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Brooks Brothers Black Fleece Collection

post #1 of 10
8/8/12 at 12:55pm
Thread Starter 

And the disappointment grows...

 

Awhile back, Brooks Brothers announced they would name a guest designer under their Black Fleece label and change said designer periodically.  Sadly, Thom Browne was chosen.  But more disturbingly, BB has retained him and appear to have abandoned their original strategy of cycling designers.  The Black Label collection is most known for unappealingly high sleeve and trouser lengths.  The model selection chosen to represent target customers include bland, expressionless women and increasingly effeminate men.  The new 2012 collection, however, has gone completely over the top.  Poor contrasting fabrics, ever decreasing sleeve and trouser lengths, and men's shorts designed to look like skirts in combination with sweaters, dress socks and shoes round out an amateurish effort.  Funny how Mr. Browne chooses to wear traditionally tailored Brooks Brothers clothing.  It is sad when an American needs to look at the website offerings of England's Ede & Ravenscroft and Gieves & Hawkes to find a "man's" selection.


Edited by Beancounter - 8/8/12 at 1:14pm
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post #2 of 10
8/8/12 at 1:03pm
ojfc
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post #3 of 10
8/8/12 at 2:29pm
The short coat lengths are a problem for me, so I don't wear the coats. And the ties are generally too skinny for me. But for trousers (which come unhemmed), knits and other miscellany, I love the collection. I've got a bunch of Black Fleece trousers, a pair of shoes, a couple sweaters and a couple shirts, and I love all of them. I'd call them bold classics. And there are certainly a few provocative silly things thrown in here and there, but that's what gets people talking and markets the collection.
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post #4 of 10
8/8/12 at 2:31pm
BBBF OCBDs are awesome. End of story.
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post #5 of 10
8/8/12 at 4:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by YoungAmerican View Post

The short coat lengths are a problem for me, so I don't wear the coats. And the ties are generally too skinny for me. But for trousers (which come unhemmed), knits and other miscellany, I love the collection. I've got a bunch of Black Fleece trousers, a pair of shoes, a couple sweaters and a couple shirts, and I love all of them. I'd call them bold classics. And there are certainly a few provocative silly things thrown in here and there, but that's what gets people talking and markets the collection.

Exactly. The pants on sale ~$200 are a good buy. Slim, very well made, and unhemmed. Those black longwings currently offered are sickkkk.

Quote:
Originally Posted by bourbonbasted View Post

BBBF OCBDs are awesome. End of story.

OCBD's are awesome. I always get compliments on mine.
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post #6 of 10
8/9/12 at 8:56am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Beancounter View Post

And the disappointment grows...

 

Awhile back, Brooks Brothers announced they would name a guest designer under their Black Fleece label and change said designer periodically.  Sadly, Thom Browne was chosen.  But more disturbingly, BB has retained him and appear to have abandoned their original strategy of cycling designers.  The Black Label collection is most known for unappealingly high sleeve and trouser lengths.  The model selection chosen to represent target customers include bland, expressionless women and increasingly effeminate men.  The new 2012 collection, however, has gone completely over the top.  Poor contrasting fabrics, ever decreasing sleeve and trouser lengths, and men's shorts designed to look like skirts in combination with sweaters, dress socks and shoes round out an amateurish effort.  Funny how Mr. Browne chooses to wear traditionally tailored Brooks Brothers clothing.  It is sad when an American needs to look at the website offerings of England's Ede & Ravenscroft and Gieves & Hawkes to find a "man's" selection.

 

I have a feeling you were never BBBF's target demographic. The whole point of BBBF was to introduce Brooks Brothers to a younger generation that for the most part had written it off as a stogy old man store. Hate on Thom Browne all you want but it's pretty clear that shorter jackets, narrower lapels, and higher pant lengths are on trend right now. 

 

As for the fall 2012 collection, I'm not that into the oversized tartans, I think they look kind of bizarre on my frame. The rest of it seems pretty tame, I liked spring a lot more.

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post #7 of 10
8/9/12 at 11:18am

I guess to each his own. I personally like the look and cut of  the black fleece classic suit.

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post #8 of 10
8/9/12 at 11:37am
This season actually looks far better than the past two.
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post #9 of 10
9/18/12 at 9:08pm
In my opinion, Black Fleece is one of my favorite lines of clothing. It bridges the gap a bit between the conservative Brooks Brothers look and Thom Browne's what-the-hell-is-going-on fashion.

They certainly have some "fashion-forward" or trendy items that I would never wear myself, but I think they don't pretend to be classic pieces, but rather something unique that you can use as an accent piece.

However, they do carry some awesome Made-in-the-USA clothing. In my opinion, quality is excellent (just take a look at their Oxford shirts) and the prices are much more reasonable than Thom Browne's main line. Not cheap by any means, but I can work with it.

A side note, but for shorter men, Black Fleece is an absolute godsend. The cuts are a bit short, so it works better for guys who usually wear SHORT in their jackets and coats. If you're under 5'8, I'd definitely recommend checking out Black Fleece.
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post #10 of 10
9/19/12 at 12:33am

Black Fleece shirts are really nice, great construction, materials, patterns, etc, but the fit is terrible IMO. The open box pleat on the back makes the waist very blousey and the sleeves are too baggy and long. It's just strange considering how slim fitting the rest of the line is.

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