Context

Without a doubt, this is one of the best men’s clothing stores in the country. For a great pair of jeans, knitwear, leather good, and boots — Context is an experience.

Context is great. Clearly no other store exists like this for guys in Madison, and its entirely surprising that a store exists like this in Madison at all. The curation is great– classic styling with modern relevance. The price is high but you get what you pay for. I purchased a pair of jeans here and the service was fantastic– knowledgable and personable.

I really want context to be a good store, but they are such pricks and their selection never fails to disappoint me. I say this as someone who is committed I quality products, and is perfectly willing to shell out for clothes, a long as they meet my rigorous quality standards. But man do I hate these guys.
I periodically go in, hoping against my better judgement their selection or service will have improved, but am only reminded why I hate them.
Their selection: i wish they would actually commit to american made. While they appear very proud of vein from wisconsin, most of their clothing seems to come from japan. I am about as interested in Japanese denim as I am in Kobe bison: jeans are a symbol of America, so I want them made here. American made aside, they really only carry a few brands. Their APC jeans seen cheap to me, and everything else quickly approaches $ 300 dollars without backing the price with better quality. They should at least stock some of the more gold-​standard brands: Raleigh, tellason, 3sixteen. There are a lot of good jeans available for $ 220, so stock them.
The one time I trie on their jeans, I couldn’t get any sizes even close: I’m a 32, and most of their jeans were way to skinny. I’m a very average size for a white male, yet they had almost nothing that for me.
And their non denim clothes are a joke: a $ 400 Japanese hunting shirt? I wasn’t aware the Japanese had wildlife to hunt or guns to shoot, so I’m not sure why they would sew shoulder patches and shell pockets on their jackets. Again, price without value. Filson makes hunting shirts too, but they look better, are made better, are mad
To top it off, the guys there are such pricks. I always feel like i am inconveniencing them by shopping there. They barely answer my questions, and they are way too self impressed.
Madison could desperately use a decent men’s shop. I’m tired of doing all my clothes shopping in Chicago. Context just doesn’t fit the bill.

Decided to stop by after business brought me to central Wisconsin. As I walked in I was a bit intimidated, as I know the whole selvedge denim thing has a cult following.
All concerns left when I saw the interior of the store. The small shop usually only has one employee behind the counter, who was more than happy to explain all the slight differences in the denim.
There isn’t a men’s store more deserving of your patronage than context.

The good news: Context has a good selection of trendy clothing. Whoever is curating their selection is doing a good job. You always see a few neat items in their store.
The bad news:
1. Poor quality products. I’ve bought a tie and a pair of jeans from Context. The tie lasted about two outfits before it started fraying. A $ 140 tie should never fray that early on. The jeans began disintegrating — holes appeared on the left leg and grew larger with each wear. Again, $ 200 jeans should not do this.
2. Unacceptable service. I brought the jeans back to Context, and was told that it was essentially my fault. They reasoned that their products are good, and therefore I messed up. They then asked if I wanted to pay $ 20 for them to patch up the jeans. A good clothing store like Saks would have done the patching for free, and apologized about it.

So this store I will say yes… Has some excellent clothing that is very nice. I do not like this store at all though. I have been here about 5 times in total and each time they have something intriguing in the window so I have a peak in side. The store is the size of a walk-​in closet and everything is completely overpriced. The selection is awful and most things seem to be made out of cardboard. The staff are unhelpful completely and seem to only be there for some great discounts and a paycheck. Sometimes you can find a Gem in here but then you see the price tag and have to go sell your car. I can’t see anyone except for a celebrity shopping here and justifying the price they would pay.
Again, I am all for some expensive clothing if you feel great in it, for example for men’s jeans maybe $ 200 tops and they had better be spectacular and last for decades. NOT however $ 560 and feel like you might put on tarmac. I will continue to give this place my attention but if they don’t change something they won’t sell anything. GREAT location though, on the «Quaint» end of the capitol square.

Although I’m a woman and this is a men’s store, I’ve been in there several times with my partner. He’s a tall and skinny guy and clothes never seem to fit him right. This store has sizes perfect for him. You can not only find the obscure ones but they will also order things for you. The staff is extremely knowledgeable and very helpful. I only find it strange that they have three people working in such a small space but they obviously all like their jobs and are very pleasant, no «above you» attitude. They do, as someone else said, have sales once and awhile. Today we went (our third time or so there) and they had a sale where most things were 50% off. Even though the dressier jean/​trousers were about $ 160 with the sale, they are truly worth it. The fit is amazing, the fabric is great, they are made in the USA. Great little store, and we will continue to do our once or twice a year shopping there.

I’ve been shopping (and taking a serious hit to my life savings) since a good friend introduced me to them a few months after opening.
It’s safe to say that this the best men’s store in Madison and one of the top in the country. All the gents who work there know their products inside and out and are so helpful.
I typically grab a pair or two of jeans and a couple shirts every year and I’ve never gone wrong. Sure, it’s expensive but everything they sell very high quality and will last a long time if you take care of it. The selection is well thought out, beautifully displayed and they don’t sell any «weak» brands.
Their website is slick and offers some good sales a few times a year to ease the pain of buying a $ 200 pair of jeans. Even if you don’t buy anything, it’s absolutely worth a trip to the store (or website).

Lived in Madison for over two years. I moved away and finally discovered Context today during my visit to Madison. Perhaps this was a good thing. I couldn’t imagine the damage that could’ve been done on my bank account had I known about this store while I was here!
Anyway, the store occupies a relatively small spot near the capitol. Brand wise, they offer a wide selection of clothing from exclusive labels, such as APC, Band of Outsiders, Wings and Horns, and Gitman… stuff you’d find at Barneys or a boutique in SoHo. Also, they have a pretty nice selection of bags from Filson and skincare products form Aesop. Don’t expect to leave the boutique without spending a chunk of change if you do make a purchase. Context definitely isn’t Macy’s or even Bloomingdales, however I did get 15% off a pair of jeans today because of Black Friday!
I’m a stickler when it comes to service, particularly at places where you need to spend a pretty penny for a product. Context passes my test. The guys were super friendly and helpful when bombarded with questions regarding styles and sizes. I definitely recommend Context for guys who take their wardrobe seriously. You won’t be disappointed!

I don’t have to mention how above-​and-​beyond any other menswear shop Context is, just look at these pictures! What I will mention is their US ground shipping price, free! And how my order arrived the very next day (true I live just a few hours away in Chicago). This shop is truly incredible. I am a avid consumer of high-​quality, domestically produced clothing and Context has the biggest and best selection I’ve ever seen. If you live in the surrounding area I recommend a trip in. If you don’t, you can always go to their website (
). I only wish I could make the 3 hour trip up to this store more often.

I don’t remember how I first learned of Context but I stopped in their store when passing through Madison about six months ago. I was looking into stepping up on denim and the staff was great in helping me out. They made some recommendations that were actually towards the lower cost of premium denim. I bought a pair and have been very happy with them. I’ve also purchased shoes from them online (Alden Shell Cordovan boots) which are fantastic. Next time I’m in Madison, I will be going back. Very nice people to do biz with and they sell some great stuff

I just don’t love it. I think the average price of a pair of jeans is about $ 210… high perhaps?
Also, the store has a pretty small selection — their website is much better.
However, I do have to say the staff was really nice.

I’ve never been to Wisconsin but I’ve been to the Context Clothing website.
Their selection for men’s clothing is great. They sell many brands I like which include Nudes, NSF, and B.son.
They have stuff you might not be able to find anywhere like garments by B.Son. They know how to pick brands. They don’t have weak ones either like LRG or those whack «hip-​hop» brands.
I’m sure the actual store is pretty nice too.
I like how this site has some pretty hefty sales that really cut the price. That’s always good.
The workers are friendly and I’ve never had a bad experience!

Context definitely has men’s clothing that you can’t find anywhere else in Madison. It’s a beautifully edited selection of clothing that manages to combine classic shapes with modern detailing. The staff and the owner are knowledgeable and helpful. Really, the only thing that Context does not carry is a comprehensive shoe collection nor suits but that’s OK because that’s not really their thing.
You might wanna check out the website before shopping – if you aren’t used to men’s boutique prices, you may find some of the items shockingly expensive!
I recommend Context highly to anyone looking for fine quality men’s clothing.

One of the only places in Madison to find truly good denim. Not «good denim» as in «what-​the-​celebrities-​wear denim,» but «good denim» as in «faithful to the denim of the old days denim.»
For local denim-​heads, this place is an oasis. Well-​edited selections of denim in all fits, weights, and price-​points. They do sell some pre-​washed denim, but mainly raw denim. Break it in yourself for some customized distressing.
For the uninitiated, feel free to grill the staff with all your pressing denim-​related questions. They are never condescending and always ready to help you find the perfect pair, thus fueling the beginnings of your very own denim addiction.
This is mainly a men’s boutique, but some of the styles they carry work for women as well.

Living in denim crazy San Francisco, its not unusual to be pigeonholed by the detail on your pants pocket. I may resist making the judgement, but that doesnt mean people arent checkin’ out my details. Good thing Ive got Context in my hometown backpocket.
These cats have a GQ recognized collection of goodness including rare scores like Crate and custom oil treated tarpaulin coats. They edit the collection like its going to appear in tomorrow’s Fader photo shoot and can talk about the gear like they procured the selvedge themelves. Also, great supporters of small labels and custom, local phenomon.
Last time I was in I scored black Cheap Mondays and a custom made belt branded with the homestate, WI. On the wishlist, an APC selvedge jean jacket.