Brands that mean mediocrity

gdl203 · Jun 28, 2009

BB and AE are the two names that come to mind

DocHolliday · Jun 28, 2009

Brooks is a shadow of itself, but there's still life in the old girl. The buttondown shirts still have the best roll out there, and the shoe selection/quality is quite good. GF is nice as well, though a bit boring. BF has some interesting stuff and excellent quality.

Brooks caters to a conservative, American sensibility. As such, its clothes likely aren't going to light up the young, not-so-conservative SF crowd, myself included. But that it exists at all, when stores of its ilk have largely vanished from the American landscape, is something to be celebrated, not condemned.

I'd rather shop there than, say, the excessively glossy Paul Stuart or the lost-in-the-wilderness J. Press. Brooks has survived as well as any of the Trad staples, and it suffers in comparison not with its similarly priced competition, but with its own ideal.

HRoi · Jun 28, 2009

Ferragamo

ppllzz · Jun 28, 2009

Originally Posted by HRoi

Ferragamo

+1, i also dont like brooks brothers, aside from black fleece

dopey · Jun 28, 2009

Originally Posted by HRoi

Ferragamo

Whenever I have been in their NY flagship, I have received excellent service. Good enough to make a lasting impression. It is a pity I don't care for what they sell, as I would really enjoy shopping there.

The comments about Brooks Brothers are saddening, but bear in mind the scale at which BB now operates. In its heyday, its footprint was roughly equivalent to J.Press (U.S.) or maybe Paul Stuart. That it managed to grow without falling apart is a testament to just how strong is its legacy. I don't see it lasting much longer. The generation that grew up with the experience or even the memory of the old Brooks Brothers won't have much to show their children, and that will be the end of it.

gdl203 · Jun 28, 2009

Originally Posted by DocHolliday

I'd rather shop there than, say, the excessively glossy Paul Stuart
I usually appreciate your taste but I'm sorry I just don't understand this comment. Paul Stuart is not the end all be all (by any means) but still far better than BB. If only the store itself didn't feel haunted and empty of all life... J Press OTOH is total garbage.

HRoi · Jun 28, 2009

Originally Posted by dopey

Whenever I have been in their NY flagship, I have received excellent service. Good enough to make a lasting impression. It is a pity I don't care for what they sell, as I would really enjoy shopping there.
me too. the SA's at Bal Harbour are consistently excellent and memorable. too bad their products are, imho, mediocre

DocHolliday · Jun 28, 2009

Originally Posted by gdl203

I usually appreciate your taste but I'm sorry I just don't understand this comment. Paul Stuart is not the end all be all (by any means) but still far better than BB. If only the store itself didn't feel haunted and empty of all life... J Press OTOH is total garbage.

I'm probably being unfair. PS has some lovely things. But in general I don't care for how they're presented and tend to think they're overpriced. PS stuff tends to be nicer than Brooks', yes, but at the significantly higher price, it ought to be. In terms of value for money for the average, middle-of-the-road businessman, I give the edge to Brooks.

Some of it's just taste. The BF line, for example, strikes me as interesting, if hit or miss, while the Phineas Cole line generally does nothing for me.

SkinnyGoomba · Jun 28, 2009

I was under the impression the fact that brooks is mediocre is whats endearing about it.

voxsartoria · Jun 28, 2009

Originally Posted by DocHolliday

Brooks has survived as well as any of the Trad staples, and it suffers in comparison not with its similarly priced competition, but with its own ideal.

Brooks wasn't about being trad, but about a very American concept of excellence. The current Brooks ridicules that, except in in a few bits and pieces.

A repost:

- B

DocHolliday · Jun 28, 2009

Originally Posted by voxsartoria

Brooks wasn't about being trad, but about a very American concept of excellence. The current Brooks ridicules that, except in in a few bits and pieces.
Yes, but you know what I mean. Who's doing it better? In a pinch, I could walk into your average Brooks and kit myself out from head to toe. Heaven forbid I should have to do that at, say, my local Saks. Thrift shops are filled with wonderful clothes from American makers that have come to fates far more ignominious than Brooks'. I'd rather have Brooks around in some form than not at all, even if it can't scale the glorious heights of yesteryear.

voxsartoria · Jun 28, 2009

Originally Posted by SkinnyGoomba

I was under the impression the fact that brooks is mediocre is whats endearing about it.

No, for those of us who remember the old Brooks, it was not that at all.

This recent Film Noir Buff piece is as good an intro as anything if you never knew what BB meant not so long ago.

- B

SkinnyGoomba · Jun 28, 2009

Originally Posted by DocHolliday

Yes, but you know what I mean. Who's doing it better? In a pinch, I could walk into your average Brooks and kit myself out from head to toe. Heaven forbid I should have to do that at, say, my local Saks. Thrift shops are filled with wonderful clothes from American makers that have come to fates far more ignominious than Brooks'. I'd rather have Brooks around in some form than not at all, even if it can't scale the glorious heights of yesteryear.
I would imagine this is why brooks still exists, if i wasnt really 'into' the clothes i'm wearing, i could walk into brooks, put together something nice and conservative, and the tailors there (in my experience) were pretty helpful with fit. I've had some pretty bad experiences with brooks, but the last one was excellent.

Tck13 · Jun 28, 2009

clee1982 · Jun 29, 2009

Originally Posted by voxsartoria

No, for those of us who remember the old Brooks, it was not that at all.

This recent Film Noir Buff piece is as good an intro as anything if you never knew what BB meant not so long ago.

- B

Interesting read, so how was Oxxford pricing back in those days?

Brands that mean mediocrity

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