Sports jacket

[Jer_1974]

I'm 42 and normally wear polo shirts, T-shirts and jeans. In work I normally put on an un tucked casual shirt, dark jeans and boots. I only wear suits once or twice a year, at weddings I wear my kilt or dinner suit at black tie events. I have a few events coming up over the next few months so went out to buy a new suit. Anything decent is £400+ which I feel is a lot to wear a few times before it looks dated.
Wife pointed out that I still dress like I am in my 20s / 30s and I could do with smartening up when we go out for dinner etc and could get away with wearing instead of a suite.
I tried on a few sports jackets which I quite like but thought I would ask PH's advice on what's well made, what to wear with it and what not to. Not looking for green tweed but whats cool?

Edited by Jer_1974 on Friday 7th October 07:49

[easytiger123]

Can't go wrong with a simple navy jacket if you're just going for one item. Get a decent one with dark brown buttons and you can wear it with anything, dress it up or dress it down. Boggi do some decent ones for not wallet-shattering money which are well made and have a decent cut and will last you for a ages.

Check and tweed jackets can also be great but are generally not as versatile. My only other bit of advice is always go for fit rather than pattern. A well-fitted jacket will always look good but a badly-fitted one will look rubbish no matter how much you love the pattern.

[jdw100]

You should be asking advice from Chemical Chaos, the PH guru for all things sartorial.

[Goaty Bill 2]

You want to be asking here; Are you well dressed? A PH gentleman thread.. For all things PH sartorial.

[Hoofy]

I'm in a similar position; I found anything too different made me feel uncomfortable so as someone else said, go for a dark blue blazer.

[Ari]

I suspect that the height of sartorial elegance for many on here is a Subaru jacket and bobble hat.

Can I suggest that your wife is possibly better placed to advise than a load of blokes on a car forum?

[g3org3y]

Jer_1974 said:

I'm 42 and normally wear polo shirts, T-shirts and jeans. In work I normally put on an un tucked casual shirt, dark jeans and boots. I only wear suits once or twice a year, at weddings I wear my kilt or dinner suit at black tie events. I have a few events coming up over the next few months so went out to buy a new suit. Anything decent is £400+ which I feel is a lot to wear a few times before it looks dated.
Wife pointed out that I still dress like I am in my 20s / 30s and I could do with smartening up when we go out for dinner etc and could get away with wearing instead of a suite.
I tried on a few sports jackets which I quite like but thought I would ask PH's advice on what's well made, what to wear with it and what not to. Not looking for green tweed but whats cool?

'Cool' isn't the same thing as good (cool at the moment is uber slim fit hipster style, often too short in length/sleeves).

Are you typically planning on combining the sports coat with jeans? If so, I'd personally err away from a blue SC to avoid the blue on blue look.

With that in mind, I'd consider brown or preferably grey. Grey will provide a decent contrast to jeans and suit an inner city environment.

As I've mentioned on other threads, tweed doesn't have to be old fashioned (despite the protestations of some on here).

Consider something like a grey herringbone.


Will work very well with jeans, shirt and smartcasual shoes/boots (chukkas/chelseas). Also looks good layered with a v neck jumper.

The key is in the cut and fit. Good luck!

[Ari]

g3org3y said:

As I've mentioned on other threads, tweed doesn't have to be old fashioned (despite the protestations of some on here).

Consider something like a grey herringbone.


Will work very well with jeans, shirt and smartcasual shoes/boots (chukkas/chelseas). Also looks good layered with a v neck jumper.

I rest my case.

[battered]

My dad wore a grey herringbone sports jacket every day for about 30 years. Well, a series of them. He was a craft teacher, so it was the expected uniform. Upon arrival in the workshop it was removed and a warehouse coat/lab coat put on while he taught the kids. It got another airing at lunchtime and on the way home, and for parents' evenings.

I'm not a craft teacher, so I can't wear a herringbone tweed jacket. It's the law.

[g3org3y]

Ari said:

I rest my case.

*shrug*

Are you one of those chaps whose wife buys his clothes for him?

battered said:

I'm not a craft teacher, so I can't wear a herringbone tweed jacket. It's the law.

Doesn't necessarily have to be a herringbone tweed. A worsted wool also works really well. The important thing is to make sure the sports coat doesn't simply look like an orphaned suit jacket. Moreover, a simple sports coat/jacket can easily be paired with a 'busy' shirt.

Tweed is now quite fashionable but as mentioned previously, it's all about the cut/style.

Edited by g3org3y on Friday 7th October 15:21

[Goaty Bill 2]

Ari said:

g3org3y said:

As I've mentioned on other threads, tweed doesn't have to be old fashioned (despite the protestations of some on here).

Consider something like a grey herringbone.


Will work very well with jeans, shirt and smartcasual shoes/boots (chukkas/chelseas). Also looks good layered with a v neck jumper.

I rest my case.

You case, I think, is not well made sir.
While it always advisable to have the good woman confirm her delight at your prospective purchase, the initial options should be up to oneself.

A medium texture grey herringbone (such as pictured), in a light cloth, is very flexible for creating various styles.
It can be made to look quite formal, with black/grey trousers, or casual with jeans or even with brown twill trousers, and any number of shirt, tie, pocket square colour combinations.

You can easily create a very classical style, or a modern (if not quite 'trendy') style with it.
It can also be made to look town or country quite easily.

Birdseye and Nailhead are good pattern choices for flexibility as well.

[InductionRoar]

As long as you go for classic over fashion a sports jacket will never look dated as they have stood the test of time and are very useful.

I would go for notched lapels, two buttons, side vents and most importantly make sure the cloth is correct for the season. I like patch pockets on thicker cloth such as tweed where it would look wrong on linen for example. I personally prefer either plain colours or large patterned sports jackets - the smaller patterns/weave are more suited to a suit.

As for well made, well TBH few off the peg jackets are well made so go for what you like.

[glenrobbo]

It all depends on what type of sports you have in mind.
If watersports are your 'thing', you may wish to consider a wetsuit and rubber helmet.

[Hard-Drive]

Just make sure it has one of these stitched inside...



It's probably one of the few labels that actually means something...and google if for quite an interesting read.

[Tom_C76]

Why do good suits only come in above £400? There's nothing wrong with an M&S suit if you don't need to wear it every day, particularly if you take it to a local tailor to be fitted to you. Total outlay maybe £200 tops.

[Goaty Bill 2]

Tom_C76 said:

Why do good suits only come in above £400? There's nothing wrong with an M&S suit if you don't need to wear it every day, particularly if you take it to a local tailor to be fitted to you. Total outlay maybe £200 tops.

In terms of 'off the peg'...
It's more a case of "what the market will bear" and consumer perceptions of what something of acceptable quality should cost. Or; How much is someone willing to pay to not have an M&S label on the inside of their jacket?

The price of a suit hasn't really moved much over the last decade or more. If anything the price seems to have gone down slightly at a lot of places.
Twenty plus years ago, decent Jaeger suits cost me around £400-£500.
A quick check of their website says They are all £450 or less.

I paid around £600/£650 each for a couple of Boss jackets a few years later. They seem to be getting nearer £800 for their more expensive offerings now, though they have quite a selection at £400 or less.
But it does seem that they've kept their brand value up. Probably in part because they would rather burn their old stock than send it to TK Max, (though they do have outlet shops where a deal can be had occasionally).
Some of their stuff is now made outside Europe, which for the price, I find hard to accept.

I was really surprised at how inexpensive (in relative terms at least), men's suits tend to be in Jermyn Street shops now. The option to spend a small fortune in the area still exists of course

I have no idea what M&S suit/jacket quality is like, but the styling seemed to improve greatly a few years back, but everything (as far as I understand it), is now factory made in China, which certainly helps keep the price down.

Depending on choice of shop/brand of course, country of manufacture will make quite a difference in price. Many (by no means all), of the Jermyn Street shops still have most everything tailored in the UK, but I have noticed a lower priced range of New & Lingwood men's wear in House of Fraser, all made in China. That was unheard of for them not so long ago.
I would guess that country of manufacture is probably the second biggest factor these days.

Someone put the 'w' and the 's' too close together on my keyboard

Edited by Goaty Bill 2 on Saturday 8th October 10:51

[InductionRoar]

Goaty Bill 2 said:

In terms of 'off the peg'...
It's more a case of "what the market will bear" and consumer perceptions of what something of acceptable quality should cost. Or; How much is someone willing to pay to not have an M&S label on the inside of their jacket?

The price of a suit hasn't really moved much over the last decade or more. If anything the price seems to have gone down slightly at a lot of places.
Twenty plus years ago, decent Jaeger suits cost me around £400-£500.
A quick check of their website ways They are all £450 or less.

I paid around £600/£650 each for a couple of Boss jackets a few years later. They seem to be getting nearer £800 for their more expensive offerings now, though they have quite a selection at £400 or less.
But it does seem that they've kept their brand value up. Probably in part because they would rather burn their old stock than send it to TK Max, (though they do have outlet shops where a deal can be had occasionally).
Some of their stuff is now made outside Europe, which for the price, I find hard to accept.

I was really surprised at how inexpensive (in relative terms at least), men's suits tend to be in Jermyn Street shops now. The option to spend a small fortune in the area still exists of course

I have no idea what M&S suit/jacket quality is like, but they styling seemed to improve greatly a few years back, but everything (as far as I understand it), is now factory made in China, which certainly helps keep the price down.

Depending on choice of shop/brand of course, country of manufacture will make quite a difference in price. Many (by no means all), of the Jermyn Street shops still have most everything tailored in the UK, but I have noticed a lower priced range of New & Lingwood men's wear in House of Fraser, all made in China. That was unheard of for them not so long ago.
I would guess that country of manufacture is probably the second biggest factor these days.

Agreed. Plus fully canvassed jackets are not so easy to find off the peg at that price range either.