Matt Deckard
Man of Action
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Brooks Brothers: Beverly Hills
It is a well known fact that Southern Californians who wear suits in public, whether it be in the center of LA or the outskirts of Malibu, will be looked at as an oddity from another planet. Those you newly meet ask if you are on your way to a job interview, store employees ask if you are coming from a wedding and coworkers ask if you are going to relax. During the course of this day I will not be going to an interview I will not be attending a wedding and I do not need to relax. I wear a suit and tie because it makes me comfortable and the better the fit the more comfortable I am. This day I am going to Brooks Brothers in Beverly Hills.
Harbored in the middle of a street that is overwhelmed with shops selling the latest trends is a store which by it’s name should resonate with all men as the place that epitomizes the standard attire for the man on the street for over one hundred years. Oddly enough on the walk from the car to the store I was the only man I saw wearing this attire.
Inside you are greeted by tables covered in ties. Brooks Brothers as always is heavy with striped ties and I have several. The building is broken into several sections, to the left are men’s sports jackets and odd trousers, to the right is women’s clothing, in the back are shoes and accessories and upstairs are the men’s suits and children’s clothing. I head straight for the Sports jackets.
Probably the only attire outside of ties that I buy from BB is their linen handkerchiefs and sports jackets. I used to be a big fan of their shirts and their trousers; they are nice trousers, though the fit for me is not quite correct; too low for my waist and they don’t make them any higher. The shirts have really nice patterns, though the fit for me is too boxy and the collar leaves too much tie space for my liking. The jackets on the other hand are classic. The armholes may be a little low like all modern jackets, though the styles and patterns are right out of the 1930’s and 40’s. They’re no longer the best on the block when it comes to quality, though when you need a sturdy sport jacket with a timeless style this is the place to go.
The suits are another story. BB is the place where the suits for North by Northwest are rumored to have been bought for Cary Grant and I was hoping to find something along that vein when I got upstairs. I was disappointed to see that the 2 button models were stuck in the 1980’s style with a low button stance and wide semi curved lapels and the 3 button suits were very modern having narrow lapels with a strong curve to the cut, as if they just took 2 button models and added a third button (I know they didn’t do that), not attractive to my eye. Regardless of being tall or short the pants all had the same rise, only the off the rack suit jackets were sold longer or shorter -- Disappointing.
Downstairs again I wonder through the shoes and the accessories. The shoes are made by Alden and are top of the line. They only have “D� widths in stock and say they can order your size if you want (disappointed about the availability of sizes though they are quality shoes). Belts and handkerchiefs and scarves and socks, all of the highest quality. Even hats, though they are Borsalino made and obviously a low grade felt when compared to some of the hats I have seen by today’s other hat companies.
I decided to leave before checking out the women’s section.
It is nice walking around a store built around classic men’s fashion, even if it now carries women’s wear as well. Overall I was a bit disappointed with the shop. I expected a little more from this palace In Beverly Hills. Gone are the days where they had custom tailors on staff. the tailors replaced by Made to measure salesmen. The suits are made for drape rather than fit and the patterns are bland and designed to blend into the background of a political convention. I checked out their fabrics used for made to measure though they were so paper thin and I wouldn’t expect a suit made that light to last a year under the strains I’d put it through.
I like the store; I don’t like the direction toward blandness it has taken. Sadly enough I have to say that Ralph Lauren is more “classic Brooks Brothers� than Brooks Brothers. I left a bit jaded and knowing that the only thing I’ll be buying from BB for awhile will be sport jackets the occasional tie and linen handkerchiefs.
It is a well known fact that Southern Californians who wear suits in public, whether it be in the center of LA or the outskirts of Malibu, will be looked at as an oddity from another planet. Those you newly meet ask if you are on your way to a job interview, store employees ask if you are coming from a wedding and coworkers ask if you are going to relax. During the course of this day I will not be going to an interview I will not be attending a wedding and I do not need to relax. I wear a suit and tie because it makes me comfortable and the better the fit the more comfortable I am. This day I am going to Brooks Brothers in Beverly Hills.
Harbored in the middle of a street that is overwhelmed with shops selling the latest trends is a store which by it’s name should resonate with all men as the place that epitomizes the standard attire for the man on the street for over one hundred years. Oddly enough on the walk from the car to the store I was the only man I saw wearing this attire.
Inside you are greeted by tables covered in ties. Brooks Brothers as always is heavy with striped ties and I have several. The building is broken into several sections, to the left are men’s sports jackets and odd trousers, to the right is women’s clothing, in the back are shoes and accessories and upstairs are the men’s suits and children’s clothing. I head straight for the Sports jackets.
Probably the only attire outside of ties that I buy from BB is their linen handkerchiefs and sports jackets. I used to be a big fan of their shirts and their trousers; they are nice trousers, though the fit for me is not quite correct; too low for my waist and they don’t make them any higher. The shirts have really nice patterns, though the fit for me is too boxy and the collar leaves too much tie space for my liking. The jackets on the other hand are classic. The armholes may be a little low like all modern jackets, though the styles and patterns are right out of the 1930’s and 40’s. They’re no longer the best on the block when it comes to quality, though when you need a sturdy sport jacket with a timeless style this is the place to go.
The suits are another story. BB is the place where the suits for North by Northwest are rumored to have been bought for Cary Grant and I was hoping to find something along that vein when I got upstairs. I was disappointed to see that the 2 button models were stuck in the 1980’s style with a low button stance and wide semi curved lapels and the 3 button suits were very modern having narrow lapels with a strong curve to the cut, as if they just took 2 button models and added a third button (I know they didn’t do that), not attractive to my eye. Regardless of being tall or short the pants all had the same rise, only the off the rack suit jackets were sold longer or shorter -- Disappointing.
Downstairs again I wonder through the shoes and the accessories. The shoes are made by Alden and are top of the line. They only have “D� widths in stock and say they can order your size if you want (disappointed about the availability of sizes though they are quality shoes). Belts and handkerchiefs and scarves and socks, all of the highest quality. Even hats, though they are Borsalino made and obviously a low grade felt when compared to some of the hats I have seen by today’s other hat companies.
I decided to leave before checking out the women’s section.
It is nice walking around a store built around classic men’s fashion, even if it now carries women’s wear as well. Overall I was a bit disappointed with the shop. I expected a little more from this palace In Beverly Hills. Gone are the days where they had custom tailors on staff. the tailors replaced by Made to measure salesmen. The suits are made for drape rather than fit and the patterns are bland and designed to blend into the background of a political convention. I checked out their fabrics used for made to measure though they were so paper thin and I wouldn’t expect a suit made that light to last a year under the strains I’d put it through.
I like the store; I don’t like the direction toward blandness it has taken. Sadly enough I have to say that Ralph Lauren is more “classic Brooks Brothers� than Brooks Brothers. I left a bit jaded and knowing that the only thing I’ll be buying from BB for awhile will be sport jackets the occasional tie and linen handkerchiefs.
