Brooks Brothers Spread Collar Polo

Oh hell yes.  This is the kind of polo I've been after for a long time - long sleeve, button cuff and a spread collar.  It's a top notch layering piece (think how Bastian styles his rugby shirts) and a much dressier option compared to your average polo shirt.  And, guess what?  This shit is on sale to boot.  If you want something a little different from the standard popover style you can also grab a full placket version, which is kinda just a cotton shirt for the most part.  I'm hitting the BB flagship here in NYC after work to check these out in person.  Assuming the fit on these is legit, comments on the site point to a trimmed up fit, this is a deal that is too good to pass up.

-L.A.S

Brooks Brothers S/S 2011 Preview

The Brethren have put up a preview of their S/S 2011 collection on various forms of social media.  What? You're not friends with Brooks Brothers on Facebook?  I like what I'm seeing so far, which is either the WASP superhero look or the tonal, sophisticated urbanite deal.  Who knows if these two opposite ends of the spectrum (playful or serious, exclusively) are all we'll see or if BB plans on mixing things up a little bit more.  Either way, it all looks promising.  I should also note that the shapes on all of this stuff look much more fit conscious than they have been in the past.  Or maybe all of the pants seen here are just Milano's.

-L.A.S

Attn: Brooks Brothers Footwear On Sale

Brooks Brothers is currently selling my two favorite styles of shoes at a nice little discount - not a bad way to bring in the new year, eh?  Thom's take on the double monk (heavy, plain toe, black, pebble grain) and an Alden manufactured tassel loafer (that our friend HTJ just talked about) are up for grabs in various stages of availability - an average run on the monks and 10.5 B on the tassels.  In my eyes both of these shoe styles are staples in any well dressed man's wardrobe and are the two styles of shoes you are most likely to see me in day after day - what the hell's a longwing?  If you're still at that stage of the new year where you're actually trying to better yourself (or are we already past that point?) you might want to start from the ground up.

-L.A.S

Neckwear Round Up

Today's interesting notes from the world of neckwear:  First up is an interesting take from Brooks Brothers on the classic repp tie that you don't see all to often.  The repp knit is the perfect marriage between two iconic pieces of neckwear that style dorks love.  The texture and unique look of a knit tie plus the recognizable stripes and color combinations of your standard repp tie work incredibly well together.  The result is as familiar as it is unique and I should mention that you get a pretty slick looking knot with all the different colored stripes.  Wrapping up with something cheaper, The Tie Bar is now selling wool versions (70% wool, 30% silk) of their incredibly cheap slim ties.  I'll be the first to tell you that these ties aren't anything to write home about quality wise, but if you need some seasonal neckwear on the cheap you could do a whole lot worse.

-L.A.S

F/W Gingham

Gingham is pretty proven as far as patterns go, but lots of guys usually reserve it for S/S - that probably has something to do with conjured images of picnic cloths.  Personally, I think gingham works well in F/W as long as the color is right.  By keeping the color dark you can add some visually appealing depth to your standard seasonal kit.  Sticking with colors such as black, burgundy, and hunter green won't make you look like you're trying too hard and you'll stand out from the oxford and tattersall wearing crowd.  Brooks Brothers has a bunch of F/W ginghams up now in their extra slim fit cotton broadcloth (single-needle tailoring) dress shirt style.  I like BB's English collar and, while not as perfect as the cutaway, is a nice change of pace from all the button downs that probably dominate you closet.  While this is a "dress shirt", I think it can be best utilized in more casual settings, with the collar and pattern combination adding a real punch to your F/W neutrals.

-L.A.S

Option #2

So those D.S. Dundee fairisle socks sold out quick, eh?  In the immortal words of Mr. Carter himself, "On to the next one."  Brooks Brothers has their own $20-ish fairisle socks and a nice little 25% off if you get three pairs or more as well.  Being the salesmen of Trad that they are, these socks are a tad less bold that the D.S. Dundee joints.  They are monochromatic and in the same vein as Thom Browne's own Black Fleece version for BB.  This is either a good thing or a bad thing depending on how your ankles get down.  Keeping things monochromatic actually helps balance out the Christmas-y shtick inherent in anything fairisle.  Nobody wants to look at full on rainbow snowflakes when you take a seat in a meeting.  Keep in mind these Vermont knit socks are a merino wool, nylon and spandex blend so comfort is a huge factor in pulling the trigger on a few pairs.  Fairisle socks from The Brethren - a solid option #2.

-L.A.S

Attn: Brooks Brothers Peal & Co. Monk Strap On Sale

As much as I pimp the hell out of double monk straps there is something to be said about the elegance and class of standard monk straps.  If you're on the hunt for a new pair of shoes for the office, or to wear with your suits in general, you may want to think about a pair of brown calfskin Peal & Co. monk straps currently sitting at 50% off courtesy of Brooks Brothers.  I've only heard good things about BB's upscale, English made Peal & Co. line.  While the shoes are not made by Peal & Co. any longer (Brooks purchased the name a while back), Brooks does utilize various respectable English shoemakers - recent shoes seem to be made by Alfred Sargent.  As to be expected, these monk straps are Goodyear welted and feature quality hardware.  Some folks have compared the quality of these shoes to Alden and if that is to be believed the $244 price tag is a relative steal.  Pretty much every size outside of 9 is available, and in different widths, so there must have been quite the oversight when they placed the order.  Or maybe the average Brooks Brothers customer is just going senile in his old age.

-L.A.S

Patch Adams

Forgive me for the title, I'm trying my hand at pandering to the untapped market potential of Robin Williams fans - lately everyone has been telling me this blogging thing is a numbers game.  Moving on.  Some of you guys don't get down with Brooks Brothers' extra-slim fit.  When it comes to clothes, and shirts specifically, the name of the game is fit.  Certain cuts work better for certain folks.  That's just the reality of it.  I, for example, can't do Band of Outsiders.  End of story.  For those of you who find yourselves continually going back to Brooks Brothers' slim fit (or even regular fit in this case) shirts you've seriously lucked out.  BB is showing you guys a little love.  Enter their new flannel sport shirts complete with elbow patches.  As it stands right now, there is both a tan and gray option in the perfect cotton and wool blend for fall.  For those feeling left out, don't fret.  Dry your skinny little eyes and grab one of these as an overshirt.  See what just happened?  Everybody wins.  That's sartorial democracy at it's finest.  God bless America.

-L.A.S

Milano In The Wintertime

I've talked about the Brooks Brothers Milano pant a few times here on Sart Inc.  That's because they are awesome.  Not skinny, but trimmed up for a classier slim Neapolitan inspired look - known as "grown man pants" around these parts.  They are low rise, which for Brooks isn't anything crazy, and feature a flat front.  It's pretty much one of the better off the rack pants all American guys should be wearing, but don't because dudes over here dress like shit for the most part.  Obviously I recommend trying them on in store if you haven't already - one man's slim is another man's potato sack.  If you're thinking about making that first Milano purchase, skip the chinos and grab one of the killer F/W options that's been rolled out recently.  From wide wale cords to donegal tweed, it's all here.  There are even some crazy holiday themed pants for those of you looking to really waste some of that hard earned dough.  One of the motivations behind this post is to bring your attention to the last day of BB's current friends and family sale.  Use "03friend" at checkout to get 25% off your entire purchase.  That's, like, almost a 1/4 off, right?! Wowsers!  Now you have no excuse not to get your trouser or cord game up to snuff.  You might even want to load your cart up with some of those tasty new extra-slim fit plaid joints.

-L.A.S

Black Fleece F/W 2010

Oh man, what can I say about Thom Browne that hasn't been said hundreds of times already?  Forget it.  Thom falls squarely into the always interesting "loved or hated, but never ignored" sartorial category.  Yes, he's as important to menswear as anyone these days.  And yes, Thom's shit is quite often out of control.  His Black Fleece line for Brooks Brothers has always been easier to swallow (aka more wearable) than his eponymous line so it's something I at least pay attention to.  Black Fleece's appeal, in my eyes, has always rested firmly on specific pieces and not on overall collections.  There are always great shoes, shirts and neckwear - Brooks Brothers wouldn't let Thom mess that up.  Anyhow, Black Fleece's F/W 2010 looks have just popped up online and it's more of the same.  Killer pieces that when combines are a tad shy of overkill.  For example, doubling up on plaids is one thing, but rocking with three incarnations of the pattern is just plain ridiculous.  What can we take away from this? Shorter pants look best with boots.  Turtlenecks, when done right, can be extremely stylish.  And, patchwork flannel most definitely can look stupid.

-L.A.S

eBay Dreamin'

Still looking for that perfect sweater? Well, it just showed up on eBay.  This vintage (and supposedly rare) Brooks Brothers cable knit cricket/tennis sweater in wool has a starting bid of $99 and I can only imagine that number is going to go up quite a bit in the next 24 hours.  This is an incredible sweater and even though it's made in Hong Kong, they really don't make 'em like this anymore - utterly perfect.  A trad's dream? I'd like to think so.  My apologies to anyone who was watching this with bated breath, but it was too good to pass up.

-L.A.S

Wale Week

Two corduroy post in two days might not be as epic as this, but you get the drift.  If you're like me then you probably need some new wide wale cords in your life.  I rarely buy corduroy anything so whatever I've got in my closet presently is worn down to the point that you could easily mistake them all for old ass pairs of chinos.  Right now Brooks Brothers is cranking out their seasonal clearance sale with a bunch of pants up to 50% off.  My favorite of the bunch are these wide wale Milano cords in a healthy shade of brown known as "persimmon" - BB calls 'em "luxurious".  Wide wale cords are a little bit of a statement these days, especially considering all the micro cord gear floating around the J. Crews and Gaps of the word, but you'd be hard pressed to find a nicer pair of corduroy pants (unless you camp out The Bay for Bastian cords) that can equally go between your morning commute and your weekend jaunts.  I like to keep mine creased and cuffed, but that's purely a personal choice.  It's not everyday that you find a great pair of pants for the upcoming season that also happen to be on clearance, so if your size is stocked you might want to think about diving into the wale infested waters.  This concludes your Wes Anderson sponsored post of the day.

-L.A.S