STORE WARS: Banana Republic vs. Brooks Brothers
Starting March 17th and running through April 7th, Dappered.com is hosting a bracket based tournament with the purpose of eventually crowning the all around Affordable Men’s Style Retail Champ for 2014. For a full introduction see this post. The bracket on the right will be updated as the tournament progresses. Click on it for the full size. Make a case for your preferred competitor in the comments section, but don’t forget to vote at the bottom of each match up. On with today’s showdown:
Strengths: 2012’s champ and a semi finalist last year (they lost to J. Crew Factory). You can’t please everyone, but Banana Republic comes pretty darn close. They’ve got that Goldilocks thing going on. Not too trendy, not too stuffy. Almost everyone can walk into a Banana Republic and find something they’d like to have in their closet. Other strengths: Their tailored fit cotton blazers. Their trench coats and (while not that thick) wool coats in the fall. The fabrics and blends that they use like the new linen/silk v-neck sweaters. The luxe touch polos. They’ve started to offer even slimmer fits like their “tailored-slim” line. The perfect, not too thick, not paper thin line of pima cotton dress socks. Their sales associates seem to walk the line between fashionable (pencil skirts!) and down to earth. They’re incredibly accessible, they offer free shipping at $50 from their website, and returns are free if you drop the item off in store.
Weaknesses: When’s the last time they ran a code that didn’t have a billion exclusions? Blazers, one of their strongest offerings, are almost always excluded from promos. Suits are oddly expensive and jackets (same with the blazers) can be stiff and fused. Plus, they’re often fully lined in polyester. Functional sleeve buttons on many of their blazers can be deal breakers for many due to tailoring issues. Sometimes their slim fits don’t fit so slim. Perpetual sales have conditioned most if not all of us to ignore their retail prices. They seem to have increased the presence of their Elephant Logo on many of their polos.
Strengths: You’ve got to think everyone else in this tournament owes Brooks Brothers a debt of gratitude for helping start this whole menswear thing… back in 1818. Iconic Made in the USA half canvassed suits. Many swear by their slim or extra slim dress shirts. Their in-house shoes, as well as those manufactured for Brooks Brothers by Allen Edmonds, are solid – great quality and aren’t exempt from sales. Some accessories, while up there in price, can be drool-worthy.
Weaknesses: Prices can be flat-out out of reach ($85 for… shorts?), and that certainly goes for suiting. Lots of fits for both shirts & suits, but it seems like even their closer cuts run big (especially on the shirts). Attempts to get younger, such as their Red Fleece line, can fall a little flat… especially when price comes into play ($400 for a loud, trim fit cotton sportcoat? Who’s got that $ who’d be up for wearing it?). Shipping rates can be downright ridiculous.
Your votes determine who goes on to the next round. Cast your ballot below. Voting closes at midnight ET.
Store Wars: Banana Republic vs. Brooks Brothers
- Banana Republic (67%, 1,821 Votes)
- Brooks Brothers (33%, 886 Votes)
Total Voters: 2,706
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I walk in BR and walk out. Brooks brothers is just too darn expensive even on sale. I won’t be voting this round.
I went with Brooks Brothers. I would never pay retail for any of their products, but every piece I’ve bought from them stands out as a reliable, high-quality performer in my wardrobe. I swear by their non-iron shirts especially. I snagged a Golden Fleece full-canvas suit that looks like it was made by a bespoke tailor who used it to confess a secret crush on me.
Also, dem tennis outfits in the women’s section… Need I say more?
Just got a mental picture of you in a women’s tennis outfit.
You’re welcome.
I pretty much only own BB dress shirts. Their extra slims (green label with the recent changes?) fit me perfectly and you can load up on their non-egyptian cotton’s on clearance or with corporate programs for around $50. I will also promise you its almost impossible to get them to wrinkle. I love their sport shirts which you can find in the $40 range using the above methods or outlets. Maybe I’m superficial but I feel better in a Brooks Brothers shirt but unfortunately everything else is out of my price range.
Not a big BR type of guy…my style is more geared to Brooks Brothers (wearing a BB shirt & pants while typing this comment, HA!). As someone mentioned below, BB’s quality just seems better. I’ve had many shirts, pants, shorts, jackets from BB that are still at the same level of quality as the day I bought them.
Brooks Brothers obviously has higher quality clothes, but BR’s stuff isn’t crap either and looks pretty good. When you add in the affordability factor I think BR gets the win.
As I’ve gotten a bit older, and BB has gotten a bit younger, they’ve become a large percentage of my wardrobe favorites. Summer blazers and sportshirts, a cool gatsby dress shirt w/ collar bar, and quality trousers – which are 2 steps above BR in quality. I have a pair of flannel butonup PJ’s that have been through two full winters and look nearly new.
The factory stores often have 1818 sportcoats for great prices.
As for pricing, all of the above I’ve purchased on sale online/in store, or most often getting some incredible pricing in a factory store. $62 for a navy cotton blazer, $33 for pinstripe 5 pocket pants, $40 for linen shirts. If you are within reasonable distance of a factory outlet I think they can be a high-quality option.
I could live without Brooks Brothers…Banana would be hard to replace. (J. Crew isn’t a substitute to me, and I know that doesn’t go in-depth but BR has my vote here)
I use to love BR, but the quality has diminished. BR is the new Gap and i will even go as far to say the top of the line Old Navy. I use to shop there and love there stretch dress shirts, but now I understand quality. It’s hard to beat the BB shirts, but it comes at a price. the price is well worth it when you take account that the BB shirt has lasted me many years and looks fantastic still. All my BR clothes look very worn immediately after a few washes. BR wins the price game, but when you look at what you get, quality, and longevity I am going to bank on BB. BB has been around since 1818, so i think they might know a little bit about clothing by now. BB has also dress 39 of the 44 Presidents, so i am investing in a great company worn by our leaders.
I WANT to love Brooks Brothers, but the vast majority of their stuff is either too expensive, too baggy on me, or both. I’ve got no great love for BR – I’d rather just shop at JCF – but the Aiden chinos put them over the top this round for me.
I had to vote for the Banana. I like some of Brooks Brother’s accessories, but for clothing their quality to price ratio just isn’t there.
As others have noted, BB’s price level probably pushes it beyond what most are willing to pay, while BR stays within the acceptable range by-in-large, especially if you play the coupon game. That said, I’ve gotten to the point in life where quality trumps quantity. I pretty much only wear dress pants and dress shirts from BB now. I pass on their suits and go for suitsupply instead, but others have said great things about how BB suits hold up, and you can get them for a reasonable price on sale.
BR is certainly more affordable, but I’m sick of the pants and the shirts wearing out after a year or so of regular wear, where as a piece from BB goes multiple years without any issues. BB gets my vote.
Bought myself a nice BB Fitzgerald-cut suit yesterday. Actually “pre-bought,” because my salesman will hold it for me till tomorrow (Thu) which is 30% off day with the corporate card.
I was tempted to buy 2-Fitzgeralds-for-$1699 minus 30% = $1189. Actually, I’m still tempted.
BB getz teh vote.
I do the same thing. 80% of the time I walk in, look around, walk out. I think that BR does pants (dress pants, not chinos) well, their outerwear (vests, fall type jackets) can be nice and their tailored slim dress shirts can be good. Not a huge fan of their suiting.
BR took it for me. I just got a pair of Kentfield pants from there and I can’t stop wearing them.
Banana wins this round, but I have to say that, in general
I’ll go with Banana this round, but one of the main reasons J. Crew will ultimately win out this year for me is due to their addition of size 34S, which was huge for little dudes like myself. Nothing at either BR or BB are made for anyone slim and under 5’10”.
I think BR has grossly overpriced itself. To use an example, a dress shirt from BR is $80 and BB is $92. Not to mention BR’s dress shirts come in S, M, L etc. Granted this will work for some guys but not all. I guess it comes down to debating the merits of each store’s quality, many of which have already said BR doesn’t hold up as well as BB (which I would tend to agree with). For the record I rarely buy BB stuff unless it’s on sale, which has served me well thus far, there are definitely deals to be had with the holiday sales they have every so often as well as just the clearance section every now and then. BB will get my vote but I imagine they will get slaughtered.
I’ve got to go Brooks Brothers simply on the strength of their OCBDs. If you buy them three-at-a-time and wait for their friends and family sales you can get them for something like $50 or $60 each. To my mind there’s not a better value out there. They’re iconic, go with everything, and get better with age.
Very pleased with my Brooks Brothers Fitzgerald striped Navy suit i snagged after Christmas for $600 (tailoring included after some sweet talking). I’m happy with my Suit Supply Napoli but the Fitzgerald fits and feels better for my build.
BR slowly making its way out of my closet.
agreed. ignore all the extraneous “fun” garments. they always have a huge sale section of staples. and at $45-60 bucks for a dress shirt the quality blows something like BR out of the water.
A few years ago, it would have been BB all the way, but their shirts quality started to decline and their prices went up. I wear a lot of BR suit pants as my every day work pants, so I have to go with BR on this one.
Unquestionably BB. It’s approximately 50% of my wardrobe now, and all purchased on sale. I don’t think I can justify it at full price, but 1/2 off or more is well worth it. I walk into BR optimistically, and walk out disappointed. I think I did find some great jeans there one time, but that’s about it. BB has the staple suits, dress shirts, sport shirts, and polos that all fit well and seem to be lasting a very long time.
I’ve never shopped at BB solely due to the price. Since I don’t have a ton of money, BR has been a reliable staple if I’m looking for something a bit higher quality than from my usual digs (Gap, UNIQLO, Old Navy). BR has got my vote
BR is awful. BB is decent on sale which happens frequently enough. Plebs everywhere…
Have you noticed wild size inconsistencies from pair to pair? I ordered a pair of Aidens and loved them, so I ordered another in the same size and color, and they were over an inch shorter than the first pair and noticeably larger in the waist. In my experience, that seems to happen pretty regularly with Banana Republic (and Gap) pants.
I have not noticed that . . . the three pairs I own have been pretty consistent. Thanks for the warning though.
Maybe another menswear site would vote Brooks Brothers. But Dappered’s mission fits much better into the sales and affordable style of Banana Republic. I don’t think I’ve ever walked into a BB and thought “hey, this is a great deal!”
While I agree on the sentiment, walking into a BR makes me soooo sleepy.
How is BR even winning? The only thing they have going for them are chinos, blazers, and (some) sweaters. BB covers all that plus even more. Sure, I wouldn’t go there for a tshirt or to pick up a casual flannel shirt for the winter, but they’re simply hands down all around better than BR.
Besides I can’t go into a BR without finding ugly color blocked sweaters and shirts that I would like if it wasn’t for the failed color blocking.
beside being prohibitively expensive for many, the shirt fit of BB is atrocious. extra slim fit would fit well on an obese person, fat that is, not well-built muscular with a large drop.
BR wins it for me. I’m slowly getting rid of dress shirts that need tailoring and going strictly with BR’s Tailored Slim Fit shirts which fit me perfectly. I’m so glad BR makes these shirts with that particular cut.
BR has the same problem as Gap – they have, so far as I can tell, no aesthetic vision or preferences. They’re technically proficient, but I’ve never seen something at either BR or Gap that I’d call “beautiful.” On the other hand, Brooks Brothers is a pillar of a particular archetype of American fashion, and their OCBDs are objects of beauty in themselves. JCrew is similar – they make enough independently interesting choices to be a leader in what men wear, as opposed to purely following trends.
I realize this is more of a “fashion as art” answer than many here will find compelling, but it makes a huge difference in how I think of those brands.
Indeed, back around 2006 they had wonderful sweaters with wool, cashmere or silk blends (all natural) now it is about 85% synthetic for their knit products. The quality has dropped so much, one of my BR merino wool sweaters developed holes after a few months not to mention the cut is quite boxy. I buy merino wool sweaters now from J. Crew and Club Monaco on sale for better quality and slimmer fits.
This is a fairly easy one for me. I feel thoroughly “meh” about BR and haven’t purchased anything from them in years. To me, they are just a more expensive version of GAP. No interest, no excitement, the quality is mediocre, and as far as “staples” go, you can typically find better quality elsewhere for about the same price. Even with constant 35-40% discounts, their products seem woefully overpriced.
On the other hand, I own a handful of things from BB that I love. Some BB-branded Allen Edmonds, a handful of their OCBDs. My main problem (and presumably the same problem other Dappered-ites have with them) is they are exorbitantly expensive at full price and rarely run major sales. Also, because they are targeted toward an older and more conservative demographic, it can sometimes be difficult to sort the wheat from the chaff in terms of fit and sizing.
But even if BB is expensive, it feels more like something to aspire to, while BR feels like a brand I’ve outgrown.
Small correction: Banana Republic offers free return shipping, too.
I wholeheartedly agree: the non-iron tailored fit shirts are outstanding. Not only can you wear them a few times between washings if you wear an undershirt (the god blessed things will not wrinkle), the tailored fit is spot on for broader shoulders and a smaller waist. Not super-low priced, but well worth the $30-$40 you can snag them at during their omnipresent sales.
34S at JCrew? News to me. Thanks for the tip!
It seems to be all functional now which kills it for me since I need tailoring. 🙁
Given the mission of Dappered, I can see how BR is winning (and probably will win) this round, but since we’re all interested in purchasing *value* here, then BB is the better value, no question. With BB you get what you pay for. I have an unstructured cotton/linen blazer from BB, and fits and feels awesome every time I wear it. I bought a cotton blazer from BR not long afterwards, and it’s so stiff and unbreathable that it hangs unused in my closet. I have several BB wool sweaters (all purchased on sale) and they resist pilling far better than any other mall brand I’ve come across. I gave up on BR wool sweaters years ago. My best example, though, is the BB “original polo” oxford that I found at a thrift store 6-7 years ago. Who knows how old it really is? I’m wearing it right now. It hasn’t faded and is as strong today as it was when I first found it. All my BR shirts purchased before and after have been donated. For real value, it’s BB and it’s not even close.
I’ve only recently discovered the tailored slim fit shirts from BR. I more or less gave up on finding great fitting shirts but thought to try BR’s version of an “extra slim fit” shirt and to my surprise, it fit great. And yes, I agree, the non-iron’s are so great, couple that with sales and sometimes stack-able coupon codes and I’m set.
Does your Original Polo wrinkle like crazy? I feel like they are the most wrinkle-prone shirts in my closet. They almost need a mid-day steaming/ironing. I get that they’re casual, but they almost always seem to look sloppy.
My one doesn’t seem to have any wrinkling problems — it wears well all day. It’s an older model, though, so maybe they’ve changed fabrics?