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Thursday, January 30, 2025

Reader Comment: Brooks Brothers Men's Shirts in Nylon??

 A reader comment:

Dear Editor,

Call me naïve, but I ordered two shirts from Brooks Brothers without looking close enough and they were nylon. I didn’t even know there were men’s shirts in nylon. Nylon? 

Just an FYI to anyone else who’s in a rush and trying to save a little money with their 2 for 100$ deal. Ugh! 

35 comments:

  1. Hello friend, not sure how much clearer one can be on this point: STOP. BUYING. CLOTHES. FROM. BROOKS BROTHERS. If you're under the mistaken belief that there is even an ectoplasmic trace of the company's long dead "preppy" aesthetic, then yes, you are naïve. There is none. You might as well have ordered your shirts from Zara.

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    1. Amen. Brooks Brothers became terminal over forty years ago and finally succumbed by the end of the 1980s. Seriously.

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    2. So true, I stopped shopping there in the 1980s

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  2. Thank you for the much needed update on BB.

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  3. I wore an old Brooks Brothers suit today (purchased in the late 1990s). Still in great shape, excellent quality wool, just a fabulous suit. I stopped buying from them after most of their button down shirts became no-iron cotton, and the 'original polo' wrinkly cotton became, as Macbeth put it, a walking shadow of the store's formerly glorious oxford cloth shirts. That said, my brother-in-law purchased a suit there not too long ago and thinks it's very good.

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    1. I am curious. Was the suit from the 1990s a 3 roll 2 sack or a darted two button?

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    2. I have a pair of two-button suits from that era. When their quality faded, I moved to Oxxford, Zegna, and another Italian brand, Corneliani.

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  4. (Sotto voce) Um Mercer & Sons? A bit pricy, yes, but well worth the investment.

    Kind Regards,

    Heinz-Ulrich

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    1. I don’t care what the price is when I can call to order some shirts and the person answering the phone knows my name and asks me how I’ve been.
      That is priceless. Granted their shirts are not what most people want today which I find adds to their appeal.
      They are classic. They are of superior quality.

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    2. Talking with David or Serena is almost as nice as when the shirts arrive.m

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    3. I remember seeing Mercer's adds in the back pages of the New Yorker, right around the time when Brooks Brothers was starting to lose its way (as was the New Yorker, too, come to think of it). My sense is that this was in 1990s. Anyway, if you look at Mercer's label you will of course recognize that it is a take-off on Brooks's.

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  5. Do you literally mean 100% nylon, or are you talking about the ones that are 3% spandex? Asking because I dont recall ever seeing nylon shirts, and I have also noticed a fake BB site out there.

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    1. They are over 90% nylon. The rest is spandex.

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    2. Gotcha. I agree that does not sound very appealing.

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  6. Gone but never forgotten!

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  7. My father's physical decline coincided with my youngest son's enrollment in boarding school. The young devil inherited his grandfather's vintage BB oxford cloth shirts. The shirts that once went to the office have been recycled to go to class, rumpled from a lack of ironing. My father no longer speaks, but the news of this made him smile.

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    1. I was a skinny kid and when I began to fill out in my late thirties I gave my grey Brooks herringbone sport jacket (purchased circa 1980) to my father, who is smaller, and who wore it for years. He's 96 now and just gave it to my son. The occasions for which my son will wear the jacket will be few and far between, but he treasures it.

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  8. I remember back in the 60’s going to Brooks with my father. We would go up stairs where Vincent would greet us. He knew exactly what dad needed and which size.
    Then on to the fitting room for tailoring. When we were finished we just said goodbye to everyone and left. For years I thought that the suits and trousers were free. It was several years before I found out that a bill came later.
    I still have some of his old shirts 60 years later.
    Things change. Everything changes.

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  9. I got some very nice suits, sport coats, and chesterfield overcoats at BB in the late 80s and early 90s. But then they started putting pleats on their pants and I moved to Press, though I did have 2 MTM suits that are very nice and that I can still wear made around 2000. Nothing since. Very much downhill since then. They even have fanny flaps on their jackets.

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    1. Mr. Alexander - Your experience closely matches my own. Up until about 1990, I was a Brooks customer, and then switched to J. Press almost exclusively. And I too have a Brooks Chesterfield and several suits and sport coats, as well as shirts, ties and shoes from that era that I still wear regularly. Top quality in those days, but after the sale to Marks & Spencer in the late 80s it began the long downhill slide to its current sorry state. Thankfully J. Press is still going strong.

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  10. My introduction to BB was in 1981, I bought a few things and wore them thread bare. At least I caught the tail end of a great brand.

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    1. My introduction to BB was in 1979 at the 346 Madison Avenue store, where I was browsing around at the ties on the first floor and the salesman sent me up to the top floor, where they had the Brooksgate line for young customers.

      I was in the city a month ago and looked into the windows of the old flagship store, which is a now a cafe. The big wood tables that had once displayed shirts and other clothing are still there. Then I walked a block away to J. Press, which was like going back in time to the old BB store, albeit a bit smaller and only on the ground floor.
      JL

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  11. While thinking of Brooks Brothers of old lets not forget Joe Mancini. He worked at the NYC store for 66 years and knew everyone in NYC by name. Google his name and see his bio. What a role model!

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  12. From someone in his 40s who is a fan of Brooks Brothers - I am pretty sure I know the problem you've run into here. In the last year or so, Brooks Brothers has released a "performance" clothing line which is distinct from their regular lines. Their regular clothes (except for casual raincoats, etc.) are generally mostly cotton and wool. But the performance line was meant to appeal to people who want to look smart/classy while sailing, golfing or playing other sports. They are made from synthetics and are supposed to be wicking for perspiration. So you have to look closely at material, or at least look for the word "performance" in the name of the garment, to avoid being disappointed (if that's not what you're looking for.)
    I realize that Brooks isn't what it used to be, but it does offer good sales and pretty good quality items if you're on a budget. I don't like to wear jeans and hoodies, etc. like all my peers, so it offers me good choices.

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    1. I no longer shop at Brooks Brothers but this seems like a fair comment. Certainly if everyone shopped at Brooks, the world would be a better-dressed place.

      I do, however, resonate with those above who remember the late '70s and early '80s, when Brooks Brothers was not just a store, it was an institution -- a part of the culture. So perplexing that they chose to abandon that role.

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    2. Maybe BB ought to be given more credit. Maybe they saw it coming. What’s the point of selling a collar with a perfect roll when most people today don’t even wear a collar? It seems the number of people who care about their appearance is steadily diminishing. There was a time when adolescents aspired to dress like adults. Most of today’s adults dress like adolescents. Just look around you.

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    3. I should warn you that Polo Ralph Lauren also sells “performance” BD shirts. I had the misfortune to buy one by accident. It was described as Oxford cotton on the retailer’s website but IIRC it was a polyester/nylon mix! I returned it and obtained a full refund. 18 months on, the unscrupulous retailer is still selling it as Oxford cotton - https://www.thesportinglodge.com/collections/polo-ralph-lauren/products/polo-ralph-lauren-custom-fit-oxford-shirt-red-blue-multi.

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    4. Here's another PRL "performance" BD. It's 91% nylon, 9 elastane - https://www.pockets.co.uk/16327-aw23customfitperformancechecklsshirtmulti.html. Breathable? Highly unlikely!

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  13. I bought two of the Brooks Brothers Made in USA 100% cotton oxfords that they did last year. They're just okay. One shrunk so much that I can't wear it anymore.

    For anyone looking for a lower cost oxford, I can't recommend the Lands End Sail Rigger oxford highly enough. Yes, it has shortcomings: the collar could be bigger, they're alpha sized, and they're made in India. But, they're 100% cotton with no coating, soft out of the bag, and cost $37 delivered after all their usual discounts. I think it's a better shirt than what Brooks is selling for 4x the price.

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  14. Brooks Brothers is no more. Not even a shell of it’s grand self, only a poor imitation. I am selling a pair of LE Sail Riggers, one white, one blue. Size 16-16.5 x 35. A tad too narrow for me. Hardly worn. Check ebay.

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  15. The problem with the L.E. Sail Rigger shirts is that they come in S-M-L, etc. sizes. If one of those fits you, great. If you need precise neck and sleeve sizing, they won't work for you, at least not if you are going to wear them with a tie and suit coat/sportcoat. Same problem with the L.E. Hyde Park Oxford (which used to be exact neck/sleeve length, but at least is still not no-iron.

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  16. It's easy to take shots at BB. However, if you've been out in public lately, it's hard not to notice that more people wearing BB would be a vast improvement

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  17. I too suffer from 346 Weeping disorder but, I recently purchased a few B2 "Friday" shirts. I was pleasantly surprised. It's a very nice throwback Oxford. They also offer an end-on-end version. They're less than $100, you can find it for sixty-something on sale. Full cut, fine material, a nice shirt. Give it a look.

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    1. Dollar for dollar those shirts are not worth it. You will find that after 40+ washing the collars are fraying. And they are very inconsistent. Some of them are falling apart, much sooner than that.

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