Brooks Brothers Extra Slim Fit - Made in USA

If you're looking for a no frills oxford cotton button down (OCBD) shirt with a great fit at a bargain price, look no further than Brooks Brothers. They basically invented the button down shirt, so it makes sense buying your shirt from them, they know what they're doing (despite all of the commotion of trad/preppy blogs about the fused collars). Especially after they've begun offering some of the classic colourways in trimmer options. You shouldn't be discouraged by the use of  "extra slim fit", as they aren't that slim, honestly. But compared to the trad or regular options, which some purists probably prefer, I'm sure, it will indeed feel extra slim fit. To me they're just a comfortably tailored shirt with sufficient room to work in. And it's great that they're offering sizes based on the length of your arms and the circumference of your neck, and not S, M, L, XL, as we're mostly used to en Europe nowadays.

The product is great, don't get me wrong. But it could of course be better, but keep in mind it's an off the rack garment. You don't get mother of pearl buttons and some of the other great details that you often see on some OCBD's from other brands, and you're quite limited in terms of colours, prints and patterns, however you get the essential colours. But the price is just insane. 3 for $225. And that price has actually gone up, they used to be cheaper. For me this is the go-to shirt without comparison. There are better products out there definitely, however the price and the iconic status of the Brooks Brothers brand is just the deciding factor, but mostly the price. I sometimes think about, how many shirts they could be selling, if they decided to go into their archives and used some fabrics of the past. I mean, I would love an BB OCBD in Chambray or winter weight flannel. They offer these options, but they aren't made in the USA, which is a deciding factor for me. I want them to be made in the US and I want that great single needle tailoring, that only they can make. Again, other companies can of course make shirts using single needle tailoring, however I think that the way Brooks Brothers does it, is so typical and great.

I've only been dealing with the made in the USA options. I don't know anything about the imported shirts.

Fit: Great. Could be better.
Details: Great. Could be better.

Colourways: Sufficient. Room for improvement.
Historical correctness: Who cares? 

Fabric: Fine. Room for improvement.

Distribution: Please bring them to Europe.

Price: Perfect.

The Elusive Knitted Blazer

I have so many ideas for stuff that could help me complete my wardrobe. Actually I think it's a never ending quest, but I keep getting ideas for things that would do really well in my wardrobe. Often it's based on things that are actually on offer, and that's when you start saving and planning, but sometimes it's a certain thing that you just can't find. In this case it's the knitted blazer. 

I have this idea of a knitted blazer that you can both dress up or wear really casually. In my mind it's made of virgin wool or a similar hard wearing wool that has been tightly knitted, but still loose enough to conform to the body. Furthermore it's a three button blazer with a slightly narrow lapel, patch pockets and it's vented. Lastly it's not made in the Far East.

It could look a bit like this blazer from Brooks Brothers. It ticks a lot of boxes, but I'm not going to put a lot of money into something that's made in China probably. It goes against my principles that I stick to.

Another very nice alternative that I came across is the infamous, Spanish Teba, which is a sort of knitted blazer/shirt which is quite used in Spain. The original is made by Bel y Cia, who probably weren't the inventors of the Teba, but they're probably the original maker, as they made the Teba, which was used for hunting, for the Count of Teba. Now this is made in Spain, which is great and the quality is definitely up there, however I'm not sure about the looks of the Teba and it's quite expensive, but again the quality is present without a doubt.

One could even consider buying a replica (most likely from Japan) of the Brown's Beach Jacket, but it's very, very casual, but very good looking. However Japanese replicas don't always go well, if you're tall and have long arms.

Lastly there's the jersey (rather heavy jersey) version of a sports coat, which is made in Canada by Wings + Horns. I've tried it on numerous times and even thought about buying it quite a bit, but there's something a bit off in terms of the length - I find it too short. But other than that the quality is very good and the fit is quite modern with slim sleeves and body, but you can compensate for that by sizing up for a more comfortable fit. If this version was made in a heavy wool I would definitely have pulled the trigger. But alas I'm still searching for the elusive knit blazer and if someone has seen a good one, do let me know where to look.

A Proper Collection of Footwear

A very recent comment on ATD reminded me of a Flickr account, that made it's way through a lot of tumblrs and blogs.

I'm refering to this one

I sometimes return to it, just to get some inspiration and to feel poor because I wouldn't be able to afford 1/10 of that collection. Some models aren't my style at all, but I wouldn't mind borrowing (stealing) most of them.