Great Day in Philly + Rumors

Had a great day in Philly today, picking up a number of Mastai Feretti (made in Italy)-made shirts, under the Bonser, Agho, Michele Negri. Also got a JCM blazer, and a pair of JCM pants. Really terrific stuff on every end. And for those of you that don't know about it -- Daffy's has a layaway policy -- you pay a portion of the total price up-front, and they put it on layaway for 30-days, when you pay the remainder. Great for right now when you might want to pick up the Fall merchandise before it disappears, but have nowhere to put it just yet.

New stuff which came in later this week - A selection of shirts and pants from Xagon Man (made in Italy) - Again, while it's on my Brands list, you have to be very careful with Xagon Man. The clothes, while the shirt I tried on was 100% cotton, are often made of synthetics and the fit is very strange -- almost over-fitted for some reason. But nicely designed.

Couldn't believe they were still bringing up the Mastai Ferretti merchandise from the basement -- apparently there's still loads of shirts down there even at the end of this week. Other bits and pieces which came in -- Boots from J. Shoes at $69.99, Desert Boots from Natha Studio, and accessories from Joseph Abboud and Trafalgar -- wallets, some nice leather grooming bags (the little things you can travel with, put your razor, deodorant, etc... into), and some really awesome-looking suspenders or 'braces' as Q called them in the comment to the prior post -- I will have pics of those up in the next few days -- amazingly priced -- $80+ retail, selling for $20.

And now from the rumor mill -- along with the new CEO, news has spread amongst the staff that there are new buyers afloat at Daffy's. If that is the case, welcome, and let's hope for good times ahead. No more bottom-of-the-barrel junk which can be found at Payhalf as well as Daffy's, please.

First Look at Fall '11

Well I didn't have a chance to take pictures as of yet - those will come this weekend, at least of decent merchandise worthy enough of a photograph. As for what stores have gotten in thus far, here's the rundown, including stuff I may have already mentioned:

- Suits, pants and sportcoats from FB/EP/FB Class/Kevin Up (made in Italy) - I will continue to state my disapproval on this stuff b/c the construction and materials are simply inferior; but the Philly store had TONS of it
- Shirts from Mastai Ferretti (made in Italy) (note: picture is not of an actual shirt currently at Daffy's) - Really great stuff, all priced at $29.99 - includes brands such as Agho, Bonser, Cleveland, Paolo Veri, Korus, Nervesa, A. Basile, and many others I haven't mentioned. In my very quick browse-through, I did not see any shirts that were marked Mastai Ferretti itself, but all these shirt brands are produced by that company.
- Shirts, suits, pants, sportcoats, knits, etc... from Jey Cole Man (made in Italy) -- the Philly store has only received shirts but I am 100% certain that other stores (esp. NYC stores mentioned in prior posts) have received a much wider selection
- Shirts from Roberta Galifa and Asso di Cuori (both made in Italy) - Again, much like FB, I would avoid this stuff like the plague. Horrible construction and fabrication.
- Small amount of zip-up cotton sweaters from French Connection

 I will have a much more in-depth report on the weekend, and anticipate visiting a few Daffy's locations outside of Philly (yes, I have a problem; but no, I'm not addressing it at the moment) ;)

One More Quibble

Just an annoyance which irked me when I was out shopping today. Those on the East Coast that are familiar with Daffy's are also likely familiar with a chain of stores called PayHalf. I've ragged on Daffy's before for carrying a lot of the same Young Men's merchandise as PayHalf, b/c PayHalf is really at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to discount retailers and the merchandise they carry.

Anyway, I happened to stumble into the PayHalf Philly location today, and noticed, aside from the Young Men's merchandise, PayHalf was also carrying Alara and Metropolitan View dress shirts, at the same or lower price than Daffy's (both $19.99 at PayHalf). I realize that the two chains likely buy a lot of their merchandise from the same distributors, but come on; I'm sick and tired of dealing with great merchandise for about two months, and then getting junk the rest of the season that can be purchased at any discounter. Fingers crossed that this Fall will set a new trend.

Last Update Before Fall Merchandise Released

Most stores will be doing inventory in the next few days - Philly will be doing inventory tomorrow, closing an hour early, other stores will be doing inventory on Monday. That means fall merchandise will be coming out early next week. I believe I was slightly premature in my Jersey comments, but I have been assured that most Jersey stores will be putting the Fall line out on Tuesday. NYC stores shouldn't be far behind.

The merchandise listed in the prior post, however, is accurate. Jey Coleman (made in Italy) will be a hot ticket the first few weeks. If you're looking for full suits from JCM (as opposed to just sportcoats), I highly suggest visiting 34th St., 57th & Lex. or Soho. But most of the locations should have a good selection of sportswear, including shirts, knits, jeans and outerwear. I do NOT anticipate JCM merchandise at the following stores (please note I have no experience with stores outside of Jersey, Philly, and Manhattan) - Totowa, NJ; East Hanover, NJ; Secaucus, NJ; Wall Street

In terms of new merchandise this week, I didn't notice anything at all. I picked up a few scraps at the Philly store in the nature of a pair of Aquascutum khakis (made by Giab's) and a nice button-up from Alessandro Gherardeschi, but both have clearly been w/in the Daffy's system for a long time.

Anyway, my next post will be reporting on some of the Fall merchandise. I would wait until at least Wednesday for the stores to put out everything they've got in their stock rooms, but as always w/Daffy's, early bird gets the worm. Happy Hunting! Do be sure to leave comments on the new merchandise that's rolling in; I'd be glad to post pictures of some of the stuff you're finding - and I will reiterate - the Jey Coleman merchandise is awesome this season, so get it while you can.

NYC + NJ - What to Expect in the Next Few Weeks

Well, based on some reports I was under the impression that Fall merchandise was already trickling into the NYC stores, which is not the case. Eight Daffy's stores in two days, and not one has officially put out Fall stuff yet (even though half of Century 21's floor is covered in Fall merchandise, which happens to include leather jackets from Compagnia Delle Pelli and knitwear from Fiume).

Most of the NYC stores have received their first batch of Fall merchandise, but, like the NJ stores, all the stuff is under lock and key in the back until inventory takes place and they're told the merchandise can be put on the floor. Herald Square happened to have a few Jey Coleman pieces already out (read: two blazers, one vest), but I think that was a mistake by one of the stockists (see pics -- not the best of what's to come for the fall, but the vest in particular was quite nice, and should give you an idea of what to expect -- heavy wools and knits with a very mature look; the hang-tag pic shows you the 'Season E' notation).

So here's the deal -- NJ stores will be doing inventory early this week, and will be putting out the fall merchandise thereafter - so by the end of this week almost all the NJ stores should have their first bit of Fall merchandise out. From what I was told, NY stores still have another week and change til inventory takes place (much like the Philly store), and the Fall merchandise will come out afterwards - so two weeks-ish. Until then, we're out of luck aside from some spring leftovers.

Here's what to expect so far in the first run of Fall merchandise: Lots of beautiful items from Jey Coleman (made in Italy), Suits, Blazers and Pants from FB/FB Class/Kevin Up (made in Italy), and shirts from Asso di Cuori and Roberta Galifa (both made in Italy). IMHO, the only stuff in that batch worth your time is the JCM merchandise, but I have a feeling some of the FB blazers will be quite nice -- from what I understand there will be a lot of corduroy blazers from them this season which are likely better fare than the suits I saw in Secaucus.

NJ Daffy's Updates

Made it to four Daffy's locations today on my drive up the NJ Turnpike. I was actually surprised at the fact that they had no fall merchandise out yet and that the selection was just as bad as in Philadelphia at the moment. Some additional merchandise which I noticed that I didn't see in Philly or may have passed over in Philly - decent suede chukkas from Kenneth Cole Reaction, a good assortment of new casual sneakers from PF Flyers (picked up a pair for myself), canvas sneakers from Robert Wayne, some boots from Timberland Earthkeepers, and shirts (in wrapping) from Metropolitan View (which I believe is a Bloomingdale's house-brand). Nothing particularly special, except for a few bits and pieces of sale merchandise which I picked up for myself (was particularly upset at the fact that a beautiful Gazzarrini nehru-collar shirt was not on sale at Jersey Gardens; all Gazzarrini stuff is on sale, but it didn't come up in the register, and the manager wouldn't make an adjustment :P)

But here's the important info -- all NJ locations will be doing inventory next week, and soon thereafter will be putting out Fall merchandise. I happened to get a sneak peek at one of the stores I visited, and from what I understand, just about all NJ stores will be putting out a decent assortment of Jey Coleman (made in Italy) next week (varies depending upon when inventory happens) -- in fact they have the merchandise in stock already, but are not allowed to put it out/sell it until the buyer gives the go-ahead (honestly, if I were running these places, I'd just get my merchandise out and moving, esp. if a guy like me comes along who wants to spend hundreds of dollars in one shot, but, sadly, I have no say in this...) -- though, DO NOT expect JCM at the Totowa, NJ store, and based on past history, unlikely at the East Hanover store either.

The merchandise itself from JCM is quite awesome, in fact those of you that are unfamiliar with Jey Coleman, I would urge you to at least take a quick stop at your local Daffy's in the next few weeks as the stuff looks amazing.  Lots of blazers, shirts, knits and pants. Only downside is that prices have gone up a decent amount from what we've been used to, probably due to the cost of raw materials (ex. - wool blazer that would have been maybe $99.99 in previous years will run you roughly $149.99-$169.99). Other than JCM, the stores are also stocked w/lots of fall suits and pants from FB/FB Class/Kevin Up..., which I personally detest -- the Secaucus storefront in fact already had the suits on the floor. (Note: Fall merchandise will be marked w/season code E on the hang-tags).

I will be hitting the NYC stores tomorrow, good chance I will make at least 3, hoping for 4 -- starting off in Soho, make my way up north to 34th, and 57th & Lex (possibly an additional stop at 18th St. if time permits).

System-Wide Updates Coming Soon

As you may have seen in the previous post, I intend on making numerous Daffy's stops this weekend. Philly for all intensive purposes is worthless at the moment -- the 'Final Floor' only has women's merchandise, and there will never be getting a men's equivalent; sheer idiocy, but not my decision (one staffer said Daffy's corporate thought men wouldn't take the elevator to a higher floor in the building....geniuses); and I've been told Fall merchandise won't appear down here for 2-3 more weeks after inventory takes place -- in the meantime, there was barely any new merchandise -- some random gray t-shirts made in italy from a brand called Teodori, and more shoes from Banana Breeze, neither of which were special at all. Though, strangely I also noticed a pair of wool pants from Tombolini (made in Italy), which is another brand that hasn't been at Daffy's in a very long time - literally, just the one pair, but thought it worth mentioning in case the NYC stores actually got a decent stock.

So, Jersey and NYC stores will be on my list this weekend, and I will be providing as many updates as I can. Hopefully there is at least a decent amount of fall merchandise already out on the floor that my excursion will be worth it. Happy 4th of July Weekend to everyone out there.