20 September 2008

Whats in a Name?

A good looking, hard wearing, well made dress shirt can make a break a man's outfit. In fact, a really good shirt can even enable one to skimp elsewhere in the outfit undetected. Of course, we all know the names and makes to look for. At the top end, of course, is custom made. Then all the usuals: Turnbull & Asser, J. Press, Troy Shirtmakers Guild, and even Polo. (Before you all jump on that, I'm willing to bet that many of you own or have owned something from Polo that you loved. Its popular to dog old Ralph these days as the godfather of the neo-Trad, but hell, he did get started in 1967, in the old days.) And of course Books Brothers are the undisputed kings when it comes to the button down collar. The list goes on, etc.

But then there are the misfits, like the above photo. I own three shirts form 'the Holbrook Company'. One blue, one pink, one goldenrod, button down oxfords. It doesn't get more classic than that. The cloth is beautiful, with the slightest hint of sheen to it, and it wears like iron. Plus, the collars have a perfect 'roll', very much like a BB shirt. Made in U.S.A. to boot. And, of course, they were priced at a fraction of the cost of the better known brands.

So my question is: Who the Hell is the Holbrook Company? Anybody ever heard of them or owned there stuff? Where can I get more of these great quality shirts?

Please chime in if you know anything about this.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Weird, I just US googled and UK googled for about 10 minutes, I couldn't find anything.

Matt Carman said...

My favorite shirt is from The Holbrook Company, and I found your post trying to search for more info about them. Couldn't find anything. Mine is a short sleeve, button-collar plaid in an odd mix of red, yellow, blue, and mint green, and somehow it all works even though it sounds like it shouldn't. If you find any more info about The Holbrook Company, or some magical pile of deadstock shirts, please share it (or gloat about it)!