1/1/13

PEURIST Coming Soon

Well for those who haven't been following the new Twitter feed over at twitter.com/peurist or the Facebook page over at facebook.com/peurist, PEURIST.com is getting ready to launch pretty soon. The Facebook page already has some sneak peeks of our first run of merchandise from a great UK brand, Emmett London, and the merchandise from the recent trip to Italy will be here quite soon, and will likely be up for sale on the site in time for the holidays.

So lots of great things happening, and I hope you'll keep following the progress and, more importantly, check out our merchandise :)  Yellow Baggers will eventually forward over to PEURIST.com, which will have its own blog section discussing some great euro brands, while the Facebook page will feature exclusive sneak previews of merchandise and allow for interactivity with customers - comments, complaints, critiques, etc... will all be welcome. And if you're in the Philadelphia area, or are w/in driving distance, drop a line if you'd like to shop in person (by appointment only) once the merchandise comes in -- you can reach me via PM on Facebook or Twitter, or if you're an SF member, you already know the drill.

And if you can help publicize the site in any way shape or form, that will probably be the one thing we need most. I'm going to be putting in plenty of blood, sweat and tears to make this happen, but the old saying of  'if a tree falls in a forest, but no one is around to hear it...' could not be more true. This little experiment will be useless if no one knows about it. In the coming weeks once things get a bit more solid in terms of the website and the merchandise, I will be out there promoting it, but I could certainly use any additional help.

And on what will probably be the last ever Daffy's related note, interestingly enough, the Daffy's Facebook account magically reappeared today w/a video about the Giants. Probably just an accident, but one can always dream.

Facebook -- More Pics and Previews

Folks -- Check out the PEURIST Facebook page over at http://www.facebook.com/peurist. I will be discussing more details about the recent trip to Italy, with more pictures and previews of merchandise. I will also be profiling designers from across Europe that may one day make to the site.

We will soon be integrating this blog into the PEURIST.com website, so stay tuned for info about that as well.

Italy Recap

Seeing as I'm stuck inside my apartment for the next two days, figured I'd give a quick recap of the remainder of my trip. Without giving too much away --- after the stop at JCM in the north of the country, I headed along the east coast of the country (on the Adriatic Sea) and visited two men's suit manufacturers. One of which, most Daffy's customers are already quite familiar with, the other is a new stop I found on my own. Suffice it to say, both stops proved quite successful, and I placed a large order at the first for Spring/Summer 2013 items, and picked up a small quantity of suits and sportcoats at the second for both Fall and Spring items.

All in all, it was a great trip and I am very excited for things coming in the next few months. I have a good batch of high quality shirts from a UK label that are ready to go, once the website is up and running, which will be put together in the next few weeks. And the items from Italy should be in the States towards the end of next month.

So, in the meantime...
-- Follow us on Twitter -- http://www.twitter.com/peurist
-- Like us on Facebook -- http://www.facebook.com/peurist
-- And keep checking the site for updates -- http://www.peurist.com

Stop 1: JCM, Bologna

The first stop today was in Bologna, home of Jey Cole Man. JCM is in Centergross, Bologna, what is apparently some sort of protected industrial zone - only reason I mention is b/c there are tons of other brands there as well - Maestrami, Piero Giudi, Arsenal Uomo, Master Coat...a long list, but, given my schedule I only had time to make a formal visit to JCM, though I did peek in at Maestrami - really beautiful suits, though you wouldn't know it based on the stuff on Yoox.

Anyway, pics are up on Facebook -- http://on.fb.me/RqEb76. Will have more tomorrow as we make our next stop in Civitanova-Marche to meet with 'Royalty,' as it were. 

Next Stop...Milan

We're headed out tomorrow for our first buying trip and could not be more excited. Direct flight to Milan, and then the first meeting will be in Bologna on Monday. We'll be starting up a new blog, likely on tumblr w/pics taken along the way. So be sure to follow twitter.com/PEURIST and the Facebook page, where we'll be posting updates including a link to the new tumblr page.

Italy, Here I Come

Well, it's official. I have booked my buying trip to Italy for the week of October 21st. Starting up north and working my way down south. Still working out which vendors I will be able to meet with, but am very excited for the few that have already agreed to meet with me.

Exciting things are coming folks....stay tuned :)

Special Awards for Donations to PEURIST

Well, as things have started off slow, I have decided to enhance the fundraising with some special incentives. If you are a small guy, you will particularly love this stuff -- i.e., size 36-38US.  For a donation of $250, you can get a Jey Cole Man (made in Italy) wool coat, or a Patrizia Pepe (made in Italy) leather jacket. For a donation of $200, you can get a Gazzarrini (made in Italy) suede jacket. Great stuff, pics below.

DONATE NOW AT INDIEGOGO.COM/PEURIST

Welcome to PEURIST

I've been teasing a major announcement for a while, and today's the day we finally release the news to the world. With Daffy's officially gone, I decided it was time to get in on the game myself.

 

WWW.PEURIST.COM -- a start-up fashion retailer, focused on bringing the quality, fit and style of European menswear to America at affordable prices -- hence the 'EU' in PEURIST. We plan to offer both business and casual attire, targeting young professionals looking to expand their wardrobes. The company will operate online at PEURIST.COM, and will also offer personal appointments for those located in New York, New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania.

We are already in the process of securing our first purchase, a well-known shirt company from the UK, but cannot release any further details on that at the moment.

DONATE TO PEURIST.COM

As much as people are probably excited to hear about this, the one thing we are going to need, aside from publicity, is cash. To help out with that, we have started a campaign at Indiegogo to help raise public funds. Anyone can contribute to the campaign. We are looking to raise a minimum of $10,000, and there are substantial perks for all donations $10 and above. The link is directly above.

Last 2 Days + Update on New Project

Well it's the last two days that the name Daffy's will have any significance. 70% off everything, though, more like, 70% off whatever is left. I know that the Philly store has a few giant zebra heads for sale if anyone is in the market for that sort of thing...

As for the new project we have been dropping hints about --- the official announcement will come this weekend or early next week. We are putting the finishing touches on some things, and will be ready soon....

Last Week

Well, all good things must come to an end. Time to say your prayers, cause this is the last week that most stores will be open, closing 9/15. Unsure if one or two locations will be open as consolidation points, but if you want something, now is the time to get it - 40-60% off.

Shipments Are Done - Get In While You Can

Shipments of new merchandise ended last week, so whatever is in stores now is what you will get. NYC stores are much better stock at this point, at least as of last weekend. I will be visiting a few more tomorrow and will provide an update here.

As for the big news, there's been a very short delay, but I promise it will be worth your while. If you're sick of being teased, check out the Twitter feed (twitter.com/yellowbaggers) -- we recently followed a new user, other than Daffy's...but that's all I can say for the time being. More details to come very soon.

Weekend Recap...Plus, Major Announcement Coming Soon

Well in visiting a bunch of NYC stores this weekend, it is clear that the merchandise is just about done, in fact I believe it may have been the last group of shipments that is being sent.  The vast majority of stuff that came in was items from the liquidator's inventory (all marked w/Black dots), not even worth mentioning here.  The NYC stores did however, still have large inventories of stock, especially Sait shirts (Mastai Ferreti, Agho, etc...), much more so than down here in Philly.

But all the stores did actually get in some scarves and gloves that are from Daffy's stock. Avoid the Calvin Klein and Geoffrey Beene, and stick to the Amicale and the no-label scarves (vendor code on the tags is ELLE) that are made in Italy - marked at $13.99, will cost you less than $10 w/the current discount.

That is it merchandise-wise for now....

BUT --- STAY TUNED TO THE BLOG --- Later this week we will have a major announcement that is bound to cause some excitement.

The Last Hurrah...

...or close to it. Was told that on top of the stuff that came in today, which wasn't much mind you,  tomorrow the Philly store will receive two trucks and another one on Friday. So it sounds like this is the last push before new stuff stops coming in. Space is already getting filled in w/junk from the liquidators, including shirts that came in under the label Straight Faided - stuff you'd find at stores like Payhalf.

Whether this week or next is the last one for new merch., this is basically it. Get it this week before it all disappears for good, or at least temporarily (more on that next week...)

Merch. Update Part 2

Not much to tell, as the shipments are slowing down -- but here it is --

Shoes came into Philly from Donald Pliner (made in Italy). There were maybe a dozen pairs total, all large sizes --- but they included several pairs of beautifully beaded loafers. I only saw these in Philly -- none of the Jersey stores had them.

Ties -- a whole boat load of ties came down here to Philly. Some worthless stuff from Ertu, but some really nice items from Daks (made in Italy), and a handful of ties from Altea (made in Italy). 

And the Paramus store got in a handful of sweaters from Solosali (made in Italy). Some really nice pieces, but, maybe a total of 5 or 6 that I saw.

That was it, sadly. While one person down here told me there were still two weeks worth of trucks left, another person in one of the Jersey stores told me that next week is the last week of new merchandise. So take it for what it's worth - one to two weeks left before there is literally nothing left worthwhile coming in the door.

The stores are already getting filler merchandise from the liquidators -- socks, underwear and shirts in the men's sections and lots of stuff in the home sections -- remember to avoid anything w/a Black dot on the price tag.

Merch. Update

Decent sized shipment came in --- biggest thing was an assortment of Kenneth Cole jackets -- wool blends, and some puffer coats. A small selection of cotton knitwear also came in from a label called Portocruz -- made in China, and designed like something you'd pick up at men's wearhouse.

The only worthwhile items were various leathers from Lenny Turk - most were marked as samples, and a few more random blazers from Copen Group (made in Italy) -- a Royal Hem double-breasted corduroy caught my eye, but it was one size too big.

That was all for now, though, for those of you looking for Sait/Mastai Ferretti shirts, we still have plenty of 'em down here in Philly -- they were still being put out onto the racks. Discounts are confirmed for 20% off menswear, 40% off men's shoes.

Additional Discounts

Just got the email...everything is now an additional 20-40% off, so I expect all menswear to be a minimum of 20% off, shoes may have gone up to an additional 40% off, as they were 30% off last week.

Merch. updates coming soon.

Slowly Coming to an End

Well it looks like the new merchandise is just about to run out, w/most of the good stuff having been picked over at this point. A number of David Chu blazers are still left down here in Philly along w/a bunch of Copen Group stuff and a lot of knits.

As for new merchandise that came in this week -- some wool sweaters from 3519 (made in Italy) and a bunch of acrylic/wool combo sweaters w/the label Real Box - neither really worth your time. Also, a bunch of heavyweight full-length coats from a label called Dicarelli -- all made in the Dominican Republic w/various materials -- cashmere, camel hair -- $79.99-$199.99. The materials seemed fine, but the construction not so much. I think the name tells you all you need to know about these things.

The 'Non-Daffy's' Merchandise

See below. These are up in-store now.

Quick Merch. Update

Just a quick note as to what I saw on a few of the racks being rolled out onto the floor down here in Philly -- a big load of Cosby sweaters, and a bunch of merchandise from Beau Brummel, a boutique in NYC. The Brummel stuff always winds up being very mixed, with some great pieces, and some quite awful ones.

Also noticed that the shoe section (now on its own floor here in Philly) had three pairs of Messori (made in Italy) boots in size 44 EU (11US). They were very interesting to say the least.

Also of note, though I have not seen any of it personally -- the going out of business email distributed by Daffy's contained a note that there will be other 'non-Daffy's' merchandise added to the sale. If you see anything without a Daffy's tag, or that looks out of place for Daffy's, I would tend to avoid it, as it is probably the liquidators trying to unload merchandise from their prior acquisitions.

PSA -- Liquidators Are Moving In, Discounts Starting

At least down here in Philly, the liquidators have moved in, putting up going out of business signs everywhere they can. All menswear is now discounted an extra 10%. Get ready folks b/c, sadly, it's going to start feeling less like Daffy's and more like a madhouse.

Update, Part II

Well after visiting every single one of the NJ stores on Saturday, I payed a visit to 7/8 Manhattan locations on Sunday.

The only thing which really stood out differently from the pack was 34th St. which had about 10 pairs of some really beautiful Florsheim by Duckie Brown boots - some in the traditional white/gold boxes, others in plain white boxes, for $139.99.

The other major find was the Gazzarrini (made in Italy) merchandise at 18th St., 34th St., Soho, and 57th East Side. Some really amazing pieces this year, including a lot of outerwear -- my favorite was a suede shearling in Soho. Suits were available only at 18th, Soho and 57th, and there were only 4 or 5 per store. 

Copen Group items were available at every store except for 18th St. 34th St. received a large number of pants that were put out on their own rack. Try and snap these up if they're still available, as they're likely the only pants selection you will see before the store closes.

David Chu (made in Italy) blazers are available at just about every location in NYC and NJ. They got a lot of that stuff in -- high quality at dirt cheap prices.

And one final note -- down here in Philly and in the East Hanover, NJ store, they received about 6 or 7 really nicely made wool ties from Verdi & Kennedy (made in Italy). It's a boutique in NYC that sells private label Italian goods. Unsure what other stores got these, if at all, but don't count on any additional tie shipments either.

Weekend Update Part I: Philly/Jersey

Shirts from Saitt (made in Italy)  are in stores now.  Large selection in just about every store, though, most stores are unable to put out everything on the floor at the moment due to space constraints. Philly did not have Saitt shirts in as of Friday, possibly still in the stock room.

Items from Copen Group, including Pennesi, De Curtis & Royal Hem, are out - a few suits and pants, and a lot of blazers and coats. Only available in Philly, Elizabeth (both locations) and Paramus. Some really beautiful pieces if you can find some things in your size.

Suits and blazers from Lombardelli are also available at Philly and Elizabeth 1/9. Nicely made stuff, though, most of the styling is a bit tired.

David Chu (made in Italy) items are available in every location -- really nicely made stuff, and at dirt-cheap prices. Lots of blazers and pants, the wool blazers starting at $69.99 for items that are worth $900+.

Shearlings from Owen Barry (made in England). Wonderfully made, but has never been the best-looking, and for $300+ per piece, you had better like it b/c everything is now final sale.

Leathers from Alex & Co. (made in Italy) - including some labels marked Givenchy, Prince Oliver, and Stephen Kempson. These jackets are on par w/the items from Compagnia Delle Pelli, truly beautiful pieces. Only available in Philly and Paramus.

Gazzarrini (made in Italy) -- beautiful stuff this season, but the only place I have seen it thus far is in the Paramus store. I am told this has been released in NYC, however. More details on that Monday.

Shoes from Boemos (made in Italy) -- a few pairs of driving-mocs made it into the Elizabeth 1/9 store and the Totowa, NJ store. Nothing special, but nicely made.

And finally, stuff to avoid -- lots of pants from Greg Peters, and coats from Kenneth Cole and Chereskin.

News Update

So it is official that JEMB Realty, and not Aurora Capital, is picking up the chain for its real estate.  From looking at the bankruptcy filing, it appears Daffy's owned the Secaucus, Elizabeth 1/9, East Hanover and Philly locations outright, while the rest were leased from various real estate companies.

If you didn't see it on yesterday's twitter post, there are already rumors that the store down here in Philly is slated to become a Century 21.

Merchandise Update -- COPEN GROUP NOW IN!!!

Made a quick stop in at Philly today and am glad to report that items from Copen Group (made in Italy) are now in, including wool coats, blazers and suits. The suit selection was small, but the coats and blazers were awesome. Phenomenal quality for these prices. Brands include Pennesi, Royal Hem, and DeCurtis.

And happened to overhear some rumors about the building today. For that info, check out the Twitter feed at twitter.com/#!/yellowbaggers.

Official Statement From Daffy's

Daffy's just released an official statement which was sent out to all of its Facbeook and email subscribers --

Busy Week

An official press release just came out stating that JEMB Realty has purchased certain real estate and intellectual property assets belonging to Daffy's. Unclear if this means that the rumored deal w/Aurora fell through. Details at Marketwatch.com.

More News

Well today's just a fun day...news surfaced late this evening that Daffy's also filed for bankruptcy today. Unsure how it jives w/the apparent purchase by the real estate firm, but I suppose it could help the shed some unwanted debt. Details at Reuters.

Daffy's Sold?

According to a report on Real Estate Weekly, Daffy's may have been sold to Aurora Capital Associates, a real estate investment firm. Apparently the deal was more about the real estate that Daffy's owns and leases, rather than anything else, so don't get your hopes up.  More details at the link.

Recap

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 :'(

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.

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.

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.

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.

JCM

Quick note for those of you not following us on Twitter (https://twitter.com/#!/yellowbaggers) - Jey Cole Man (made in Italy) is in stores this week. Some NYC locations already received shipments; the Philly store will be getting in the merchandise on Friday.

More Fall

Will be at work most of the weekend, so wanted to share more updates before then -- Philly just got in a selection of items from Messagerie (made in Italy) -- an array of blazers, shirts, jeans and outerwear. I put one jacket on hold for myself as it was reversible.

More outerwear came in as well from Hawke & Co. and Umberto Zebra. Nice things, mostly nylon-based.

Amongst the FB (made in Italy) items that came in earlier this week, I noticed pieces from Alessandro Gilles and Report -- these had the FB vendor code, so it is likely FB produced for those labels or made samples for them. For those wondering -- Alessandro Gilles appears quite often on Yoox, though, Report I'm unsure of -- I believe it is different from Reporter, which is made by Inghirami.

Very small selection of items from Xagon Man (made in Italy) -- it had already been mixed in w/everything else -- my guess is that it wasn't enough to warrant it's own rack.

Shoes came in from Tremp (made in Italy), sadly only a very small selection, maybe 5 or 6 pairs total, each retailing for $49.99. Insanely cheap for some quality shoes. Also about a dozen pairs of shoes from Christian Bresci (made in Italy) -- these things are a fail every year I see them, and this season is no different -- stay away from these at all costs -- square-toed hell.

More casual items came in from Benson, and some activewear from Deha. Both pretty decent things, then again, we also got in some young-men's items I'm not mentioning cause it was worthless.

But all-in-all, Fall is going quite well thus far, and while I'm still holding off from going to another Daffy's location outside of Philly, I would implore those who are w/in walking distance of a Daffy's to go take a look at a few of these things, particularly the Messagerie items, which generally wind up at 34th St. and Soho in NYC. No suits down here, just sportcoats, but if you can find a Messagerie suit, I promise you will be quite happy.

If Something is Going On...

If something is going on in corporate at the moment, you wouldn't notice it in-store. A much larger selection of Fall merchandise just came in this week -- suits from Terzo Uomo (made in Italy) -- nicely fitted, solid colors and actually in wool, which is a change for this brand that usually produces in man-made fabrics; lots of bits and pieces from FB (made in Italy) -- and for once I am actually impressed by the selection -- the stuff is on-trend and while maybe not made the best it is certainly worth what they are asking; and a selection of merchandise from Umberto Zebra (made in Italy) -- and again, I have nothing negative to say about it -- usually Zebra items are over-fitted and have gaudy designs, but these were pretty nice.

And finally, some nice lace-up shoes from Yellowside (made in Italy) -- first time I've seen/heard of these things, but they look pretty good. I mean these aren't Santoni's but they are much better than the Leone items that came in last week, and 90% of the American brands that come in the door.

It's strange, though, all this chatter about financial troubles, and not one indication of a slow-down in merchandise in the stores - plus the clerks/managers seemed to know nothing about what was going on. So either corporate is keeping tight-lipped, understandably so, or the situation may be a bit overblown. Time will tell.

Weekend Update

Well, seeing that article yesterday didn't help things after what I witnessed in store this week. For whatever reason, the buyers have decided to release significant portions of kids' and women's Fall merchandise, but the men apparently don't deserve that. I was told by the folks down here in Philly that the Fall men's items won't really be coming out until after inventory, which occurs down here on July 8th (2 weeks away).

We did get some activewear from Meeting, which is always nice stuff, but is not anything I was hoping for.  Shoes came in under a brand called Leone w/some marked Super Leone.  The boxes and shoes are stamped made in Italy, but the jury is out on these things -- they're certainly not anything special, but I have seen much worse at Daffy's; it's just something about the construction that makes them seem cheap to me. For the $69.99 they're asking you can do a lot better. The only other thing which I saw was a bunch of luggage from Tommy Hilfiger.

That is it. I'm in quite the sad mood given the recent news, though, it wasn't fully unexpected. Among other things, the merchandise has lost any consistency in quality and expansion happened too quickly into locations that either did not need a store like Daffy's or were already over-saturated with Daffy's locations. Hoping the chain can weather whatever troubles it might be in right now, and come out for the better after all the dust has cleared.

Ouch

From Crain's -- "Daffy's not paying its bills - The discount clothing retailer, which has 19 stores, including eight Manhattan locations, is in financial trouble and may close underperforming shops, sources say."

http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20120622/RETAIL_APPAREL/120629947

There are several inaccuracies in this article (particularly the statement, "The retailer's products are often priced too high, not offering the same value the post-recession consumer has come to expect"), but I do believe we will see some store closures in the near future.  G-d willing the company will be able to restructure a bit and cut some costs.

Fall Preview Part I

Well this past week saw the intro of the first bit of Fall merchandise. To find the Fall merchandise, look for Season Code 'I' on the Daffy's price tags (see here for more info).

The first bit of Fall: Henleys, long-sleeve tees, knitwear, jackets and some really comfy cotton pants from Alternative Apparel - most everything was below $16.99; I think the jackets were a tad more expensive.  Additional t-shirts and long sleeve knits from Benson. Two solid brands - causal and comfortable clothes w/a tiny bit of design and well fitted. That is all I ask of non-Italian merchandise, and they delivered. Now, was I jumping out of my seat on this stuff, no, but it is 10x's better than anything we ever get from the 'young men's' dept.

Socks --- a new shipment of socks from Corgi came in, including socks called 'SOX Wales' (see pic above) -- $12.99-$13.99/pair. Great things. 

And the Fall items that came in only to a few stores --- merchandise from Hirschleifer's, a high-end store out on Long Island. The East Hanover store had three racks of stuff -- jeans from Rag & Bone, Acne, Naked & Famous and an Italian brand I'd never heard of, R13; coats from Woolrich and APC; shirts from Gitman Brothers, Levis Made & Crafted and Band of Outsiders; blazers and knits from Brunello Cuccinelli and Thom Browne. All stuff at insanely cheap prices for these names. Sadly, at least in NJ, this stuff was thrown into a store where no one purchases this stuff -- case in point, a Thom Browne blazer that came in the first week of Spring was still sitting on a different rack. NYC stores that probably got a piece of the action are 34th St., 44th & Madison and both 57th St. stores -- just a hunch, but that is how they split up the merchandise for Spring.

 

Non-fall items -- espadrilles from Johnston & Murphy, nice things at $49.99; and then, sadly, each store got in a HUGE shipment of suits from Calvin Klein, Michael Kors and Tallia, all from Peerless Clothing. Priced $179.99-$199.99. I've said it before and I'll say it again --- Burlington Coat Factory and TJMaxx/Marshalls carry plenty of this stuff at the same or better prices. This is just sheer insanity to fill up the Daffy's racks w/these Macy's rejects.

So unsure how I would rate this week - on the one hand, there was some decent fall merchandise, especially in East Hanover as it pertains to Hirschleifer's items. However, all those suits clogging up the racks in each store got me sick to my stomach. I think we'll call this a break-even week. Here's hoping that next week's Fall haul will contain some Italian items, as the women and kids have done a heck of a lot better than us in that regard -- Patrizia Pepe, Les Copains and Transit for the women, and Alviero Martini and Tagliatore for kids. Leaving us men in the dust for no good reason.

Weekend Update

Again, nothing to write home about this week. Fall merchandise will be coming out relatively soon, but until then I expect everything to be pretty ho hum.

The only items that came in in large numbers were in the Shoe dept. -- sneakers from K-Swiss, leather sandals from GBX, leather chukkas from Guess and a whole lot of low-end loafers from Florsheim.

In shirts, there were maybe a half dozen shirts that came in from European designer Kurt Muller which were nothing special. I'm happy when they get in European items, but not when the stuff is dirt cheap to begin with.

Also noticed some blazers marked as samples from Ross Graison. These are nicely made things, though, have always been designed for those w/more, shall we say, 'artistic flare.'

The suit section also saw some more items Tallia . I really wish this stuff was left to the Burlington's and TJ's of the world, but I don't have a say at this point. Tallia is a Macy's house brand, produced by Peerless Clothing, and is sold at countless discounters. Not worth your time.

Finally, the one bit of good news for the folks down here in Philly -- the last few weeks we've been getting in transfers from other stores. Last week saw a number of pants, including a bunch of Patrizia Pepe items. This week a rack of suits came in from Copen Group -- (including items marked DeCurtis) -- which I believe were mostly transfers from the Elizabeth 1-9 store, where stuff was sitting for months and not selling. These suits were just being put out today, so take a look later this week.

Philadelphia Recap

No NYC updates this week, just Philly ones for the time being. I had heard rumors of Fall merchandise coming out for men, but turns out they were false, but I will post to the Twitter feed if I hear anything more concrete. Now down to business --

Good/Decent Finds:
A ton of shirts came in from Inghirami (made in Italy), under labels including Ingram, Inghirami, Fabio Inghirami and others. These shirts are made quite well -- you may know the manufacturer from it's somewhat more known brand, Reporter. I will note that while they are made well, most of the shirts are not fitted very well -- i.e., very loose, and likely mis-sized -- so make sure you try everything on before you buy it. The usual $29.99. Each store likely got quite a big selection of these shirts.

A small selection of Michael Kors shirts came in as well, all $19.99, originally $79.50.

Suits came in from Acquaviva (made in Italy), all at $149.99. These aren't the best made things, and they have a much looser fit -- clearly made for the American market. That said, they are not awful, and certainly better than the Manzini and Romano's junk that sits around collecting dust. In fact if you read last week's post, you'd note that Acquaviva merchandise is now being sold at select Bloomingdale's stores. Interestingly, it appears that the Italian company that makes these suits is embroiled in trademark litigation w/it's U.S. distributor (BMG Imports) -- in case you're interested -- http://ttabvue.uspto.gov/ttabvue/v?pno=92055152&pty=CAN&eno=1.

Shoes -- Much like NYC, the Philly store got in a small selection of Florsheim by Duckie Brown shoes as well - $119.99 and up. Additionally, a nice selection of shoes came in from from Timberland, and samples came in from Guess -- the samples were quite nice, though only a handful of them. Also forgot to mention in my NYC recap, leather loafers from Pellenera. I believe they're from the same company that makes Marco Ferretti shoes -- that is not saying much, but they are made in the Dominican Republic, so are not the worst things around.

Junk:

Quite a sizable selection of suits and vests came in from Adolfo. I mean when I tell you these things are hideous, that is an understatement. The original retail on the suits is listed as $179 and they are selling for $69.99. How do the buyers not realize that this stuff is total junk and not fit for Daffy's. I mean I realize there has to be a 'variety' of suits, but come on. This is the kind of stuff that is sold at those $99 suit stores that keep popping up everywhere.

Double-Week Recap Incl. NYC

A busy past couple of weeks at work plus some much needed relaxation time prevented me from updating as much as I have in the past, but here is the recap of everything I have noticed in the past few weeks - sorry for the lack of pics, but want to get this out as quick as possible.

High end -- It looks like it came in a while ago, but the merchandise from Tyrone's (boutique out on Long Island) is still available at 34th St., and both 57th St. stores. 34th and 57th & Lex. are limited to a few shirts - I saw some Canali, Zegna and Lorenzini. 57th & 7th also had blazers in large sizes from Canali, Belvest, and G. Vasta - maybe five in total, all mixed in w/the rest of the blazers on the wall. You wouldn't even know they were there...

Dress Shirts --
--- Be very weary of those boxed shirt/tie combos from Versa. Every single store got a stack of them - I'm assuming for Father's Day. Pretty awful things which will likely be sold, if at all, to the 40+ housewives looking for gifts for their husbands.
--- Culturata (made in Italy) made its return, but only at 57th & 7th, and I saw literally two shirts. Beautiful things, but for whatever reason, it only went to one store and we only got a very small selection.

Sportswear:
a) A small mix of shirts, jeans and other pieces came in from Signum, a German brand of men's sportswear. The make on these was pretty good -- some made in Germany, others in Poland, though, the design on a bunch of the stuff felt pretty stale. Worth a look, but you'll have to sift through the more undesirable pieces - 34th St. had the largest selection.
b) You won't find much of it, but mixed in the racks were a few pieces from Lab Cinquantuno (made in Italy), along with a sister brand called REW ONE. Haven't seen this stuff since last summer. Decent, but hard to find.
c) Really great selection of t-shirts and cardigans from Gypsy05. Most of the stores have already mixed this stuff in w/their other t-shirts and such, but well worth digging through to find it -- priced at $9.99-$13.99 for really nice knitted t-shirts, henleys and cardigans. You won't find better prices on these.
d) And more random t-shirts - 50/50 cotton poly blend shirts from Wishbone and a bunch of shirts that were made for what looks to be a charity related to the Grammy awards, Musicares. 
e) Golf apparel came in from Callaway Golf - this is the kind of stuff I expect at Steinmart, not Daffy's.

Shoes, shoes, shoes -- I was generally impressed to see the quality level of shoes come around from what it has been recently, at least on the casual side of things --- rubber shoes from Native for $26.99, casual hi-tops from Pro Keds (really nice things), canvas sneakers from True Religion and Keep, flip flops from Rider, some sort of sporty-type sneakers from Cushe, and a few (read one or two/store) pairs of boat shoe-like casual shoes from Manas Design (made in Italy). Selection varies by store. On the dressier side, the only thing worth mentioning was several pairs of Florsheim by Duckie Brown shoes at 44th & Madison and 57th & Lexington. About 10-12 pairs in each store, around $119.99 each.

Accessories --
- Ties abounded -- Good: Olimpo (made in Spain); Bad: Belvetro (ugly as all heck).
- The 57th & Lex. store got in a huge stack of belts from a company called A. Wills. I mean to say that the quality on these things is horrible is an understatement - they were 100% polyurethane - i.e., plastic belts, covering an entire pillar at the store.
- Socks -- Most stores got in some more socks from Happy Socks. Nice things.

And one final note --- It appears that the Acquaviva (made in Italy) suits that came in last season, and a few which came down to Philly this season, are actually better than I had thought. Well, they are still only a decent suit - decent construction, but I don't rate higher simply b/c the cut is much looser than other suits --- BUT -- apparently Bloomingdales is now selling Acquaviva suits and separates at select locations. So good find for Daffy's, which found this stuff before Bloomies started carrying it. Makes me wonder if someone from Bloomies is reading the blog, or at least shopping at Daffy's... ;)

Update Coming Soon

Been quite busy at work the past couple of days, but have a lot of updates to put in after my brief venture to NYC last week --- was up on business, but managed to sneak in stops at a few Daffy's locations and pick up a some things for myself.

Under Where?

Just a quick update from last week's merchandise. Didn't see much of anything new outside of the underwear department -- underwear and undershirts from two new brands -- dug (www.duglife.com) and RIP T FUSION (www.riptfusion.com).  Both looked quite decent and seem on trend given the explosion in the men's accessories/undergarments category at the moment w/brands like Tommy John, though, according to the website, RIP T FUSION is no longer in production - so if you like the stuff, stock up.

Daffy's is a True Retailer

As much as I criticize the menswear selection at Daffy's, the one thing they do right consistently is pricing.  The items are, more often than not, priced correctly from the get go, and if any merchandise does not sell quickly, it is marked down to effectuate an expedient sale.  Daffy's, more than most of its competitors, has its pricing model, including initial pricing and subsequent markdowns, down to a science.  The point is to move merchandise quickly and efficiently so that new items can consistently be brought in for higher turnover.

The reason I'm pointing this out is the experience I had last weekend at a local Saks Off 5th store. I needed some brown shoes, and tried on one pair that I had seen there several times, going all the way back to last summer.  It turns out the shoes (Saks brand - decent but nothing phenomenal) had been sitting in the store since June of 2011.  Literally, sitting on the store shelf for close to a year.  But here's the key point - the shoes had never been marked down, and the only discount would be the 30% off that the regular priced shoes were receiving.  So I asked a manager to check on the price of the shoes for me, to see if what was coming up was indeed correct.  That took 20 minutes, after which he confirmed that they were simply the regular price less the 30% off.

In the meantime, another sales associate stopped by to use the register for something else. I mentioned about the shoes being on the shelf for a year, and she said that was nothing - she has dress shirts in her department that have been there for almost two years with no markdown. I was in utter astonishment --- what is the purpose of keeping an item on a shelf for two years? Is this a clothing gallery to display clothes, or a retail outlet meant to sell merchandise?

So when the manager came back and confirmed the regular price, I showed him that the register indicated the shoes came in in June 2011, and that they were the last pair; clearly they should have been on the clearance rack w/the 50% discount. Begrudgingly, the manager said he would give me a 40% discount (between the 30 and 50). It seemed painful to him that he should even give an extra 10% discount.

So the point of this drawn out story being -- while the merchandise at Daffy's may sometimes be spotty, they are a solid retailer and because of that, I sincerely hope, won't be going anywhere anytime soon. But stores like Off 5th, Neiman's Last Call and Nordstrom Rack have another thing coming. Their merchandise is generally overpriced from the start and markdowns are sometimes non-existent. Any retail business should have its primary goal to be moving merchandise. It is quite a simple principle, but some don't seem to understand it for some reason. Daffy's does. Now we just need to fix a few things merchandise-wise and we're ready to go.

On related note -- if you find a suit from last season sitting around (look for season code E on the hang tag) --- they are all marked down to a final sale price of $31.49. I helped a colleague at work find an Ortenzi suit at this price (fully canvassed, made in Italy), which is completely insane, but shows how much Daffy's simply wants to move its merchandise.  Saks Off 5th --- the same suits that received their first markdown in Feb/March are still sitting there at the same exact price some three months later.

Another Slow Week

Another slow week, but I will say it was a better one in that we didn't get in much junk -- just that not much came in at all down here in Philly.

The items from MINE which were in the Jersey stores last week made their way down here; nice stuff overall. And some more blazers from Confezioni Lombardelli (made in Italy) came in - mostly plaid linen blazers. Really quite nice - my guess is the folks in NYC have access to these items in a few of the stores there - none of the NJ stores received Lombardelli items. I hope to make a trip to NYC soon and provide a much-needed store update.

Shoes/accessory-wise - small selection of decent shoes came in from Kenneth Cole New York (better than the lower-end Reaction line), though at a price of over $80, I'm not sure of the real value there when Daffy's offers Italian shoes at the same price point. And some new sock brands (see pics) Vivarati (made in Turkey) and Rare Footage. I've included the back of the Rare Footage tag, only to indicate that these socks are 68% polyester - generally I like my feet to breathe, not sweat; but who knows, maybe there's a reason they're mostly synthetic.

Only other thing of note was something from the Young Men's side, which I usually just ignore on this blog b/c of how bad the stuff is, but I noticed a brand called Astronomy. I mean the items weren't phenomenal by any means, but they were solid and had a simple design to them, which is hard to find in the Daffy's young men's section, and of course priced to move. Worth a quick look if you've got a few minutes to spare.

Disappointing Week

I don't really know where to start...the last couple weeks have just been awful, and to make it worse, I visited every store in Jersey last weekend, and they are all faring worse than Philly merchandise-wise.

For what it's worth, here's the run-down ---

Lots of shoes from Puma and Beverly Hills Polo Club. The Puma stuff was not terrible, the Polo Club stuff, not worth your time.

Down here in Philly, we got TONS of athletic apparel, mostly nylon sweat suits from New Balance, Avia, and Fila. The fact of the matter is that people don't come to Daffy's looking for this stuff, and simply that no one under the age of fifty wears nylon sweat suits. Just an awful waste of floor/rack space.

Jackets from U.S. Polo Assn. and Totes - more wastes of space. The Totes items are quite basic and not exactly the most stylish things, and U.S. Polo Assn. is not a brand I expect at Daffy's. These same items were in last Spring and were also sold at retailers like Pay Half and Tuesday Morning.

Along with a large assortment of candy (which I still can't understand to be honest), most of the locations are also now selling Calvin Klein suitcases. Not horrible things, but they seem overpriced to me. If I want luggage at a discount, I go to TJMaxx/Marshalls, not Daffy's. Now, Italian leather bags, that's a different story.

Probably the worst items of the week were these camp-style short-sleeve shirts from Axis. Axis, for those of you not in tune to the lower-end of the spectrum, is a brand sold at Kohl's and JC Penney. With all of these items mentioned already, and especially these shirts, I cannot fathom how they can sell this bottom of the barrel merchandise and at the same time sell fully-canvassed suits, and hand tailored shirts made in Italy. The two don't mix, and only serve to turn off customers and devalue the better merchandise.

The only highlights of the week, if you can call them that --- most of the Jersey stores got in a small selection of items from MINE (see pic for label); first time I've seen this stuff at Daffy's in a few years; a few shirts folded up in the wall areas marked SERICA (made in Italy), priced at $35.99 -- you wouldn't even know these things were there since they're just shoved in w/every other folded shirt, mostly the low-end stuff; and some scarves/shawls which have been in for a few weeks now that are made in Italy -- same manufacturer that made a lot of the winter scarves this past season --- really nice stuff if you need a lightweight accessory to your wardrobe (linen/cotton).

A number of the Jersey stores got in samples of suits/blazers from John Barrit. All of these were size 40US/50EU, and marked as samples w/season code H. Nice stuff, but nothing in my size.

Only other thing I noticed, only in Philly -- the items w/vendor code (search for 'vendor code' for a prior post to see what this refers to) CONF, which correlates to pieces from Confezioni Lombardelli which came in two weeks ago as samples, also included some blazers from Messagerie (made in Italy). Beautiful pieces, and I counted all of three in total, but apparently Lombardelli makes their blazers. None of this merchandise found its way to the Jersey stores, but I'm guessing a few locations in NYC got these items.

Here's hoping that this week will improve significantly. Though, I'm not holding my breath.

Snacks and Socks

Just for fun, I wanted to document what I believe to be some of the more absurd items being sold down here in the Philly men's dept. at Daffy's. The first is an introduction that came in last week -- assorted gourmet snacks, including pretzels, chocolate and popcorn. Nothing against selling this stuff, but I don't think it belongs in the men's department, nor on the first floor next to the entrance way where temperatures are likely to vary. I just fear it starts moving Daffy's towards TJMaxx/Marshalls territory, which is not the image I have of the store.

And from the 'Who Ever Thought This Would Sell?' category -- Compression socks and 'Diabetic Luxury' socks. Sadly, the people who need these things aren't likely to be able to physically make it into the stores to purchase them.

 

Fluff Time

It's that time of year again when Daffy's racks are loaded w/fluff to fill up the store. It's weird, yes, we're only 1 month into Spring, yet 90% of all the good merchandise has already come and gone. Not how this should be done, but I have no control over it at the moment...but, one day...

Anyway, here's the fluff that came in -- t-shirts from Report Collection - not horrible, esp. at around $9 each for some solid v-necks; t-shirts and sweatshirts from Mad Gringo - don't know where they came across this stuff, but it's nothing special.

Suits from Calvin Klein ($199) and Michael Kors ($169). This is stuff you can get for the same or better prices at TJMaxx and Burlington Coat Factory. Not worth your time IMHO - it just doesn't compare to the better items we're used to.

Accessories - TONS of ties came in under the Geoffrey Beene label and some Ben Sherman. Ben Sherman ties are not awful, but Beene items should not be stocked at Daffy's, period - the stuff is simply below any standard of quality that should be sold at the store.

The non-fluff items -- a handful (read four or five) suits from Lombardelli (made in Italy) -- marked Sartoria Italiana Lombardelli. Can't find much about the company other than what is on the linked page, but the quality seems pretty good on these things. The hang tags are marked 'SAMPLE' and they are retailing at $139. The styling is wanting on a few of the items I saw -- some very traditional three-button suits; but I saw one unlined wool suit, perfect for Spring/Summer, which made me hopeful that some better items came into other stores.

Other bits -- shoes from Mauri Moda (made in Italy), mostly sandals including items from Pregunta and Madison in the Birkenstock vane. Also a smattering of shoes from Bacco Bucci (made in Italy) -- again the styling on these things was pretty awful, but there were one or two pieces worth looking at. And other items not so great -- casual shoes from Credo and a random collection of boat shoes from a label called Freeman - 'Rugged Coastal Wear'.

So overall this week, it seems any chance we've got of decent stuff coming in on a consistent basis won't happen again until around July when the Fall items are likely to start trickling in. Quite a shame, but will keep updating the blog if something of value makes its way to stores.

Slow Week

Not many headturners this week - most of what came in was simply bits and pieces of more merchandise that has already been in the store. A few Daniele Fiesoli/Wool & Co. (made in Italy) knits came in, all marked AS IS. Also noticed a few wool blazers from Zanetti Elements. I believe Zanetti is a decent company, but this diffusion line is made in China and not really worth your time.

For those that didn't notice the comment thread in the prior post, our friend 'Q' pointed out a small selection of new ties that came in. Labels included Holland & Sherry (this is a fabric maker from the UK), Tom James and even Jack Spade. The vendor code on these things indicates they are likely closeouts from Gitman Brothers. There were also ties from a different vendor from G.J. Cahn. And one other note from Q -- wooden handled, 16-rib doorman umbrellas from Leighton, going for $11. May take you a minute to figure out where the umbrella stand is in a given store, but these are worth taking the extra minute to find if you want something nice.

Weekend Update

Quick weekend update -- The big get of the week was knitwear from Nanibon/Fiume (made in Italy) - probably the best made knitwear that comes in to Daffy's. This included some buttondowns this year, and some really awesome woven belts (check the belt section - they are Nanibon-branded, $29.99-$39.99) -- will take some pics of the ones I purchased.

Also came in -- a tiny bit more merchandise from Patrizia Pepe (made in Italy), including some more accessories. Shoes also came in from Donald Pliner -- make sure if you're looking at buying these that you get ones marked 'made in the mountains of Italy' -- the ones in the blue box w/out that slogan are made over in China and are not styled as well as the Italian ones.

Quick Note + Happy Holidays

Just a quick note -- b/c of the holiday weekend, all Daffy's are apparently receiving their Friday trucks today. So anything good coming out this week, should likely be out on the floor by mid-late afternoon today, or tomorrow morning.

And happy holidays to all that celebrate something this weekend. I will be eating the 'unleavened bread' and drinking Manischewitz for the next 8 days :P...though will admit I'm looking forward to Matzah Brei (those that never had it should try - great stuff).

Recent Shoe Purchase -- Alberto Fasciani

Alberto Fasciani (made in Italy) - not a name you hear about much in the States, but they make some awesome shoes, and I managed to pick up a pair of black, double-monks at the Bloomingdales outlet in North Jersey last weekend. Wanted to share with everyone one of the more obscure brands out there. Note: These were clearly left over from the Bloomingdales store rather than some items that are sold specifically at the outlet store. Total on these was $110, originally marked $595.  One day Daffy's will stock this sort of thing...one day.

Sottotono...Why-oh, Why-oh?

Last season my post was called 'Sottotono...A Big No-No', I'm trying to keep it fresh ;)

Fact of the matter is that Sottotono (made in Italy) is simply some of the worst merchandise that Daffy's gets in, and that appears to be the only major brand that came in this week. Don't let the fact that the items are made in Italy fool you....it's still utter junk. The construction and fabrication is awful, and the designs are usually just pure ugly for lack of a better descriptor. I simply do not understand why this stuff continues to be sold.

The only other thing I noticed this week was neon-colored t-shirts from a label called U.S. Vintage. Nothing special, $8.99 each. Use them to go work out in the gym or something.

Was hoping at least to see some old Fall merchandise from other stores down here, but that didn't happen yet. What did happen, however, is that all Fall items are an additional 75% off, including the shearlings. So might be worth a trip either to 34th St. or Philly (the two major locations with decent Fall/Winter stock left).

I don't expect much else to be updated this weekend, but I will post a picture of some awesome double-monk shoes which I picked up last weekend at the Bloomingdales Outlet in Paramus (the same mall also has a Century 21, Nordstrom Rack, Off 5th and Neiman Marcus Last Call).

Weekend/NJ Store Recap

Took a trip this weekend up to NJ, visited all the stores along the way...let's just say I was not thrilled. The John Barrit merchandise which was part of the reason I went was nowhere near the volume we had received down here in Philly, and the Patrizia Pepe selection, while good, was not what I was hoping for in terms of specific items, though, I did manage to pick up a beautiful cotton/silk blazer in Elizabeth. Note that neither Secaucus nor Totowa, NJ received Patrizia Pepe items, but that was expected.

To the sides you can see a few of the Patrizia Pepe items - just about every store that had PP merchandise got in this great leather jacket - it kind of looks stained, but I believe that was intentional. And a few stores got in some high-top sneakers -- Jersey Gardens had these shoes in blue, yellow and I believe a tan/brown -- the rims of each shoe are covered in an almost neon-like plastic. Quite cool stuff - and at $69.99, you won't find it anywhere else for less (Yoox has them for $138 in case you need a comparison). 

As for the Transit (made in Italy) items that were supposed to come in, I saw none of it, whether in Philly or any NJ store, including the Paramus store where it usually comes in serious volume. There were women's Transit items in each store, but no men's items. A report via Twitter, however, has indicated that Transit men's items were spotted at the Soho store. So take a look there if you're interested.

For those of you that missed it on Twitter, the Philly store received several pairs (read 7 or 8 total) of shoes from Goffredo Fantini (made in Italy). Much more well known for their women's items, but great men's shoes nonetheless. I bought myself four pairs - a pair of waxed-canvas boots, two pairs of sandals, and some penny loafers -- all seen in the group shot. I was kind of in love w/all these shoes if you can't tell, that's why you're seeing all the pictures. None of the NJ stores received any of these, and the Philly store only received items in Size 9 (42 EU). My guess is one or two of the NYC stores received a few scattered pairs. Also amongst them were items from Hope by Ringstrand Soderberg, which included that pair of waxed-cotton boots I was referencing (see group picture on the bottom, middle pair).

And, the unfortunate part of the week....the junk -- tons of t-shirts in each store I visited from Grimm (www.grimm.ca). I mean these these are ill-fitting generic t-shirts to begin with, and then they each have some really stupid cartoon joke on them, generally immature sayings -- "Wine is the answer...does anyone remember the question?" "I don't drink beer anymore...I don't drink any less either." If these things sell at the $5.99 they're marked at, I'd be surprised. It always amazes me what crap they can get their hands on.

The other stuff that meandered in -- sportswear items from a company called 'Q-Fresh'. More generic Under Armour-like items that no one is going to buy. And shoes from Affliction that have these little spikey things all over them. Not my cup of tea

Looking forward to next week...I've been told that the Philly store is going to be the dumping ground for a whole load of NYC and NJ leftovers from fall in the next couple of weeks. So those folks down here, get ready to enjoy 75% discount on lots of items (supposedly the discount rate on men's stuff is only 50% right now b/c it sells quicker than the women's items and doesn't go out of style as quickly - if you're wondering why the women's stuff is 75% and we only get a meager 50%).

Quick Note

Updates coming this weekend, but for those of you that don't follow us on Twitter (@yellowbaggers), Daffy's announced that Transit (made in Italy) items will be coming in this week, and Patrizia Pepe (made in Italy) soon thereafter (so probably next week on PP). Transit does not usually come down here to Philadelphia for some reason (I believe it may have to do w/a dispute from a local store many years ago, but not entirely sure on that), but it usually winds up in the Paramus, NJ store, and the three main NYC stores -- 57th East Side, Soho and 34th St - last fall it also made its way to 18th St. and 57th St. west side, and I'm assuming something will be in the new Times Square store as well. For more info on Transit, do a search on the blog for prior posts.

Update, Week of 3/12-3/18

Really the only thing of value this past week was the John Barritt merchandise that came in. Blazers, pants, suits, jackets, shirts and knits - all great stuff and priced to move. A few items also came in under the Luck in Luck label - all produced by the same parent company, Mavecon SRL. While most of the items fit well, the construction is not the best you can find at Daffy's - most of the items are actually produced outside of Italy and imported into the country. But price-wise, you can't really beat what Daffy's is asking for these items.

On the casual side, I sadly noticed some items from Just a Cheap Shirt - shirts and cargo pants, and some button-downs from Andrew Marc. I'm really not a fan of bringing in items that can be had at every other discounter, and I wish Daffy's would realize they need to stick to a plan, but sadly I have no say in that (at least not yet...)

And the worst items of the week -- 1) Some pretty awful ties from a brand called Ertu - I had noticed these last week in the Totowa store, but they just came in down here in Philly. They're made ok, some made in Italy, others only marked 'Designed in Italy', but most are simply ugly and look like they came from a vintage store. 2) A whole rack of wool pants from Greg Peters --- these did not sell last season, and I can't imagine why they're trying to sell them again now. Perhaps some of the more portly fellows can use these things, but otherwise stay away.

John Barritt is In

Quick note for those of you that don't follow the twitter feed (@yellowbaggers) -- John Barritt merchandise came in this week, including a whole bunch of blazers, suits and pants. And for those that missed the Incotex pants rush, I highly recommend the pants - not the best made stuff available but they fit quite well, and for the price you can't find much better.

Weekend Update, Plus Major News

Quick weekend update - the big score for the week was the Incotex pants which came in on Friday to all Daffy's locations. Philly got a huge shipment, and other stores I've been to thus far in NJ got sizable ones as well - I'm assuming all NYC stores got these too. Be aware that most of the pants have slight imperfections, some more noticeable than others, and the sizing is off on a lot of them - mainly b/c it is clear that some of the pants are made for specific markets which have different sizing standards from the rest of the EU -- so make sure you try everything on, or bring a measuring tape w/you - the Daffy's price tags are wrong on the sizing in a lot of instances. For those of you wondering, so far I've seen pants made for Zegna and Faconnable mixed in with the Incotex-branded items.

Not much else other than what I mentioned mid-week. There appears to have been a small shipment of ties for spring from Bruno Piatelli and Daks London, both of which are well made, Daks being the better of the two, though the ties are generally on the wider side.

And the major news item of the week - I heard a rumor in one of the stores this weekend, and I've been able to confirm w/a snippet of an article I found on Google -- Caryn Lerner, the CEO that had been brought in from Holt Renfrew to run Daffy's, has stepped down, and Marcia Wilson is back at the helm once again. It's been approximately one year since she was brought in, and I'm not sure exactly how much she has helped the company to be honest. This is the only article I can find backing this up, but you have to pay to read the article. http://www.wwd.com/business-news/human-resources/caryn-lerner-out-at-daffys-5763088 If anyone finds another source, feel free to leave a link in the comments below.

***INCOTEX PANTS NOW IN****

INCOTEX PANTS ARE NOW IN -- Huge shipment of Incotex pants came into Philly today, though a lot of it is still in the back and not out on the floor yet. I was told someone already came in and bought 20 pairs. Most have slight defects, though, barely noticeable unless you see some little yellow stickers on them.

And if you do stop in, remember these can be yours for $16 w/this week's 20% off coupon, available on the Daffy's website. Plus, be sure to check out Mastai Ferretti and Truzzi-made shirts, $26.99-$29.99, shirts from Alea Fashion Industries, and shirts from Carrell/Del Siena, all $29.99 + suits from Gazzarrini and Copen Group (look for the hang tag w/a crest or one that says 'De Curtis;). Sorry if I sound like a walking Daffy's ad, but there hasn't been this big of a shipment of Incotex pants in a while, so I want to publicize the other great stuff there in the meantime. Good luck hunting!

Discounts + Mid-Week Update

20% Coupon is now in effect and good through the weekend. Check the Daffy's Facbeook page and/or website for more details.

And for those of you already getting ready for summer, Daffy's just got in swim trunks from Onia marked at $49.99. A bit pricey considering the Daffy's usual prices, but these are selling on discount at Bluefly for upwards of $79, and at Park & Bond for upwards of $130 in full retail. Plus, if you use the 20% off coupon (good for the entire purchase, not just one item), you'll get it for a meager $40. Well worth it IMHO - quality bathing suits.

Other random stuff that I noticed yesterday - a small selection of v-neck tees from Alternative Apparel came in, plus a few glen-plaid blazers (read one or two) from Scott James, nothing special.

Update, Week of 2/27-3/4

Lots of new things to talk about, mostly good, but one particularly atrocious brand that will be taking up space in the suit section until they get cleared out in July -

Shirts from Alea Fashion Industries (made in Italy) came in, unfortunately, most of them remained in boxes as of Saturday. I can't tell you how many times I've said on this blog to Daffy's --- DO NOT LEAVE THE SHIRTS IN BOXES - the problem is every shirt fits differently, even in the same size, and rarely are there two shirts in the exact same style, so there is no value in leaving them in a box - these shirts need to be tried on and thus will not sell unless they are out on the racks like everything else. But for those of you willing to take the time to sift through the boxes (look for mostly white boxes, a few blue ones that say ALEA on them, and a few blue ones marked Francica, or a variation thereof)) -- brands include G.V. Conte, Rosso Malaspino, Harry Brook, Golf Club, Pino Borrielo (new this season) and I also noticed shirts marked Nino Danieli and CC Collection Corneliani -- both of these last two are Corneliani-owned diffusion lines.

Shoes --- a TON of shoes from Keds came in - a lot of really nice stuff, and a number of stores had special ones that were made for Opening Ceremony, in the style of a stitched baseball (see pics, saw both black and white versions). 34th St. also got in some loafers from Joyks (made in Italy) - nothing special, they have a little crest that says 'ITALIA' on them. But decently made. You'll probably be seeing them at more Daffy's later this week.


Also, if you follow the Twitter feed (https://twitter.com/#!/yellowbaggers), you'll see pics of a number of Gazzarrini shoes that I encountered in NYC this past weekend. Mind you, it was all of four pairs and in larger sizes, but these things are really beautiful and well-crafted. Three pairs at 44th & Madison, 1 pair at wall street, hidden under a bunch of Bass boxes.

Update 3/6: Forgot to mention -- shirts from Admiral's Cup (made in Italy) came in, along with a few other brands including Oliver Coin and Jeff. Only a few shirts per store.

A small selcetion of merchandise from Quintessence (made in Italy) came into each store, with 34th St. getting the largest quantity. While a few of the pieces are a bit outlandish, everything is made pretty well and is definitely worth the cheap prices being asked. There were a few pairs of pants w/suspenders attached which I really liked. Mixed in were also a few bits and pieces from Hamaki-Ho and I believe a brand called Bray (no relation to the Brothers Bray).

And the part of the week that just ruined everything -- a HUGE shipment into each store of suits from Romano's Le Collezioni. Don't let the white stitching on the shoulders and pockets fool you - these things are ill-fitting, poorly constructed and should be avoided at all costs. I once saw these at a Daffy's for $39.99, only to come back the next week and saw them re-ticketed at $99.99. Now they want $129.99 for these things. You'd be better off going to Burlington Coat Factory and getting some Macy's closeouts rather than this stuff. Poor decision by the Daffy's buyers to stock these again. They simply don't sell, and if they do, they do so slowly to the people that have no clue what they are buying. Remember Daffy's buyers -- the point of buying merchandise is not simply to fill up a store - in fact your goal w/everything you buy should be that the stuff sells and leaves the stores empty within a short period of time, not that you buy stuff to simply make the store look full (hint hint, remember those Diport polo shirts, I would recommend someone coming down to Philly and seeing what a disaster movie those things have turned into).