When is the Next Brooks Brothers Sale?

[Cuttingboard]



I received my OCBDs today that I ordered during the corporate sale. Since the retail stores that I've been to only carry the non-iron shirts, I had not handled the must-iron shirts until today. I must say - they are very nice shirts. They are much nicer than the non-iron shirts IMO.

Will have to try but have not had luck with the must iron shirts.

 

[Jackboot]



Will have to try but have not had luck with the must iron shirts.

In what way have you not had good luck with the must iron shirts? This is my first time buying them.

 

[Cuttingboard]



In what way have you not had good luck with the must iron shirts? This is my first time buying them.

I bought a couple of the slim fit dress shirts in regular cotton and they shrunk after several washings and wrinkle terribly. I have many Ledbury dress shirts in twill or poplin cotton and you can see and feel the difference in the quality. The Ledbury shirts do not wrinkle very much, are soft to the touch and are easy to iron, unlike the BB dress shirts.

 

[Wrenkin]

I bought a couple of the slim fit dress shirts in regular cotton and they shrunk after several washings and wrinkle terribly. I have many Ledbury dress shirts in twill or poplin cotton and you can see and feel the difference in the quality. The Ledbury shirts do not wrinkle very much, are soft to the touch and are easy to iron, unlike the BB dress shirts.

Were the Brooks shirts to which you refer also twill or poplin? Because the previous poster was talking about oxford cloth.

 

[Viral]



I bought a couple of the slim fit dress shirts in regular cotton and they shrunk after several washings and wrinkle terribly. I have many Ledbury dress shirts in twill or poplin cotton and you can see and feel the difference in the quality. The Ledbury shirts do not wrinkle very much, are soft to the touch and are easy to iron, unlike the BB dress shirts.

BB uses broadcloth - which has its own merits and properties - which is more likely to wrinkle. For you to compare Ledbury's twill and poplins to broadcloth is not an accurate comparison.

 

[Jackboot]

Maybe don't give up on the BB must iron shirts just yet.

I've read that the must-iron OCBDs definitely shrink and that the best practice is to buy one size up in neck and possibly sleeve length. That's exactly what I've done. They fit just a tad big in the neck and sleeves right now so with a bit of shrinkage it seems that they'll fit just right. Let's hope.

The other issues you raised are likely due to the weave of the cotton rather than the quality of cotton itself. The BB must-iron OCBDs are oxford (of course) whereas the Ledbury you mentioned are poplin/broadcloth and twill. I believe twill is one of the easiest weaves to iron and oxford is one of the hardest. Also, oxford cloth is the least soft and smooth of the three weaves we are discussing, so your Ledbury shirts would probably feel nicer to the touch for that reason. Oxford also looks "rougher" than the other weaves. BB does sell other weaves, but only in non-iron.

With all that said, Ledbury, to my knowledge, doesn't state what kind of cotton they use. I'm sure it is good quality, but if they were using Supima (like BB), I'm sure they would say so. In any case, the quality of cotton that BB uses (Supima) is among the best available I think. IMO it's a shame they ruin it with chemicals for the non-iron shirts.

By the way, do you know which countries your Ledbury shirts are made in? They state they use European factories, but don't specify where they are located. Their shirts sure look nice and they shun non-iron treatments, but unfortunately are a bit too expensive for me.

 

[Cuttingboard]



BB uses broadcloth - which has its own merits and properties - which is more likely to wrinkle. For you to compare Ledbury's twill and poplins to broadcloth is not an accurate comparison.

You're correct...I didn't think about that.

 

[Cuttingboard]



Maybe don't give up on the BB must iron shirts just yet.

I've read that the must-iron OCBDs definitely shrink and that the best practice is to buy one size up in neck and possibly sleeve length. That's exactly what I've done. They fit just a tad big in the neck and sleeves right now so with a bit of shrinkage it seems that they'll fit just right. Let's hope.

The other issues you raised are likely due to the weave of the cotton rather than the quality of cotton itself. The BB must-iron OCBDs are oxford (of course) whereas the Ledbury you mentioned are poplin/broadcloth and twill. I believe twill is one of the easiest weaves to iron and oxford is one of the hardest. Also, oxford cloth is the least soft and smooth of the three weaves we are discussing, so your Ledbury shirts would probably feel nicer to the touch for that reason. Oxford also looks "rougher" than the other weaves. BB does sell other weaves, but only in non-iron.

With all that said, Ledbury, to my knowledge, doesn't state what kind of cotton they use. I'm sure it is good quality, but if they were using Supima (like BB), I'm sure they would say so. In any case, the quality of cotton that BB uses (Supima) is among the best available I think. IMO it's a shame they ruin it with chemicals for the non-iron shirts.

By the way, do you know which countries your Ledbury shirts are made in? They state they use European factories, but don't specify where they are located. Their shirts sure look nice and they shun non-iron treatments, but unfortunately are a bit too expensive for me.

If you look in the description, there's a fabric tab that indicates whether its twill or 2 fold cotton poplin and sometimes the source. I believe their shirts are made in Poland using Italian fabrics.

 

[Viral]



You're correct...I didn't think about that.

 

[518aata]



BB does sell other weaves, but only in non-iron.

Brooks sells lots of must-iron shirts that are not oxford cloth. See the results of this search, most of which are must-iron.

http://www.brooksbrothers.com/mens/...ptian Cotton|Sea Island Cotton|Supima® Cotton

 

[Jackboot]



Brooks sells lots of must-iron shirts that are not oxford cloth. See the results of this search, most of which are must-iron.

Thanks for that - you're absolutely correct. I failed to clarify in my previous comment that my price threshold is $100. There is in fact lots to choose from in the $160+ range but I'm just too poor for that. But I now see that they also offer a small selection of inexpensive ($65) pinpoint and broadcloth must-iron shirts. Those ones are made in Malaysia rather than the USA. Does anyone happen to know if these shirts are expected to shrink in the same way as the must-iron OCBDs?

 

[Sundance]

...inexpensive ($65) pinpoint and broadcloth must-iron shirts. ... Does anyone happen to know if these shirts are expected to shrink in the same way as the must-iron OCBDs?

Quote:
Originally Posted by SmellBlind

I have a couple of those and they shrank quite a bit. I'd say equal to or slightly more than the oxfords. I warm wash and hang dry.

 

[Wrenkin]

Thanks for that - you're absolutely correct. I failed to clarify in my previous comment that my price threshold is $100. There is in fact lots to choose from in the $160+ range but I'm just too poor for that. But I now see that they also offer a small selection of inexpensive ($65) pinpoint and broadcloth must-iron shirts. Those ones are made in Malaysia rather than the USA. Does anyone happen to know if these shirts are expected to shrink in the same way as the must-iron OCBDs?

Check the sale section. There are usually many retail $160+ shirts available at half price. Not necessarily staple solids, but you'll often be able to pick out a few discreet stripes or tone-on-tone patterns like herringbones. I'm also not saying they're necessarily better than the competition, just pointing out that the more expensive shirts seem to linger in the sale section longer than other kinds of items.

 

[AMProf]

For BB must-iron shirts that are NOT OCBDs, I have been blown away by the quality on this shirt that I bought from Steve Smith:

http://www.styleforum.net/t/376081/...ale-blue-retail-185-many-sizes-and-cuts/0_100

Really high quality fabric and construction that I'd say is equal or better than a couple of shirts I have from Ledbury. And he's got them on here for a song.

 

[Cuttingboard]

Unexpectedly, I received the 40% off card today! I have no idea what to buy, I bought 3 suits and a pair of of EG Galways during corporate discount day and my pocketbook hurts!