My Final Word on BB MTM shirts

[Senator Jack]

Just got back from the dry cleaners with my black Brooks Brothers Made to Measure Shirt. I received this shirt with two others just about a year ago. I've worn it perhaps an average of 3 times per month, and probably not so much as that in the summer. Maybe I've sent it out to be laundered 20 times over the last year. Even that sounds like a lot.

Well sad to say that for the money spent, it hasn't held up. The collar is already starting to go, fraying at the points and along the back. Overall, the shirt has held its shape, but it already looks like a worn shirt. In fact, I have some 50s-60s Van Husens that I've had for two decades now that are in better condition. And that's with just having thrown them in wit the wash.

So if you ever get the itch to get a BB MTM, as I did, I'd suggest having it scratched somewhere else. Yes, the service is great, but I'd rather had a lasting shirt.

Regards,

Senator Jack

 

[Matt Deckard]

Fabric quality the problem?

 

[Senator Jack]

I don't know, Matt. It's a 120 Egyptian, and while Egyptian has a great feel to it, perhaps it's not that durable after all. Of course you could blame the cleaner's being rough on it. They're supposed to press it either inside out or through a towel to avoid creating the sheen on the outside, but I can presume they're not doing that. But what are you supposed to do? Tell the cleaners how to clean and press it every time you drop it off? Like I said, I have cheap Van Huesens that have held up better, and I've been wearing them for twenty years. Here's a closeup of the damage:

Maybe we need to find a good home care/cleaning website for shirts. How to do it yourself. I'm still in the market for a steam presser, and I think this is going to finally get me motivated to buy one.

Regards,

Senator Jack

 

[Bart]

Brooks Brothers MTM Shirts

Well, Senator,

Maybe if you found you spent a fortune at Brooks Brothers, maybe you spent a fortune at the wrong laundry. Maybe you should just go to
the likes of Marshalls or TJMAXX.

 

[Senator Jack]

Look, Bart-o, I've bought shirts for a quarter and I've bought shirts for much more. I just happen to like things of quality whether they're vintage, new, cheap, or expensive. A lot of the members here happen to have an eye for quality, and if that bothers you, maybe this isn't the place for you. You should learn some manners.

Regards,

Senator Jack

 

[Brad Bowers]

Senator Jack, that's a sad commentary on BB shirts, it sounds like. I would have expected a little more out of them. Not that I've ever been able to afford such expensive shirts. I've had to stick with Geoffrey Beene dress shirts, as I can get them for around $20, sometimes less, at the outlet store. I've had three that I've rotated for about two years, and they are starting to show wear on the collar points and the corner of the French cuffs. I don't send them out, though. I wash them on the gentle cycle, hang them up to dry, and then my wife starches and irons them. I took them one time to my dry cleaners, and they had no idea how to press them, particularly the cuffs, so I did not take them again.

I've tried to find 100% cotton white dress shirts with French cuffs and a point collar in a size 18 neck at places like Marshall's and TJ Maxx, but, for some strange reason, I've yet to come across any.

Brad

 

[Senator Jack]

I bought three shirts as a present to myself on my 40th birthday. (am I allowed to do that Bart-o?) Being that I'm only 5' 7", off-the-peg shirts never fit right - the armholes being too low, and the sleeves too long by an inch or two. It was probably a bad idea because now I see how shirts are really supposed to fit. I've had dozens of vintage shirts over the years, that fit fairly well, but of course you're limited to what you find. For years I had been looking for a black french cuff and I couldn't figure out why I never found vintage black cuff shirts. Then it dawned on me that up till the 80s, black was linked arm-in-arm with death, so no one was manufacturing them in the 40s/50s.

Now you find them everyhwere, but still no one gets it right. I don't like pockets on my shirts, and I don't like the wide spread collars that modern fashion dictates. Anyway, I've got a shirt coming from mytailor.com, for half the price of the BB shirt and we'll see how that works out. I do know that from now on, I'll just be washing them in the sink and pressing them myself.

Or perhaps I'll have my manservant, Kato, do it.

Regards,

Senator Jack