Brooks Brothers Quality

[lookatmystyle]

How does the quality of Brooks Brothers suits compare to that of say Target Merona, Banana Republic, or Ralph Lauren?

 

[RichmondStyle]

You might be hard pressed to find anybody on here that owns a Target Merona suit.

Which Brooks Brothers style do you mean: 346? 1818? Golden Fleece? Black Fleece?

Which Ralph Lauren brand are you looking at: Lauren? Blue Label? Black Label? Purple Label?

You really need to be more specific if you want a sensible answer.

 

[lookatmystyle]

So I've got a few Merona all wool suits and they're pretty decent for what they are. Unfortunately the pants are pilling a little bit so I'm going to buy some nicer suits that will last.

I went to the outlet malls this weekend and Brooks Brothers has 2 suits for $499. The model.... hmmmm..... they were like Super 316's. Something like that.

And the Raplh Lauren Polo store had some suits for like $399 each. I was thinking of grabbing 1 or 2.

Finally Banana Republic had a bunch of suits that were about $150-$200 each. That seems like a great deal, but is BR quality the same as BB or RL?

 

[KObalto]

346: Cheap stuff made for outlets.
1818: Decent half-canvassed stuff.
Golden Fleece: Beautiful, fully canvassed suits and jackets made by Martin Greenfield.
Black Fleece: Not my cuppa, but supposedly very well-made. Fully-canvassed.

 

[gnatty8]

From your description, it sounds like the suits you were looking at are all pretty comparable in quality (i.e. 346 at BB and Lauren at Polo). If thats the price point you're after, choose based on fit and appeal, recognizing you probably will never have to worry about the suits lasting long enough for you to get tired of them.

 

[KObalto]

Originally Posted by lookatmystyle

And the Raplh Lauren Polo store had some suits for like $399 each. I was thinking of grabbing 1 or 2.

Finally Banana Republic had a bunch of suits that were about $150-$200 each. That seems like a great deal, but is BR quality the same as BB or RL?

Once again, RL has a number of different lines of varying quality, such as Lauren, Polo, Purple Label, etc, Which line?

 

[Gradstudent78]

Originally Posted by RichmondStyle

You might be hard pressed to find anybody on here that owns a Target Merona suit.

Actually there have been a number of positive threads about Merona Suits, particular praising their quality in comparision to others in the same price range.

 

[ThinkDerm]

I own a Target Merona suit (from my med school days) - and the cut/fit is awesome OTR for me - and has held up great... I really do not wear it much anymore, but if that's what you can afford, go for that! Obviously, it's fused, but it's gotten tons of compliments, and looks great. You should buy what your budget can afford - you can still look good.

 

[Sprezzatura2010]

Generally, BB is better than anything you can find at Target or Banana, quality-wise. Banana probably had the edge on them for some things (shirts, for instance) in 2000, but their quality has slid immensely.

Also, generally BB is going to be better than anything Polo with a visible logo. The Polo-line shirts without logos have IMO better fabrics and finishing than BB's shirts.

RLPL's logoless polo (ahem) shirts are better than anything BB has, but I think they also cost about $250 as opposed to a lot less for BB's.

BB Golden Fleece tailored clothing is better than anything I've seen from Ralph Lauren that wasn't made by St. Andrews. (The better sportcoats, all of the suits I have seen.)

Black Fleece has those stupid ***-tags on the back of the jackets, so can't be taken seriously.

 

[josephrex]

Originally Posted by Sprezzatura2010

Black Fleece has those stupid ***-tags on the back of the jackets, so can't be taken seriously.

You are a buffoon, Mr. Sprezzatura.

 

[Sprezzatura2010]

Originally Posted by josephrex

You are a buffoon, Mr. Sprezzatura.

Sorry about the un-PC language. That's what we called them on shirts in middle school.

But really, if you saw someone wearing a suit with that loop on the back, would you be able to suppress your laughter?

 

[PLaydice]

I dont see any what your talking about with the logoless polo thing. I worked at a polo store and the quality of the shirts has nothing to do with logos. I own a couple longsleeve caschmere polo shirts with logos and the quality on them is impeccable. I have normal shirts with no logo and with logo and they are of the same quality. I know purple label didnt use logos for polos at first but there mercerized polos are the same quality as polo golf mercerized polos, because they were made in the same factory!

 

[Sprezzatura2010]

Originally Posted by PLaydice

I dont see any what your talking about with the logoless polo thing.
I've noticed that the better mainline Ralph Lauren shirts are unlogo'ed. Then again, I only buy mainline RL really cheap, like when I'm walking through a Dillard's on my way to the Apple Store and see they have shirts marked down from $140 to $17. If I'm paying more than lunch money I'm going to buy better stuff than mainline RL.

Originally Posted by PLaydice

I worked at a polo store and the quality of the shirts has nothing to do with logos. I own a couple longsleeve caschmere polo shirts with logos and the quality on them is impeccable. I have normal shirts with no logo and with logo and they are of the same quality.
I can't think of any current non-PL Ralph Lauren cashmere that could be described as "mediocre," let alone 'impeccable" in quality. And the RLPL stuff is only OK.

Originally Posted by PLaydice

I know purple label didnt use logos for polos at first but there mercerized polos are the same quality as polo golf mercerized polos, because they were made in the same factory!
Same factory does not much matter. The fabric feel different. The cuts are different. The buttons are way nicer. Having seen both in store, I happily paid the premium for the RLPL ones, and they have served me well. When they break, RLPL polo shirts for civilized people (as opposed to the gaudy nonsense with the stampede on the front) are still available at in quantity at my local Saks, though the local RL store does not currently have any.

 

[KObalto]

Originally Posted by PLaydice

I dont see any what your talking about with the logoless polo thing. I worked at a polo store and the quality of the shirts has nothing to do with logos. I own a couple longsleeve caschmere polo shirts with logos and the quality on them is impeccable. I have normal shirts with no logo and with logo and they are of the same quality. I know purple label didnt use logos for polos at first but there mercerized polos are the same quality as polo golf mercerized polos, because they were made in the same factory!
I think we're talking about Polo cotton dress shirts here.