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Thursday, January 31, 2008: I'm excited to announce a new collaboration with (the) Manolo (for the) Men 'blog. I'll keep writing longer pieces for this site, with shorter, snippier bits there. ManoloMen's Izzy will continue his magnificent-ness there, and I will add some sparkle of my own. Thanks to The Manolo!

A new thought: look at the "final sale" racks of a clothing store as the unburnt logs among the cold ashes of last night's bonfire. They just didn't take. Was it the fit, the price, or they stocked too many?

This is the image I couldn't escape when I saw the Black Fleece--Thom Browne for Brooks Brothers--racks at their Fifth Avenue store last month. Scottish cashmere sweaters, capes, funny-looking vests, the whole thing. But something about the merchandise didn't quite work: there was a lot of it.

I have a feeling the quantity of merchandise stocked in this case might have been a bit ambitious. Bergdorf Goodman is probably more discreet about what didn't sell from the original Thom Browne collection -- after all, you don't want to destroy the illusion that people are snapping it up like hotcakes. Brooks, on the other hand, needs to get rid of it and cover costs.

But the quality is there, and there's still something alluring about it being the first TB/BB collaboration. So are you the type of person to snap up these values? Four hundred for a Scottish cashmere cardigan instead of $800? Might be sort of nice in a few years, to pull out your Black Fleece that isn't available anywhere anymore. I certainly didn't budget for it, but I almost wish I did.

Some are calling the whole collaboration a failure (even though it's not over yet -- he has at least a FW08 collection, maybe more), and at its introduction I was sure I would call it that, too. Though the very idea of this collaboration has worked itself into so many otherwise normal conversations that it is definitely a success. It ruffled the feathers of the old fashioned Brooks customers (just imagine some of the comments from them, hobbling over to their usual salesperson and asking, "Howard, what is this garbage?!"), gave a lot of press attention to Brooks, and allowed Thom another year of coffee and toast at Pastis. I can't imagine that BB made significant money on the deal, but they got attention. With the turnaround that CEO Claudio Del Vecchio has been working on for a few years now (and that is definitely in high gear now), he needed a concept like Black Fleece just to remind people that Brooks is not sleeping. Your father can still get his suits there, but so can you. Not many companies with so much history have been able to revitalize themselves without completely pissing on the classic customers. Abercrombie completely re-did itself, so did Coach, maybe Louis Vuitton did too. If Brooks can sell both sack suits and shrimp suits, it'll be a hell of a coup.

6 response(s) | e-mail it | permanent link

I wondered what this moment would be like, thanks for the update. I wrote about coming across the collection when it first came out and was cautiously optimistic - at least for the main line stuff like suits, shirts and outerwear.

I tried to imagine some hardcore dandy heading off to work in the FDR cape, but it just didn't work for me.

By  Off The Cuff, at 4/4/08 9:34 PM  

I really love some of the women's collection, especially the opera gloves. Unfortunately, I just don't lead a lifestyle that would allow me to wear them, especially not for that price...even on sale.

By  Chic and Charming, at 4/6/08 10:27 AM  

I really love some of the women's collection, especially the opera gloves. Unfortunately, I just don't lead a lifestyle that would allow me to wear them, especially not for that price...even on sale.

By  Chic and Charming, at 4/6/08 10:27 AM  

Scottish cashmere sweaters, capes, funny-looking vests, the whole thing. But something about the merchandise didn't quite work: there was a lot of it.I certainly didn't budget for it, but I almost wish I did.I have a feeling the quantity of merchandise stocked in this case might have been a bit ambitious.

Size 28 Clothing

By  ammy100, at 6/24/08 8:07 AM  

I love the black fleece collection and have had trouble finding particular collection items in my size as they have sold out globally..

If I remember correctly, Thom Browne was resigned this summer, asked to create several more years of the Black FLeece line for Brooks Brothers. Also they are opening up a store downtown- great stuff, and I just wish it was less expensive.

By  Anonymous, at 1/7/09 11:07 AM  

I was an existing Brooks Brothers customer before Black Fleece and was really looking forward to the line. Initially the items (especially the quality and cost aside) impressed me, but I soon found out that most were cut for frames not too dissimilar from Browne's. Truth be told, seeing him in person at a SF store launch event put a few things into perspective. I tried and tried and TRIED over the course of the last couple collections, but nothing fit me well. Even the ties are too long (half-joking)! Personally, I think there is plenty of room for and interest in a stylish, contemporary take on BBs classic heritage. I just wish the target group was a little more broad - as in shouldered.

By  Nick Rossi, at 1/8/09 8:37 PM  

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