Should my sport coats match my pants in material type?

First post here, looks like an awesome forum and I'm looking forward to reading and posting.

Anyways, I am trying to expand my work wardrobe past basic suits and ties and looking to get some sport coats and dress pants to go with them.

First question - what are some common color combinations that people use to match coats and pants? I've been told black coat with gray/charcoal pants, as well as the opposite of that. What are other good combinations? I'd like to stay away from navy blazers and khaki pants as I'm just not a fan of that particular look.

My main question is this - do the sport coat and pants need to be of the exact same material? Would it be a major error to wear, say a 100% wool coat with a wool/poly blend pair of pants?

Also, what color/type of jacket goes best with a nice, dark pair of jeans? black? any specific material?

thanks!

Wearing wool+poly pants is a major mistake, no matter what kind of coat you wear.

hmm, well I just made something up off the top of my head. what material pants should I stick to? 100% wool?

Originally Posted by pbrank

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hmm, well I just made something up off the top of my head. what material pants should I stick to? 100% wool?

Yes. Best to get several sport coats in different colors. As well as contrasting pants.

"Don't you know about the new fashion, honey? All you need are looks and a whole lot of money"

-Billy Joel

I wear wool blazer/sport coat with cotton or linen pants often. Though I don't wear jeans, they would work with then also.

Originally Posted by westinghouse

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Yes. Best to get several sport coats in different colors. As well as contrasting pants.

"Don't you know about the new fashion, honey? All you need are looks and a whole lot of money"

-Billy Joel

Funny, but it's still StyleForvm to me.

To answer your question: To my knowledge it is not a faux pas to wear an odd jacket of one material and odd pants of another.

Originally Posted by JamesX

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I wear wool blazer/sport coat with cotton or linen pants often. Though I don't wear jeans, they would work with then also.

are cotton pants acceptable in a work environment? I hadn't thought so, but I don't really know anything

Originally Posted by pbrank

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are cotton pants acceptable in a work environment? I hadn't thought so, but I don't really know anything

I like wool dress pants with cotton dress shirts from Monday to Thursday. Fridays are business casual so I go with cotton Chinos and cotton polo/sport shirts. On summer Fridays, I wear silk camp shirts with linen/silk blend pants.

Not necessarily.

The jacket and slacks need to be be diffidence enough to not look like it is attempting to be suit -- which looks very bad,

They should complement each other in color, dressiness, cachet, and finish.

Originally Posted by Orsini

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Not necessarily.

The jacket and slacks need to be be diffidence enough to not look like it is attempting to be suit -- which looks very bad,

They should complement each other in color, dressiness, cachet, and finish.

Not always. I sometimes wear a moleskine jacket and trousers, admittedly made from exactly the same batch of material from Hackett. It is a great 'halfway suit' and each element can be worn separately.

Originally Posted by pbrank

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First post here, looks like an awesome forum and I'm looking forward to reading and posting. Anyways, I am trying to expand my work wardrobe past basic suits and ties and looking to get some sport coats and dress pants to go with them. First question - what are some common color combinations that people use to match coats and pants? I've been told black coat with gray/charcoal pants, as well as the opposite of that. What are other good combinations? I'd like to stay away from navy blazers and khaki pants as I'm just not a fan of that particular look. My main question is this - do the sport coat and pants need to be of the exact same material? Would it be a major error to wear, say a 100% wool coat with a wool/poly blend pair of pants? Also, what color/type of jacket goes best with a nice, dark pair of jeans? black? any specific material? thanks!
I recommend you lurk a bit in the WAYWRN thread and the conservative business dress WAYWRN thread.. There, you'll see many combinations - many work, don't - and it will help you along. If you are looking to expand you separates collection, I recommend getting the following plain color trousers:

• Charcoal
• medium grey
• light grey
• tan/khaki

… and basic coat colors:

• Navy
• Tan/camel
• Glen plaid

These are among the more versatile colors and virtually any piece can be work with any other. With these building blocks, you can grow your wardrobe and not have to worry whether X goes with Y, as they're virtually all complementary. Finally, avoid poly/cotton and poly/wool blends, as they have a tendency to pill and look generally awful. I am not a fan of coats and jeans, generally, though I do have an unlined, unstructured tan cotton coat that complements jeans well. Additionally, the SW&D guys seem to do the coat and jeans thing a bit. Good luck, and enjoy building your wardrobe.

Originally Posted by VelvetGreen

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Not always. I sometimes wear a moleskine jacket and trousers, admittedly made from exactly the same batch of material from Hackett. It is a great 'halfway suit' and each element can be worn separately.
Uussssssssssss.. [Sucks air through teeth Japanese businessman style and tenses visibly] Very dangerous it is! What are the colors?

Lets not forget you can rock a sport coat with cotton chinos, khakis, and jeans. Versatility is what makes the sport coat a mans best friend - it does not only have to pair with wool or wool blend dress pants. If you have a keen eye for color coordination and matching, world is your oyster.

unfortunately I'm really color blind on top of not even knowing what the proper combinations should be, so I'm double screwed

Red/green colorblind?