Brooks brothers italian-made suit

[dah328]

About five years ago when I knew next to nothing about suits, I bought a dark gray chalk-stripe Brooks Brothers suit on sale from their San Francisco store that was regularly priced at $999.  The tag says "Made in Italy" and the fabric is superior to any other BB suit I've seen (although I haven't seen any of their Golden Fleece stuff).  There are no other tags in the suit that identify the fabric or maker.  Does anyone know who made this suit for BB?  I've since asked a BB salesperson to be told that, "[sniff] All BB suits are made in the USA."

Regards,

dan

 

[Thracozaag]

I believe Canali used to make a line of suits for BB.

 

[johnnynorman3]

You mean he didn't mention the "[sniff] fact that the new Brooks Cool line is made in . . . China"?

 

[rothko]

I recently bought a Brooks Brother Golden Fleece suit on markdown from ~$1400 to $700 in a midnight blue with understated pin stripes.

The label says "Hand Tailored in Italy." Although I can't be sure, I think it has a canvas front. It's by far the best suit I own so far and after having it altered by BB three times (the sales people in the Boston store are pretty incompetent), it fits very well and I get a lot of compliments when I wear it.

I'm not sure I want to ever buy anything else from BB; besides the guy who pocketed commision for selling me this suit, the rest of the staff was rude and the guy fitting me for alterations was terrible. But, this suit ranks as one of the 'best deals' I've ever gotten on clothing item.

Any idea who makes the Golden Fleece 'Hand Tailored in Italy" line?

 

[fareau]

I'm not sure I want to ever buy anything else from BB; besides the guy who pocketed commision for selling me this suit, the rest of the staff was rude and the guy fitting me for alterations was terrible.

I purchased one of the better Brooks Brothers suits from the Boston store and was also impressed by how generally unpleasant the salesperson and the fitter were to me (at the time, I just ignored it).  I arranged for the suit to be delivered up to New Hampshire after the alterations were completed, but when I phoned to change my delivery address the next day, the BB staff person was also rude.  When the suit arrived a week later, it had been just thrown into a box with no packaging or wrapping paper.  I felt that the cost of the suit and the service far exceeded the quality of both, but I am speaking more about the Boston store than Brooks Brothers in general.

I think I read somewhere that the Golden Fleece line was previously made by Isaia.  Perhaps that answers the "tailored in Italy" question?  The new owner is Italian, I believe, and it seems like more of their higher-end merchandise is being outsourced to Italy.

 

[LA Guy]

Maybe salespeople in Boston are just in general not that friendly? I've had far worse experiences here than I ever had in LA, in New York, or pretty much anywhere else, for that matter. At the more "exclusive" stores in Boston (and with very few exceptions, they are not, at least by the standards of those other cities,) salesmen (and they are usually men) seem to look at anyone under 50 coming into the store as poison, and at the lower end stores, the salespeople seem to grudge your taking them away from their private conversations. For me, LA seems to have the most convivial salespeople.

 

[Ambulance Chaser]

Maybe salespeople in Boston are just in general not that friendly?  I've had far worse experiences here than I ever had in LA, in New York, or pretty much anywhere else, for that matter.  At the more "exclusive" stores in Boston (and with very few exceptions, they are not, at least by the standards of those other cities,) salesmen (and they are usually men) seem to look at anyone under 50 coming into the store as poison, and at the lower end stores, the salespeople seem to grudge your taking them away from their private conversations.  For me, LA seems to have the most convivial salespeople.

New England reserve + lousy weather + Red Sox choking every year = Grouchy Bostonians

 

[imageWIS]

I recently bought a Brooks Brother Golden Fleece suit on markdown from ~$1400 to $700 in a midnight blue with understated pin stripes. The label says "Hand Tailored in Italy." Although I can't be sure, I think it has a canvas front. It's by far the best suit I own so far and after having it altered by BB three times (the sales people in the Boston store are pretty incompetent), it fits very well and I get a lot of compliments when I wear it. I'm not sure I want to ever buy anything else from BB; besides the guy who pocketed commision for selling me this suit, the rest of the staff was rude and the guy fitting me for alterations was terrible. But, this suit ranks as one of the 'best deals' I've ever gotten on clothing item. Any idea who makes the Golden Fleece 'Hand Tailored in Italy" line?

Yes, I recall that they were not the sharpest tools in the shed (last time I went to the store) but, doesn't riding in that wood-paneled elevator with the carved Golden Fleece logo almost make it worth the mental anguish?

Jon.

 

[imageWIS]

Quote:

Maybe salespeople in Boston are just in general not that friendly? I've had far worse experiences here than I ever had in LA, in New York, or pretty much anywhere else, for that matter. At the more "exclusive" stores in Boston (and with very few exceptions, they are not, at least by the standards of those other cities,) salesmen (and they are usually men) seem to look at anyone under 50 coming into the store as poison, and at the lower end stores, the salespeople seem to grudge your taking them away from their private conversations. For me, LA seems to have the most convivial salespeople.
New England reserve + lousy weather + Red Sox choking every year = Grouchy Bostonians
As I posted in the thread "The ignorance of others, Rude and/or ignorant retailers": 1. Quote: Last time I was in Boston, my horrible experience was with Louis Boston. Suffice to say that I won't be a patron in that store upon my next trip to the city. Jon. 2. Response (by Mike C.): Interesting, I was at Louis Boston about two years ago and the salesmen in the Kiton/Oxxford section was more than willing to help out me and a buddy. Given that we were both around 19/20 at the time, it was pretty obvious that we weren't going to be making a purchase. He was helpful regardless. I get the same treatment always in Bergdorf Goodman; the salespeople there are outstanding. 3. My response: Interesting, as with your case I am 21 now, but was 19 at the time when I went to the store. And, I was there to purchase a few items. Perhaps not thousands of dollars worth of merchandise but, surely a few hundred dollars worth at least. And it was November, thus I was dressed for the weather (I live in SoFla, so not really used to the Boston cold): A nice pair of Loro Piana light gray dress slacks, a pair of AE with thick matching woolen socks, a Zegna white with blue checks shirt with a matching silk / wool Zegna off-green and white polka dots tie, on top of which a light green RLPL cashmere v-neck sweater rested. To top all this off I had a Black 3 Button, single-breasted thick cashmere Loro Piana sport coat. But, still I was not treated to any attention. A nice "hello, may I help you?" would have been sufficient, but alas.... ____ The way I look at it is this way: if you are going to retail the finest of (insert product here) in the world, then you damn well better sell it as such. Imagine you are going to buy a Ferrari. You go into the dealership and no one helps you for 20 minutes. None of the people on the floor ask if they can help you. Finally once you get help, it is amateur-hour at best, it is as if your presences is inconsequential. Would you purchase a Ferrari from this dealership? No, of course you would not. Now imagine that same treatment at what is "supposedly" one of the finest retail clothiers in the world. Would you purchase anything there? There are several factors I don't understand when it comes to high-end sales: 1. Most of the time, sales people are on commission, thus no sales equals no paycheck. Would it not beseech them to try to be as helpful as possible? (Taking into consideration that the customer is not being a total, um...asshole and has completely stepped over the lines of common decency) 2. Would not trying to accommodate the customer as much as possible a) Help enhance your standing with the customer? b) Help guarantee that the customer is a repeat one? And c) enhance your own /the stores reputation by showing that you / the store is first class? 3. Having product knowledge helps, right? I mean, I know I am not alone in this, there is a whole thread which I started about schooling + people on the forum and pretty much everyone is in agreement that knowledge helps you get ahead. Thus, this philosophy should apply to high-end sales, correct? Apparently not, as most sales people (not all, but most) are not very knowledgeable and for some reason do not take the time to study and learn about what they sell or their competitors products. The ignorance and lack of erudition is quite ghastly. Regarding Boston, well...the only thing I can think of is that maybe the combination of countless college students that descend upon the stores quite frequently has pushed the sales people up to their wits end. And seeing that they are college students, most of them (yes, of course some are heirs to fortunes that hardly bat an eye at spending $50k in a single days worth of shopping) can hardly afford most of the upscale stores on Newbury St. Thus, the constant barrage of people (under 50) over the years must have honed a new instinct into the sales people that unfortunately inconveniences the rest of us that are trying to shop. Jon. P.S. Pardon my incoherent mess, I have partial writers block at the moment.

 

[Brian SD]

Jon,

That was hardly incoherent. I hate to start driving the hijacked thread, but I completely agree with you. I don't understand how someone making commission would give you trouble.

I was in Needless Markup a few days ago trying on some Cole Haan shoes, and the gentleman helping me was a complete... jackass. He was giving me a condescending look everytime I spoke, and he didn't have an answer for a single one of my questions. When I asked for a specific shoe in 10D, he came back with a box that said 10 M. He looked at it, utterly confused, and said "Wow, I didn't even know they go all the way up to M. That's probably way too big for you, right?" I took off as he went to go to the back room to search for a D-width.

 

[LA Guy]

Regarding Boston, well...the only thing I can think of is that maybe the combination of countless college students that descend upon the stores quite frequently has pushed the sales people up to their wits end. And seeing that they are college students, most of them (yes, of course some are heirs to fortunes that hardly bat an eye at spending $50k in a single days worth of shopping) can hardly afford most of the upscale stores on Newbury St.

Maybe. But high end boutiques in LA, and especially the "hip" boutiques, are filled with moneyless clotheshounds - MAWs, especially, constantly browsing; and they are nearly always treated with respect. In fact, I would say that some of these penniless guys and girls come in so often that they may as well be regulars, and are treated with that kind of warmth and familiarity, although they are regulars who purchase very infrequently, if at all.

What's wrong with treating a college student with a bit of warmth and generosity? It really bothers me that some store owners see customers only in terms of the dollars they spend. It shows to me that they are not really interested in their work.

 

[fareau]

Maybe salespeople in Boston are just in general not that friendly?

New England culture is a little bit more abrasive than that of other parts of the US. The fact that Boston is becoming an increasingly crowded city doesn't help much. That being said, I once purchased a suit from the Boston Neiman Marcus and it was one of the best shopping experiences I ever had. Contrasting the delivery of that suit to the one from Brooks was night and day: the packaging was fit for the royal crown jewels.

Regarding condescending salespeople, I used to hate going into some high-scale stores because of the attitudes of some of these clowns. Now I am older and more confident; when they approach me I simply look them straight in the eyes and tell them that when I need them I will call them. It sort of sets the tone of our relationship.

 

[AJL]

Quote:

Maybe salespeople in Boston are just in general not that friendly?
New England culture is a little bit more abrasive than that of other parts of the US. Â The fact that Boston is becoming an increasingly crowded city doesn't help much. Â That being said, I once purchased a suit from the Boston Neiman Marcus and it was one of the best shopping experiences I ever had. Â Contrasting the delivery of that suit to the one from Brooks was night and day: the packaging was fit for the royal crown jewels. Regarding condescending salespeople, I used to hate going into some high-scale stores because of the attitudes of some of these clowns. Â Now I am older and more confident; when they approach me I simply look them straight in the eyes and tell them that when I need them I will call them. Â It sort of sets the tone of our relationship.
I agree that Boston certainly lacks that "can't we all just get along" mindset prevalent in some other parts of the country. And also, there is a rather punishing number of students traipsing through the metro area during the academic year, being perhaps less polite and less respectful than some of the more entrenched denizens here. I should know; I was one myself some 20+ years ago, and I certainly would not have relished the thought of dealing with myself & cohorts at the time on any transactional basis other than possibly the transfer of alcoholic beverages and cheap eats (it being legal to purchase and consume alcohol at the age of 18 in those dark and dangerous times). That being said, though I do stop in at Louis occasionally to browse and/ or make a purchase (more often during their great 50-60% off sales twice yearly), I drop in to N.M. with greater frequency, where I am treated with utmost respect and cordiality. Not that I am a heavy-hitting lawyer/mogul/businessman type; I am basically just a regular guy who enjoys nice things and spends more than he ought to on them sometimes. Not big money, maybe $5-10k a year on misc. sportclothes and so on. In other words, no one will get rich dealing with me & my neuroses, but the folks I work with there are very accommodating to the extent that they will offer to meet me on the sidewalk outside Copley Place with my tailored clothes to avoid me having to find and/or pay for parking. Specifically Kelly Smitherman & Marc Ellison; ask for them by name and I don't think you'll be disappointed. I 'd have you give them my name as a referral but they might look at you funny and then slowly but deliberately escort you out of the building...

AJL