# What ARE BrooksEase and BrooksCool, anyway?



## rwjones (Jan 29, 2009)

I generally avoid these simply because I don't know what their definitions even mean - they just seem to be relabeled garments of normal construction, perhaps with some minor variation in fabric weave. BB makes some claims about them that I either simply shrug about and try on, or just shake my head and move back to their normal collection. I've never actually bought any of it. Is there any noticeable difference, in a practical sense, quality sense or fit sense?


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## PeterSawatzky (Feb 20, 2009)

Just spitballing here—

I think BrooksEase started out as a wool/polyester blend that was "Ease"-ier to look after, i.e., no-iron or whatever. Now it's just a line of separates.

Similarly BrooksCool is/was a cotton/polyester blend that's cooler or less wrinkly than pure cotton.


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## TDI GUY (Oct 26, 2008)

Practical Sense: Cheaper, less prone to wrinkles
Quality Sense: Lower
Fit Sense: See above

Sub question: Does anyone know if the Brooksease sack is officially a thing of the past?


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## Reds & Tops (Feb 20, 2009)

PeterSawatzky said:


> Just spitballing here-
> 
> I think BrooksEase started out as a wool/polyester blend that was "Ease"-ier to look after, i.e., no-iron or whatever. Now it's just a line of separates.
> 
> Similarly BrooksCool is/was a cotton/polyester blend that's cooler or less wrinkly than pure cotton.


I (like I'm sure many here have as well) used to work for the BB. This is pretty much the exact definition we received as well.


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## rwjones (Jan 29, 2009)

Does this imply that they should be avoided if possible? Say, if you're looking at a navy blazer in either regular BB or BrooksEaseCoolWhatever, you should go with the classic line? That's what I was thinking; I'm just looking for confirmation or refutation.


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## gar1013 (Sep 24, 2007)

I had a BB Select suit made with the BrooksEase fabric -- it's actually a great fabric if you're planning to travel by plane.

BrooksCool does have some sort of treatment on it, but it also does feel like a much lighter weave than a traditional oxford cloth. I have one of them in white -- not sure how the blue ones look, but I like the one I have.


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## PJC in NoVa (Jan 23, 2005)

I own several BrooksEase suits of the current vintage. They are pure wool, made by the recently BB-acquired Grieco Bros. (Southwick), and I believe a very good value in terms of fabric, fit, tailoring, wearing qualities, etc. 

BB's copywriters have a habit of sticking "Brooks" on as a prefix. They used to sell an entry-priced sort of recent grad/junior exec range called "Brooksgate" (gateway to Brooks Bros., get it?) and I have Church's shoes that they rebadged as "BrooksEnglish" back in the late 80s/early 90s.

BrooksCool isn't just cotton/poly; it also describes a wool/poly lightweight suit range they sell in the spring and summer. The fabric is a blend designed to resist humidity and wrinkles and to let air through. The suit's "skeleton" (for want of a better word) is also lighter, and the coat lining is only partial--all to promote warm-weather comfort. So the construction is not just "normal." So yes, it's a cooler suit to wear than the GF flannel I have on today. If you spend a lot of time in the heat, could be a good buy. If not, I suspect their slightly heavier-built suits will wear harder and may be the better choice.


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## Patrick06790 (Apr 10, 2005)

I have three BrooksCool poplin suits and they are the bomb in hot sticky weather.

It's a Space Age fabric that has much more in common with technical fishing clothing than yesterday's poly blends. Fear not the BrooksCool.

It also gets just as rumpled as anything else.


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## windsor (Dec 12, 2006)

I believe the "ease" in Brooksease refers not to ease of care but rather a little "give" or stretch from the 5 per cent Lycra in the fabric. Supposed to be good for travel and wrinkle less. Before there was Brooksease I believe they had a line called Brookstretch. Recently I acquired a Brooks Brothers blue blazer, woolmark buttons(sheep) and with labels inside that read "Lora Piana" fabric and a separate one "Brooksease". I did not think Brooksease fabric was by LP, but who knows?


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## Beefeater (Jun 2, 2007)

*Agreed*



Patrick06790 said:


> I have three BrooksCool poplin suits and they are the bomb in hot sticky weather.
> 
> It's a Space Age fabric that has much more in common with technical fishing clothing than yesterday's poly blends. Fear not the BrooksCool.
> 
> It also gets just as rumpled as anything else.


Will vote with Patrick. I have two of these poplin sacks and they get some use with the hot weather in Texas and perform well. I have Olive and Khaki but could never find a navy in my size. I think they've been discontinued.

Edit: went to their website and they have khaki & stone colors available. $398, but still less than Press ($550).


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## PJC in NoVa (Jan 23, 2005)

windsor said:


> I believe the "ease" in Brooksease refers not to ease of care but rather a little "give" or stretch from the 5 per cent Lycra in the fabric. Supposed to be good for travel and wrinkle less. Before there was Brooksease I believe they had a line called Brookstretch. Recently I acquired a Brooks Brothers blue blazer, woolmark buttons(sheep) and with labels inside that read "Lora Piana" fabric and a separate one "Brooksease". I did not think Brooksease fabric was by LP, but who knows?


My BrooksEase suits are all labeled as being 100% wool, and the BB website says they are "100s pure stretch wool." The slight give comes from the weave not from a synthetic additive. It's one of the the things I really like about these suits:
https://www.brooksbrothers.com/IWCa...524772&Parent_Id=216&default_color=Solid-Grey

Such an additive can, however, be found in the Suiting Essentials line, which is sort of BrooksEase for slimmer guys who like the "Regent" cut and contains some DOW XLA:
https://www.brooksbrothers.com/IWCa...=1277881&Parent_Id=216&default_color=Charcoal


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## ksinc (May 30, 2005)

PJC in NoVa said:


> My BrooksEase suits are all labeled as being 100% wool, and the BB website says they are "100s pure stretch wool." The slight give comes from the weave not from a synthetic additive. It's one of the the things I really like about these suits:
> https://www.brooksbrothers.com/IWCa...524772&Parent_Id=216&default_color=Solid-Grey
> 
> Such an additive can, however, be found in the Suiting Essentials line, which is sort of BrooksEase for slimmer guys who like the "Regent" cut and contains some DOW XLA:
> https://www.brooksbrothers.com/IWCa...=1277881&Parent_Id=216&default_color=Charcoal


PJC, Do you have that gray? If so, how would you describe the shade relative to the picture; any lighter? Lighter than the Austin Reed charcoal? THX!


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## Reds & Tops (Feb 20, 2009)

PJC in NoVa said:


> My BrooksEase suits are all labeled as being 100% wool, and the BB website says they are "100s pure stretch wool." The slight give comes from the weave not from a synthetic additive. It's one of the the things I really like about these suits:
> https://www.brooksbrothers.com/IWCa...524772&Parent_Id=216&default_color=Solid-Grey
> 
> Such an additive can, however, be found in the Suiting Essentials line, which is sort of BrooksEase for slimmer guys who like the "Regent" cut and contains some DOW XLA:
> https://www.brooksbrothers.com/IWCa...=1277881&Parent_Id=216&default_color=Charcoal


I don't have any of the Dow XLA suits, but do own a few of the shirts. They're great for a round of golf, if you don't feel like wearing a polo. I also think they breath a bit better than the standard BB non iron.


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## PJC in NoVa (Jan 23, 2005)

ksinc said:


> PJC, Do you have that gray? If so, how would you describe the shade relative to the picture; any lighter? Lighter than the Austin Reed charcoal? THX!


I own several dark-gray BrooksEase suits. The picture on the site is a good representation of the shade (on my monitor, at least). It's definitely a dark hue, perfect for me as I when it comes to solid grays I tend to like 'em dark.


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## Thom Browne's Schooldays (Jul 29, 2007)

Hmm, I have seen a couple recent brooksease suits and they were all 100% wool, and I own an ancient brooksease blazer and a tweed that are also 100% wool.

Can anyone tell me about BB university shop?


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## zmisstaa (May 31, 2010)

I recently asked a BB salesperson about lightweight suits and he suggested a Brookscool. The fit wasn't great, so I asked what other lightweight suits they had and he said Brookscool was all. He didn't seem interested in showing me anything else -- but I read here (too late) that it seems Brooksease is also a good fabric for the hotter months -- perhaps not as cool as the Brookscool, I still would have liked to try it on. Is that right? Should I look into the Brooksease for a cooler suit? 

(Amazing that the salesperson could have had a sale if he bothered to learn about the product line and suggest other suits to me. By the way, are there any knowledgeable salepeople at the Tysons VA store? I always seem to have bad luck there. Pls PM me their names so I can ask for them and stop wasting my time with people who don't know the product.)

Thanks.


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## TheWGP (Jan 15, 2010)

I don't think the current BrooksEase is exactly a "hot-weather-fabric" - they're 100% wool made by Southwick, as posted above. There was some talk about their discontinuing the BrooksEase suiting separates sack: https://askandyaboutclothes.com/com...ooksease-Separates-Discontinued&daysprune=365

On the topic of this thread: I got a BrooksCool poplin suit on the winter clearance for $99 and love it - as others have said, don't expect the most amazing fit or finish (though BB did alter mine somewhat more extensively than I expected - it looks good IMO). Seriously, it's a godsend in hot weather and doesn't draw attention to itself as not being wool.


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