Brooks MTM is extremely inflexible when it comes to shirts.  If you want something copied, you are better off taking it to a real shirtmaker.

Not even close.  They go off some standard pattern that allows you to select sizes for several different parts of the shirt.  I have a 16.25 neck, a 15.5 yoke, a 15 chest and so on - i.e. the yoke that would be found on a standard size 15.5 shirt, etc.

They have a button down option - which I think they call 'traditional' or something like that - which is very similar to the collar on their current production OCBD.

I imagine you can specify how full you want the shirt but if the OCBDs of yesteryear were very full cut, then you should probably just get one off the rack.

I'm planning on trying Geneva in the next little while and one of the initial shirts I order will probably be an OCBD with Charvet tails.  I think that's the way to go if you want something out of the very ordinary.

You may also check out some of the offerings from Individualized Shirts - the best incarnation of which is probably at the Oxxford store.

Tom Davies, who does the MTM shirt measuring/ordering at 346, is a wonderful human being. Wears great British suits (he likes to keep that quiet). The BB MTM program though, is garbage.

Horace,

You might want to read the following SF threads: New Brooks Bros MTM program; Brooks Bro's quality; "individualized shirts" including in particular Mark Seitelman's comments. I don't have Brooks MTM shirts, but the RTW quality appears far inferior to my Individualized/Bergdorf MTM. Izzy will make up Individualized/Y'Apre shirts for less than what Brooks charges. Individualized offers a "University" 3 3/8" BD collar. There is no supima fabric selection, however (I use the royal oxford). I recall Shirtmaven's comments about the demise of the Brooks Dan River supima. I wonder if the Brooks supima shirt of the '60s had plastic buttons.

Regards,

Steven

My experience with the BB MTM shirts-other than a few decent buttondowns-has been poor. Fused and poorly fitting collars, less than quality workmanship.

Dear Camlot -- much thanks.  With your info. (and when you can, pics would be doubly great) and another comrade who's sent me (and is sending) me some info, I should begin to get this sorted out.  Thanks to to everyone else who's offered their opinions, and to Grayson for that article.  I found a few other articles, but unfortunately, I can't access them on-line in text, so I'll either transcribe or post the PDF's when I can.

Hello Horace,

The blue Individualized royal oxford I use for my button-downs looks like the Thomas Mason fabric shown on the Ask Andy shirt fabric tutorial: http://www.askandyaboutclothes.com/Tutorials/AlexShirtFabrics.htm. It has more texture than the Brooks supima but is slightly less heavy. I wear the fabric year-round (but not with lightweight smooth summer fabrics). It's also available in white and pink. You can see the fabrics at Bergdorf.

If I had fewer shirts, I'd probably try out Paris or Geneva on a trip to New York. FNB posted pictures here of the Paris button-down for $200-$250, which looked good. I can't imagine paying $150 plus for a Brooks MTM (or most any MTM at this price).

Regards,

Steven

Great thread.
I've been reading & learning but not posting as I have no input here.
I think THIS is the stuff that needs recording along with old Press cuts and anything else like that.
The REALITY of the history of these clothes is very important these days I think.
Telling it like it was/is.

Thanks to all -

D.

I notice that the more recent incarnation (of the last what? 5 years) of Brooks BD's with the red label claims Supima fabric, but it's "imported".  I thought all Supima was US fabric?

Edit:  I might've answered my own question:  I checked supima.com -- perhaps raw material sold to several places.  I wonder what the Italian and Japanese mills do with it.  Some look promising.  One guy at Brooks told me that the Supima in the RTW shirt is Italian.

Last edited by Horace (2007-01-10 06:49:28)