I usually go here for the sales, as does Rod Stewart. At least he was there one time I was.
Tasteful B&W photographs, studiously artless arrangements of thematically-appropriate books and ephemera, and mostly uninteresting clothes, but there are some good things. It's not a fun or interesting place to shop though, and neither is it truly smart - the supercilious staff aren't nearly knowledgeable or friendly enough for that to be the case.
It's pretty horrible, really, excluding rather than exclusive.

We always scoffed at Ralph - Why buy it when you can buy the real stuff from John's?

But now maybe the joke is on us?

Indeed....and the collar, although as Weejun has confirmed on a number of posts, the collar was small on a number makes of authentic BD's in the 60's.

RL is mainly overpriced out sourced production. Give me three white BB OCBD's over the RL equivalent.

The collar roll says it all, there's no other evidence needed.

Nothing in ours this morning, Chris.  I went in to look at some Topsiders - plasticy-looking - then had a less than satisfactory shufti through the polo shirts etc.  The usual RL that we know and hate; vile Baracuta.  I did have a slight yearning, two summers ago, for a lime green number in John Simons - thought better of it.

And the staff in Brooks Bros too.... the London branches. Just awful. No interest. No feel. Just a depressing place to visit.

TW : a marketing person in RL. I need to contact them about THE IVY LOOK. Do you have a contact name/number etc, if appropriate? PM if there is anything to go on here. Many Thanks.

g.g.

low-paid retail staff archetypes are a fascination of mine. brooks staff here are like that here, too. oddly, the outlet has a fantastic stooped old jewish guy who shuffles around in an old cardigan with a rumpled tape around his neck. probably actually a retired fireman named pat mccaffrey but the guy has the act down flawless. probably why they stick him in the outlet, out of embarrassment.

as for RL staff, theyre generally severely retarded korean/philipino street racers, when i bother to go into that shithole. jcrew staff are sweetly clueless. burberry staff usually follow me until i leave. oddly enough, landend canvas(sears) is the new hip place for the campily fantabulous element to be employed. which used to be the gap/old navy/BR conglomerate, or fields, until they got bought by macys and thus became a shithole. those places now seem to employ people who had real careers, before the collapse. i need to write a sociology text about this shit.......

GG - let me know if you want that introduction...

PM'd you.

They may yet be drawn to Brooks, there are logos on some of the casual shirt range. 

I wore white RL button downs a couple of times last week and compared to the BB or Mercers equivalent everything was wrong: collar roll and that awful fit. The baggy part seems reserved for the stomach only.

RL is out sourced shite and we all know it.

Ralph Lauren has taken his brand down the Hackett road - big logos, price hikes, size inconsistencies, quality decreases etc. The only RL garments that I possess are twoi pairs of 100% cotton seersucker swimming trunks.

Brooks Brothers in London is a sick joke - high prices, stupid and indifferent staff, mediocre quality. I prefer Gant which appears to be improving quality to justify high prices.