Unboxed: A Brooks Brothers Shirt

So, you've saved your pennies and splurged for a Brooks Brothers shirt from their website. In this post, I'll walk through some of the finer details of just what makes a Brooks Brother shirt, a Brooks Brothers Shirt, and what you can expect when ordering one. 

With the semi-annual sale right around the corner, now might be a good time to pick one (or three) up!

I've said it many times before, but the oxford shirt is perhaps the most versatile item in your wardrobe: perfect for occasions both casual and formal, while being both comfortable and durable.

BB merchandise arrives in an inconspicuous cardboard box. I take advantage of the free 2-day shipping offered by ShopRunner, which makes ordering online a whole lot more affordable and convenient. 

Here we see the packing invoice, nothing too exciting, but keep this portion if you plan on returning or exchanging the item in a store

This is the included return shipping label. If you use ShopRunner, they provide free shipping back. If you use the one above, they deduct ~$7 from your return.

Another nice feature of BB shopping, is the complimentary gift boxes. I usually request them as they make great storage/mailing boxes even if I'm keeping the item for myself. These beautiful boxes are hard to turn down!

Inside, you will find your merchandise carefully wrapped in signature tissue paper

Warning: Do not put plastic bag over head.

The goods: This is the sport-shirt version of the classic Oxford Shirt, this one woven-up in breathable "Brookscool" supima cotton, making it a more ideal shirt for summer. I will praise the original oxfords (also known as the must-iron) indefinitely, however they are only offered in a limited number of colors, and are a heavier, thicker fabric. As I just stocked up on one of each of the originals, I decided to branch out into some more fun colors, such as the Coral oxford you see above.

Merchandise tag attached with price removed, as standard with the "gift" option.
It may be hard to see from the image, but the sport shirt buttons are also different as well. The sport shirt version is equipped with flatter, laser-etched buttons featuring the Brooks Brothers name engraved on their surface. The dress shirt buttons are plain plastic (with the exception of the mother-of-pearl buttons found on the high-end Golden Fleece or Black Fleece shirts).

The sport shirt version of the oxford has buttons on the sleeve gauntlet, the part of the cuff you see below. There are also two buttons on the cuff itself. The dress shirt version lacks a button on the gauntlets, and has only one button on the cuff.

In comparison, we have three other shirts from BB here.
Far Left: French Cuffs
Center: Brooks Brothers Black Fleece Oxford
Right: Brooks Brothers Original Oxford shirt

As with most BB shirts, we have a single box-pleat on the back of the shirt.

Fabric care tag located on the inside of the bottom of the placket. Note the RN 93986, the FTC Code for Brooks Brothers merchandise.

Here we can see 6 different BB oxfords. The far left is the one featured above. Then, an aqua, followed by a pink, white, white, and blue.

Tags for the Original oxford. The three things to look for are

• Numeric size (eg 15 1/2 - 34)
• 100% American Supima Cotton
• Made in USA

The blue color of the text indicates slim fit. 

The sport shirt version is sized with letters, from S through XL. The sport shirt version, is also differentiated by the presence of an embroidered logo. The "dress shirt" variety do not have logos.