If you're referring to the BB on Rhode Island Ave., couldn't agree more. It's simply self-serve, but TBH I bet that's the case everywhere in the current employment environment. Fascinates me that they even keep it open, every time I've been there there couldn't be more than another customer or two there at the same time.
Brooks Brothers Loyality
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I was recently in a large department store and a lady customer ask the salesperson where the pocket squares were. He did NOT know what a pocket square was!! I took her over to the store's measly collection, and she purchased one! No commission for me. 😟
Alas, it is like that in all sorts of stores. The salesperson at Sur La Table had no idea what a savarin pan was. Fortunately, it was easy to find, and I got the last one.
It seems this lack of service further accelerates the move towards online shopping, where some of the more forward-looking online retailers are providing personalized and knowledgeable advice that bridges this widening gap. Together with easier return policies this seems the likely future for most things short of full bespoke, and IMO certainly where price is an overriding consideration. I don't necessarily bemoan the change, but when the in person experience is deteriorating then there's not much left for nostalgia.
Perhaps if you had mentioned that the Savarin pan was somewhat like a Bundt pan (or a special case of a tube pan), the salesperson might have understood what you were looking for. And perhaps you did indeed suggest this. Alternately, you could have broken a rule (perhaps) and made the savarin in any old tube pan and declared it a savarin, LOL. I know, a purist would be offended by a scofflaw like me. I have also been known to make a salmi of pheasant and take liberties with the ingredients -- quelle horreur!
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Just douse the cake with extra rum after it’s baked and the guests won’t get too fussy about which pan it was baked in.
I've found there's not really much else to work with in my area other than Brooks Brothers. As a small, slim man, I can still find pants that fit decently, and at least they aren't made entirely of polyester. I've tried Jomers (now defunct) and Spier and Mackay which are a great deal considering their fabrics (like VBC, Guabello, etc), but their pants fits are all very slim, with ridiculously small hem openings. This is true of most brick and mortar stores as well; if you are smaller, then apparently they think you want to look like a teenager.
We have a locally owned men's shop around here where I bought my first pair of Allen Edmonds. They carry Church's, Gitman Brothers, H. Freeman, etc; very old-school service model too. Unfortunately, I'm just not at the point financially where I could afford to start shopping there for the essentials.
I'm 30 and want to have a classic look for the office, neither looking too much like an old man or conversely like a trendy hipster. I still find plenty of merchandise at BB that fits this bill.
My apologies for such a long post just to say, Brooks Brothers is still my best option by a long shot, and I imagine it is for quite a few others out there.
We have a locally owned men's shop around here where I bought my first pair of Allen Edmonds. They carry Church's, Gitman Brothers, H. Freeman, etc; very old-school service model too. Unfortunately, I'm just not at the point financially where I could afford to start shopping there for the essentials.
I'm 30 and want to have a classic look for the office, neither looking too much like an old man or conversely like a trendy hipster. I still find plenty of merchandise at BB that fits this bill.
My apologies for such a long post just to say, Brooks Brothers is still my best option by a long shot, and I imagine it is for quite a few others out there.
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Appreciate the upbeat view. The forum is clogged with jabs at The Brothers Brooks. Pendleton, a favorite brand, is nowadays also a shadow of its former self. So I don't buy current Pendleton. And just let it go at that.
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I have nine pairs of Church's shoes. I purchased them back in the day when they were on Wabash in Chicago. Kerri, the owner, gave up the store when the hotel remodeled his street view space. I don't think Church's is in Chicago anymore at all. The brand is now owned by Prada. Great deals can be found on eBay for Church's shoes. Church's does have a website. You are lucky if you can go to a shoe store and try on Church's shoes.
For small and slim, I think J Crew increasingly has become a better option, first with their solid fabric options, then to well-curated collaborations with everyone from Gittman to Barbour, and we'll see what they do under new leadership.
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They have some Brooks Brothers shirts online at Saks off Fifth. I bought a few all cotton ones at like $25 a pop there. Pretty decent quality.
I have a number of the stretch shirts. They're really not too bad. I like them.
I definitely don't prefer the stretch variety but I picked up two at the BB outlet and they seem alright. On sale they're about the same price as a department store brand, and better quality. Decent deal.
The ones from the retail store are better. Thicker fabric, better fit (1-inch sleeve lengths instead of 2), better finish.
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My last purchase was a few years ago with their "Own Make" suits. I really like it - it's a heavy flannel so I only wear it when its freezing cold. Wish they would bring back something focused on quality and just employ a few folks to focus on it...
Hypothetically speaking, if in retrospect 5 years ago BB decided to go after a notably younger market, by offering hybrid online/B&M MTM suiting, leveraging their unbeatable brand history but marketed towards the next generation of working Americans, might they not be in the position they are today? Building upon that, going to a BB store to finish the details of said suit, being able to sell the appropriate shoes, ties, shirts, and other accessories at the point of sale/pickup seems not an impossible task. For this long time (decades) BB shopper, there probably were a number of strategies that would have kept BB from insolvency; doing nothing different was probably the only one that was doomed to failure.
I think that if Brooks had touted the key attributes of their classic sacks, billowy shirts, and Aldens, namely that they were incredibly comfortable, that they were durable (providing good value), that they were earth friendly, and they were made in the USA, their brand and market presence might well have built a new large base and kept such of its old base as remain. These are the attributes that normal young people, other than the athleisure crowd, hipsters, and fashionistas, want.
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