University Stripe - Two Buck Luck

The top two images are of a shirt I found in a Florida thrift store a couple of weeks after seeing Mr. Davis. It was $2. I found the RN number on the tag (31104) and entered it into a data bank that tracks apparel manufactures located here. It came back as a Belk product. It's not exactly what I had in mind... but what do want for two bucks?

Oddly enough, the third picture is also a University Stripe Oxford seen in a Brooks Brothers window on West Broadway. Better seen here, it's an imported, no iron, S,M,L,XL sized oxford for $79.50. By the way, that blue sheep looks cheap. Had I gone with Tom? A Made to Measure in the Heritage 100% cotton (ironing required) would have run me $130.

I still like the idea of a panel stripe shirt. And I like the idea of ordering it from Mr. Davis. That tells me something I think retailers overlook. The importance of a domestic made product with historical provenance sold by a sophisticated professional in an appropriate setting. Is that so hard?

Brooks Brothers University Stripe - Past & Present

The Golden Fleece - An Employee Newsletter

On far right - Mr. Tom Davis circa 1984

The 'Golden Fleece' was a newsletter for Brooks Brothers employees and I remember it fondly. A lot more fondly than my old store manager. Flipping through a copy, I was surprised to see a photograph of Tom Davis back in '84. If they ever finished that training video -- I never saw it as an employee... but that figures knowing my manager. Click on the image to read the story.

I've mentioned before how I think Mr. Davis is the real deal. While you can knock what Brooks is doing nowadays - -it's hard to find fault with the man behind the Made to Measure shirt counter. I stopped by earlier in the summer with an idea for a shirt of my own design. I wanted to take the idea of a solid panel 'Fun' shirt to University Stripe panels using yellow, blue, green and maroon oxford cloth. And, I was thinking of putting an embroidered Golden Fleece on the bottom front tail of the shirt. That little bit of branding known only to me. Man, I thought I was channeling Michael Bastian.

Tom smiled and pulled out a book of fabric swatches. He put on his reading glasses and pointed to a page where there was a blue and a maroon university stripe. He turned the book to me, took off his glasses and said, "That's what I thought. We only have these two stripes." "That's it? No yellow or green?" I asked. Tom shook his head. Now, I know I can get this shirt at any number of custom shirt makers here in NYC or my old shirt maker in Chicago, Riddle McIntyre...but there was something important to me about having Mr Davis handle this order.

Tom closed the book and we talked about the old Brooks. How, when I was an employee, they had five or six colors of university stripe. We talked about the old collars, the new Satanic no-irons and the erudite character of wrinkled cotton. Mr. Davis works on appointments and I noticed a distinguished man with his wife who was waiting for me to un-ass my chair. I shook Tom's hand, turned and walked to the elevator. Not so much broken hearted - - these are just shirts after all - -but let down - - because something so easy to do 20 years ago -- has vanished.