BB Golden Fleece Shirtings

[morsem]

Who makes them, and is there any handwork in them?

Or are they just overpriced goods?

Can you have them make these shirts MTM?

Thanks!

 

[Cantabrigian]

There is no handwork in them.

At about $100 full retail (which means that they can very easily be had at 25% or more below that), I don't think they're overpriced at all.

Quality is Thomas Mason Silverline or thereabouts.

You can usually get shirts MTM in all the same fabrics. Though I would hasten to point out that the pattern matching will probably be a little better on the RTW shirts. The MTM will cost significantly more and fit a bit better.

Buttons are only available in plastic on both RTW and MTM.

 

[Beckwith]

Are these Gambert made? I know Greenfield uses Gambert, and BB Golden Fleece MTM is Greenfield.

 

[johnnynorman]

Uh, I'll post on this later. But the RTW GF shirtings are beautifully made in lux cottons (140s, 160s, 180s, and 200s) and have thick MOP buttons. They retail for about $225.

 

[morsem]

Right, the $225 shirts are the ones I speak of, they do have thick MOP buttons.

Do these have handwork or are you just paying for fabric? I know they don't pattern match at gauntlet or sleeve to yoke.

Does Brooks even do a MTM shirt with full pattern matching and thick MOP buttons?

Thanks

 

[Duveen]

Is BB even offering GF shirts anymore? I thought that they'd been heavily scaled back.

I bought one for $70 on deep discount a couple of years ago, but ended up returning it b/c it was cut fairly large and with the typical BB style of low armholes, etc.

 

[johnnynorman]

346 Madison, as well as One New York Plaza, are offering the Golden Fleece shirtings again. I was shocked myself to see it, as it was only a year ago that they completely phased them out. There are about eight RTW shirts (maybe more, at this point) at 346 Madison, all of them very nice fabrics in attractive patterns.

In my view, the stitching on the GF shirts is as fine as almost anything you'll find on the RTW market. The collars seem very good as well, though I'm not sure if they are fused or stitched interlinings (I think they are stitched). At $225, I have to believe they have one of the smaller markups of anything at Brooks Brothers, and probably the best deal in RTW shirting (provided you like the fit). There is no handwork, but that's not really something to be concerned about with shirts. Only a few shirts display any handwork, and the jury is out on whether it is a good thing.

The question all comes down to fit. Like Duveen said, these are not trim fit shirts. But the sales guy at Brooks told me that they are actually cut slightly more tapered than Brooks "original" fit. He said it is more alone the lines of the "luxury fit" shirt.

All in all, if you like how the shirt fits, IMO it's a great buy at $225 retail -- wait for a 25% sale and get it for significantly less. Also, I don't think that the Brooks MTM program will offer a shirt with the bells and whistles of the Golden Fleece shirting, but I could be wrong.