Many of the great preppy stores have fallen a bit, and the number of people who knew them at their peak are shrinking. If you did shop at J. Press during its Barries (we never called it Barrie Ltd) Era, do you have any memories of what made it, and Barries, great?
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I’ve bought three odd jackets and several slacks this year. I understand the cashmere sport coat is not what it was twenty years ag. That’s life. I believe the sizing is inconsistent, particularly in trousers. What appeals me is the advertising. They’re reaching for some hipster dude I don’t think exists. They should channel an 80s Brooks. (So should Brooks)
ReplyDeleteThey had some nice Corgi socks, but the quality was low. The heel was gone in half dozen wearings.
Things like Egyptian cotton chinos are gone.
The shirts are ok for the money, but I prefer Mercer.
Finally, like the ads, some of the designs are lame, particularly the plaids.
Other than that I love Press
I grew up in a big city, traveled to about 45 states and about 10 foreign countries, and I have never seen anyone that looks remotely like their current models. The cool/hipster ones, that is.
DeleteAppals me. Excuse the autocorrect.
ReplyDeleteWhen buying suits, Jerry Haber made it great. A real pro. R.I.P.
ReplyDeleteI was walking down 44th street with my girlfriend (now my wife) and Jerry popped out as we were looking in the window. He called me into the store because he had the perfect tie for me. My now wife couldnt believe that I was a named customer. My kids used to visit Jerry and he would pick out Christmas presents for me. Charge them basically nothing and bill me. A real gent. God Bless him.
DeleteWe were in NYC last week and I took my boys to J. Press to be measured for shirts. (Their shirts are very expensive so I will wait for the next sale to purchase them.) I did buy a winter hat and some socks as a courtesy to the salesman.
ReplyDeleteI don't remember the golden years of preppie menswear but Press and Ben Silver are the two stores which appear to have weathered the storm best of all. They are both what clients in retail refer to as "well-curated" stores. Press had some really fun blazers at their retail store.
Everything I've ever purchased from Press has been excellent quality. The shirts, while expensive (in these days of throwaway fashion you can get
a made-to-measure shirt of acceptable but not great quality for $70, the Press OCBD is much nicer, but it is off the rack and costs $145) are nonetheless well worth the money. Maybe their clothing was nicer still in the 70's and 80's, but everything I've purchased there has been excellent. I'm planning to get some made to measure sportcoats and slacks there this summer, their fabrics are just perfect.
Barrie’s closed shop in 2004. They are sorely missed. The shoes and boots sold at Barrie’s were top quality, made in England. I still have several pair I wear regularly. I plan to continue to properly care for them. If I do, they will certainly last longer than me. Since my daughter won’t wear them, I plan to leave them to my lucky son-in-law. We grew up in New Haven area in the sixties. Barrie’s shoes cost twice what a good quality pair of American made shoes cost. But one had to have them. And we bought them with money we earned ourselves, doing odd jobs in the neighborhood. It has been previously noted here that Barrie’s customer service was second to none, anywhere. As twelve year olds we hitchhiked downtown to hang around York Street and Broadway on a Saturday. If we were wearing Barrie’s and walked into the store an unoccupied staff member would shine our shoes, gratis. They, yes, gave superior service even to twelve years olds. Wearing a well polished pair of Barrie’s undoubtedly gave us a subconscious confidence when we strolled around the corner to Yankee Doodle to enjoy a “pig in a blanket.”
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in college in the 70s (and because the J. Press store property was rented from the final club I belonged to) us members were strongly encouraged to buy from them. They carried our club 'regalia'. Good quality clothing then.
ReplyDeleteA truly wonderful shop! Now a most fond memory! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThe J. Press store in Washington, DC was located at 1801 L Street in the 1990's, not far from my office. Purchased multiple poplin suits from that store. Poplin suits in the stifling humidity of DC summers was a godsend.
ReplyDeleteRemember the old J. Press in Cambridge fondly and first visited it when we moved our younger daughter into her freshman residence on Harvard Yard (Thayer). Shopped the store over the next 4 years when we visited but haven't been back since.
ReplyDeleteGuessing the Cambridge J Press store isn't the only thing in the area that ain't what it used to be, particularly given descriptions of what's going on at the nearby campuses in the media
DeleteAlthough my father went to Yale, we were always a Brooks Brothers family. I made the switch to Squeeze sometime in my 30s when Brooks began to go downhill, and have been loyal ever since.
ReplyDeleteGrowing up, I always felt that Press had a collegiate vibe, where Brooks had more of a clubby/captain-of-industry vibe. For what it's worth.
You could always identify a Brooks or J. Press oxford shirt on sight -- Brooks had rounded corners on the pockets, and Press of course had the flap pocket. I think Press still makes the best and most correct tweed sport coats on the market. I'm not bothered by their advertising. The guys in the NY store dress that way and I find it refreshing.