This does look interesting ( although I'm not very likely to ever purchase any clothing via the net myself ) :

http://www.mercerandsons.com/

Widely distributed collegiate '60s BDs: GANT, SERO, Eagle

My favourite, "Coach & Four" was made in a small Southern town.

When Gant experimented with faux Brit Jermyn St. spread collar pyjama stripes in the late '60s it labeled 'em "Watch Hill".

www.gant.com

( I think Mr. Kabbaz had some association with Gant or Sero RTW in the foggy past)

My tobacconist wears 'em (Mercer) and says they hold up better than Brooks. The collar looks the same in terms of roll but I'd miss the supima. No MTM product available.

Regards,

Steven

Some interesting comments, I've no experience with Brooks shirts myself either though....they're pretty thin on the ground where I live as well.....

I'm still fairly new to this forum and some things are slightly over my head to be honest.....for instance : what exactly does TNSIL stand for ? I take it IL stands for Ivy League alright, but I've been meaning to ask before anyway.......

I do like the American points of view BTW, I get a better insight through this forum than I previously had with some of that, say, all American stuff...TIA ( Thanks In Advance ),

Alex

It's interesting to hear the comparisons between Brooks and Mercer cloths. I was going to order some Mercer shirts after some negative experiences with Brooks MTM: numerous details done wrong through numerous attempts over the course of 6 months. Breast pockets were sewn on in disparate locations, sometime an inch higher or lower between shirts. On some shirts, the 'arrow' stitching on the pockets was replaced with a horizontal line, or simply left out. The factory would neglect cuff measurements plainly entered on the form, the store would send the shirt back to the factory, and four weeks later the shirt would return with the same cuffs it started with. Inexplicably, they used different monogram fonts on different shirts. On one shirt, the fabric on the back of the collar was tearing away and frayed.

This, all on shirts part of the same order, after ordering one shirt that was done right! To the store's credit, the manager I worked with was himself flabbergasted by the factory's inconsistency and inability to follow directions and finally just gave me the shirts since the cost of sending the shirts back and forth just became too much. Now I have 6 Brooks Brothers OCBDs with cuffs that can't fit over my watch. I can't complain too much--I didn't pay at the end, after all--but still, a frustrating and disappointing experience.

Would I really be worse off with Mercer?