made in England) - nice, solidly made stuff, though, never the most fashionable things on the block.
There may also be some appearances from Patrizia Pepe (which has already come into the 18th St. store on a very small scale), Gazzarrini, and Bomb Boogie/Space 2000 items -- but these items are uncertain, whereas the others I can almost bet you will see in the next week or two.
As a side note -- was up in Elizabeth this past weekend, and noticed a few leather jackets that came in with labels marked Brogdan and RARE. These brands usually wind up at Century 21 -- there were only two pieces in the Jersey Gardens location, but my guess is more wound up in NYC. Nice stuff if you can find a piece or two in your size.
Shirts from Saitt (made in Italy) -- makers of Mastai Feretti, Bonser, Agho, Truzzi and lots of other random labels. This is the stuff I've actually been waiting for the most, aside from some possible wool pants, but it does not seem like Incotex, Giab's or otherwise will be making an appearance.
Suits, blazers and other items from Copen Group (made in Italy) - makers of Royal Hem, Pennesi and other random labels.
Shearlings from Owen Barry (made in England) - nice, solidly made stuff, though, never the most fashionable things on the block.
There may also be some appearances from Patrizia Pepe (which has already come into the 18th St. store on a very small scale), Gazzarrini, and Bomb Boogie/Space 2000 items -- but these items are uncertain, whereas the others I can almost bet you will see in the next week or two.
As a side note -- was up in Elizabeth this past weekend, and noticed a few leather jackets that came in with labels marked Brogdan and RARE. These brands usually wind up at Century 21 -- there were only two pieces in the Jersey Gardens location, but my guess is more wound up in NYC. Nice stuff if you can find a piece or two in your size.
Friday, July 20, 2012
Shoes Are Done
From what I've been told, there are no more shoes coming to the stores. So, sadly, don't be expecting any major shipments of Italian shoes anytime soon, unless your local Daffy's received some Boemos shoes, but there were none down here in Philly. Shoes that came in this week were from Sebago, Robert Zur -- some nice loafers made in India for $99 and Rockadelic. That is it.
Other items -- Lots of blazers from FB (made in Italy) -- nothing special, but they are not bad. And a TON of leathers from Izod - real bottom of the barrel stuff.
If this is what is left, we may as well just call in the undertaker now.
Though -- I will say, I did some shopping in the kids dept. for a friend of mine who just had a baby girl. BEAUTIFUL stuff there - I can't tell you how nice this stuff is -- in particular, items for both girls and boys from Alviero Martini and Billionaire Couture, pieces for girls from Gattinoni and Roccobarocco and the most gorgeous wool blazers and coats for boys from Tagliatore -- all of this, made in Italy. If the boy's stuff was about 10x's the size, I'd be buying it for myself.
Other items -- Lots of blazers from FB (made in Italy) -- nothing special, but they are not bad. And a TON of leathers from Izod - real bottom of the barrel stuff.
If this is what is left, we may as well just call in the undertaker now.
Though -- I will say, I did some shopping in the kids dept. for a friend of mine who just had a baby girl. BEAUTIFUL stuff there - I can't tell you how nice this stuff is -- in particular, items for both girls and boys from Alviero Martini and Billionaire Couture, pieces for girls from Gattinoni and Roccobarocco and the most gorgeous wool blazers and coats for boys from Tagliatore -- all of this, made in Italy. If the boy's stuff was about 10x's the size, I'd be buying it for myself.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
You'd Think They Were Still in Business
I find it quite strange that other than the glut of news articles reporting on it, and the sense of sadness amongst the store employees, there are no signs the company is going out of business.
The stores themselves have no signs, nor is there any indication on the Daffy's website. Instead, the company just pumped out an email blast advertising new women's merchandise.
You would think that when a company w/so much stock is going out of business, they'd want to announce it and get everyone to buy up what is sitting around. But no, business appears to be continuing as usual at Daffy's. Odd, very odd.
The stores themselves have no signs, nor is there any indication on the Daffy's website. Instead, the company just pumped out an email blast advertising new women's merchandise.
You would think that when a company w/so much stock is going out of business, they'd want to announce it and get everyone to buy up what is sitting around. But no, business appears to be continuing as usual at Daffy's. Odd, very odd.
Friday, July 13, 2012
Well, It's Official, But...
Well it is official -- Daffy's will be closing all its stores by October 31st. The Philly location closes September 30th. It has been a great run over the last several years covering Daffy's menswear, and I expect to continue doing so until the merchandise has run out -- new items are expected through August, and then likely a bunch of markdowns will start happening. I plan to continue running the blog, though, it will obviously no longer cover Daffy's after the closure.
For those out there who may be reading this blog and may have business opportunities available in the area of discounted menswear, feel free to drop me a line at yellow.baggers@yahoo.com. I have learned a heck of a lot over the last several years, and it is truly something I am passionate about.
But even w/the store closing, the merchandise is still coming in for Fall, so here is the rundown ---
The full line of Xagon Man (made in Italy) items came in. Small selection, but nice overall. The jackets were particularly nice, including a few motorcycle-inspired jackets.
The big get of the week was knitwear from Daniele Fiesoli (made in Italy). I've said before how nice this stuff is, but folks, given that Daffy's is going out of business in a few months, get yourselves over there now for the best selection on this stuff. The quality of these items is something you won't find anywhere else at these prices.
And finally, stuff to avoid -- Sottotono - jackets and other items. Never was any good. Might as well let this stuff sit around until it's super-discounted if you really want it.
And some random bits -- some cotton knitwear w/the label 'Blue', I believe they were some random samples from a manufacturer in Peru; leathers made in Turkey from a label I'm not remembering at the moment -- nice stuff, but they wanted $199, which is simply not worth it when you see the items from Compagnia Delle Pelli.
For those out there who may be reading this blog and may have business opportunities available in the area of discounted menswear, feel free to drop me a line at yellow.baggers@yahoo.com. I have learned a heck of a lot over the last several years, and it is truly something I am passionate about.
But even w/the store closing, the merchandise is still coming in for Fall, so here is the rundown ---
The full line of Xagon Man (made in Italy) items came in. Small selection, but nice overall. The jackets were particularly nice, including a few motorcycle-inspired jackets.
The big get of the week was knitwear from Daniele Fiesoli (made in Italy). I've said before how nice this stuff is, but folks, given that Daffy's is going out of business in a few months, get yourselves over there now for the best selection on this stuff. The quality of these items is something you won't find anywhere else at these prices.
And finally, stuff to avoid -- Sottotono - jackets and other items. Never was any good. Might as well let this stuff sit around until it's super-discounted if you really want it.
And some random bits -- some cotton knitwear w/the label 'Blue', I believe they were some random samples from a manufacturer in Peru; leathers made in Turkey from a label I'm not remembering at the moment -- nice stuff, but they wanted $199, which is simply not worth it when you see the items from Compagnia Delle Pelli.
Thursday, July 12, 2012
SAY IT AIN'T SO....
Just released news...Philebrity.com claims that the Philadelphia Daffy's location will be closing on Septmeber 30th -- http://www.philebrity.com/2012/07/12/say-it-aint-so-17th-and-chestnut-daffys-to-close/
This was the last thing I expected if they were going to start closing locations, as I know that the store is one of the top movers of merchandise in the entire chain, but I supposed they decided it was not worth the transportation costs.
I am now in mourning. Please leave your condolences below :'(
This was the last thing I expected if they were going to start closing locations, as I know that the store is one of the top movers of merchandise in the entire chain, but I supposed they decided it was not worth the transportation costs.
I am now in mourning. Please leave your condolences below :'(
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Merchandise Recap
Forgetting the financial troubles of the company for a minute, I wanted to share the merchandise recap from the prior week. Huge amount of stuff across the chain -- visited 11 stores in total last weekend (4 in NJ, 7 in Manhattan - all except Wall St.).
Of course, the big get of the week was Jey Cole Man (made in Italy) merchandise. The stuff was simply awesome this season. If you have not already gotten your hands on some of this stuff, I implore you to do so. It will be gone fast - see prior post for locations.
Also of note were the Tyrone's items that came in to 18th St. and 57th West side. Blazers from Belvest, Montedoro, Corneliani, Zegna and a few tuxes from Pal Zileri and Viktor & Rolf Monseiur (these last two only at 57th). All these items were large sizes, 40 and up, and the Viktor & Rolf items were kind of hideous - let's just say they were 80's inspired. The 57th St. store also got in some shirts from Corneliani and Lorenzini - small selections, started in size 16.
Shirts came in in large batches -- the biggest from Inghirami (made in Italy) - I may have understaded how nice these things were a few months ago when the Spring batch came in. Nicely made and fitted, and almost all have small collars which are perfect for those of you going for the skinny tie look. And the only company I've seen thus far producing a button-down club collar in a dress shirt. Most stores also got in large assortments of Alea (made in Italy) including Rosso Malaspino. However, some stores were slow in putting out that merchandise, and 34th St. kept all the Alea items in their plastics and shoved them onto a storage shelf in the middle of the floor -- this is one of the reasons they have such a hard time selling shirts. Also of note - bits and pieces from Sait (made in Italy) incl. Mastai Ferretti and A. Basile were sprinkled in the mix - my guess is we will see more in the coming weeks if the company can survive that long.
A small selection of Daniele Fiesoli knits were available in Elizabeth 1/9 and Secaucus. My guess is that more stores will get larger selections soon.
Leathers came into most stores from Compagnia Delli Pelle (made in Italy) -- again, if you have never experienced this stuff, get your tuchus to Daffy's now. These leathers are simply some of the best you will ever find, bar none. And most are priced below $200. Labels include the ever-popular Alfie Bobo and what appears to be its diffusion line, alfie (an interesting, what I would call 'Elmo' jacket from the alfie line appears to the upper left - not so much leather as it is a textile marvel), GF Ferre and others. 34th St. also had leathers in from a company called Lenny Turk - interesting multi-colored jackets, seen to the right.
Shoes, shoes and more shoes -- lots of boots came in this week -- Timberland winter boots came in in droves -- Secaucus had a pair from Timberland Boot Co., so it may be worth taking a look around for those. Each store got a great selection of shoes from Ernest Hemingway - never heard of the brand, but apparently the name is licensed out to various companies for an array of products. That said, they are quite good looking shoes and are well constructed -- they are made in El Salvador. Casual items from Diesel came in, and each store got a small selection from the Black and Gold line (one pair pictured). And, stuff we didn't need, boots from Robert Wayne. Nothing special there, but not awful.
Culturata (made in Italy) made a renewed appearance -- shirts were available in the Paramus, NJ store, and cashmere knits were available in the 57th & Lex location for $49.99 a piece. Beautiful garments and well worth what they are asking (C21 carried Culturata knits last Fall and asked nearly twice the price).
Blazers from Copen Group (made in Italy) were available in 34th St., and 18th St., but I believe they were all leftovers from last season. Not a huge selection.
Patrizia Pepe made its first appearance of the season at the 18th St. store -- a small rack of maybe 15 items, and two pairs of cowboy boots were sitting on the shoe racks.
And finally, small selections of Eugenio Sorentino, Ores Quinto and Sottotono made it into a few stores. Sorentino isn't awful, but the other two are just utterly worthless.
Of course, the big get of the week was Jey Cole Man (made in Italy) merchandise. The stuff was simply awesome this season. If you have not already gotten your hands on some of this stuff, I implore you to do so. It will be gone fast - see prior post for locations.
Also of note were the Tyrone's items that came in to 18th St. and 57th West side. Blazers from Belvest, Montedoro, Corneliani, Zegna and a few tuxes from Pal Zileri and Viktor & Rolf Monseiur (these last two only at 57th). All these items were large sizes, 40 and up, and the Viktor & Rolf items were kind of hideous - let's just say they were 80's inspired. The 57th St. store also got in some shirts from Corneliani and Lorenzini - small selections, started in size 16.
Shirts came in in large batches -- the biggest from Inghirami (made in Italy) - I may have understaded how nice these things were a few months ago when the Spring batch came in. Nicely made and fitted, and almost all have small collars which are perfect for those of you going for the skinny tie look. And the only company I've seen thus far producing a button-down club collar in a dress shirt. Most stores also got in large assortments of Alea (made in Italy) including Rosso Malaspino. However, some stores were slow in putting out that merchandise, and 34th St. kept all the Alea items in their plastics and shoved them onto a storage shelf in the middle of the floor -- this is one of the reasons they have such a hard time selling shirts. Also of note - bits and pieces from Sait (made in Italy) incl. Mastai Ferretti and A. Basile were sprinkled in the mix - my guess is we will see more in the coming weeks if the company can survive that long. A small selection of Daniele Fiesoli knits were available in Elizabeth 1/9 and Secaucus. My guess is that more stores will get larger selections soon.
Leathers came into most stores from Compagnia Delli Pelle (made in Italy) -- again, if you have never experienced this stuff, get your tuchus to Daffy's now. These leathers are simply some of the best you will ever find, bar none. And most are priced below $200. Labels include the ever-popular Alfie Bobo and what appears to be its diffusion line, alfie (an interesting, what I would call 'Elmo' jacket from the alfie line appears to the upper left - not so much leather as it is a textile marvel), GF Ferre and others. 34th St. also had leathers in from a company called Lenny Turk - interesting multi-colored jackets, seen to the right. Shoes, shoes and more shoes -- lots of boots came in this week -- Timberland winter boots came in in droves -- Secaucus had a pair from Timberland Boot Co., so it may be worth taking a look around for those. Each store got a great selection of shoes from Ernest Hemingway - never heard of the brand, but apparently the name is licensed out to various companies for an array of products. That said, they are quite good looking shoes and are well constructed -- they are made in El Salvador. Casual items from Diesel came in, and each store got a small selection from the Black and Gold line (one pair pictured). And, stuff we didn't need, boots from Robert Wayne. Nothing special there, but not awful.Culturata (made in Italy) made a renewed appearance -- shirts were available in the Paramus, NJ store, and cashmere knits were available in the 57th & Lex location for $49.99 a piece. Beautiful garments and well worth what they are asking (C21 carried Culturata knits last Fall and asked nearly twice the price).Blazers from Copen Group (made in Italy) were available in 34th St., and 18th St., but I believe they were all leftovers from last season. Not a huge selection.
Patrizia Pepe made its first appearance of the season at the 18th St. store -- a small rack of maybe 15 items, and two pairs of cowboy boots were sitting on the shoe racks.
And finally, small selections of Eugenio Sorentino, Ores Quinto and Sottotono made it into a few stores. Sorentino isn't awful, but the other two are just utterly worthless.
Full Article
Full article republished at the following link (no affiliation w/the site; appears to be legit) -- http://us.zeereport.com/breaking_news/2140-Clock_Continues_to_Tick_for_Daffy___s.html
The report is grimmer than expected, apparently the company has had its law firm working on deals to shore up creditors, as well as draw up plans in case of bankruptcy. There are even reports that the company has contacted liquidation companies in case it has to go that route.
As weird as it sounds, my hopes and prayers are that the company can find a way out of this mess and still be able to exist in some form. Daffy's has been a passion of mine now for about two years - it has not only taught me the value of a dollar, but how to buy properly fitted clothing. I know that there is something there worth saving -- given, the company needs a lot of changes in every area of the business, but the bottom-line is that no one else in this country does what it does when it comes to offering European clothing at unbeatable prices, and there is certainly a customer for that in this day and age.
The report is grimmer than expected, apparently the company has had its law firm working on deals to shore up creditors, as well as draw up plans in case of bankruptcy. There are even reports that the company has contacted liquidation companies in case it has to go that route.
As weird as it sounds, my hopes and prayers are that the company can find a way out of this mess and still be able to exist in some form. Daffy's has been a passion of mine now for about two years - it has not only taught me the value of a dollar, but how to buy properly fitted clothing. I know that there is something there worth saving -- given, the company needs a lot of changes in every area of the business, but the bottom-line is that no one else in this country does what it does when it comes to offering European clothing at unbeatable prices, and there is certainly a customer for that in this day and age.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
New Article Up
Will have the latest merchandise rundowns up tomorrow if I have time, but wanted to point out a new article that just came out from Women's Wear Daily -- the original source of the rumors a few weeks back. From the brief snippet that can be seen w/out a subscription, it appears that lenders have not been too happy w/sales figures, and that the company has hired some sort of financial adviser. We will continue to update the blog w/any additional news as it rolls in.
Friday, July 6, 2012
JCM Part 2
Not a lot of time to go over this week's finds right now, but --- please, I cannot beg you enough --> go to your nearest Daffy's now, and look for Jey Cole Man merchandise (available in NYC, Long Island, Philly, Jersey Gardens and Paramus, NJ). This is the best line from the label I have ever seen, and I can personally vouch for the quality, having just spent a good chunk of change on it. Just phenomenal stuff.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
JCM
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