# Saks off Fifth authentic?



## sportsfan123 (Mar 22, 2014)

I cant seem to find any threads on any sites on this topic. I recently saw some threads stating nordstrom rack stuff was made specifically for that site.

I saw some nice armani shirts on Saks off fifth but wonder if there actually real or made specifically for the site.

And then in general , anyone know what the general consensus is with saks off fifth?


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## SG_67 (Mar 22, 2014)

Saks off fifth is very much like any other outlet store now; it's primarily a place to buy things that are either made specifically for the outlet or purchased from other vendors to be sold at the outlet. 

You have to sift through a lot of crap to find a gem. They do carry merchandise form their mainline stores but my experience has been that these are:

1) styles and/or colors that require a very unique individual for appreciation 

2) XXL or XXXL sizes

3) abused and handled so poorly between the mainline store to the outlet the garment has become damaged

If you really want to score a deal, hit up Saks, Neiman's and Barneys during their semi annual sales (May/June and Nov./Dec.). You'll find a better selection and better quality.


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## AMProfessor (Sep 9, 2011)

The above is true, although I have found some good buys at Saks Off Fifth (mostly ties). Outlet stores typically carry product made for outlets (Brooks Brother's 386 line being the prime example), but if you know what you are looking for you can find mainline products there too.


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## TimelesStyle (Aug 25, 2013)

I doubt the Armani stuff is made-for-outlet stuff but to be honest, Armani white label has lessened so much in quality over the years that it might as well be outlet-grade stuff. More likely it's Armani's own overrun and Off Fifth has bought it up since Armani doesn't have that many of its own outlet stores.

As has been stated above, outlets are no longer really the same source of good quality closeouts they once were. I attribute this to more of a retailer's business moving online (where the sale stuff can just sit till it sells) and in-store sales going longer and lower priced. In the case of Saks (and I believe they are the only ones), I think they do consolidation sales, where they move all sale merchandise to a couple of stores at the end of the sale, so this keeps even more of it from ever reaching the outlets. Even Barney's has moved its Warehouse Sale to primarily online (though they did an NYC one this year too).


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## StephenRG (Apr 7, 2005)

I had a couple of bargains from Saks off Fifth - most notably, a RL cashmere jacket reduced from $1800 to $250 - but as my local Off Fifth moved from one mall to a larger site in another, the crap expanded to fill the space available.


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## sportsfan123 (Mar 22, 2014)

The thing is though it's hard to know when I'm shopping online.. Btw this Armani shirt had a black tag, which I had never seen before but with shopping online , I guess theres really no way of knowing if it's real or not without buying and looking at tags ?


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## drlivingston (Jun 21, 2012)

SG_67 said:


> You have to sift through a lot of crap to find a gem.


I can copy and paste this statement to describe many aspects of my life.


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## StephenRG (Apr 7, 2005)

drlivingston said:


> I can copy and paste this statement to describe many aspects of my life.


Sturgeon's Law: 90% of everything is crap.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sturgeon's_law

Smith's Corollary: Sturgeon was an optimist.


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## musicmax (Mar 13, 2012)

The best way to identify mainline stuff at the Nordstrom/Neiman/Saks outlets is to look for prices written in pen rather than printed as part of the tag.


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## SG_67 (Mar 22, 2014)

sportsfan123 said:


> The thing is though it's hard to know when I'm shopping online.. Btw this Armani shirt had a black tag, which I had never seen before but with shopping online , I guess theres really no way of knowing if it's real or not without buying and looking at tags ?


Armani stuff is crap for the most part, even at the regular stores. The Armani "black label" stuff is a higher quality but then it's grossly over priced for what it is.

Now, Armani stuff (white or black label) at most outlets is stuff produced expressly for outlets. If you go to an Armani outlet you'll see much of this amongst shirts, ties as well as sport coats and suits. I've seen "Armani" suits and when one looks at the label it's made in Jordan or Egypt. I don't think you'll find such merchandise at the Dept. stores and certainly not at an Armani store outside the outlets.

So just be aware. Check the label and just feel the material.


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## TimelesStyle (Aug 25, 2013)

You can also look to see where the original tag came from. The main store and outlet use different ones. Sometimes the reduced price will be on a sticker.


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## Wolfslair (Sep 11, 2014)

I had a thread just below this one about the moving sale at the Off 5th in Franklin Mills Mall. The suits are all marked down to 40% off the outlet price. I was told look for Hickey Freeman suits and found quite a few. Are the HF suits made for outlet??? Or are they the nice half-canvased suits from HF?:icon_scratch:


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## sportsfan123 (Mar 22, 2014)

SG_67 said:


> Armani stuff is crap for the most part, even at the regular stores. The Armani "black label" stuff is a higher quality but then it's grossly over priced for what it is.
> 
> Now, Armani stuff (white or black label) at most outlets is stuff produced expressly for outlets. If you go to an Armani outlet you'll see much of this amongst shirts, ties as well as sport coats and suits. I've seen "Armani" suits and when one looks at the label it's made in Jordan or Egypt. I don't think you'll find such merchandise at the Dept. stores and certainly not at an Armani store outside the outlets.
> 
> So just be aware. Check the label and just feel the material.


but how do you know if is or not without buying it?..I only usually buy online as I dont live near any stores.

Im thinking its fake anyways because I cant find any info with a shirt with a black tag instead of white. I read it could empirio but they have a different tag all together.


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## JLibourel (Jun 13, 2004)

I worked near an SOF for more than a decade. I bought a lot of great ties there--Kiton, Charvet, Brioni, Canali, etc.--often at shoplifters' prices. Most of the tailored clothing appeared to be made for the outlet--Calvin Klein, SOF house brand, etc. They may have been fair values for the money, but I was never interested. They would have some good stuff interspersed--Oxxford, Canali, Hickey-Freeman--but they were rare gems. They would have some decent shirts. I bought quite a few for my stepson, one Robert Talbott for myself. Over the years, the outlet devoted less and less space to classic menswear and more space to casual stuff for the younger set. This probably made good sense since the rest of the mall where it was located was very youth-oriented. I very much doubt that any of the merchandise was "fake."


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## SG_67 (Mar 22, 2014)

sportsfan123 said:


> but how do you know if is or not without buying it?..I only usually buy online as I dont live near any stores.
> 
> Im thinking its fake anyways because I cant find any info with a shirt with a black tag instead of white. I read it could empirio but they have a different tag all together.


It's not fake per say, assuming your buying from the online site for a particular outlet. It's that what you're buying may just be something made to sell in an outlet.


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