Well, personally I only ride leather, and it's true that they are great when broken in. Which for me is usually pretty fast--but I may have a "Brooks Butt".

They are expensive, it's true. But they last forever and they're not nearly so fragile as some people seem to think. A soaking now and then is really not a big deal. Brooks also come with a rain cover that I keep with my bike, just in case. I've never had any issues with stains, myself. But almost all my pants are black, so maybe that's why.

Also, you could try a non-Brooks brand. Velo-Orange has some decent looking saddles. Although Brooks are generally considered the best (or close to it), there are other makes out there. But if you can, I'd go Brooks. You can often find almost new saddles on craigslist for a lot cheaper than list. Also there is a user here named Septacycles who sells them new for cheaper than I have seen elsewhere. He posts in the sales section on the classic & vintage forum, you could try him. I bought a Brooks Pro from him and saved something like $25 over most other retailers.

A B-72 or B-17 would probably look very cool on your mixte.