A replacement shirt arrived today, complete with fabric tag indicating 100% silk. BR treated it as a typical exchange, though the customer service rep I spoke with agreed to send the new shirt without the usual credit card charge for the replacement product before the return credit. All in all a happy ending for me

Great news! Good on BR.

Happy ending. I get hopping mad when things aren't as described. I bought a pack of cloth napkins at Costco labeled "linen". They were 100% polyester. Don't even get me started!

Good for BR. It's likely that the poly version might be from an older stock with the newer version being made of silk.

I don't think it's safe to assume that textile polyester is necessarily always cheaper and inferior to 100% silk. Today's microfibre polyesters are worlds away from their ancestors in the sixties and seventies. Different finishes and blends have eliminated many of the problems with breathability and odor retention that have plagued polyester's reputation.

Silk is a natural fabric, and like all natural fabrics, comes in different grades depending on the cocoon. Lower grade silk may not have the same strength, luster, and washability as higher grade silk. That's one reason why it might come with a dry clean only tag.

I think both fabrics have a role to play in a well-curated wardrobe, but it's never right to mis-label which fabric is in the garment you are purchasing.

Ooh, it's good you got the silk you'd expected. I normally don't like polyester (I get too hot easily), but I understand that its quality has improved in recent years, almost mimicking natural fibres, though not quite. Big hand slap for advertising 'silk' when that wasn't the case, though. Tsk tsk.

Wow, I'm pleasantly surprised! Great ending, I would have been mad on principle alone... if I'm payin' for silk, then I want silk!

That's a great ending. I must say, BR's customer service has been pretty good for my DH (who has had far more dealings with them than I have.) They are always very quick to respond. I would want silk if I paid for silk, too. Glad you now have it.

That is excellent. How did the explain the shirt you bought first?