Sport Jacket vs suit jacket...... - Page 2

It is not as big a deal if the suit jacket was patterned (checks / windowpanes / plaids). Technically can rock as a sport coat. My only bugbear with odd jackets is if they were pinstripes, solid blacks / grays.

Not saying I 100% approve of turning a suit jacket into a sport coat or blazer, but it is doable.

the sport jacket you can easily wear for casual or business casual events, and yes characteristically with a rougher textured fabric and looser fit.

I still don't get it, being a total noob. I sort of see the problem of using a pinstripe jacket with non-matching pants, but I'm not even quite sure why I feel this way. For example, why not a navy pinstripe jacket with dark grey or charcoal pants?

And why not a solid suit jacket, say grey or black, with various pants, such as say grey solid or checked pants?

Like I said, I'm a total noob, just trying to get a handle here.

Edit: after surfing the forum a bit, I think I am beginning to see the folly of it. It seems to be one of those fashion concepts that cannot be logically explained, yet has an internal logic all its own. It just doesn't look right, in most instances (with some exceptions as discussed in this thread).
Edited by srmd22 - 7/5/12 at 8:40pm

They do this for very formal morning wear in the UK, although the coat is not a regular suit coat, but they do the whole black jacket with grey pinstripe trousers. It works in that setting but i have a feeling that its because thats what people have come to accept as traditional. If you were to say wear a black sport coat with grey pinstripe pants it would look kind of odd.

Generally speaking, I've always found that if you could picture a jacket at home with a pair of matching pants, then it is either too formal or too boring in texture/colour/pattern to be worn outside of that context.

The sport jacket and the suit jacket are essentials every man should have in my opinion. They each serve a different purpose so it's best to have them both for various occasions.

After some browsing, all I learned was that opinions diverge wildly on this one.

As I understand, dressing down formal suit jackets with wildly informal, country pants like corduroys is a staple of the "go to hell" Ivy League style, that I personally hold a lot of love for, while many would like it to go to hell and remain there...

As for odd pants in compatible colors, my understanding was that it's okay, but I'm getting unsure.

The cloth, cut and detailing of sports coats and suit coats is quite different and should not be confused.

If anyone feels that it is satisfactory to wear a suit coat without the appropriate trousers then feel free BUT it will always be apparent even to the least knowledgeable bystander.

I don't think the cut of a suit coat / odd coat differs at all. There can be a wide variety of cuts on both. Same with detailing and cloth. Every odd jacket imaginable can turn into a suit by just adding matching pants, however, in most cases it will become a "country" suit. It doesn't always work the other way round, though. A smooth worsted suit coat is tricky to wear as an odd jacket; it has to be either plain navy or some other plain colour in a pattern that is not typically associated with a suit (like pinstripes, chalk stripes or nailheads).

Yes, there are differences:

 

The cloth may be more bold with strong patterns and coarser, like linen in the summer or tweed in the winter, but not striped.

 

The pockets are patched. A ticket pocket may be added.

 

The fit can be more relaxed with less waist suppression.  

There is definitely an overlap where a suit's jacket will look appropriate as an odd jacket, but it is almost ALWAYS on the opposite side of the spectrum from business wear. This is one of the reasons, I would imagine, that pinstripes do not and should not exist on odd jackets. When you start venturing more towards "weekend" or "country" suits, it does become a bit more feasible, though. For example, I have a greenish/brown check tweed suit that I will wear both together and as separates, but I can get away with it because there is nothing that explicitly suggests that they are part of a pair on their own. Now, that one is easy because it is so obviously not workwear, but when you start venturing into navy and gray suits, you have to look at things such as the fabric, construction, and button choices to determine if they can be used as separates. It is certainly possible for some suits like this to be used apart from each other, but based on the confusion expressed by some people on this thread, I would reckon that it is something that takes a bit of experience and intuition, and even with that, I see it as less ideal than just wearing a sport coat or blazer.