Brooks Brothers Flatiron

Last Fall, our favorite pair of Brothers launched a concept brand that directly targets the youngest, newest generation of tradsters and prepsters, the very same consumers as you and me. Flatiron (perhaps named for the iconic Flatiron building in NYC, which itself alludes to a clothes iron, for a time gone by before treated non-iron fabrics) directly competes with Ralph Lauren's Rugby brand, launched a few years prior in 2004, so much so that visiting either storefront feels like walking into a continual loop of relic Ivy League black&white photos, cracked aromatic leather chairs, and collegiate artifacts.

I have no qualms with a nearly 200 year old cornerstone establishment evolving to catch the sartorial imaginations of yet another generation of young men and women. Back in the early 20th century, Brooks Brothers targeted the college man with trunk shows, bringing the newest fashions to campus and helping to create the newest campus styles (giving rise to the TNSIL).  A century later, Flatiron hopes to capture the same kinds of tastes of our more challenging to grasp, ever-changing group of Echo Boomers. Unfortunately, Brooks Brothers fails to realize that by diffusing into the more hipper side of things, they alienate the position of what they're already known for: classic timeless style. It just so happens that the young collegiate man that gravitates towards tradom and Brooks Brothers doesn't care about fake rugby patches and graphic t-shirts with pre-distressed insignias. We want to dress like young refined gentlemen, not like middle school boys. I donated my Abercrombie and American Eagle rags years ago. Let those 140lb pretend Ruckers buy overpriced rugby polos, and let the younger men ready to rise above their fellow average-ers quilt their cloths to the blanket of distinguished tapestry that Brooks Brothers Senior has always blanketed upon polished men. Men in their early to mid 20s are in a state of transition, and those attracted to wearing the likes of Brooks Brothers and J Press want to dress like our fathers to earn our new maturity and to garner respect as we set foot into our chosen careers and life paths. We are not necessarily the type that wants to fight against tradition; we don't need to experiment with fringe modern styles that replace tried-and-true standards. The greatest benefit of trad and prep are the inherent idioms of proven reliability that makes the style so great, and its classic image on a 20-something signifies that he is ready for the world's variability and challenges as a recent adolescent-turned-adult convert.

Brooks Brothers shouldn't lower its standards, and instead push forward the continual teachings of authentic classic men's wear that has been taught for generations past. In essence: Let today's younger generation come to you, not the other way around. Sell and campaign to us imagery of proper fitting, non-overbearing logoed shirts tucked into slim chinos, a clean preppy staple look, and save the awful "athletic meet formal" mismatched rebellious thought process that says our generation needs to change things up. Again, those souls are the type that shop from H&M or still buy from Hollister Co, and they will never fit into your target population. The modern Brooks Brothers man is still just that, a Brooks Brothers man. A tradster. A prepster. A Yuppie. Tell me, exactly when would anyone past the age of 19 have the occasion to ever wear a t-shirt with a fake printed undone bowtie? The young guys predisposed to true trad and prep would never wear that, and would much rather adorn a simple polo or OCBD instead. The average-ers think of Old man style as boring and plain, but we see it as tasteful for the ever shrinking class of professionals. Which in itself has become today's backlash statement. A return to domestic goods. A return to "old man" anything. 1960s. Mad Men. The Impossible Cool. High ideals. James Dean wearing a simple white tee. Not a logo shirt whoring out the brand. It has come to the point that choosing to conform to the American Dream has become a rebellious statement in itself. And that's how I see myself, and hope you the reader, as well.

Not to say Rugby and Flatiron are terrible concepts. I definitely like the attention to detail and modern fits, and personally have a few items from Rugby and can see myself buying from Flatiron. Again, there is no problem with going for a new direction to garner attention and build brand loyalty. But its the over-saturation of "forward thinking" fashion appeal that leaves the distaste, especially with thinking that has false approval in terms of actual daily wear. Can you really see yourself wearing Red Wing boots with suits, or a sweatshirt under a blazer paired with cargo pants and penny loafers? Too cataloge photo-op, not enough realism. The 23 year old intern will choose something more grounded, no? And to reinforce my feelings: stop the graphic shirts. Just stop it.

I like Flatiron's stores, and naturally Rugby's as well. Sure, the over projection of mid century Ivy League mouthful can be rather "Okay, we get it...It's the past meeting the present shtick!" but it is visually fun to set foot into for those of us who don't eat at Hogwarts for breakfast everyday. As you can infer, there are some hits and misses. The introduction of the Cambridge Fit for example is cool, which to be honest, I have no idea what differentiates it from the still new Milano Fit, but it's comforting to know that there are sizes for every taste and body type which Brooks has earned my highest approval for, whereas just a decade ago, they only offered fits ranging from Balloon to Blimp. Cons would be the styling choices as explained in my diatribe above, and the expensive prices. I feel like only the 1 percenters of New England prep academy alumnni can afford this stuff at full price. And to hell if I'm investing in a $600 sport coat made in Thailand.

I was excited to see that Brooks Brothers was coming to a nearby mall this Fall. Then I was slightly disappointed to see that instead of a Brooks retail location, a Flatiron had opened up in its place. This location is situated minutes away from Duke and UNC and nearby NC State universities. And of note, Rugby had opened on Franklin St. in the UNC town of Chapel Hill when the brand launched a few years ago, but that location had since closed down. Possibly because of the prices. Or possibly because the Tar Heel fratters preferred their Carolina Blue OCBDs to their over-branded skull and bones. We'll see if Flatiron can seize their targeted market this time around. But I have a feeling it may be a miss yet again.  (I have only visited once, but it was during prime shopping hours on a Saturday. The store had been open for about two weeks now. I saw a young preppy brother and sister, probably just freshmen in high school, getting Mom and Dad to buy a few polos. This was the only purchase during my 20min spy infiltration.) ((And another thing I noticed: I was dressed much preppier than the sales force. At least the team members at JCrew look like they just stepped out of the catalog. I saw one brand rep wear baggy jeans from what looked like the Backstreet Boys era. I don't expect you to wear Brooks denim the cost of a whole paycheck, but at least get some slim dark 514s to match the fashion you are selling! /elitist ))


My friend and I took a trip to the brand new Flatiron at my local mall. Here are the outdoor front and side store views. Notice the Signature Repp and Argyle & Sutherland stripes on the awnings. 

Inside the store.

A miss in my opinion; no need for the 1818 (nor the logo on a sweater for that matter).

 

Fitting room. 

 

Shoe rack. Red Wings, Rancourts, Allen Edmonds-made Brooks Brothers branded

Preppy women.

They had some clothing items from Brooks' official collegiate collection, with OCBDs with Duke and UNC trademarks, but low and behold the fraudulent-in-the-name-of-fashion-and-brand-allusion offerings of Columbia and Yale universities, offered as a stock item in this Fall's collection. The ultimate faked orgasm of all. If I went to said Ivy League institutions, I'd be pissed that some kid in North Carolina can wear my alma mater, supposedly distressed over years of wear, in the namesake of appearing like a true Ivy academic. Forge your way into preppy authenticity! Become a true prep by visiting your very own local Flatiron today!

 

Copy of the Manhattan map of all of BB's original locations in New York City, commissioned in 1874. The cabinet holds leather and personal grooming goods. And that's me! Barbour Liddy, BB Clark Advantage Chinos (cuffed to no break), and AE Waldens. Not pictured is a BB red university stripe OCBD tucked in with my Volunteer Traditions motif state belt.

Checkout in the background looks like a bar.

With all the rage of collaborations and special collections, our other granddaddy on the family tree, Jacobi Press, is jumping into the neo-prep arena with the upcoming York Street. I like to think they won't shift too far from their niche, but with unimpressive past collabs with Urban Outfitters, I'm not as hopeful. Flatiron, Rugby, York Street, the new Gant, LL Bean Signature, Lands End Canvas....it just keeps on escalating....

J. Press

Topping the trad mountain range are twin peaks that dominate the landscape: Brooks Brothers and J. Press. While the former is the Big Daddy of trad and prep consensus, J. Press is the backbone of the Ivy League Look. What's the difference between the two styles you ask? Allow my imagination to vomit some imagery:

Trad

Brooks Brothers. Harvard Boy (click on link). WASP. 1962. Don Draper. Ask Andy Forums. OCBD, Chinos, Bluchers. Making The Grade. Madison Avenue. Ronald Regan. Classic All-American

Ivy League Look

J Press. Yalie. Jew. 1955. Pete Campbell. Film Noir Buff Forums. Shetland Crewneck, Wool Slacks, Pennies. The Good Shepard. Wall Street. John F. Kennedy. Clean Cut Academic.

J. Press was founded in 1902 by a Jewish immigrant from Lativia named Jacobi Press in the Yale town of New Haven, CT. For over a hundred years, the gentleman's outfitter has been synonymous with the elite Ivy League universities and the resulting TNSIL (The Natural Shoulder Ivy League Look- referring to absent shoulder padding in suits and sportcoats).

Founder Jacobi Press at the first J.Press store in New Haven.

 J. Press as seen in Take Ivy

J. Press's appeal is its exclusivity. The fact that you own a Press item or can spot the brushed shetland wool of a Shaggy Dog puts you in a special club deserving of Skulls and Bones snobbery. Any preppie and fratstar can have a dozen Brooks Brothers OCBDs in their closets, but a true connoisseur of classic New England style will have Press thoroughly represented in his collection. A few Shaggies in GTH colors of Salmon and Kelly Green and neutral colors of Grey and Navy. Medium Grey flat front wool slacks. An array of OCBDs with the famous Flap Pocket, a trad mannerism ubiquitous of J.Press. And if you're lucky enough to call Yale your Alma mater, a Press patch from your college of study adorned on your 3/2 roll natural shouldered blazer, which I consider Press to be the brand of choice for your blue blazer due to their academic background.

Unlike Brooks and its nationwide locations in shopping malls and airports, J. Press has garnered its high esteem with only four stores in America in New Haven, Cambridge, New York, and Washington DC, and a few in Japan, as well as keeping a minimalist feel to its website. You won't see fashion models or campaigns in Press's online catalog; nor branching out into women's and children's clothing. J. Press has always focused on traditional men's tailoring, and under ownership of Onward Kashiyama, which acquired the rights from the Press family in 1986, J Press continues to have its golden influence on the Ivy League look. Gotta leave it to our Japanese brothers for keeping Trad and TNSIL alive! (note: Take Ivy was written by a Japanese author for the Japanese market)

With Press's current summer sale (as of this post date: 30 to 40% with additional 20% off on select items with code SUMMER20), I pretended not to have a budget and splurged on staple items from the Bulldog to mix with the ocean of Golden Fleece and Ponies in my closet. I don't mind spending extra on what some may consider trivial items, as these are quality essentials that I hope will last for the rest of my life.

Been had Press.

OCBD: $55 each from original $100

Shaggy Dog: $110 from $195 (lowest I've seen them go)

Super 110's Trousers in Medium Grey: $140 from $250

Lambswool Scarf: $33 from $60 

The trim fit, new for the 110th Anniversary collection, is surprisingly true-to-name. Slimmer than Brooks Brother's Slim Fit but roomier than their Extra Slim Fit. A nice go-between. Made in USA and with the legendary flap pocket.

More of that delicious Made in USA goodness. The dress slacks are offered in regular, short, and high rise. I decided to go with the fashionable short rise, which I'm happy to report is not hipster restricting in the crotch area. The pants are nicely cut, but Press does offer a slimmer, albeit pricier, 110th anniversary trouser with back belt loop, made in Brooklyn.

 

Stocking up for winter. Kelly Green Shaggy with Shetland wool made in Scotland. The 2011 model (closeout price) is slimmer than years past, which really means it now fits regular. You can spot a fellow Shaggy by the brushed wool which gives the sweater its lamb coat appeal, as well as the ribbed wrists that are meant to be cuffed, as seen in the first collection picture above. A medium fits my 6'1" 180lb frame well. I could possibly get away with a small if I wanted a trim look.

The famously Scottish Drsgdn Tartan has a play of dark greens, blues, and yellows, perfect to compliment my clothes in the colder months.

Insider protip: J.Press occasionally holds a warehouse clearance sale where their old stock can be had for up to 70 to 80% off original price (ex. Shaggy Dogs for $50). Unfortunately, these sales only take place in New York City on the 29th Floor of 530 Seventh Ave, which happens to lie in the heart of the city's Garment District. However, even more unfortunate is the recent news among trad circles that Press is doing away with this practice, having just cancelled a planned clearance sale this summer. Damn, what a shame. I was looking forward to visiting one day and having an orgasm.

Read more about the history of J. Press from Ivy Style's interview with Richard Press, the grandson of Jacobi Press.

Photo Credits:

ACL

Tweedland

Perlis

Tonight is the first game of the 2011-12 NFL season, a match up between the past two Super Bowl winners: the Green Bay Packers and the New Orleans Saints. While the Packers have a huge fan base of cheeseheads and oversized Farve jerseys (that is, if the jersey hadn't been burned out of spite when the Great One retired, then un-retired for the Jets in 2008), the Saints equally have the unwavering support of a majestic city, New Orleans. Those crawfish sucking, trumpet blaring, fleur-de-lis Bayou folk love when the Saints come marching in, and had even more pride when their boys won the championship two years ago, restoring faith in the same French quarter that Hurricane Katrina had once flooded only a few years prior. I'm sure the Packers had a chip on their shoulder, and brought back the Lombardi trophy to its original home last season, so we'll see how the grudge plays out tonight.

If you are a Saints or LSU fan, you undoubtedly have the Perlis Crawfish Polo in gameday colors. Or maybe a Perlis rugby in Madi Gras stripes when the event comes around once a year in its drunken glory. A hometown staple, Perlis is a great example of a local trad favorite, famous among the deep southern preps in Louisiana and surrounding gulf states.

Don't mistake the Red Crawfish logo as something a Red Lobster employee would wear, although understandable since pretty much no one outside of 'Narlines has ever really heard of it. But the hole-in-the-wall establishment has endured over 70 years on the corner of Webster and Magazine street, and the crawfish logo is as ubiquitous to the traditional menswear store as brightly colored bead necklaces are to the city. And much like other obscure brands, the fratters at LSU and other regional schools have inherited the Crawfish and made it their own, TFM.

Perlis has been in the family of the same namesake for three generations, with founder Roger Perlis opening doors with a mission to provide premium men's suiting and custom tailoring, along with their exclusive in-house branded clothing. Below is current owner David G. Perlis and his son David W. Perlis, who has brought a new direction to the store and remodeled it in 2000.





I only have one article of Perlis clothing, as featured in the title photograph and below. I picked up this red polo shirt at a local thrift store, and if I had not recognized the logo (then daydreamed how this NOLA transplant got to my neck of the woods) then I probably would've passed it over. Unfortunately it is probably an earlier 1980s model and is a little too slim for me to wear regularly; usually the polo has a full cut with longer sleeves. So it mostly serves as a trad souvenir hidden in my closet. I may pick up a few more Perlis items down the road...currently have my eyes on their version of a shotgun belt. But I am not from the great state of Louisiana nor have I ever visited their gem city of New Orleans, so I feel it is a slight disgrace to the Crawfish because I have no Cajun accent to back it up. Still, worth visiting if ever in the area.

Alvin - Dennis, Inc.

There used to be a time where prestigious universities had cooperatives (Yale Co-Op, Georgetown Co-Op) where the student body could pick up blazers with their school's embroidered emblem and engraved buttons. Unfortunately many of those establishments have closed their doors long ago, making way to tailgate sweatshirts at your local Dick's.

But some mom and pop stores are still around, such as Alvin-Dennis, Inc, a traditional clothing store in Lexington, VA that opened its doors in 1963 and is situated near Washington and Lee University and Virginia Military Institute. They offer the likes of Rainbow Sandals, North Face, and Southern Tide products for the younger students, and Haspel and Peter Blair for the older alumni. A great example of keeping up with the competition and proves that hometown stores can still serve a sizable market.



102 West Washington St in downtown historic Lexington, VaAn employee and an Alvin Dennis original tee. Maybe he works part time and is a full time graduate student? Nice bowtie.
W&L and VMI chinos

School Formalwear. Great for the next frat formal.



Owner Alvin Carter with customers. Professors? Tweed jacket, Anglo Rimmed glasses, Nantucket Reds, Motif Surcingle belt.
VMI instructor. Pressed and Tucked In.
Checkered button down.

Former W&L All-American Paul Wallace
Patagonia Synchilla Marsupial
Reds, Blue Blazer
Mountain Hardware jacket

Days gone by. Mr. Carter seems to have shown up to work in a jacket and tie for the past four decades. Bowtie, Reds, Ribbon Surcingle belt
W&L students. Blazers, Dirty Bucks.


Plaid everything
Frat shags don't change over time.


Former employees


The future.