Brooks Brothers Bankruptcy Thread

[rwtc]

I have both the fancy Neapolitan stuff and the BB non-iron shirts..... for work ,I prefer the non-iron because you can just throw it in the wash and no ironing would be required. I don't want toxic chemicals from the dry cleaner's to get on the shirt, and thus against my skin.

For must-iron shirts, the ironing process takes too long, and there's no way I'm bringing anything expensive to the dry cleaner's. So before you buy the must-iron shirts, wash a few shirts (the Neapolitan stuff I wash by hand - lasts longer and I find the washing machine causes wear to the shirts) and iron it yourself, and ask yourself honestly if you're willing to devote the time to do that every week.

I note that BB's non-iron shirts' collars are fused - meaning it will eventually bubble at the collar. I've only had one shirt that bubbled, however. Have a large rotation, so the time it takes to bubble might be shorter for you.

 

[ter1413]

^
That's why you have your shirts laundered, not dry cleaned.

 

[rwtc]

^
That's why you have your shirts laundered, not dry cleaned.

Haha I'm generally paranoid of any dry cleaning / laundry establishment as I don't want to somehow get a weird skin disease, but that's just me.

 

[Phileas Fogg]

Cleaners are really rough on shirts, unless you pay to have your shirts washed and ironed by hand.

It's not that much trouble to iron shirts. I wash mine on gentle, hand dry, and iron the next morning. If one works M-F, then it's just a matter of 5 shirts. It's not that hard; quite zen actually and I've turned it into a Saturday morning ritual. Some guys enjoy lawn care. I enjoy ironing.

 

[ter1413]

I hand wash/soak my dress shirts......hang dry. I iron whichever one I will wear before I jump in the shower in the morning M-F. If I hand wash a few over the wknd, I might iron 4-5.

Ironing is no big deal once you have it down.

 

[ter1413]

@nzahir

If you don't know how to, learn how to iron. It can be the difference between looking sloppy and looking well put together.

Use a buffer between the iron and material. A simple handkerchief would work.

(I also usually iron my suit pants in the morning.)

 

[Leander walker]

I've worn brooks brothers shirts for over 35 years. I wear a 16 1/2x36 and they fit perfectly and wear very well. The Oxford cloth button downs wear like iron and are still quite serviceable after 20 years. I have been quite pleased with Brooks Brothers shirts. Very well worth the $89 a shirt,then they go on sale for 3 for $199. So they've trained thr customer to wait for a sale to buy. I hope the new owners do not further debase the brand into a mens wwarhouse clone and instead will look at archives and the wonderful history and aspire towards that. There are still so many fine mens stores in this country like Ben Silver,Stanley Kershaw and Cable Car Clothiers. The narrative seems to be that everyone is going to the office in shorts and flip flops and that is just not the case. There are still many men that would appreciate a resurrection of Brooks Brothers

 

[clee1982]

so just more gossip?? why??

you mean RLPL, take as gossip if you wish, sure.

 

[Viral]

you mean RLPL, take as gossip if you wish, sure.

so just spreading false info like it's nothing? You're like a guy who talks about plumbers all day but isn't qualified to be one

 

[Phileas Fogg]

Regarding RLPL, the line has certainly expanded and where before it was quite high end and remains so, they have incorporated other pieces and expanded their offerings to be more inclusive of different price ranges. Of course, it also means that they have off-shored some of their merchandise and not everything is "Made in Italy".

RLPL could exist as an aspiration. The average person may see an RLPL shirt or other garment, not be able to justify spending that much but wants a piece of that RL mystique, so off to blue label land we go. This is purely conjecture on my part and I have no evidence to support it.

 

[clee1982]

plumbing?

 

[Phoenician]

I've worn brooks brothers shirts for over 35 years. I wear a 16 1/2x36 and they fit perfectly and wear very well. The Oxford cloth button downs wear like iron and are still quite serviceable after 20 years. I have been quite pleased with Brooks Brothers shirts. Very well worth the $89 a shirt,then they go on sale for 3 for $199. So they've trained thr customer to wait for a sale to buy. I hope the new owners do not further debase the brand into a mens wwarhouse clone and instead will look at archives and the wonderful history and aspire towards that. There are still so many fine mens stores in this country like Ben Silver,Stanley Kershaw and Cable Car Clothiers. The narrative seems to be that everyone is going to the office in shorts and flip flops and that is just not the case. There are still many men that would appreciate a resurrection of Brooks Brothers

Agreed. I read a good article yesterday on a blog, where he lamented that they tried to become too big and lost their way by trying to appeal to every man out there. Of note, the man in the airport with the Targus briefcase and cheap cemented shoes, may buy your stuff drastically marked down, but doesn't care enough to buy much more or pay extra for made in USA or England. THus, by trying to appeal to both, you burn through cash and can't bring in enough to sustain the business.By spending too much investing in stores in airport terminals and smaller venues, they were forced into a corner.

There are certainly enough men that care to dress well, and will continue to, but they need to focus these on a smaller footprint, certain cities with a track record, and not be out to get monster revenue at-all-costs.

 

[Oshare]

Very well worth the $89 a shirt,then they go on sale for 3 for $199. So they've trained thr customer to wait for a sale to buy.

This. I know they will go on sale about twice a year, so I always just waited for those sales and then bought about 6 to 10 shirts at a time. Good for me, not good for their business.

 

[gracian]

Two possible suitors for Brooks...

Two Suitors Compete to Scoop Brooks Brothers Out of Bankruptcy

A battle is brewing for control of Brooks Brothers, with at least two apparel ventures looking to take over the bankrupt clothing retailer, according to people familiar with the matter.

www.wsj.com

 

[Peter1]

Agreed. I read a good article yesterday on a blog, where he lamented that they tried to become too big and lost their way by trying to appeal to every man out there. Of note, the man in the airport with the Targus briefcase and cheap cemented shoes, may buy your stuff drastically marked down, but doesn't care enough to buy much more or pay extra for made in USA or England. THus, by trying to appeal to both, you burn through cash and can't bring in enough to sustain the business.By spending too much investing in stores in airport terminals and smaller venues, they were forced into a corner.

There are certainly enough men that care to dress well, and will continue to, but they need to focus these on a smaller footprint, certain cities with a track record, and not be out to get monster revenue at-all-costs.

I agree that a narrower focus would be the way to go for the next owne. But BB has been swimming against a tide for decades, and the last BB ties/suiting I bought were in the early 2000s, although I still occasionally buy OCBDs. The dress codes of my work changed over the years so that suiting was pretty much superfluous. And I don't care for BB's golf club "casual" wear. Although I did have a couple Thom Browne Black Sheep shirts that I loved...