Discussions about the fashion industry thread

[clee1982]

I agree in gest, but I'm not sure if it would be able to afford such "cheap" made in America had it not gotten the scale?

 

[Mghart]

What is the Measure of a Good Company?

Brooks Brothers filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection today, a move that has been anticipated by many for the past several months. There's a lot of sadness floating around on social media as Brooks is a beloved brand by many including myself. I have to say however my initial reaction to the ban

www.acontinuouslean.com

I like the authors take, and agree with it. It would have been interesting to see an American brand like BB go more upscale with their offerings instead of diluting themselves. I do wonder though, if there would have been a market for it? I would like to think that an American brand could have created some level of prestige on par with European tailoring brands.

 

[bry2000]

BB had the Golden Fleece line which was very good and competitive with high end labels. At least, when I last checked it out a dozen years ago.

Since then it acquired Southwick so it had every opportunity to go as upscale as the market could support.

 

[IJReilly]

I would definitely welcome a classic, high end American tailoring line. Brooks Brothers was always a cool brand to me. Loved the store in Milan a decade ago. Was disappointed when I visited a location in NYC five years ago. Not sure why, just remember it being unremarkable.

 

[clee1982]

What’s good about Golden Fleec, aesthetic wise, remember when I first looked at BBGF, suit were either Madison or Fitzgerald? Understanding if I like Paul Stuart I’m probably more flamboyant, but even top of menswear era I struggle to buy BBGF (though I’m not the audience for sure), tailoring wise (can see buying briefcase/shoes for example).

I mean I can see buying things from Paul Stuart, RLPL, or even Oxxford (but that would be a struggle as a value proposition, though if I ignore price I did see something I like). but perhaps other than knits and overcoat (never in my size unfortunately), struggle to buy anything from BBGF

 

[smittycl]

What’s good about Golden Fleec, aesthetic wise, remember when I first looked at BBGF, suit were either Madison or Fitzgerald? Understanding if I like Paul Stuart I’m probably more flamboyant, but even top of menswear era I struggle to buy BBGF (though I’m not the audience for sure), tailoring wise (can see buying briefcase/shoes for example).

I mean I can see buying things from Paul Stuart, RLPL, or even Oxxford (but that would be a struggle as a value proposition, though if I ignore price I did see something I like). but perhaps other than knits and overcoat (never in my size unfortunately), struggle to buy anything from BBGF

I have one GF left, a really nice mid-gray staple suit in the Fitzgerald fit. Trouble is their retail price point is higher than Canali and around Zegna's. I found the Golden Fleece to be nice but not Canali-nice and not even close to Zegna -nice. I do like their overcoats, though.

 

[clee1982]

yea, I wish the overcoat were my size, but really struggle to buy the suit from BBGF

 

[bry2000]

If people want high end American tailoring, you can find it at Oxxford Clothes.

Edit: Also Hickey Freeman had or still has a nice hand tailored line.

 

[smittycl]

If people want high end American tailoring, you can find it at Oxxford Clothes.

Edit: Also Hickey Freeman had or still has a nice hand tailored line.

I always thought Hickey Freeman was way better than Brooks Brothers. Oxxford at retail is out of range for most folks but HF is a great deal.

 

[bry2000]

Oxxford was fairly popular on SF about a dozen or so years ago. Stuff is pretty conservative, but very well made.

 

[smittycl]

Oxxford was fairly popular on SF about a dozen or so years ago. Stuff is pretty conservative, but very well made.

Yeah, I really like them although I have to regularly size down. I’m a 42L normally but my best-fitting Oxxford suit is a 40L. Some of their cuts are full to say the least.

 

[double00]

I think that retail created and fed the beast (i.e., the consumer). However, just because something is a beast, doesn't mean it has to stay that way.

I've long adjusted to what I call "conscious capitalism" (I'm sure I stumbled across the term elsewhere). Without it, I fear I won't be able to shop where I want to shop 5, 10 years from now. I've recently expanded it to more black-owned businesses as well, to the extent possible.

I do not yet care that much about the environmental stuff (I mean, it is critical, I just don't really believe a lot of brands that tout their sustainability), but I do think that it is important to think about where your money is going. I've mentioned this before, but I do not use Amazon for this exact reason (my last purchase is early 2000s).

currently hunting down a copy of

Small Is Beautiful - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Mariokartfever]

Had some friends working at HF for a while - company keeps getting tossed between owners, never seems to be able to settle on an identity.

 

[clee1982]

well, HF never stock 36, so...

 

[King Calder]

Sad to see Totokaelo shutter, what an absolute catastrophe this year has been for multi-brand retail. Honestly though, as much as I visit these stores when I’m in town I don’t know the last time I bought something from Toto, and even browsing their current sale at up to 80% I’m just not interested. Probably more just my style drifting to more casual brands, less Fashion. Two years ago I’d have bought several dries shirts at 30%+ off but now I’m not. Very interested in @bry2000’s point about prestigious brands losing their distribution in the US, I wonder if/how they will cope with that moving forward.