Fade to Black

(NEW YORK) Brooks Brothers, just 11 years shy from celebrating its bicentennial, is getting a jumpstart on its milestone moments. With a trendsetting collection of special Junya Watanabe-designed shirts under its belt, the brand, which recently launched a fashion-forward progressive Black Fleece collection designed by Thom Browne, is debuting a black version of its classic 100 percent cotton button-down Oxford shirt next spring--a first for the company founded in 1818. "It seemed really right because of the black-and-white story we were telling for spring," said Simon Kneen, Brooks Brothers' vice president and creative design director, at a preview of the brand's signature, Country Club, and Black Fleece collections Thursday night. For some time, an old wive's tale had circulated that Brooks Brothers had little to no black suiting or outerwear because former President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated wearing a custom-made black Brooks Brothers coat--a notion that Kneen laughed off. "Yes, we had the courage," he quipped.