One Step Closer to that Perfect Petite Dress Shirt
Wasn’t Actively Looking
Finding a well-fitted petite dress shirt has been difficult. It wasn’t until 9-10 months of working from home until I found a pretty good petite dress shirt.
How it Came About
It was the holiday season, and partially related, I ended up spending close to $7K in a month. Granted the bulks of it consisted of a losing battle medical bill (such BS!!!) and replacing a broken fridge due to insanely bad luck, a nice chunk was willfully spent buying gifts for family and friends. I usually buy clothing on sale on Black Friday, but I actually did a good job holding back this year. It wasn’t until after the fact that I was chatting with my best East Coast friend after Christmas and Brooks Brothers was mentioned.
How I Heard About BB
The first time I heard of Brooks Brothers was years ago when a former coworker was talking about how one of her attorneys that she supports has a few hobbies, one of which was buying suits and dress shirts from Brooks Brothers. I looked them up and when I saw how expensive the pricing was on dress shirts and suits, I never looked back until recently.
Can’t Keep Away from a Good Sale
My friend mentioned that while Brooks Brothers started with men’s clothing, they had branched out to include women’s clothing in their inventory. When I took a look I saw they were still having a sale, up to 70% off + an additional 20% off, and that was what prompted me to continue to browse their site.
The Dress Shirt Debacle
One of the first things I noticed was a dress shirt. It looked well-fitted, and it advertised as no-iron. I haven’t ironed anything in my life yet, and I don’t plan on starting soon, so that was perfect! I’ve owned a few dress shirts in the past from other places, but they didn’t last long. They either shunk, ripped, or I just got super tired of it. BB’s dress shirt looked promising (they had PETITE sizing on the dress shirt!!!), so I decided to order one.
Ordering Process
I haven’t been around a BB, so I cannot tell you how a BB store looks from the outside or the inside. I also haven’t tried on anything from them so I was a bit nervous with their sizing. Sizing has been a tricky issue for me because it’s different between brands and the fit I want. Most sizes that fit one part of me will be either too big or too small on another part, so I prefer to try things on at a store whenever possible. The pandemic is still ongoing (ugh), so I took my chance and looked at the sizing chart and ordered a petite size black dress shirt.
Payment
Payment was a breeze. They accept PayPal, so I didn’t need to enter my card information. A lot of places make it easy to spend money… so dangerous! I also ended up ordering another shirt (originally $138, on sale for $30ish), but this post is about the dress shirt.
Shipping
I received the package within a week, but was shocked to see how large the package was considering I ordered a couple tops. I opened the package and then understood why it was packed in such a large box (not for truck optimizing purposes as Amazon [ordered a memory card a while back, and the tiny thing came in a large box with a lot of bubble wrap]). Each of the shirts I ordered was in its own box! Fancy!! I thought the shirts would arrive in a plastic bag, but they were neatly gift packaged in Brooks Brothers boxes with elastic ribbons.
Sucker for Packaging
I was beyond impressed and elated when I saw the packaging. The box felt so good to touch, and the tissue paper and sticker inside were beautiful. The shirt was so perfectly folded in the bag in the box that I almost wanted to keep it all the way it came.
The Dress Shirt
The shirt looked and felt very nice! It was light weight, but good quality. It had that thin, yet opaque structure to it. The style of the dress shirt seems rather versatile, as it can be worn professionally with the buttons closed, or casually leaving the buttons unbuttoned.
More Colors?
I’d definitely get this shirt in other colors, especially if I was returning to the office soon. I wouldn’t get this long sleeve dress shirt in white or another light color though because I think my armpits sweat rather easily and I would just leave sweat stains.
Dress Up and Dress Down
I snapped a couple quick cellphone pics of me wearing the dress shirt – both professionally, with the buttons buttoned, and casually, just over a tank top. Both look good, and the shirt feels good on the skin. I really like how the buttons do not go all the way to the top, leaving room below the neck. It’s a great opportunity to show a necklace, whether dainty or statement, with the dress shirt.
Some Regret
I was so extremely impressed with this purchase that I ended up ordering a skirt ($268, sale price of $64) a couple days afterwards. The sale was still going on, so it wasn’t too bad, but it added on to all the dollars spent these couple months. I’m looking forward to receiving the skirt. Perhaps there will be another post on my other Brooks Brothers stuff? I think I need to lay low on my spending for at least the first half of this new year, otherwise I may be in some trouble!
