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How to Build a Work Wardrobe at… Brooks Brothers

Wear to Work | ·

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This post was last updated in January 2023.

Curious about how to build a work wardrobe at Brooks Brothers? Here are our best tips!

This is part of a series here at Corporette on how to build a work wardrobe — we’ve covered what to buy for work at J.Crew, Amazon, Ann Taylor, Talbots, Boden, Brooks Brothers, and Lands’ End so far. In these posts, we try to focus on the reader favorites and best-selling classics — your absolute best bets to build a timeless, sophisticated work wardrobe.

Brooks Brothers is a bastion of classic, sophisticated dressing, with a bit of a New England, WASPy, academic, preppy vibe, and if you’re looking for a place to get started with workwear, this is a great option if your budget allows. Particularly if you’ve been struggling with trying to dress appropriately and conservatively enough for work, Brooks Brothers is an excellent place to get familiar with — it can be fun in that preppy sort of way, but it’s all appropriate for the office.

We’ll go through a few of Brooks Brothers’ classic pieces below, but something to note at the outset is that their accessories section has great brooches, necklaces, and a lot of other good accessories like simple, chic pumps, and handbags (especially check these during BB’s excellent clearance sales).

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How to Build a Work Wardrobe at Brooks Brothers

a fitted non-iron dress shirt blouse from Brooks Brothers

We’ve previously mentioned Brooks Brothers’ non-iron dress shirts, which have a great, classic look. They offer fitted, classic-fit, and tailored-fit versions in regular and petite sizes, and you can often find them on sale.

They’re machine washable, too. You should definitely consider these if you’re looking for dress shirts that are easy to care for. 

{related: the best women’s collared blouses}

a hot pink merino wool classic cardigan from Brooks Brothers

As you might expect with a place like Brooks Brothers, they have a nice selection of classic cardigans (often with matching shells). It’s a key place to go, whether you want to wear the pieces separately or together.

There are often options in merino, cashmere, silk-cashmere blend, or cotton — and keep in mind that every season brings new colors and patterns to freshen up your work wardrobe, all with that Brooks Brothers quality, of course.

{related: stylish cardigans for the office}

a silk-cashmere shawl sweater from Brooks Brothers

This silk-cashmere shawl collar sweater, which Brooks Brothers has been making for years, comes in a bunch of colors. It makes a great bottom layer underneath a suit, and it has a flattering V-neck that won’t make you worry about revealing any cleavage.

The sweater is $148 full price, but keep an eye out — it often goes on sale for around $100.

cashmere ruana wrap from Brooks Brothers

The cashmere ruana is priced as high as $3,000–$4,000 for some versions, but you can sometimes — for example, right now — find it on sale for $299 or lower.

It’s a great basic to keep in your office if you need another layer on top of a blazer (see our post on nine ways to use an office wrap).

I finally got one after recommending them for years, and will note that that it’s more of a jacket than a wrap in that it has a definite collar. I wear mine all the time, even with more casual outfits. 

classic pants suit in wool with two buttons

Obviously, Brooks Brothers is known for its suits, and their offerings include timeless classics and newer trends.

If you’re looking for an easy, basic, high-quality suit, do check them out, because they deliver time and time again, particularly with sheath dresses and other pieces with nice details, like work-appropriate hemlines, and sleeves. I definitely recommend Brooks Brothers’ suiting.

{related: the best suits for women this year}

Readers, are you devotees of Brooks Brothers (or some of their defunct lines like Red Fleece or Black Fleece)? What’s your favorite thing that you’ve bought there — and do you have any great sale stories to regale us with?

About Kat

Kat Griffin is the founder, publisher, and editor-in-chief of Corporette. You can read more about her here.

Comments

  1. Cat

    Brooks Brothers is killing me with their horrible webs!te. Hard to browse, slow to load, and the pictures in the sale section are so small you can barely even tell a shirt from a sweater. The $250 minimum for free shipping is laughable. If you want to return an online order to the store, they act like something is wrong with you, how dare you not like whatever it is in person?!

    I like a lot of their clothes (though the Zac Posen collaboration is … poorly judged IMHO) but since I shop online almost exclusively, they’ve lost a lot of my business.

    • Anonymous

      I rarely order from them because of this. Only if I absolutely love something, and even then half the time it ends up not being what I expected and I have to return it.

      • Alexandra

        1.Unfortunately, people don’t realize that although the company says that online orders can be returned to stores, and stores cannot refuse to take them, the store takes a hit for every return in their daily numbers, and that can put them in a difficult place in the company.
        2. Shopping from the store can be much more rewarding…even if your size is not available, the experienced sales people there can figure it out even if it isn’t there, and have it sent directly to you free of shipping charges that you have online! The stores are beautiful, and it makes shopping an experience. The sales people are generally very polite and friendly and they never pressure you, (there are always women sales persons there)…however, despite a lack of pressure, they are very helpful when you need their help. Why not do that instead? Feel the fabric, try on the cut, and be satisfied that you won’t have to return it. Their stores are open late. Ever since I started doing this, I have found more clothing pieces to add to my work wardrobe than I did when I used to shop their online.
        3. Always ask if they carry red fleece, if you are inclined to that line. Its sizing runs more for younger people and the quality is definitely not the same caliber as the mainline, thus the lower pricing…it isn’t investment piece quality like Mainline, but it is nice and it is fashionable for some up to date pieces to jazz up the wardrobe.

  2. Brushing up on my Spanish

    We will be traveling to a spanish speaking country in March. I was fluent in spanish in my early 20s and can still understand the gist of what is being said. My speaking ability, however, is pretty subpar at this point. Is there an app, a podcast, or a CD rom system that is best for getting me up to speak in 2 months? I have a 40 minute commute each way about three times a week and plan on using that time to learn. Any suggestions for the best way of doing so? Thanks in advance.

    • Anonymous

      Duolingo is decent. If you find you’re more advanced than what Duolingo allows, you could listen to a podcast like Radio Ambulante (which is great btw) and try to repeat what they say, or summarize in your own words in Spanish. Practice is really the only thing that improves speaking proficiency IME.

  3. Senior Attorney

    Speaking of Brooks Brothers, I have a stupid question. Somebody gave me a bracelet from there and for the life of me I cannot figure out how to open the clasp. Clasp is like this and I CAN’T GET IT OPEN!

    Does anybody have a similar bracelet and can you tell me the secret?

    Signed,

    OMG I am so lame

  4. Never too many shoes...

    Is there any kind of tiny seam on the small middle part which might give you a clue as to how to flip it up (which is how I would think it opens)?

  6. cbackson

    I have to say that some of the Zac Posen suiting at BB has been downright terrible. Like, undergrad fashion-school graduation-project terrible.

    I like BB a lot, but fit is an issue. For perspective, I’m 5’4 and a size 2/4 in Banana Republic, and typically I have to wear petites in BB and size way down. It can be very, very boxy.

    I love the shoes/bags/accessories, and the sales are great.

  7. Ellen

    What I do when I go to BB is to get the same outfit in 2 different colors; that way, I can mix and match with the clotheing I buy there and at Lord and Taylor! YAY!!!!

  8. Anonymous

    A couple of notes: RueLaLa has some BrooksBrothers “events” where you can take advantage of their shipping policy instead. I haven’t seen the BB suiting at RLL, but have bought separates. I’m a long waisted pear, and love the BB skirt suits, but only some pant cuts.

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