The Brooks Brothers Gatsby Collection “‘They’re such beautiful shirts’, she sobbed . . . “

Seems like the whole world is talking Gatsby, and there’s not many moons before the curtains rise and the screens across the globe begin to flicker “The Great Gatsby” once again, this time in crystal clear 3-D. And while the effect might be just part of the movie, the filmmaker’s have made it possible to live the part in real life.

From The Brooks Brothers, Fitzgerald’s own personal favourite brand for dressing dapper which brilliant lent their archives to Catherine Martin to design the costumes for the film. Together, in collaboration, they have created an impressive capsule collection directly inspired by the film’s protagonist, and dandy idol, The Great Gatsby himself – Jay. And while Jay is described as an ever opulent and over-achieving man of style and substance, the pieces themselves are classics for every man to aspire to, and to admire.

There is something magical about that moment in the novel when Jay and Daisy have just reunited, and in the excitement of the moment Jay finds himself touring Daisy through his home, and invariably ending up in his luxurious bedroom (Hint Nick, just leave already). From what it seems, Jay Gatsby really does have everything, and in a whirlwind of excitement he begins to throw his many neatly pressed and pastel coloured shirts into the air. They are so incredible that Daisy begins to sob.

I think Fitzgerald describes it best:

“He took out a pile of shirts and began throwing them one by one before us, shirts of sheer linen and thick silk and fine flannel which lost their folds as they fell and covered the table in many-colored disarray. While we admired he brought more and the soft rich heap mounted higher – shirts with stripes and scrolls and plaids in coral and apple green and lavender and faint orange with monograms of indian blue. Suddenly with a strained sound Daisy Bent her head into the shirts and began to cry stormily.

“They’re such beautiful shirts,” she sobbed, her voice muffled in the thick folds. “It makes me sad because I’ve never seen such beautiful shirts before.”

{Fitzgerald, “The Great Gatsby (87)}

I am always baffled by this approach to the situation, but also admire Fitzgerald’s willingness to lose himself in the spirit of his story. I love the way he describes the shirts, and its this attention to detail that is really matched by The Great Gatsby collection by The Brooks Brothers.

There’s something so modern and sophisticated about the collection, and yet the pieces are perfectly matched to the era they are meant to come out of in the story. The pieces look well crafted, and to be honest, to find 1920s menswear in wearable condition is very rare, so the chance to buy period proper pieces that are wonderfully crafted from the Jay Gatsby repertoire is impressive. All the classic Gatsby looks are available from the striped blazers to the slick black party tuxedo, and even the most iconic Gatsbyism of style – a pink suit.

Gatsby, a vision in pink, is a notion as classic as the story itself. It says a lot about his spirit, bravado and acute style sensibilities. I mean, for a fictional character, he has got to be the best-dressed of any of them. We offered the behind the scenes on the collaboration, now bring you some of the unique pieces inspired by the Gatsby spirit.