Nwt paul stuart jacket $45

...except that it is a suit jacket, rather than a sportcoat.

Good eye. It is very rare that a suit jacket can be worn as a sportcoat. This however, is not an example of that.

How can you tell it's a suit jacket?

I think there are lots of suit jackets that can be worn as blazers, as long as it's not an obvious suit jacket -- e.g., blue pinstripes. Paul Stuart items are often incredible bargains on Ebay. Anyone who knows Paul Stuart and/or who gets the catalog knows that they make very nice clothes that cost a pretty penny. This blazer, for example, probably retailed new for about $800. Problem is (for Ebay sellers of PS), there are a limited number of people who know the name/label, so sellers often can't ask high prices for the stuff on EBay. That said, this jacket appears to be a great bargain....

1. The tag not only has the jacket size, but also the waist size of the pants. 2. The material combined with the pattern: this weave is much smoother than most sport coats, which typically (not always, and excepting the fabric of some solid-color sportcoats) are of a more open and/or coarser appearing weave, and the pattern, which is a small scale plaid, which you rarely see in a sportcoat, and certainly not in this type of fabric. Typically, sport coats have larger patterns, since they will be paired with solid color trousers, or more tweed-like fabrics. The large pattern of sportcoats would look, to many tastes, overwhelming in a suit -- the exception to this assertion is the "country suit" beloved of the British and certain anglophiles. The notion of wearing a suit jacket as a sport coat has been discussed before. Some like it, feeling it gives off an air of nonchalance and casualness, while others (including me) think it looks like the wearer bought the jacket at a thrift store.

I could be mistaken (and in this case, I totally agree it looks like a suit jacket) but I could've sworn I've seen bona fide sportcoats with complete suit sizes on the tags... I forget which maker; maybe on the pocket tag, not the arm... I think I'd seen it discussed; maybe the proposed trouser waist measurement could suggest an athletic cut to the jacket (for instance, a 42R sportcoat claiming a 34W, even though there are no pants, and 34" could not be an actual waist measurement of the jacket itself). Far as that jacket goes, I could pair it with plain trousers and I think it'd look alright, but that particular jacket doesn't strike my fancy. I can't believe I just said that.

Not no more. The blue pinstriped jacket (sold separately, without matching pants) is increasingly being paired with jeans. Looks pretty good too, IMO - better than a clean navy blazer - more visual interest.

Thanks, Mr. Shoefan, for your erudite reply.